Desmond Titterington
| Born | 1 May 1928 |
|---|---|
| Died | 13 April 2002 (aged 73) |
| Formula One World Championship career | |
| Nationality |  British |
| Active years | 1956 |
| Teams | Connaught |
| Entries | 1 |
| Championships | 0 |
| Wins | 0 |
| Podiums | 0 |
| Career points | 0 |
| Pole positions | 0 |
| Fastest laps | 0 |
| First entry | 1956 British Grand Prix |
| Last entry | 1956 British Grand Prix |
James Desmond Titterington (1 May 1928 – 13 April 2002)[1] was a British racing driver from Northern Ireland. He was born at Cultra, near Holywood, County Down. He participated in one Formula One World Championship Grand Prix, on 14 July 1956. He scored no championship points. He also competed in several non-Championship Grand Prix. He died in Dundee, Scotland, aged 73.[2]
Early life
[edit]Born in Cultra, Northern Ireland, Titterington went to school in Scotland during the Second World War and then attended the University of St Andrews before returning to Northern Ireland. When he returned, he bought a J2 MG and started driving in minor club races.[2]
Jaguar
[edit]Titterington spent most of his racing career driving for the Jaguar Works Team. He was a witness to the 1955 Le Mans disaster as he was in the pits due to being injured prior to the race. Titterington blamed his teammate Mike Hawthorn for the crash due to his exuberant driving style when pitting, though the official inquiry later exonerated Hawthorn.[3] He raced in the 1955 RAC Tourist Trophy at Dundrod Circuit in his native Northern Ireland, the first championship race since Le Mans, alongside Hawthorn in a Jaguar D-Type.[4] The Jaguar team were winning in the race and holding off the Daimler-Benz's Mercedes-Benz 300 SLRs but Hawthorn accidentally put the car into the wrong gear when accelerating out of a corner and broke the connecting rod on the car, leading to the Jaguar team having to retire.[5] He drove for Jaguar at the 1956 Le Mans 24 Hours but had to retire after crashing his car in practice and then crashing the spare car 1 hour into the race.[6][7]
Connaught
[edit]In 1956, Titterington was selected to drive for the Connaught racing team. His first race was the 1956 Syracuse Grand Prix. Qualifying 8th on the grid, he had to retire due to ignition trouble with the Connaught.[2] at the 1956 British Grand Prix. He qualified 11th on the grid and despite a poor start, managed to drive back to 11th but had to retire from his one and only Formula 1 appearance due to the Connaught car's engine failing.[2]
Complete Formula One World Championship results
[edit](key)
| Year | Entrant | Chassis | Engine | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | WDC | Points |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1956 | Connaught Engineering | Connaught Type B | Alta Straight-4 | ARG | MON | 500 | BEL | FRA | GBR Ret |
GER | ITA | NC | 0 |
References
[edit]- ^ "Profile". F1 Rejects. Archived from the original on 19 June 2006. Retrieved 2 April 2025.
- ^ a b c d "Desmond Titterington". Historic Racing. Retrieved 2 April 2025.
- ^ Stone, Matt (2012). History's Greatest Automotive Mysteries, Myths, and Rumors Revealed. Motorbooks. pp. 176–177. ISBN 9780760342602.
- ^ Gray, Andy. "Death, fire and Stirling Moss - the end of car racing at Dundrod". BBC Sport. Retrieved 2 April 2025.
- ^ Parker, Paul (2015). Klemantaski: Master Motorsports Photographer. Motorbooks. p. 190. ISBN 9780760346440.
- ^ "Jaguar D-Type 1957: The road to Le Mans domination". Goodwood. Retrieved 2 April 2025.
- ^ Spurring, Quentin (2011). Le Mans 1949-59. Evro Publishing. p. 2. ISBN 978-1-84425-537-5.