Bill Gibson started out in motorsport as one of the pioneers of electronic engine management, but the legacy of the Briton, who has died aged 78 after a long illness, ended up stretching far beyond that. The motorsport arm of his Zytek organisation, subsequently renamed Gibson, became one of the world’s leading engine builders and produced Le Mans 24 Hours-winning chassis. Also an enthusiast of alternative technologies, he produced the first hybrid system for the race track.
Gibson started his career working on fuel injection systems at automotive parts supplier Lucas before going out on his own and establishing Zytek Engineering in 1981. By 1984 it was supplying the engine management systems for the Hart inline four-cylinder turbos used by the Toleman Formula 1 team. That quickly led on to an involvement in Tom Walkinshaw Racing’s Group C Jaguar programme, which went on to claim a pair of Le Mans victories in 1988 and ’90 with the British manufacturer’s production-based V12.
