OTD 1957: Funeral of racing driver Ken Wharton

On this Day: January 30th, 1957

OTD is back for a new run of looking back at news from the TV version of ATV Today with this offering bringing news from weekend 2022 dates. Today it’s back to Wednesday, 30th January 1957 and ATV Midlands News coverage of the funeral of racing driver Ken Wharton at Bearwood.

Born Frederick Charles Kenneth Wharton in March 1916, in Smethwick, Ken was a popular racing driver who competed in off-road trials, hillclimbs, and rallies. His World Championship Grand Prix debut was at the 1952 Swiss event, run to Formula 2 regulations, where he started from 13th position on the grid and finished 4th. He participated in a total of 15 World Championship Grands Prix, from which he scored three championship points.

On 17 August 1935, he was involved in a crash at Donington Park, the incident, which saw him overturn at Red-gate corner occurred on lap one of five. Wharton escaped with abrasions to the arm. He won the British Hill Climb Championship every year between 1951 to 1954. This feat still stands and Ken is the only driver to win four successive BHCC titles in a row. Other successes included winning the Brighton Speed Trials in 1954, 1955 and 1956.

On January 12th, 1957 Wharton was fatally injured when his car crashed in a race at the Ardmore Circuit in Auckland, New Zealand. ATV Midland News cameras joined more than 1,100 people at his funeral, at St Mary’s Church at Bearwood. In attendance were his mother, father, sister, aunt, uncle and cousins.