It is with great sadness that I report that I had a call from Heather Murrell on Sunday to advise me that her husband Jack had died earlier that morning at their home in southern Spain. Jack had suffered from Parkinson's Disease for some time. He contracted what seemed like a bad chest infection on Thursday which failed to respond to antibiotics, and the indications are that he contracted pneumonia. He would have been 84 at the end of December.
I doubt if there are more than ten people here who would know of Jack and his position and exploits in our sport, but to those, and others who might be interested, I ask for indulgence to expand and explain as I do not wish my friend's passing to go unmarked.
Some of you will be aware, perhaps to the point of tedium, that for more years than I care to admit I have been chronicling the history of the small 1960s marque DRW, ten cars built by Jack along with David Warwick, both of whom were among the earliest Lotus race mechanics. Hence my connection.
Born in Tottenham, which would bring surprising links later in life since there would evolve quite a cottage industry in the 1950s for specialist engineering services linked to motor sport, Jack completed an apprenticeship with a light engineering firm locally, where he would also learn draughtmanship and technical drawing, to a high standard going by his chassis drawings and plans which I have. In those days National Service was the order of the day, and not relishing 2 years as a squaddie, he volunteered for 3 years in the RAF , " the potential for travel to far off places appealed". In view of his apprenticeship he was allocated as a driver and mechanic, developing the relevant extra skills. Training originally at Bassingbourne he was sent to Egypt for most of his time, and his Commanding Officer much of the time was Dick Protheroe. He had learned the delights of driving and motor sport.
Leaving the RAF he went back to his old firm and was driving past Lotus, saw some Elevens etc and stopped to ask about jobs. The man he spoke was Colin Chapman who asked if he had his own tools, and told him to start the next day....That was in 1956. Jack started on assembly work on Elevens etc, David Warwick was already working there as was Graham Hill and later John Campbell Jones. Jack and David were soon moved on to Developments, later moving to Edmonton in the race shop, David mainly on Elevens with Jack moving onto developing the 12 with Willie Griffiths, although they all worked together. Other key people were Mike Warne, John Lambert and Phil Butler, later joined by Maurice Levy, Basil Denny and Jim Endruweit in 1958, as was Len Terry. Cutting his teeth on the 12, Jack was at the circuit with Cliff Allison when the drive shaft famously twisted itself like a cardboard tube, as well as the 12's other races. Jack was then heavily involved in the 16 as well as the 15. Jack was also on the trip to Monza with Mike Costin and Steve Sanville at the end of November 1957 for the last record runs with an Eleven, in 1100cc and blown 750cc form, with Cliff Allison. By this time Geoff Oliver, also later of DRW, was at Lotus working on gearboxes.
Opting along with others not to transfer to Cheshunt in the Spring of 1959, Jack and David started DRW Engineering offering specialist services to Lotus owners and many others, originally from Shaftesbury Mews via John Campbell Jones, later moving to Highgate to a retail garage. But they also built an 1172 car in the summer of 1959 testing it at a couple of races. However the introduction of the 105E Anglia caused a re think and the car was re engineered for 1960 in a new form, and, as the mk2 DRW, had huge success with Jack at the wheel. In 12 races around various circuits Jack gained 6 x 1st places, 3 seconds, a third and a couple of fifths in larger engine classes, plus 7 fastest laps, plus the car was in the fifth placed team in the 750MC 6 hour relay.
Two new cars were built for 1961, again with 997cc engines, a clubmans for Geoff Oliver, jointly winning the Motor Sport Brooklands Trophy, and one for Jack as a front engined Junior, a copy of the other car less wings, which gave some good performances per se, but was outclassed by the rear engined cars, an interesting exercise nonetheless.
For 1962 the mk 4 was their version of the Terrier mk6, which, along with the other two Terriers which they organised for two other parties, was their way of helping their friend Len Terry at a difficult time. Geoff Oliver raced this effectively that year, and Jack had other duties helping his brother with his business. Jack's only drive that year was at Debden in September, with the car setup for Geoff, where Jack had a furious race with Richard Wrottesley in the Flat Iron Lister Jaguar, coming a very close second on a power circuit, but set the new outright lap record.
From the summer of 1963 DRW started to build their mk6 car, to be powered by the new Hillman Imp engine, DRW being the first to develop this engine. The car did not race until the late Spring of 1965 showing quite well, and the mk4 was used in 1964, Geoff having bought a 23. DRW still had to operate as a specialist working garage so time was always short, especially when they made nearly everything themselves in house. This car would later go on to have phenomenal success with Peter Voigt in 1968 and 1969 as a hillclimb car, the class of its class by some margin.
The mk 3 cars would continue to be very successful up to 1970 especially with David Soley and John Bromilow and especially Deryck Cook in 1968 and 1969.
For 1968 they built a mk7 Clubmans car in which in one series Jack won eight out of ten races entered, besides other results, 2 further mk7s being built later, and for 1969 they had built the mk8 Formula Ford car, in which in its first race in July 1969 Jack finished a good fourth to Emerson Fittipaldi, Dave Walker and Tony Trimmer with Jack aged 35 in a young man's race. The car performed well with Geoff Oliver the following year.
1970 saw the building of the DRW mk9S F100 car, built to Group 6 Regs, for Garo Nigogosian who did well with it in 1971 when the engine regs changed, and very well in other races with a 1650cc engine.
But the world was changing, sponsorship had arrived and the days of the small hobby race car builders were numbered. DRW continued to offer specialised engineering services very effectively, some of them very specialised and some for very special people, until the end of the 1970s. An opportunity arose for Jack to move to Wales and he continued in the motor trade until retirement, meeting and marrying Heather in the meantime. Upon her retirement eleven years ago they moved to a cottage in central France later moving to southern Spain for the warmer weather.
Jack was always a charming and very modest man, despite his record, and I imagine practically all of his neighbours in Spain were unaware of his achievements. To Jack it was just something he did all those years ago. He and Heather were always very genial hosts, and speaking to him as I did for my research he was always helpful with enough detail to be useful, and I understand he always took delight in receiving copies I sent him of the various photographs which I have unearthed of him at Lotus and in the DRWs. When I spoke to him a few weeks ago, despite his illness, I still sensed the sparkle in his eye and his gentle sense of humour. I valued knowing him, and I feel it right that his passing does not go unmarked.
Roger Lund
Edited by bradbury west, 23 November 2017 - 08:04.
