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Tommy Sopwith (racing driver)

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Tommy Sopwith
NationalityUnited Kingdom British
Born(1932-11-15)15 November 1932
Died4 May 2019(2019-05-04) (aged 86)
Basingstoke, Hampshire, England
British Saloon Car Championship
Years active1958
TeamsEquipe Endeavour
Starts9
Wins8
Poles2
Fastest laps9
Best finish2nd in 1958
Championship titles
1958British Saloon Car Championship - Class D

Thomas Edward Brodie Sopwith (15 November 1932 – 4 May 2019) was a British businessman and car racing driver.

Biography

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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

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Complete British Saloon Car Championship results

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(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

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  1. ^ "Tommy Sopwith:1932 to 2019". Motor Sport. Retrieved 4 April 2022.
  2. ^ "BTCC :: Dunlop MSA British Touring Car Championship". Archived from the original on 29 October 2013. Retrieved 1 December 2009. official 1958 BSCC standings
  3. ^ Bulman, Ray (3 September 1965). "Cornish "100"". Yachts and Yachting. Retrieved 6 August 2019.
  4. ^ Cornish, Susan (7 May 2019). "Sopwith". Telegraph Announcements. Retrieved 8 May 2019.
  5. ^ de Jong, Frank. "British Saloon Car Championship". History of Touring Car Racing 1952-1993. Retrieved 26 September 2022.