- Born 24 September 1931 in Richmond, Surrey, Great Britain.
- Father John Joseph Parkes CBE, mother Mary Beatrice Parkes (née Johnson).
- His father, who trained as an engineer and learned to fly in the Auxiliary Air Force, was a factory manager at De Havilland during the Second World War and then became Managing Director, and subsequently Chairman, of Alvis Ltd.
- Education: Lockers Park Preparatory School and Haileybury College (1945-1949).
- 1950-52 Apprenticeship at Humber-Hillman.
- 1952-1962 Development Engineer in Rootes experimental department. From 1955-1962 he worked on the design and development of the Hillman Imp, which went into production in 1963.
- 1952 won first race in his own MG TD.
- 1954-55 raced vintage Frazer-Nash.
- 1957 raced Geoff Williamson’s Ford Lotus 11.
- 1958-59 raced David Fry’s F2 Fry Climax.
- 1960 raced Sir Gawaine Baillie’s Lotus Elite. First long-distance races at Le Mans and Nürburgring.
- 1961-62 raced Jaguar 3.8 saloons and 250GT Ferraris for Equipe Endeavour/Maranello Concessionaires racing team.
- 1961 Le Mans drove works Ferrari for the first time, with Willi Mairesse, coming second.
- 1963 moved to live in Modena and work at Ferrari as development engineer and works driver in sports and prototype races.
- 1963-67 raced in European and American long-distance sports and prototype races as Ferrari works driver, achieving many placings.
- 1966-67 raced in eight Formula One races as Ferrari works driver achieving two first places, two second places, and one fifth place.
- 1967 serious accident at Belgian GP, broke both legs and wrist.
- 1967-1968 convalescence.
- 1969 returned to Ferrari as development engineer and team manager of sports car racing programme.
- 1970-73 team manager and racing driver for Scuderia Filipinetti.
- 1974-77 development engineer for Lancia Stratos rally car.
- Died 28 August 1977 in road accident at Riva di Chieri, near Turin, Italy.
Major races
Formula 1 races
French GP 1966 (2nd), Dutch GP 1966, German GP 1966, Italian GP 1966 (2nd), Daily Express Trophy 1967 (1st), Siracusa GP 1967 (1st), Dutch GP 1967, Belgian GP 1967
Vingt-quatre Heures du Mans
Competed in 1960, 1961 (2nd), 1962, 1963 (3rd), 1964, 1965, 1966, 1967 (2nd), 1970, 1971, 1972
1000 Km de Paris Montlhéry
Competed in 1962 (2nd), 1966 (1st), 1969
12 Hours Rheims
Competed in 1963 (3rd), 1964 (3rd), 1965 (2nd)
500/1000 Km Spa
Competed in 1964 (1st), 1965, 1966 (1st), 1967
Monte Carlo Rally
Competed in 1961
1000 Km. Nurburgring
Competed in 1960, 1962 (2nd), 1963, 1964 (2nd), 1965 (2nd), 1966, 1970
1000 Km. Monza
Competed in 1965 (1st), 1966 (1st), 1967 (2nd), 1970, 1971
Monza Coppa Inter-Europa
Competed in 1963 (2nd)
Targa Florio
Competed in 1963, 1965, 1966, 1970, 1971
RAC Tourist Trophy
Competed in 1960, 1961 (2nd), 1962 (3rd), 1963 (2nd)
12 Hours Sebring
Competed in 1963, 1964 (1st), 1966, 1970