Jack Sears (16 February 1930 – 6 August 2016) was a British race and rally driver, and was one of the principal organisers of the 1968
London-Sydney Marathon.
Biography
Sears was popularly known as "Gentleman Jack". His son
David
David (; , "beloved one") (traditional spelling), , ''Dāwūd''; grc-koi, Δαυΐδ, Dauíd; la, Davidus, David; gez , ዳዊት, ''Dawit''; xcl, Դաւիթ, ''Dawitʿ''; cu, Давíдъ, ''Davidŭ''; possibly meaning "beloved one". w ...
is also involved in motorsport.
He won the inaugural
British Saloon Car Championship
The Kwik Fit British Touring Car Championship is a touring car racing series held each year in the United Kingdom, currently organised and administered by TOCA. It was established in 1958 as the British Saloon Car Championship and was renamed as ...
in 1958, driving an
Austin Westminster
The Austin Westminster series are large saloon and estate cars that were sold by the British manufacturer Austin from 1954, replacing the A70 Hereford. The Westminster line was produced as the A90, A95, A99, A105, and A110 until 1968 when th ...
. After finishing on joint maximum points with
Tommy Sopwith, it was initially suggested the champion would be decided by the toss of a coin. The idea was very unpopular with both drivers and at the final meeting at
Brands Hatch
Brands Hatch is a motor racing circuit in West Kingsdown, Kent, England, United Kingdom. Originally used as a grasstrack motorcycle circuit on farmland, it hosted 12 runnings of the British Grand Prix between 1964 and 1986 and currently host ...
, with a draw being a likely possibility, two identical looking Marcus Chambers-owned
Riley One-Point-Five
The Riley One-Point-Five and similar Wolseley 1500 are automobiles produced by Riley (automobile), Riley and Wolseley Motors, Wolseley respectively from 1957 until 1965. They utilised the Morris Minor floorpan, suspension and steering but were f ...
works rally cars were brought along for a five lap shoot-out. To make the race fair, they raced five laps, switched cars, then raced five laps again with the driver who had the quickest combined time being crowned champion. In pouring rain, Sears became the first ever champion by 1.6 seconds.
He regained the title in 1963, driving a variety of cars including a
Ford Cortina GT
The Ford Cortina is a medium-sized family car that was built initially by Ford of Britain, and then Ford of Europe in various guises from 1962 to 1982, and was the United Kingdom's best-selling car of the 1970s.
The Cortina was produced in five ...
, a seven-litre
Ford Galaxie and a
Lotus Cortina
Lotus Cortina is the commonly used term for the Ford Cortina Lotus, a high-performance sports saloon, which was produced in the United Kingdom from 1963 to 1970 by Ford in collaboration with Lotus Cars. The original version, which was based on ...
, which was used for the final two races. Sears also co-drove a
Ferrari 330 LMB with
Mike Salmon to a fifth place in the
1963 Le Mans 24 Hours, the best result in the abbreviated racing history of the LMB.
Death
Sears died on 6 August 2016 from lung cancer.
He had previously survived a heart attack.
Racing record
Complete British Saloon Car Championship results
(
key) (Races in bold indicate pole position; races in ''italics'' indicate fastest lap.)
† Events with 2 races staged for the different classes.
‡ Event with 3 races staged for the different classes.
* Car over 1000cc - Not eligible for points.
24 Hours of Le Mans results
References
External links
Profile of Jack Sears HistoricRacing.com
written by Jack Sears who reconnoitred the event
1930 births
2016 deaths
English racing drivers
British Touring Car Championship drivers
British Touring Car Championship Champions
Brighton Speed Trials people
24 Hours of Le Mans drivers
World Sportscar Championship drivers
Deaths from lung cancer in the United Kingdom
{{England-autoracing-bio-stub
12 Hours of Reims drivers