James Walter McKeown (c.1937/1938 - 22 May 2023) was an Australian racing driver who competed in the Australian Touring Car Championship from 1964 to 1972, with a best finish of 2nd in the 1970 ATCC. McKeown was part of the successful Neptune Racing Team alongside Norm Beechey and Peter Manton. The team later became known as the Shell Racing Team and consisted of McKeown in a Porsche 911S, Beechey in a Holden Monaro GTS350 and Manton in a Morris Cooper S.
| Jim McKeown | |
|---|---|
| Nationality | Australian |
| Australian Touring Car Championship | |
| Years active | 1964–1972 |
| Teams | Neptune Racing Team Tridents Racing Team Shell Racing Team |
| Starts | 21 |
| Wins | 2[1] |
| Poles | 1[2] |
| Best finish | 2nd in 1970 |
| Previous series | |
| Toby Lee Series | |
In addition to the Australian Touring Car Championship, McKeown also competed in the Bathurst 500 and its forerunner at Phillip Island on four occasions. He and George Reynolds took the Class D win at the 1962 Armstrong 500, five laps off the lead.[3] McKeown drove for the Ford Works Team under Harry Firth in the 1968 Hardie-Ferodo 500, finishing 42nd with Spencer Martin in the team's only XT Falcon GT fitted with an automatic transmission.[4] In the 1970s McKeown raced Porsches in the Sports Sedan category, achieving a 2nd-place finish in the 1974 Toby Lee Series at Oran Park.
Death
editJim died peacefully on 22 May 2023, at the age of 85.
Career results
edit
| Season | Title | Position | Car | Team |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1967 | Australian Touring Car Championship | 6th | Ford Lotus Cortina | Tridents Racing Team |
| 1969 | Australian Touring Car Championship | 4th | Ford Lotus Cortina | Jim McKeown Motors[5] |
| 1970 | Australian Touring Car Championship | 2nd | Porsche 911S | Shell Racing Team |
| 1971 | Australian Touring Car Championship | 4th | Porsche 911S | Shell Racing Team |
| 1972 | Australian Touring Car Championship | 13th | Alfa Romeo 2000 GTV | Shell Racing Team |
| 1973 | Toby Lee Series | 4th[6] | Porsche Carrera | |
| 1974 | Toby Lee Series | 2nd[7] | Porsche Carrera |
Complete Australian Touring Car Championship results
edit(key) (Races in bold indicate pole position) (Races in italics indicate fastest lap)
| Year | Team | Car | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | DC | Points |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1964 | Neptune Racing Team | Ford Cortina Mark I Lotus | LAK Ret |
NC | - | |||||||
| 1965 | Neptune Racing Team | Ford Cortina Mark I Lotus | SAN Ret |
NC | - | |||||||
| 1967 | Tridents Racing Team | Ford Cortina Mark I Lotus | LAK 6 |
NC | - | |||||||
| 1968 | Jim McKeown Motors | Ford Cortina Mark II Lotus | WAR Ret |
NC | - | |||||||
| 1969 | Jim McKeown Motors | Ford Cortina Mark II Lotus | CAL | BAT | MAL 4 |
SUR 3 |
SYM 3 |
4th | 11 | |||
| 1970 | Jim McKeown Shell Racing Team | Porsche 911S | CAL 3 |
BAT 4 |
SAN Ret |
MAL Ret |
WAR 1 |
LAK 3 |
SYM 1 |
2nd | 29 | |
| 1971 | Shell Racing | Porsche 911S | SYM 4 |
CAL 3 |
SAN 3 |
SUR 5 |
MAL 4 |
LAK 6 |
ORA 4 |
4th | 20 | |
| 1972 | Shell Racing Team | Alfa Romeo 2000 GTV | SYM | CAL DNS |
BAT 7 |
SAN Ret |
AIR | WAR | SUR | ORA | 13th | 6 |
References
edit- ^ "Most ATCC/V8SCS Race Wins (1960 - 2009)". Official site of the Australian V8 Supercar Championship Series. Archived from the original on 13 September 2011. Retrieved 23 September 2011.
- ^ "Most Poles in the ATCC/V8SCS". Official site of the Australian V8 Supercar Championship Series. Archived from the original on 13 September 2011. Retrieved 23 September 2011.
- ^ "Armstrong 500 - Phillip Island, Victoria - 22nd October, 1962". Unique Cars and Parts. Retrieved 23 September 2011.
- ^ "Hardie-Ferodo 500 - Mount Panorama, Bathurst - 6th October, 1968". Unique Cars and Parts. Retrieved 23 September 2011.
- ^ Official programme, Mallala Motor Races, 16 June 1969
- ^ Sports Sedans, Oran Park Toby Lee Series, Australian Competition Yearbook, 1974 Edition, pages 144-154
- ^ Sports Sedans, Oran Park Toby Lee Series, Australian Competition Yearbook, 1975 Edition, pages 146-149