Goodwood 1954

Ken LW Cooke…..Goodwood Sprint October 1954

I am the Press Officer & Librarian of the Jowett Car Club and own a 1952 Jowett Jupiter registered JBE4, which I have owned since 1985. I recently bought two pictures of the car racing at Goodwood in a Sprint in October 1954 and found that it stated on the backs of the pictures that the driver was Ken LW Cook.
I have found out that he also drove the car in 1953 at a hill climb at Tarrant Rushton Airfield near Bournemouth, and a sprint at Brunton near the villages of Ludgershall, Collingbourne Dulcis and Collingbourne Kingston, a short distance north of Andover. This was a 1/3 of a mile course used in the 1940’s and 1950’s; the start banner was slung between two barns, one of which housed the timekeepers.
Since I bought the photos of JBE4 racing at Goodwood, I had tried to trace KLW Cook, as this sounded a particularly interesting part of the car’s history. I tried contacting the secretary at Goodwood, with no luck, but she suggested that I write to The British Automobile Racing Club to see if they could help. I wrote to them but their records did not go back as far as 1954. I also contacted the West Hants and Dorset Car Club, but had no reply from them.
I have since found out that Ken had an electrical business in Andover, but died a few years ago when in his 90's.
I have tried to find a race programme for the Goodwood event without success and I am hoping somebody may have details of it, as I would love to know how successful Ken was was with the car in this event, or any others.
If anybody has any information, I would be delighted to hear from them.

I have a few photos of a Goodwood sprint 2-10-54 but none of your car. One of the photos came from Ted Walker's Ferret Fotographics. Perhaps Ted has others?

Why not send a letter and photo to the newspaper local to Andover, assuming that there is one! If it gets printed someone, I'am sure will contact you, it must be worth a try ...

Edited by Leigh Trevail, 04 January 2010 - 07:35.

I can add that he was entered at the Gosport Speed Trials, Flight Test Road, 25 April 54 as #47. His first run was 21.17 sec which was 2nd slowest in class from annotations in a photo copy of the programme ( P Bailey, Bailey Spl 17.84" fastest). He was not entered in the equivalent 1955 event. He was #32 at Brunton 11 April 54.

RAP

I am most grateful for the posts already placed regarding Ken Cooke and my Jowett Jupiter registered JBE4. I can confirm to RWB that the two pictures I have of the car in the Goodwood Sprint of 2/10/1954 also came from Ferret Fotograpics. I will also take-up Leigh’s idea of writing to the local paper in Andover to see if they may be able to help.
I am also particularly interested in the post from RAP giving details of Ken racing at the Gosport Speed Trials of 25/4/1954 – it looks like he had a quiet day on that occasion! Could anybody give me any more information about this venue, as I have not heard of it before, and I am guessing that it will also be in the Andover area?
Noel Stokoe

Gosport is in Hampshire, just across from Portsmouth, so although in the same county is not really in the Andover area.
The Speed Trials were annual sprint fixtures, well-known in motor sporting circles as they were in other towns (Brighton, Weston, Southport, for example).

edit I've just discovered that Google can help you.

Edited by RogerFrench, 05 January 2010 - 19:10.

slightly off topic (sorry)

from memory (so I could be wrong) but I think that there is a Jowett shown racing a t Goodwood 1954 in the John Tate motor racing diary dvd

Richard.

Many thanks Roger for telling me that "Gosport is in Hampshire, just across from Portsmouth, so although in the same county is not really in the Andover area. The Speed Trials were annual sprint fixtures, well-known in motor sporting circles as they were in other towns (Brighton, Weston, Southport, for example)."
This is particularly interesting to me, but I am not sure in what way Google can help....
Thank you Richard for telling me about the John Tate DVD, I shall have to look into that as well !!
Has anybody any ideas where I may be able to find the stats for the 1954 Goodwood event. (October 1954) - 2nd ?
Thanks again everybody for your help.
Noel Stokoe

Gosport is in Hampshire, just across from Portsmouth, so although in the same county is not really in the Andover area.
The Speed Trials were annual sprint fixtures, well-known in motor sporting circles as they were in other towns (Brighton, Weston, Southport, for example).

edit I've just discovered that Google can help you.

The Gosport spped trials were run from 1949 to 1958 and, typically there were 3 events per year April; July; Sept. They were run by the Gosport A C on Flight Test Road. I imagine this is part of the naval air station that was at Gosport. According to Autosport there were 112 entries for the April 54 event and the class winners were

R Palmer (A40) 22.74" ; E D Woolley (Porsche) 18.80" ; R Neate (Riley) 20.40" ; J Shutler (Invicta) 18.29" ; L Williams (Austin 750) 21'54" ; F C Hill (Empire Lotus) 17.72" ; J Fiander (Tojeiro) 16.99** " [the Jowett's class] ; J Burn (Frazer Nash) 15.95" ; Rob Walker (Aston Martin) 16.60" ; Gordon Parker (Jaguara) 14.57" ; Les Leston (Cooper 500) 15.23" ; Tony Marsh (Cooper 1100) 14.28" ; D Wilkinson (Cooper ERA) 14.11" : D Wilcocks (Steyr Allard) 14.05"
** My previoius post referred only to the 1st run times that were noted in my copy prog; clearly Fiander went quicker on the 2nd run.

This represents a very strong entry of both southern sprint/hillclmib specialists and national level competitors like Leston & Marsh.

RAP

The first Ludgershall/Brunton Hill Climb was held in 1951.

The 1953 event at Tarrant Rushton would have been a sprint.

 

SECOND GOODWOOD SPEED TRIALS

Saturday 2 October 1954, B.A.R.C. South-Western Centre

Fastest time of the day—W. L. Cripps (Cripps

Special), 40.04 secs. (National Benzole Trophy)

Ladies Award—Miss P. Burt (Aston-Martin) 44.75 sec

Fastest time of the day by South-Western Centre member—

P. F. Moore, (Allard), 41.30 secs (Logette Cup)

Closed cars:

Up to 950 c.c.—R. W. Fitzwilliam, (Morris), 57.06 secs

951-1300 c.c.—No entries.

1301-1800 c.c.—C. Eagleton, (Porsche), 44.89 secs

1801-3000 c.c.—R. Cooper, (Riley), 47.50 secs

Over 3000 c.c.—No entries.

Open Cars:

Up to 750 c.c. u/s.—No entries.

751-1100 c.c. u/s, and up to 750 c.c. s/c.—

R. M. Smith, (M.G.), 44.74 secs.

1100-1500 c.c. u/s and 751-1100 c.c. s/c.—

C. D. F. Buckler, (Buckler), 42.30 secs

1501-2000 c.c. u/s. and 1101-1500 c.c. s/c.—

K. N. Rudd, (A.C.), 40.70 secs.

2001-3000 c.c. u/s. and 1501-2000 c.c. s/c.—

Miss M. Herring, (Sunbeam), 53.95 secs.

Over 3000 c.c. u/s. and over 2000 s/c.—

K. S. Richardson, (Jaguar), 43.17 secs.

B.A.R.C. Yearbook 1955.

 

RGDS RLT

Edited by Rupertlt1, 04 October 2022 - 12:04.

Robbie Mackenzie-Low appeared at Goodwood in a Jowett Jupiter, #50, HKW 429, on 2 May 1953. Placed fifth in the Closed Car Handicap.

 

RGDS RLT