Johnny Claes was a jazz trumpeter and a bandleader (Claepigeons) in his home country, Great Britain. In his 30s, he left his music career and went on to become a professional driver after moving to Belgium. He took part in the inaugural Formula One season and his career never really took off and it came to an end at the 1955 Netherlands Grand Prix, a race that took place one week after the disastrous Le Mans.
