Kenneth Wharton was a British

United Kingdom

The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...

 racing driver from England

England

England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...

. He began competing in the new National 500cc Formula in his own special, later acquiring a Cooper

Cooper Car Company

The Cooper Car Company was founded in 1946 by Charles Cooper and his son John Cooper. Together with John's boyhood friend, Eric Brandon, they began by building racing cars in Charles' small garage in Surbiton, Surrey, England in 1946...

. Ken participated in 15 Formula One

Formula One

Formula One, also known as Formula 1 or F1 and referred to officially as the FIA Formula One World Championship, is the highest class of single seater auto racing sanctioned by the Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile . The "formula" designation in the name refers to a set of rules with which...

 World Championship Grands Prix, debuting on 18 May 1952 and scored a total of 3 championship points. He also competed in some non-Championship Formula One races.

He also competed in rallies and won the Tulip Rally

Tulip Rally

The Tulip Rally , first held in 1949, is the oldest Dutch rally competition.The teams are divided into three classes: Tour, Sport and Expert. The Expert Class is for the navigators which in the past 2–6 years in the Top-20 of the Sport class have ended, or the previous years in the Top-20 of the...

 three times driving a Ford. On 4 July 1954, Wharton and Peter Whitehead piloted a new model Jaguar D-Type

Jaguar D-type

The Jaguar D-Type, like its predecessor the C-Type, was a factory-built race car. Although it shared the basic straight-6 XK engine design with the C-Type, the majority of the car was radically different...

 to win the 12-Hour Race of Reims

Reims-Gueux

Reims-Gueux was a triangular motor racing road course near Reims, France, which hosted 14 French Grands Prix.Reims-Gueux was first established in 1926 on the public roads between the small French villages of Thillois and Gueux. The circuit had two very long straights between the towns, and teams...

.

Wharton was immensely successful in trials and hillclimbing

Hillclimbing

Hillclimbing is a branch of motorsport in which drivers compete against the clock to complete an uphill course....

, becoming British Trials Champion and winning the British Hill Climb Championship

British Hill Climb Championship

The British Hill Climb Championship is the most prestigious Hillclimbing championship in Great Britain. Hillclimbing in the British Isles has a rich history and this event has been held every year since 1947.All British Champions have been British...

 every year from 1951 to 1954; he remains the only driver to have claimed four successive BHCC titles. He also won the Brighton Speed Trials

Brighton Speed Trials

The Brighton Speed Trials, in full The Brighton National Speed Trials, is commonly held to be the oldest running motor race. The first race was held July 19–22, 1905 after Sir Harry Preston persuaded Brighton town council to tarmac the surface of the road adjacent to the beach between the Palace...

 in 1954, 1955 and 1956 driving ERA R4D

ERA R4D

ERA R4D, built by English Racing Automobiles, is the last development of this classic voiturette racing car, the only D-Type ever built. Originating as R4B in 1935, the car was rebuilt as a C-Type by modifying the front end of the chassis frame to accommodate independent Porsche-type torsion bar...

.

In 1951: "Wharton travelled abroad, with Peter Bell's 2-litre E.R.A., to finish 3rd overall in the Susa/Mont Cenis hill-climb and 4th overall in the Aosta/Grand Saint Bernard hill-climb. With a Cooper 500 he also competed in the German Freiburg hill-climb where he was runner-up in the 500 cc class to Stirling Moss

Stirling Moss

Sir Stirling Craufurd Moss, OBE FIE is a former racing driver from England...

." Wharton won the Freiburg event outright in the E.R.A., on 5 August, climbing the 7.4 miles of the Schauinsland

Schauinsland

The Schauinsland , is a mountain in the Black Forest with an elevation of 1,284 m above sea level....

 Pass , in 8min 5.33sec. He also won the Vue des Alpes

Vue des Alpes

Vue des Alpes is a high mountain pass in the Jura Mountains in the canton ofNeuchâtel.It connects La Chaux-de-Fonds and Neuchâtel...

 on 19 August, in 3min 57.8sec.

He was killed when he crashed driving a Ferrari Monza

Ferrari Monza

A Ferrari Monza is one of a series of cars built by Ferrari. In the early 1950s, Ferrari shifted from using the compact Gioacchino Colombo-designed V12 engine in its smallest class of sports racers to a line of four-cylinder engines designed by Aurelio Lampredi...

 at the Ardmore Circuit in New Zealand.

Complete World Championship results

Year	Entrant	Chassis	Engine	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	WDC	Points
1952 1952 Formula One season The 1952 Formula One season was the third season of FIA Formula One motor racing. In comparison to previous seasons, the 1952 season consisted of a relatively small number of Formula One races, following the FIA's decision to run the Grand Prix events counting towards the World Championship of...	Scuderia Franera	Frazer-Nash FN48	Bristol Bristol Cars Bristol Cars is a manufacturer of hand-built luxury cars headquartered in Patchway, near Bristol, United Kingdom. Bristol have always been a low-volume manufacturer; the most recent published official production figures were for 1982, which stated that 104 cars were produced in that year...  Straight-6 Straight-6 The straight-six engine or inline-six engine is a six-cylinder internal combustion engine with all six cylinders mounted in a straight line along the crankcase...	SUI 1952 Swiss Grand Prix The 1952 Swiss Grand Prix was a Formula Two race held on May 18, 1952 at Bremgarten Circuit. It was the first round of the 1952 World Drivers' Championship, which was run to Formula Two rules in 1952 and 1953, rather than the Formula One regulations normally used.-Qualifying:-Race:- Notes :* Pole... 4	500 1952 Indianapolis 500 The 1952 Indianapolis 500 was an automobile race held on Friday, May 30, 1952 at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway. The event was the second round of the 1952 World Drivers' Championship. Troy Ruttman won the race, bringing the Borg-Warner Trophy home for car owner J.C. Agajanian.Bill Vukovich led...	BEL 1952 Belgian Grand Prix The 1952 Belgian Grand Prix was a Formula Two race held on June 22, 1952 at Circuit de Spa-Francorchamps. It was the third round of the 1952 World Drivers' Championship, which was run to Formula Two rules in 1952 and 1953, rather than the Formula One regulations normally used.-Qualifying:-Race:-... Ret	FRA 1952 French Grand Prix The 1952 French Grand Prix was a Formula Two race held on July 6, 1952 at Rouen-Les-Essarts. It was the fourth round of the 1952 World Drivers' Championship, which was run to Formula Two rules in 1952 and 1953, rather than the Formula One regulations normally used.-Qualifying:-Race:- Notes :* Pole...	GBR 1952 British Grand Prix The 1952 British Grand Prix was a Formula Two race held on July 19, 1952 at Silverstone Circuit. It was the fifth round of the 1952 World Drivers' Championship, which was run to Formula Two rules in 1952 and 1953, rather than the Formula One regulations normally used.-Qualifying:-Race:-Drivers'...	GER 1952 German Grand Prix The 1952 German Grand Prix was a Formula Two race held on August 3, 1952 at the Nürburgring Nordschleife. It was the sixth round of the 1952 World Drivers' Championship, which was run to Formula Two rules in 1952 and 1953, rather than the Formula One regulations normally used.- Race report :Sadly...				13th	3
		Frazer-Nash 421								NED 1952 Dutch Grand Prix The 1952 Dutch Grand Prix was a Formula Two race held on August 17, 1952 at the Circuit Zandvoort. It was the seventh round of the 1952 World Drivers' Championship, which was run to Formula Two rules in 1952 and 1953, rather than the Formula One regulations normally used.- Race report :Mike... Ret
		Cooper Cooper Car Company The Cooper Car Company was founded in 1946 by Charles Cooper and his son John Cooper. Together with John's boyhood friend, Eric Brandon, they began by building racing cars in Charles' small garage in Surbiton, Surrey, England in 1946...  T20									ITA 1952 Italian Grand Prix The 1952 Italian Grand Prix was a Formula Two race held on September 7, 1952 at Monza. It was the eighth and final round of the 1952 World Drivers' Championship, which was run to Formula Two rules in 1952 and 1953, rather than the Formula One regulations normally used.- Race report :Juan Manuel... 9
1953 1953 Formula One season As in , the 1953 Formula One season consisted of a small number of Formula One races, following the FIA's decision to once again run the World Drivers' Championship to Formula Two regulations rather than Formula One....	Ken Wharton	Cooper Cooper Car Company The Cooper Car Company was founded in 1946 by Charles Cooper and his son John Cooper. Together with John's boyhood friend, Eric Brandon, they began by building racing cars in Charles' small garage in Surbiton, Surrey, England in 1946...  T23	Bristol Bristol Cars Bristol Cars is a manufacturer of hand-built luxury cars headquartered in Patchway, near Bristol, United Kingdom. Bristol have always been a low-volume manufacturer; the most recent published official production figures were for 1982, which stated that 104 cars were produced in that year...  Straight-6 Straight-6 The straight-six engine or inline-six engine is a six-cylinder internal combustion engine with all six cylinders mounted in a straight line along the crankcase...	ARG 1953 Argentine Grand Prix The 1953 Argentine Grand Prix was a Formula Two race held on January 18, 1953 at the Autódromo Juan y Óscar Gálvez, Buenos Aires. It was the first round of the 1953 World Drivers' Championship, which was run to Formula Two rules in 1952 and 1953, rather than the Formula One regulations normally...	500 1953 Indianapolis 500 The 1953 Indianapolis 500 was an automobile race held on Saturday, May 30, 1953 at Indianapolis Motor Speedway. The event was the second round of the 1953 World Drivers' Championship.-Race:...	NED 1953 Dutch Grand Prix The 1953 Dutch Grand Prix was a Formula Two race held on June 7, 1953 at the Circuit Zandvoort. It was the third round of the 1953 World Drivers' Championship, which was run to Formula Two rules in 1952 and 1953, rather than the Formula One regulations normally used.- Race report :The Ferraris... Ret	BEL 1953 Belgian Grand Prix The 1953 Belgian Grand Prix was a Formula Two race held on June 21, 1953 at Circuit de Spa-Francorchamps. It was the fourth round of the 1953 World Drivers' Championship, which was run to Formula Two rules in 1952 and 1953, rather than the Formula One regulations normally used.- Race report :A...	FRA 1953 French Grand Prix The 1953 French Grand Prix was a Formula Two race held on July 5, 1953 at Reims-Gueux. It was the fifth round of the 1953 World Drivers' Championship, which was run to Formula Two rules in 1952 and 1953, rather than the Formula One regulations normally used.... Ret	GBR 1953 British Grand Prix The 1953 British Grand Prix was a Formula Two race held on 18 July 1953 at Silverstone Circuit. It was the sixth round of the 1953 World Drivers' Championship, which was run to Formula Two rules in 1952 and 1953, rather than the Formula One regulations normally used.- Classification :- Drivers'... 8	GER 1953 German Grand Prix The 1953 German Grand Prix was a Formula Two race held on August 2, 1953 at the Nürburgring Nordschleife. It was the seventh round of the 1953 World Drivers' Championship, which was run to Formula Two rules in 1952 and 1953, rather than the Formula One regulations normally used.- Classification :-...	SUI 1953 Swiss Grand Prix The 1953 Swiss Grand Prix was a Formula Two race held on August 23, 1953 at Bremgarten Circuit. It was the eighth round of the 1953 World Drivers' Championship, which was run to Formula Two rules in 1952 and 1953, rather than the Formula One regulations normally used.It marked the brief return of... 7	ITA 1953 Italian Grand Prix The 1953 Italian Grand Prix was a Formula Two race held on September 13, 1953 at Monza. It was the ninth and final round of the 1953 World Drivers' Championship, which was run to Formula Two rules in 1952 and 1953, rather than the Formula One regulations normally used... NC	NC	0
1954 1954 Formula One season The 1954 Formula One season included the 5th FIA Formula One World Championship season, which commenced on January 17, 1954, and ended on October 24 after nine races. The Championship was won by Juan Manuel Fangio who drove, and won races, for both Maserati and Mercedes over the course of the season...	Owen Racing Organisation	Maserati Maserati in motorsport Throughout its history the Italian auto manufacturer Maserati has participated in various forms of motorsport including Formula One, sportscar racing and touring car racing, both as a works team and through private entrants.-Beginnings:...  250F Maserati 250F The Maserati 250F was a racing car made by Maserati of Italy used in '2.5 litre' Formula One racing between January 1954 and November 1960. Twenty-six examples were made.-Mechanical details:...	Maserati Maserati in motorsport Throughout its history the Italian auto manufacturer Maserati has participated in various forms of motorsport including Formula One, sportscar racing and touring car racing, both as a works team and through private entrants.-Beginnings:...  Straight-6 Straight-6 The straight-six engine or inline-six engine is a six-cylinder internal combustion engine with all six cylinders mounted in a straight line along the crankcase...	ARG 1954 Argentine Grand Prix The 1954 Argentine Grand Prix was a Formula One motor race held at Buenos Aires on January 17, 1954. It was the first round of the 1954 World Drivers' Championship.- Classification :- Notes :...	500 1954 Indianapolis 500 The 1954 Indianapolis 500 was an automobile race held on Monday, May 31, 1954 at Indianapolis Motor Speedway. The event was the second round of the 1954 World Drivers' Championship.- Classification :- Notes :...	BEL 1954 Belgian Grand Prix The 1954 Belgian Grand Prix was a Formula One motor race held at Spa-Francorchamps on June 20, 1954. It was the third round of the 1954 World Drivers' Championship.- Race report :...	FRA 1954 French Grand Prix The 1954 French Grand Prix was a Formula One motor race held at Reims-Gueux on July 4, 1954, the same date of 1954 Football World Cup Final... Ret	GBR 1954 British Grand Prix The 1954 British Grand Prix was a Formula One motor race held at Silverstone on July 17, 1954. It was the fifth round of the 1954 World Drivers' Championship.- Race report :... 8	GER DNS	SUI 1954 Swiss Grand Prix The 1954 Swiss Grand Prix was a Formula One motor race held at Bremgarten on August 22, 1954. It was the seventh round of the 1954 World Drivers' Championship.- Race report :... 6	ITA 1954 Italian Grand Prix The 1954 Italian Grand Prix was a Formula One motor race held on September 5, 1954 at Monza. It was the eighth round of the 1954 World Drivers' Championship.- Classification :- Notes :* Pole position: Juan Manuel Fangio - 1:59.0...	ESP 1954 Spanish Grand Prix The 1954 Spanish Grand Prix was a Formula One motor race held on October 24, 1954 at Pedralbes. It was the ninth and final round of the 1954 World Drivers' Championship.- Race report :... 8	NC	0
1955 1955 Formula One season The 1955 Formula One season was the sixth season of FIA Formula One motor racing. It featured the 1955 World Championship of Drivers, which commenced on January 16, 1955 and ended on September 11 after seven races...	Vandervell Products Ltd Vanwall Vanwall was a Formula One motor racing team that competed in the 1950s. Founded by Tony Vandervell, the Vanwall name was derived by combining the name of the team owner with that of his Thinwall bearings produced at the Vandervell Products factory at Acton, London...	Vanwall Vanwall Vanwall was a Formula One motor racing team that competed in the 1950s. Founded by Tony Vandervell, the Vanwall name was derived by combining the name of the team owner with that of his Thinwall bearings produced at the Vandervell Products factory at Acton, London...	Vanwall Vanwall Vanwall was a Formula One motor racing team that competed in the 1950s. Founded by Tony Vandervell, the Vanwall name was derived by combining the name of the team owner with that of his Thinwall bearings produced at the Vandervell Products factory at Acton, London...  Straight-4 Straight-4 The inline-four engine or straight-four engine is an internal combustion engine with all four cylinders mounted in a straight line, or plane along the crankcase. The single bank of cylinders may be oriented in either a vertical or an inclined plane with all the pistons driving a common crankshaft....	ARG 1955 Argentine Grand Prix The 1955 Argentine Grand Prix was a Formula One motor race held at Buenos Aires on January 16, 1955. It was the first round of the 1955 World Drivers' Championship.- Classification :- Notes :* Pole position: José Froilán González - 1:43.1...	MON 1955 Monaco Grand Prix The 1955 Monaco Grand Prix was a Formula One motor race held at Monaco on May 22, 1955. It was the second round of the 1955 World Drivers' Championship and was given an honorary name, Grand Prix d'Europe.- Race report :...	500 1955 Indianapolis 500 The 1955 Indianapolis 500 was an automobile race held on Monday, May 30, 1955 at Indianapolis Motor Speedway. The event was the third round of the 1955 World Drivers' Championship...	BEL 1955 Belgian Grand Prix The 1955 Belgian Grand Prix was a Formula One motor race held at Spa-Francorchamps on June 5, 1955. It was the fourth round of the 1955 World Drivers' Championship.- Race report :...	NED 1955 Dutch Grand Prix The 1955 Dutch Grand Prix was a Formula One motor race held at Zandvoort on June 19, 1955. It was the fifth round of the 1955 World Drivers' Championship.- Race report :...	GBR 1955 British Grand Prix The 1955 British Grand Prix was a Formula One motor race held at Aintree on 16 July 1955. It was the sixth round of the 1955 World Drivers' Championship.- Classification :- Notes :* Lap Leaders:** Juan Manuel Fangio 10 laps... 9	ITA 1955 Italian Grand Prix The 1955 Italian Grand Prix was a Formula One motor race held at Monza on 11 September 1955. It was the seventh and final round of the 1955 World Drivers' Championship.- Classification :- Notes :* Pole position: Juan Manuel Fangio - 2:46.5... Ret			NC	0

External links

• Ken Wharton profile at The 500 Owners Association