The 1961 British Saloon Car Championship

British Touring Car Championship

The British Touring Car Championship is a touring car racing series held each year in the United Kingdom. The Championship was established in 1958 as the British Saloon Car Championship and has run to various rules over the years – "production cars", then FIA Group 1 or 2 in the late 1960s...

, was the 4th season of the championship. It began at Snetterton

Snetterton Motor Racing Circuit

Snetterton Motor Racing Circuit is a motor racing circuit in Norfolk, England. Owned by MotorSport Vision, it is situated on the A11 road some 20 km north-east of the town of Thetford and 30 km south-west of the city of Norwich...

 on March 25 and finished after 9 races back at Snetterton on September 30. The championship switched to the new Group 2

Group 2 (racing)

The Group 2 racing class referred to regulations for cars in touring car racing and rallying, as regulated by the FIA. Group 2 was replaced by Group A in 1982....

 regulations. This year saw the first championship win for a Mini

Mini

The Mini is a small car that was made by the British Motor Corporation and its successors from 1959 until 2000. The original is considered a British icon of the 1960s, and its space-saving front-wheel-drive layout influenced a generation of car-makers...

, with a car driven by John Whitmore

John Whitmore (racing driver)

Sir John Whitmore was a British racing driver. Sir John was educated at Eton College, Sandhurst Royal Military Academy, and Cirencester Agricultural College. After racing, he went on to be a sports psychologist. He left working within motor-sports to apply his skills to the world of business...

, winning the title in his debut season.

Calendar & Winners

Overall winners in bold.

Round		Circuit	Date	Class A Winner	Class B Winner	Class C Winner	Class D Winner
1		Snetterton Motor Racing Circuit Snetterton Motor Racing Circuit Snetterton Motor Racing Circuit is a motor racing circuit in Norfolk, England. Owned by MotorSport Vision, it is situated on the A11 road some 20 km north-east of the town of Thetford and 30 km south-west of the city of Norwich... , Norfolk Norfolk Norfolk is a low-lying county in the East of England. It has borders with Lincolnshire to the west, Cambridgeshire to the west and southwest and Suffolk to the south. Its northern and eastern boundaries are the North Sea coast and to the north-west the county is bordered by The Wash. The county...	March 25	George 'Doc' Shepherd Doc Shepherd George Doc Shepherd was a British racing driver. He entered the inaugural year of the British Saloon Car Championship in 1958, driving a class A Austin A35 where he finished fourth on points and second in class. in 1959, he finished second in the championship in an Austin A40...	Alan Hutcheson	None (no entries?)	Gawaine Baillie
2		Goodwood Circuit Goodwood Circuit Goodwood Circuit is an historic venue for both two- and four-wheeled motorsport in the United Kingdom. The 2.4 mile circuit is situated near Chichester, West Sussex, close to the south coast of England, on the estate of Goodwood House, and completely encircles Chichester/Goodwood Airport... , West Sussex West Sussex West Sussex is a county in the south of England, bordering onto East Sussex , Hampshire and Surrey. The county of Sussex has been divided into East and West since the 12th century, and obtained separate county councils in 1888, but it remained a single ceremonial county until 1974 and the coming...	April 3	John Whitmore John Whitmore (racing driver) Sir John Whitmore was a British racing driver. Sir John was educated at Eton College, Sandhurst Royal Military Academy, and Cirencester Agricultural College. After racing, he went on to be a sports psychologist. He left working within motor-sports to apply his skills to the world of business...	Bill Blydenstein	Ellis Cuff-Miller	Mike Parkes Mike Parkes Michael Johnson Parkes was an English racing driver.He participated in 7 Formula One World Championship Grands Prix, debuting on July 18, 1959. He achieved two podiums, and scored a total of 14 championship points. He also secured one pole position...
3		Aintree Motor Racing Circuit Aintree Motor Racing Circuit Aintree Motor Racing Circuit is a 3-mile motor racing circuit in the village of Aintree, Merseyside, England. The circuit is located within the famous Aintree Racecourse and used the same grandstands as horse racing... , Liverpool Liverpool Liverpool is a city and metropolitan borough of Merseyside, England, along the eastern side of the Mersey Estuary. It was founded as a borough in 1207 and was granted city status in 1880...	April 22	John Whitmore John Whitmore (racing driver) Sir John Whitmore was a British racing driver. Sir John was educated at Eton College, Sandhurst Royal Military Academy, and Cirencester Agricultural College. After racing, he went on to be a sports psychologist. He left working within motor-sports to apply his skills to the world of business...	Alan Hutcheson	Chris Kerrison?	Roy Salvadori Roy Salvadori Roy Francesco Salvadori is a former motor racing driver and manager from England. He participated in 50 Formula One World Championship Grands Prix, debuting on 12 July 1952, and achieved two podiums, scoring a total of 19 Championship points.During a varied career he also won the 24 Hours of Le...
4		Silverstone Circuit Silverstone Circuit Silverstone Circuit is an English motor racing circuit next to the Northamptonshire villages of Silverstone and Whittlebury. The circuit straddles the Northamptonshire and Buckinghamshire border, with the current main circuit entry on the Buckinghamshire side... , Northamptonshire Northamptonshire Northamptonshire is a landlocked county in the English East Midlands, with a population of 629,676 as at the 2001 census. It has boundaries with the ceremonial counties of Warwickshire to the west, Leicestershire and Rutland to the north, Cambridgeshire to the east, Bedfordshire to the south-east,...	May 6	Bill Aston Bill Aston William "Bill" Aston was a British racing driver who participated in three Formula One World Championship Grands Prix, for his own team Aston Butterworth....	Peter Harper	Chris Kerrison?	Graham Hill Graham Hill Norman Graham Hill was a British racing driver and two-time Formula One World Champion. He is the only driver to win the Triple Crown of Motorsport — the 24 Hours of Le Mans, Indianapolis 500 and Formula One World Championship.Graham Hill and his son Damon are the only father and son pair both to...
5		Crystal Palace Crystal Palace (circuit) Crystal Palace circuit was a motor racing circuit in Crystal Palace, London, England. The circuit was located within Crystal Palace park. The route of the track can still be seen on maps providing access to the Crystal Palace National Sports Centre that is also located in the park.- History :The... , London London London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...	May 22	George 'Doc' Shepherd Doc Shepherd George Doc Shepherd was a British racing driver. He entered the inaugural year of the British Saloon Car Championship in 1958, driving a class A Austin A35 where he finished fourth on points and second in class. in 1959, he finished second in the championship in an Austin A40...	Bill Blydenstein	None (no entries)	Roy Salvadori Roy Salvadori Roy Francesco Salvadori is a former motor racing driver and manager from England. He participated in 50 Formula One World Championship Grands Prix, debuting on 12 July 1952, and achieved two podiums, scoring a total of 19 Championship points.During a varied career he also won the 24 Hours of Le...
6		Silverstone Circuit Silverstone Circuit Silverstone Circuit is an English motor racing circuit next to the Northamptonshire villages of Silverstone and Whittlebury. The circuit straddles the Northamptonshire and Buckinghamshire border, with the current main circuit entry on the Buckinghamshire side... , Northamptonshire Northamptonshire Northamptonshire is a landlocked county in the English East Midlands, with a population of 629,676 as at the 2001 census. It has boundaries with the ceremonial counties of Warwickshire to the west, Leicestershire and Rutland to the north, Cambridgeshire to the east, Bedfordshire to the south-east,...	July 8	Herbert Linge Herbert Linge Herbert Linge is a German former racing and rally driver. As an employee of Porsche, he was involved in many events, and later also in motorsport safety....	Ellis Cuff-Miller	Chris Kerrison	Mike Parkes Mike Parkes Michael Johnson Parkes was an English racing driver.He participated in 7 Formula One World Championship Grands Prix, debuting on July 18, 1959. He achieved two podiums, and scored a total of 14 championship points. He also secured one pole position...
7		Brands Hatch Brands Hatch Brands Hatch is a motor racing circuit near West Kingsdown in Kent, England. First used as a dirt track motorcycle circuit on farmland, it hosted 12 runnings of the British Grand Prix between 1964 and 1986 and currently holds many British and international racing events... , Kent Kent Kent is a county in southeast England, and is one of the home counties. It borders East Sussex, Surrey and Greater London and has a defined boundary with Essex in the middle of the Thames Estuary. The ceremonial county boundaries of Kent include the shire county of Kent and the unitary borough of...	August 7	Frank Hamlin	Alan Hutcheson	Chris Kerrison	Mike Parkes Mike Parkes Michael Johnson Parkes was an English racing driver.He participated in 7 Formula One World Championship Grands Prix, debuting on July 18, 1959. He achieved two podiums, and scored a total of 14 championship points. He also secured one pole position...
8		Oulton Park Oulton Park Oulton Park Circuit is a motor racing track in the small village of Little Budworth, Cheshire, England. It is about from Winsford, from Chester city centre, from Northwich and from Warrington with a nearby rail connection along the Mid-Cheshire Line. It occupies much of the area which was... , Cheshire Cheshire Cheshire is a ceremonial county in North West England. Cheshire's county town is the city of Chester, although its largest town is Warrington. Other major towns include Widnes, Congleton, Crewe, Ellesmere Port, Runcorn, Macclesfield, Winsford, Northwich, and Wilmslow...	September 23	John Whitmore John Whitmore (racing driver) Sir John Whitmore was a British racing driver. Sir John was educated at Eton College, Sandhurst Royal Military Academy, and Cirencester Agricultural College. After racing, he went on to be a sports psychologist. He left working within motor-sports to apply his skills to the world of business...	Peter Harper	None (no entries?)	Roy Salvadori Roy Salvadori Roy Francesco Salvadori is a former motor racing driver and manager from England. He participated in 50 Formula One World Championship Grands Prix, debuting on 12 July 1952, and achieved two podiums, scoring a total of 19 Championship points.During a varied career he also won the 24 Hours of Le...
9		Snetterton Motor Racing Circuit Snetterton Motor Racing Circuit Snetterton Motor Racing Circuit is a motor racing circuit in Norfolk, England. Owned by MotorSport Vision, it is situated on the A11 road some 20 km north-east of the town of Thetford and 30 km south-west of the city of Norwich... , Norfolk Norfolk Norfolk is a low-lying county in the East of England. It has borders with Lincolnshire to the west, Cambridgeshire to the west and southwest and Suffolk to the south. Its northern and eastern boundaries are the North Sea coast and to the north-west the county is bordered by The Wash. The county...	September 30	George 'Doc' Shepherd Doc Shepherd George Doc Shepherd was a British racing driver. He entered the inaugural year of the British Saloon Car Championship in 1958, driving a class A Austin A35 where he finished fourth on points and second in class. in 1959, he finished second in the championship in an Austin A40...	Peter Harper	None (no entries?)	Mike Parkes Mike Parkes Michael Johnson Parkes was an English racing driver.He participated in 7 Formula One World Championship Grands Prix, debuting on July 18, 1959. He achieved two podiums, and scored a total of 14 championship points. He also secured one pole position...

Championship results

Driver's championship
Pos.	Driver	Team	Group	Points
1	John Whitmore John Whitmore (racing driver) Sir John Whitmore was a British racing driver. Sir John was educated at Eton College, Sandhurst Royal Military Academy, and Cirencester Agricultural College. After racing, he went on to be a sports psychologist. He left working within motor-sports to apply his skills to the world of business...	Don Moore	A	53
2	Mike Parkes Mike Parkes Michael Johnson Parkes was an English racing driver.He participated in 7 Formula One World Championship Grands Prix, debuting on July 18, 1959. He achieved two podiums, and scored a total of 14 championship points. He also secured one pole position...	Equipe Endeavour	D	44
3	Alan Hutcheson	Barwell Motorsport	D	42
4	Bill Blydenstein		B	42
5	Roy Salvadori Roy Salvadori Roy Francesco Salvadori is a former motor racing driver and manager from England. He participated in 50 Formula One World Championship Grands Prix, debuting on 12 July 1952, and achieved two podiums, scoring a total of 19 Championship points.During a varied career he also won the 24 Hours of Le...	John Coombs	D	37
6	Graham Hill Graham Hill Norman Graham Hill was a British racing driver and two-time Formula One World Champion. He is the only driver to win the Triple Crown of Motorsport — the 24 Hours of Le Mans, Indianapolis 500 and Formula One World Championship.Graham Hill and his son Damon are the only father and son pair both to...	Equipe Endeavour	D	28
7	Peter Harper Peter Harper (racing driver) Peter Charles Edward Harper was a British racing driver best known for his efforts in Rally events. Peter competed mostly with cars from the Rootes Group, for whom he ran a number of motor dealerships based in Stevenage, Hertfordshire.Peter served with the Royal Air Force during the Second World War...	Sunbeam Talbot Ltd	B	27
8	John Aley	Don Moore	A	23
9	Edward Lewis		B	22?
10	Bill Aston Bill Aston William "Bill" Aston was a British racing driver who participated in three Formula One World Championship Grands Prix, for his own team Aston Butterworth....	Downton Engineering Ltd	A	20
11	Doc Shepherd Doc Shepherd George Doc Shepherd was a British racing driver. He entered the inaugural year of the British Saloon Car Championship in 1958, driving a class A Austin A35 where he finished fourth on points and second in class. in 1959, he finished second in the championship in an Austin A40...		A	18
12	Chris Kerrison	Gerrards Cross Motor Co.	C	16

External links

• Official website of the British Touring Car Championship