Jim McKeown (racing driver)

Australian racing driver

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

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 the 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.

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

[edit]

Jim died peacefully on 22 May 2023, at the age of 85.

## Career results

[edit]

A recreation of the Chrysler VH Valiant Charger R/T E38 which was driven to 6th place in Class D of the 1971 Hardie-Ferodo 500 by Norm Beechey & Jim McKeown Season  | Title  | Position  | Car  | Team

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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

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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]

1. ^ "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.
2. ^ "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.
3. ^ "Armstrong 500 - Phillip Island, Victoria - 22nd October, 1962". Unique Cars and Parts. Retrieved 23 September 2011.
4. ^ "Hardie-Ferodo 500 - Mount Panorama, Bathurst - 6th October, 1968". Unique Cars and Parts. Retrieved 23 September 2011.
5. ^ Official programme, Mallala Motor Races, 16 June 1969
6. ^ Sports Sedans, Oran Park Toby Lee Series, Australian Competition Yearbook, 1974 Edition, pages 144-154
7. ^ Sports Sedans, Oran Park Toby Lee Series, Australian Competition Yearbook, 1975 Edition, pages 146-149

*[Best finish]: Best season finish in the championship