Richard Knight Thompson, Jr. (July 9, 1920 – September 14, 2014) was an American racecar driver. A Washington, D.C. dentist by trade, he is known as "The Flying Dentist". He won numerous Sports Car Club of America (SCCA) championships and was inducted into the Corvette Hall of Fame. Thompson brought credibility to the Corvette as a world-class sports car.Biography ; National Corvette Museum; Retrieved October 22, 2007 Active from the late 1950s until the 1970s, Thompson raced for several notable racers, including the factory Corvette team for John Fitch and Briggs Cunningham.
Thompson started racing in 1952 in one of the first 12-hour races at Sebring International Raceway.Interview: Dr. Dick Thompson ; John Wright; October 2007 Vintage Racecar Journal; October 22, 2007 He drove to the track in his MG TD, and co-drove the car to an eighth-place finish. He caught Corvette engineer Zora Arkus-Duntov's eye in 1956, when Thompson was the only driver to compete in a production Corvette. He won the SCCA championship in his Corvette in 1956, 1957, 1960, 1961 and 1962 in Classes A, B and C. He was selected to test drive a new Corvette Grand Sport at Sebring in December 1962. In 1963, he drove a Corvette Grand Sport to victory at Watkins Glen International. He took third place that year at Daytona International Speedway and won the GT class in 1970.
In 1967, Thompson won the 1000km of Spa with Jacky Ickx in the Gulf-liveried JW Automotive Mirage M1.
Thompson used his knowledge of the Corvette to write The Corvette Guide in 1958. He never made enough money to cover more than his expenses. He had never quit his dentistry business, so he decided to concentrate on that business full-time. He has raced occasionally in events since his retirement. He lived in Wellington, Florida as of October 2007. On September 14, 2014, he died of pneumonia at a hospice in West Palm Beach, Florida.
Honors Thompson was inducted in the Corvette Hall of Fame in 2000. Thompson was inducted in the Le Mans Drivers Hall of Fame in 2013. He was inducted in the Sports Car Club of America's Hall of Fame in January 2018.
Racing record 12 Hours of Sebring results Year Team Co-Drivers Car Class Laps 1952 R. K. Thompson Jr. William Kinchloe MG TD Mk II Special S1.5 129 8th 3rd 1955 Jack Pry Charles Wallace Jaguar XK140 S5.0 163 10th 2nd 1957 John Fitch Gaston Andrey Chevrolet Corvette C1 GT5.0 173 12th 1st 1958 Dick Thompson John Kilbourn Fred Windridge Chevrolet Corvette C1 GT5.0 144 33rd 2nd 1959 B.S. Cunningham Walt Hansgen Lister-Jaguar Knobbly S3.0 164 12th 5th 1960 Jaguar Distributors of New York Fred Windridge Chevrolet Corvette C1 GT5.0 41 DNF DNF 1961 Mono Corporation John Fitch Maserati Tipo 61 S3.0 ? DNF DNF 1962 Briggs Cunningham Walt Hansgen Maserati Tipo 64 S3.0 30 DNF DNF 1963 I. Grady Davis Don Yenko Chevrolet Corvette Sting Ray GT +4.0 14 DNF DNF Duncan Black Ed Lowther M. R. J. Wyllie Don Yenko 167 DNF DNF 1964 North American Racing Team Bob Grossman Ferrari 250 GTO LMB GT3.0 186 15th 2nd 1965 Shaw Racing Team Graham Shaw Shelby Cobra GT5.0 173 19th 4th 1966 Roger Penske Dick Guldstrand Chevrolet Corvette Grand Sport P +5.0 65 DNF DNF 1967 JW Automotive Engineering Ed Lowther Ford GT40 S5.0 119 DNF DNF 1968 Howmet Corporation Ray Heppenstall Ed Lowther Howmet TX P3.0 125 DNF DNF
24 Hours of Le Mans results Year Team Co-Drivers Car Class Laps 1960 B.S. Cunningham Fred Windridge Chevrolet Corvette C1 Coupé GT5.0 207 DNF DNF 1961 Briggs Cunningham Augie Pabst Maserati Tipo 63 S3.0 311 4th 3rd 1962 Briggs Cunningham Bill Kimberley Maserati Tipo 151 Coupé E +3.0 62 DNF DNF 1965 AC Cars Ltd. Jack Sears AC Cobra Daytona Coupé GT5.0 304 8th 1st 1967 JW Automotive Engineering David Piper Mirage M1 P +5.0 59 DNF DNF 1968 Howmet Engineering Ray Heppenstal Howmet TX P3.0 84 DNF DNF
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