Scuderia Birchwood existed in the UK club racing scene in the late 50s, JSE Leighton was involved with a Lotus 11, and J Clifton was also a driver. In the late 1950s JSE Leighton emigrated to Australia, and started Birchwood driving school at Calder in Victoria. Frank Gardner (then in the UK), through his friend Len Deaton, shipped ex Jim Russell Lotus 18 cars out to Australia for the Birchwood driving school.
Can anybody shed any light on Scuderia Birchwood and JSE Leighton?
Scuderia Birchwood
Started by
David Beard
, Jun 05 2004 09:28
6 replies to this topic
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#2
David McKinney
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Posted 05 June 2004 - 11:33
I was never quite sure whether Jon Leighton was an Australian who went to England to race, or an Englishman who emigrated to Australia, or possibly a combination of the two - an English immigrant to Australia who went to England to race, before returning to his new homeland
He was a regular fixture in Australia with Lotus XIs, Notas and a 2-litre Cooper-Climax, always I think entered by Scuderia Birchwood. I seem to remember his wife also raced.
Australian TNFers will be able to fill in the gaps
He was a regular fixture in Australia with Lotus XIs, Notas and a 2-litre Cooper-Climax, always I think entered by Scuderia Birchwood. I seem to remember his wife also raced.
Australian TNFers will be able to fill in the gaps
#3
john medley
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Posted 05 June 2004 - 12:14
Diana Leighton was/is Jon's sister -- both originally English I think.
Jon L was a vigorous driver and photos exist of his inverting of a range of cars, both in Australia and in the UK. I recall the shaving brush he taped to the side of his helmet -- very 1960s colorful. He raced many cars including the very quick little Nota Climax 1100 and Nota's first front engined Formula Junior which I have owned for the last 30 years.( he told me once that of all the cars he ever raced the little Junior was by far the most fun to drive. I agreed with him)
Scuderia Birchwood was his business -- drivers school/ agency for various competition cars/ parts etc.
I thought after his late 50s/early 60s racing in Australia he returned to the UK, and I was told he was living in London perhaps 10 years ago when he turned up ( as the last lap record holder) at a Gnoo Blas reunion at Orange in NSW.
Jon L was a vigorous driver and photos exist of his inverting of a range of cars, both in Australia and in the UK. I recall the shaving brush he taped to the side of his helmet -- very 1960s colorful. He raced many cars including the very quick little Nota Climax 1100 and Nota's first front engined Formula Junior which I have owned for the last 30 years.( he told me once that of all the cars he ever raced the little Junior was by far the most fun to drive. I agreed with him)
Scuderia Birchwood was his business -- drivers school/ agency for various competition cars/ parts etc.
I thought after his late 50s/early 60s racing in Australia he returned to the UK, and I was told he was living in London perhaps 10 years ago when he turned up ( as the last lap record holder) at a Gnoo Blas reunion at Orange in NSW.
#4
Graham Howard
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Posted 07 June 2004 - 13:25
Jon Leighton, I am pretty sure, has a winery in Berkshire. At the Gnoo Blas reunion John Med mentions, JL was wearing a T-shirt that said "Life is too short to drink bad wine."
For such a good-lookin' chirpy little Pom he sure got stuck into his racing cars - my first encounter with him was at Oran Park on a Nota test day with the Nota Climax now converted to a 1475 Ford-engined clubman, and while they were getting him ready to go I went down to the inside of CC to take photos; first lap, Leighton arrived absolutely flat, locked the left front wheel for maybe 50 yards, flicked it into the corner and bam - full noise again and gone. Next lap the same, and the lap after, quite shattering to watch for this pale-faced armchair racer.
He came out here in 1958 bringing his Lotus with him; he knew Derek Butler and bought a one-off Buckler which had a square-tube chassis and a Climax engine which he ran during 1959, setting the outright lap record for Barjarg, which he says is his in perpetuity since Barjarg is now under 200' of water. The Climax engine and the Buckler's wire wheels went into the Nota Climax.
He went back to UK in 1961, "looking for something to do." He told me he used to get regular visits from Frank Gardner, because Gardner reckoned JL's flat was the only place Gardner could get a decent shower. Neville McKay (who flatted with Gardner for a while) told me the Lotus 20 he (NMcK) drove in the UK was one he built up "out of bits from Jon's crashes."
He raced Minis for a long time, and had a business selling Mini hot bits and spares. He had a big accident in a Cooper S at Bathurst in 1973, when he went off at the quarry and part of the Armco penetrated the car, and he had broken ribs and a collapsed lung. He came back, ran in rallies, ran a Mini in Historics in 1981.
I think he had some connection with the Leighton Constructions civil engineering people, but I never asked what it was. I am sure he didn't ever actually work for them.
For such a good-lookin' chirpy little Pom he sure got stuck into his racing cars - my first encounter with him was at Oran Park on a Nota test day with the Nota Climax now converted to a 1475 Ford-engined clubman, and while they were getting him ready to go I went down to the inside of CC to take photos; first lap, Leighton arrived absolutely flat, locked the left front wheel for maybe 50 yards, flicked it into the corner and bam - full noise again and gone. Next lap the same, and the lap after, quite shattering to watch for this pale-faced armchair racer.
He came out here in 1958 bringing his Lotus with him; he knew Derek Butler and bought a one-off Buckler which had a square-tube chassis and a Climax engine which he ran during 1959, setting the outright lap record for Barjarg, which he says is his in perpetuity since Barjarg is now under 200' of water. The Climax engine and the Buckler's wire wheels went into the Nota Climax.
He went back to UK in 1961, "looking for something to do." He told me he used to get regular visits from Frank Gardner, because Gardner reckoned JL's flat was the only place Gardner could get a decent shower. Neville McKay (who flatted with Gardner for a while) told me the Lotus 20 he (NMcK) drove in the UK was one he built up "out of bits from Jon's crashes."
He raced Minis for a long time, and had a business selling Mini hot bits and spares. He had a big accident in a Cooper S at Bathurst in 1973, when he went off at the quarry and part of the Armco penetrated the car, and he had broken ribs and a collapsed lung. He came back, ran in rallies, ran a Mini in Historics in 1981.
I think he had some connection with the Leighton Constructions civil engineering people, but I never asked what it was. I am sure he didn't ever actually work for them.
#6
Bucklerman
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Posted 11 December 2021 - 17:32
The vinyard that Jon planted in 1979 is now called Stanlake Park Wine Estate. It's in Twyford Berkshire UK. I'm going to phone them to ask if Jon is still alive and, if he is how I might contact him to ask about his Buckler. The car survives in Australia and is being slowly restored.
#7
cooper997
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Posted 11 December 2021 - 21:44
Jon passed away here in Melbourne back in February 2020.
Mentioned here... https://forums.autos...sing/?p=9018384
And just to add some details, JL's brother, David came to Australia in 1957 pre-dating JL's arrival.
Dianne was David's wife. All raced and hillclimbed mainly around Victorian venues. Stanley Leighton was their father and behind Leighton Constructions that built Sandown and was Chairman of Directors of Sandown Park Motor Sport Pty Ltd in the very early days of that venue. Pretty sure elsewhere floating around TNF there's info of Stanley building wartime runways in the UK.
Stephen
Edited by cooper997, 12 December 2021 - 00:24.
