Ken Downing
 | |
| Born | 5 December 1917 Chesterton, Staffordshire, England |
|---|---|
| Died | 3 May 2004 (aged 86) Monte Carlo, Monaco |
| Formula One World Championship career | |
| Nationality |  British |
| Active years | 1952 |
| Teams | Connaught (including non-works) |
| Entries | 2 |
| Championships | 0 |
| Wins | 0 |
| Podiums | 0 |
| Career points | 0 |
| Pole positions | 0 |
| Fastest laps | 0 |
| First entry | 1952 British Grand Prix |
| Last entry | 1952 Dutch Grand Prix |
Kenneth Henry Downing (5 December 1917 – 3 May 2004) was an English racing driver. From a wealthy family, he began racing in the late 1940s, competing in his first event the Eastbourne Rally in a Healey. Initially racing a Brooke Special, he switched to a Connaught in 1951, winning 17 races throughout the year.[1][2]
Downing switched to single seaters in 1952, racing a Connaught A-Type, and won the Madgwick Cup at Goodwood and second place at the Grand Prix des Frontières at Chimay, where he lost the lead at the end of the race several metres before the finish line.[3] He finished ninth in the British Grand Prix at Silverstone, but had run fourth in the race before spinning while avoiding a backmarker.[2] He competed in the Dutch Grand Prix later that year, but retired from an oil-pressure problem.[3] He switched to an Aston Martin DB3 for 1953, but decided to retire from racing soon after.[1]
Downing emigrated to South Africa in 1955, and later lived in Monaco where he died in 2004.[4][5] His daughter Anne married Patrick McNally, whose company Allsport Management controlled the corporate hospitality and advertising for Formula One.[2][6]
Complete Formula One World Championship results
[edit](key)
| Year | Entrant | Chassis | Engine | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | WDC | Points |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1952 | Connaught Engineering | Connaught Type A | Lea-Francis | SUI | 500 | BEL | FRA | GBR 9 |
GER | NED | ITA | NC | 0 |
| Kenneth Downing | SUI | 500 | BEL | FRA | GBR | GER | NED Ret |
ITA | |||||
Source:[7]
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References
[edit]- ^ a b "Statistics: Ken Downing". Grand Prix Archive. Crash Media Group. Archived from the original on 17 January 2013. Retrieved 30 May 2012.
- ^ a b c "Ken Downing profile". GrandPrix.com. Inside F1. Retrieved 30 May 2012.
- ^ a b "Ken Downing profile". ESPNF1.com. ESPN. Retrieved 30 May 2012.
- ^ Jenkins, Richard. "Where are they now: Ken Downing". Old Racing Cars. Retrieved 30 May 2012.
- ^ McMullen, Jeremy. "Kenneth Henry Downing". conceptcarz.com. Retrieved 20 August 2023.
- ^ "Ken Downing | The "forgotten" drivers of F1". www.f1forgottendrivers.com. 26 September 2019.
- ^ Small, Steve (1994). The Guinness Complete Grand Prix Who's Who. Guinness. p. 124. ISBN 0851127029.
External links
[edit]- From Connaughts to Sea Diamonds – Ken Downing, F1 Grand Prix Drivers Club