# Tom Delaney

Cyril Terence "Tom" Delaney (8 January 1911 – 31 August 2006) was a British sportsman and industrialist, perhaps best known in his later years for being the oldest licensed racing driver in the world, having competed in the same Lea-Francis car for more than three-quarters of a century from 1930 until just a few months before his death. == Biography == Delaney's father was a pioneer in motorsport, having competed in the 1903 Paris-Madrid road race, and in 1910, having become the agent for the French manufacturer Delaunay Belleville he built a factory in Maida Vale, north London. After World War I he became managing director of Lea Francis, and in 1928 the young Tom accompanied the team's cars to Brooklands for testing and tuning in preparation for the first ever Ards Tourist Trophy race in Ireland.