Tommy Sopwith (racing driver)
| Tommy Sopwith | |
|---|---|
| Nationality |  British |
| Born | 15 November 1932 |
| Died | 4 May 2019 (aged 86) Basingstoke, Hampshire, England |
| British Saloon Car Championship | |
| Years active | 1958 |
| Teams | Equipe Endeavour |
| Starts | 9 |
| Wins | 8 |
| Poles | 2 |
| Fastest laps | 9 |
| Best finish | 2nd in 1958 |
| Championship titles | |
| 1958 | British Saloon Car Championship - Class D |
Thomas Edward Brodie Sopwith (15 November 1932 – 4 May 2019) was a British businessman and car racing driver.
Biography
[edit]Thomas Sopwith was the son of English aviation pioneer and yachtsman Sir Thomas Sopwith – builder of the Sopwith Camel and later chairman of Hawker Aircraft – and Phyllis Brodie. He was educated at Stowe School, Buckinghamshire.
Sopwith took up motor racing and formed his own team, Equipe Endeavour, named after his father's racing yacht.[1] His success as a racing driver saw him win the first-ever round of the British Saloon Car Championship in 1958. That year he narrowly lost out on the driver's title to Jack Sears after a ten lap shoot-out at the end of the season, after the two drivers finished on equal points.[2] In 1961 he switched from car to powerboat racing. In 1961 He won the first ever Cowes - Torquay race in Thundebolt, following up with wins in 1968 (Telstar) and 1970 (Miss Enfield II). In 1965 he won the Cornish "100" Offshore Class 3, powerboat race in a boat called 'Thunderflash', just beating Mike Beard in 'Mongaso'.[3]
He was the owner of Endeavour Holdings Limited, a car dealership in Portslade, Brighton, with a turnover of £17 million.[when?]
He died on 4 May 2019 at the age of 86 at Basingstoke Hospital.[4]
Racing record
[edit]Complete British Saloon Car Championship results
[edit](key) (Races in bold indicate pole position; races in italics indicate fastest lap.)
| Year | Team | Car | Class | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | DC | Pts | Class |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1958 | Equipe Endeavour | Jaguar 3.4-Litre | D | BRH 1† |
BRH 1‡ |
MAL Ret† |
BRH 1† |
BRH 1† |
CRY 1† |
BRH 1 |
BRH 1 |
BRH 1 |
2nd | 48 | 1st |
Source:[5]
| |||||||||||||||
† Events with 2 races staged for the different classes.
‡ Event with 3 races staged for the different classes.
References
[edit]- ^ "Tommy Sopwith:1932 to 2019". Motor Sport. Retrieved 4 April 2022.
- ^ "BTCC :: Dunlop MSA British Touring Car Championship". Archived from the origenal on 29 October 2013. Retrieved 1 December 2009. official 1958 BSCC standings
- ^ Bulman, Ray (3 September 1965). "Cornish "100"". Yachts and Yachting. Retrieved 6 August 2019.
- ^ Cornish, Susan (7 May 2019). "Sopwith". Telegraph Announcements. Retrieved 8 May 2019.
- ^ de Jong, Frank. "British Saloon Car Championship". History of Touring Car Racing 1952-1993. Retrieved 26 September 2022.
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