A65 #17--SOLVED--Ken Richardson and Jabbeke Road Triumph TR2

[Aaron65]

1 point for a complete answer here...who is this man, what is he about to do, and what will he be driving?

[Aaron65]

Lots of Rookie puzzles with no replies, so I might as well move this one on up.  An Expert should know it right away...

[Tackitt]

It is American racing driver John Fitch and he is about to go racing. Those coveralls tell me that he is a member of the Mercedes sports car team and is about to climb into a Mercedes 300SLR most likely.

[Aaron65]

Nope on all counts...

[Tackitt]

You sure fooled me. Even after you said no, I went back and it still looks like Fitch to me. I will be interested in seeing who this is.

[Aaron65]

Speeding on up!

[faksta]

Wearing a shirt and a tie, he must be British. The face is familiar, but...dammit... The man in dark suit looks somehow like Graham Hill to me, but the general athmosphere looks late-fifties, so he should have been a bit younger then, I guess...

[Aaron65]

Yes to British, no to Graham Hill...earlier 50s.

[woodinsight]

He looks like Ken Richardson to me.
If it is I'll provide you with more information in my next reply.

[Aaron65]

It is!

[faksta]

Hope you understood I was speaking about the man in a background (Re: Graham Hill)  

[woodinsight]

Ken Richardson was the principal test and development driver for the BRM V16 F1 car project.
I believe he is about to test the car, perhaps at Boreham, in the early 1950s.

[Aaron65]

Hope you understood I was speaking about the man in a background (Re: Graham Hill)  

Yes I did, but there's no way it could be Graham Hill age-wise, like you said.

[Aaron65]

Ken Richardson was the principal test and development driver for the BRM V16 F1 car project.
I believe he is about to test the car, perhaps at Boreham, in the early 1950s.

He's not doing that here...he is a test and developmental driver in this photo, however.

[Tom_I]

Is he about to enter the qualifying rounds of the 1951 Italian Grand Prix?

[Wendax]

Ken Richardson at Jabbeke in May,1953 ready to set up a new speed world record for production cars below 2 litres. The car was the aerodynamically modified second Triumph TR2 prototype (MVC575).

[Aaron65]

Wendax gets it again!  I love early Triumphs...
His first run was only 104 MPH, but a plug wire fell off...the other runs were much better!
He averaged nearly 125 MPH, and the TRs were off and running!  I'll buy one when I win the lottery (ha ha) and I have room and money to buy my "Great 28..."  Yes, I have a list of cars to buy and there are 28 cars on it.  

PS...He ran with and without a windscreen, which is why in the two pictures shown, the car looks a bit different...

[Aaron65]

I'm going to give a point to woodinsight too for nabbing the driver...seems fair to me.

[Wendax]

Good idea 

[woodinsight]

Thanks very much - the Jabbeke Triumph would have been my next guess

[Tom_I]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0sCwvHkW-PM

[Aaron65]

What a cool video!  That TR2 sounded nice, if that noise wasn't added in later!