Tommy Wisdom

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1939 Bentley 4.25 Litre Embiricos Pourtout Coupé that Wisdom shared with its owner H.S.F. Hay in the 1949 24 Hours of Le Mans.
Model of the factory-entered Nash-Healey that Wisdom shared with Leslie Johnson in the 1952 24 Hours of Le Mans.

Thomas Henry Wisdom (16 February 1906 – 12 November 1972[1]) was a British motoring correspondent for the Daily Herald. He was also a racing driver who took part in numerous races and rallies.[2]

Wisdom was born in Brighton. His wife Elsie (known as "Bill") was also a racing driver, and their daughter Ann Wisdom competed in International rallies, most notably as Pat Moss's co-driver.[3][4][5]

Tommy Wisdom, died in Birmingham, aged 66.

Racing, rallying and record-breaking[edit]

Wisdom specialised in endurance events and entered 52 sports car races in 33 years, including 12 Le Mans 24-hour races, 10 Mille Miglias and 4 Targa Florios. He was a class winner in the Mille Miglia in 1949, 1952 and 1957, and at Le Mans in 1950 and 1952. In 1950 he lent his Jaguar XK120 to Stirling Moss for the RAC Tourist Trophy, which brought Moss his first major international race victory.

Cars that Wisdom raced included Singer, Riley, MG, Jaguar, Aston Martin, Bristol, Nash-Healey, Austin-Healey, Jowett and Bentley, and among his co-drivers were Jack Fairman, Leslie Johnson, and Graham Whitehead.

An experienced rally driver, he competed in the Monte Carlo Rally 23 times.[6][7]

In 1959 he was a member of the three-driver BMC team whose EX-219 streamliner, a purpose-built experimental Austin-Healey Sprite, broke 12 speed records at Bonneville Salt Flats. The car averaged 138.75 mph (223.30 km/h) for 12 hours.[8]

Sports car racing results[edit]

No. Date Race Entrant Car Teammate(s) Result
1 22 August 1931 RAC Tourist Trophy "L.A. Cushman" Invicta S "J. Chilton"
Donald Healey
Dudley Froy		 19th
2 20 August 1932 RAC Tourist Trophy Elsie Wisdom Riley Brooklands 9 Sammy Newsome DNF
3 16 September 1933 500 Miles of Brooklands Alan Hess MG L Type Alan Hess DNF
4 17 June 1934 1934 24 Hours of Le Mans Singer Motors Singer Nine Le Mans John Donald Barnes 18th
5 22 September 1934 500 Miles of Brooklands Capt. G.E.T. Eyston MG K3 Bill Everitt 4th
6 16 June 1935 1935 24 Hours of Le Mans Singer Motors Singer Nine Le Mans John Donald Barnes DNF
7 7 September 1935 RAC Tourist Trophy Peter Donkin Aston Martin Ulster Peter Donkin DNS
8 21 September 1935 500 Miles of Brooklands "Evans" MG R-Type "A.L. Phipps" NC
9 28 June 1936 Grand Prix de l'ACF D.M.K. Marendaz Marendaz Special Earl Howe 25th
10 5 September 1936 RAC Tourist Trophy Arthur Dobson Riley TT Sprite Arthur Dobson DNS
11 19 September 1936 500 Miles of Brooklands "Dixon" Riley 6 "G. Daybell" 6th
12 4 April 1937 Mille Miglia MG SA Elsie Wisdom DNF
13 24 July 1937 12 Hours of Donington Team Autosports Singer Nine Le Mans Frank Stanley Barnes
Alf Langley 		DNA
14 4 September 1937 RAC Tourist Trophy Singer Motors Singer Nine Le Mans none DNF
15 19 June 1938 1938 24 Hours of Le Mans Team Autosports Singer Nine Le Mans John Donald Barnes DNF
16 3 September 1938 RAC Tourist Trophy Frank Stanley Barnes Singer none 26th
17 18 June 1939 1939 24 Hours of Le Mans Archie Scott Brown Singer Nine Le Mans Archie Scott DNF
18 11 July 1948 Spa 24 Hours Healey Nick Haines 8th
19 12 September 1948 24 Hours of Paris Healey Norman Black DNF
20 24 April 1949 Mille Miglia Healey 2400 Westland Geoffrey Healey 10th (1st in class)
21 26 June 1949 1949 24 Hours of Le Mans "H.S.F. Hay" Bentley 4 1/4 Paulin "H.S.F. Hay"
"Mrs. Hay"		 6th
22 10 July 1949 Spa 24 Hours Jowett Jowett Javelin Anthony Hulme 9th
23 20 August 1949 Silverstone International Donald Healey Healey Silverstone none 17th
24 3 January 1950 Palm Beach Healey Silverstone "C. Swenson" 22nd
25 2 April 1950 Targa Florio Healey Silverstone Anthony Hulme 15th
26 23 April 1950 Mille Miglia Jaguar Cars Jaguar XK120 Anthony Hulme DNF
27 18 June 1950 Circuito do Porto Jaguar XK120 3rd
28 25 June 1950 1950 24 Hours of Le Mans Jowett Jowett Jupiter Tommy Wise 16th (1st in class)
29 26 August 1950 Silverstone International Tom Wisdom Jaguar XK120 none 7th
30 16 September 1950 RAC Tourist Trophy Jowett Jowett Jupiter none DNF
31 29 April 1951 Mille Miglia Tommy Wisdom Aston Martin DB2 Anthony Hulme 11th
32 5 May 1951 International Production Car Race T.H. Wisdom Jaguar XK120 none 9th
33 17 June 1951 1951 Portuguese Grand Prix Jaguar XK120 DNF
34 23 June 1951 1951 24 Hours of Le Mans Jowett Jowett Jupiter Tommy Wise DNF
35 15 September 1951 RAC Tourist Trophy Jaguar Cars Jaguar C-Type Stirling Moss DNS
36 15 September 1951 RAC Tourist Trophy Jowett Cars Jowett Jupiter none NC
37 4 May 1952 Mille Miglia Aston Martin Aston Martin DB2 Fred Lown 12th (1st in class)
38 2 June 1952 1952 Monaco Grand Prix Tommy Wisdom Jaguar C-Type none 6th
39 15 June 1952 1952 24 Hours of Le Mans Healey Nash-Healey Leslie Johnson 3rd (1st in class)
40 26 April 1953 1953 Mille Miglia Aston Martin Lagonda Ltd. Aston Martin DB2 Dave Halliwell
Peter Bolton		 DNF
41 14 May 1953 Targa Florio Jaguar Cars Jaguar C-Type none 17th
42 14 June 1953 1953 24 Hours of Le Mans Bristol Aeroplane Co. Bristol 450 Jack Fairman
Maurice Wilson
Graham Whitehead		 DNF
43 7 March 1954 12 Hours of Sebring Donald Healey Ltd. Austin-Healey 100 Lance Macklin
George Huntoon
Thomas Johnson 		DNS
44 2 May 1954 1954 Mille Miglia Donald Healey Austin-Healey 100 Mortimer Morris-Goodall DNF
45 13 June 1954 1954 24 Hours of Le Mans Bristol Aeroplane Co. Bristol 450 Jack Fairman 8th
46 4 July 1954 12 Hours of Reims Bristol Aeroplane Co. Bristol 450 Jack Fairman 12th
47 1 May 1955 Mille Miglia Aston Martin Aston Martin DB2 Peter Bolton DNF
48 12 June 1955 1955 24 Hours of Le Mans Bristol Aeroplane Co. Bristol 450 Jack Fairman
Tommy Line		 9th
49 29 April 1956 Mille Miglia Austin-Healey 100S Walter Monaco 77th
50 12 May 1957 Mille Miglia Austin-Healey 100S Cecil Winby 37th
51 24 May 1959 Targa Florio Tommy Wisdom Austin-Healey Sprite Bernard Cahier 18th
52 26 April 1964 Targa Florio Donald Healey Motor Company Austin-Healey Sprite Paddy Hopkirk DNF

[9][10][11][12]

References[edit]

  1. ^ "Tommy Wisdom | Racing career profile | Driver Database".
  2. ^ Harnessing Horsepower: The Pat Moss Carlsson story, S. Turner, Veloce Publishing, 2011, p.29
  3. ^ "Speedqueens: Elsie Wisdom". 29 July 2010.
  4. ^ "Cocktails, cakes and a racing heroine called Bill". www.goodwood.co.uk. Archived from the original on 8 March 2014.
  5. ^ Fast Ladies – Female Racing Drivers 1888–1970, J-F. Bouzanquet, Veloce Publishing, 2009, p.84
  6. ^ "High Performance Course - HISTORY".
  7. ^ "Rallysport | AHOCN". 8 December 2015.
  8. ^ Goodwin, Carl (2011). They Started in MGs. McFarland. p. 99. ISBN 978-0-7864-6052-6.
  9. ^ "Tommy Wisdom (GB) - Racing Sports Cars".
  10. ^ "Le Mans Through the Years". Archived from the original on 28 February 2014. Retrieved 28 February 2014.
  11. ^ "Le Mans History".
  12. ^ "Jowett Jupiter Sports Car competition results summary - Monte Carlo, le Mans, Watkins Glen and more".
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