NOTICE OF DEATH - JOHN (JAY) RULON-MILLER (1939 - 2022)
We regret to have to inform Members of the death of John Rulon-Miller last Friday 22 April from injuries sustained in a fall at the care home where he had been a resident for some time as the result of developing Alzheimer’s disease.
Originally from New York City, John acquired a taste for motor racing European-style after a visit to the Le Mans 24 Hours in 1959. He emigrated to West Germany, in due course moving to the United Kingdom and becoming a naturalised British citizen.
As his business interests prospered, John was able to acquire Porsche 911s with which he competed principally in West German national races with occasional forays to Zandvoort and Zolder. He achieved some solid results in 1971/72 including third places at Hockenheim and Zolder in the latter year in addition to several fourth places. With a 911 RSR in 1973 John spread his wings and raced quite extensively at various European circuits including his first long distance race in the Monza 6 Hours round of the European GT Championship sharing with Martin Birrane.
In 1975 John teamed up with Tom Waugh and Bob Punch for the Daytona 24 Hours in a Brandt Doell team 911 RS Carrera but failed to start the race. However, John and Tom were determined to have their 24 Hour race and hatched a plan to race at Le Mans. With Anglo-French driver Serge Godard as the third man, they had a steady run until an oil leak caused retirement in the 10th hour. The following year was much better, John and Tom, joined now by Jean-Pierre Laffeach, were the sole survivors of the IMSA GT class and finished 14th overall. As a change from Porsches, John, Tom and Bob Punch tackled the 1977 Daytona 24 Hours in an AMC Hornet, finishing ‘22nd’ although too far adrift to be officially classified. For the 1977 Le Mans 24 Hours John joined the rapid British drivers John Cooper and Peter Lovett in a 911 Carrera RSR run by Charles Ivey Engineering, having a good run until retiring with engine trouble in the 19th hour. At the end of the year John made a rare, perhaps unique, appearance in a race on British soil when he shared the Charles Ivey car with Peter Lovett in the Brands Hatch 6 Hours to take 12th place overall.John’s final Le Mans came in 1978 with two top quality team-mates Gordon Spice and Larry Perkins, again in a Charles Ivey Porsche 911 Carrera RSR. In his autobiography Gordy describes John as a six foot three inch larger than life American racer who later became a British citizen. The shenanigans which went on to qualify the car are amusingly recounted by Gordy in his book. Suffice it to say here that, after Charles Ivey had single-handedly changed the gearbox internals in 40 minutes in pouring rain, the car went on to finish 14th overall and second in the IMSA GT class. On which note John retired from racing but he never lost his passion for the sport. In 1995, now with British nationality, John was elected to Full Membership of the BRDC and was a regular visitor to the Clubhouse and the BRDC Campsite at the Grand Prix and major sports car races. The BRDC offers its most sincere condolences to John’s wife Eloise and family. A small family funeral will take place in the coming weeks and a celebration of John's life is initially being planned for a time towards the end of May. Details of the arrangements will be published on the BRDC website once they are known.
