Ken Wharton

For the English writer and former British soldier, see Ken Wharton (writer).
Ken Wharton

Ken Wharton in 1953.
Born 21 March 1916
Died 12 January 1957 (aged 40)
Formula One World Championship career
Nationality United Kingdom British
Active years 1952 – 1955
Teams privateer Frazer-Nash & Cooper, BRM, Vanwall
Races 16 (15 starts)
Championships 0
Wins 0
Podiums 0
Career points 3
Pole positions 0
Fastest laps 0
First race 1952 Swiss Grand Prix
Last race 1955 Italian Grand Prix

Ken Wharton (21 March 1916, Smethwick – 12 January 1957, Ardmore, Auckland, New Zealand) was a British racing driver from England. He competed in off-road trials, hillclimbs, and rallying, and also raced sports cars and single-seaters. He began racing in the new National 500cc Formula in his own special, and later acquired a Cooper. His World Championship Grand Prix debut was at the 1952 Swiss event, run to Formula 2 regulations, where he started from 13th position on the grid and finished 4th. He participated in a total of 15 World Championship Grands Prix, from which he scored 3 championship points.

In 1951 he "travelled abroad, with Peter Bell's 2-litre E.R.A., to finish 3rd overall in the Susa/Mont Cenis hill-climb and 4th overall in the Aosta/Grand Saint Bernard hill-climb. With a Cooper 500 he also competed in the German Freiburg hill-climb where he was runner-up in the 500 cc class to Stirling Moss." [1] Wharton won the Freiburg event outright in the E.R.A. on 5 August, climbing the 7.4 miles of the Schauinsland Pass,[2] in 8 minutes 5.33 seconds. On 19 August he was fastest at the Vue des Alpes hill-climb, with a time of 3 minutes 57.8 seconds.[3] He won the British Hill Climb Championship every year from 1951 to 1954, and remains the only driver to have won four successive BHCC titles. Other successes with ERA R4D included winning the Brighton Speed Trials in 1954, 1955 and 1956.

Success in rallies included winning the Tulip Rally in 1949, 1950 and 1952, driving Fords. He also became British Trials Champion.

On 4 July 1954, he and Peter Whitehead won the Reims 12-hour race in a Jaguar D-Type.[4]

In 1957 Wharton was fatally injured when his Ferrari Monza crashed in a sports car race at the Ardmore Circuit in New Zealand.

Complete World Championship results

(key)

Year Entrant Chassis Engine 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 WDC Points
1952 Scuderia Franera Frazer-Nash FN48 Bristol Straight-6 SUI
4		 500 BEL
Ret		 FRA GBR GER 13th 3
Frazer-Nash 421 NED
Ret
Cooper T20 ITA
9
1953 Ken Wharton Cooper T23 Bristol Straight-6 ARG 500 NED
Ret		 BEL FRA
Ret		 GBR
8		 GER SUI
7		 ITA
NC		 NC 0
1954 Owen Racing Organisation Maserati 250F Maserati Straight-6 ARG 500 BEL FRA
Ret		 GBR
8		 GER
DNS		 SUI
6		 ITA ESP
8		 NC 0
1955 Vandervell Products Ltd Vanwall Vanwall Straight-4 ARG MON 500 BEL NED GBR
9		 ITA
Ret		 NC 0

References

  1. ↑ C. A. N. May, Speed Hill-Climb, G.T. Foulis & Co LTD, 1962, Page 28.
  2. ↑ Motor Year Book 1952, Temple Press, Page 193.
  3. ↑ Motor Sport, January 1952, Page 11.
  4. ↑ Les Douze Heures de Reims, Motor Sport, August 1954, Page 426.

External links

Sporting positions
Preceded by
Dennis Poore		 British Hill Climb Champion
1951–1954 		Succeeded by
Tony Marsh