Born on February 26, 1955 in Westcliff-on-Sea in Essex, England, Rupert Keegan is a British racing driver who first made a name for himself by winning the British F3 in 1976 ahead of the Italian Bruno Giacomelli and his compatriot Geof Lees. Enough to propel him the following year to Formula 1, within the Penthouse Rizzla Racing.
Seventh in Austria, ninth at Monza and eighth at Watkins-Glen, he became known above all for the Penthouse / Rizzla livery of his Hesketh 308E, which sported a pin-up sticker on its side. The following year, he joined Team Surtees, a season during which he suffered a series of retirements and non-qualifications on Surtees TS19s and TS20s. Once again, it was his original partner rather than his performances that allowed him to hit the headlines, in this case the condom brand Durex.
Disappointing results that did not prevent him from competing in a partial campaign in 1980 in a Williams FW07 that he drove to ninth place at Watkins Glen. Keegan would finally compete in his last five Grands Prix in 1982 with the March Grand Prix Team, without any convincing results. He would leave in the premier discipline the image of an atypical driver, a party animal or a playboy rather than that of a real ace behind the wheel.
Winner of the British Formula 1 championship in 1979, he also made a few appearances in the Indy Car World Series between 1985 and 1986, notably attempting to qualify for the Indy 500. But alongside his single-seater career, the Englishman competed in the 24 Hours of Le Mans four times.
Fifth in 1983 in a John Fitzpatrick Racing Porsche 956 shared with Guy Edwards and John Fitzpatrick, he was forced to retire in 1982 (Lola T610 / Ultramar Team Lola), 1984 (Porsche 956 / John Fitzpatrick Racing) and 1995. That year, he was entered in a Lister Storm GTS with Dominic Chappell and Geof Lees, his former rival in British F3 and team-mate in F1 in 1980.
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