Kenneth Downing (born 5 December 1917 and died 3 May 2004) was a British racing driver who competed in two Formula One championship Grand Prix and various non-championship races in 1952. He won the 1952 Madgwick Cup and finished second in the Grand Prix des Frontières that same year.
Born into a wealthy family, Downing started his racing career at the age of 21, competing in rally and sports car events throughout the 1940s. In 1951, he began racing Connaught cars.
His open wheel career started in 1952 when he began entering non-championship events as a privateer. After his second-place finish at the 1952 Grand Prix des Frontières, he joined Connaught's team and entered the 1952 British Grand Prix. He qualified in 5th position and finished the race in 9th.
He continued racing in non-championship events with Connaught. He entered the 1952 Dutch Grand Prix as a private entry, but retired due to an oil pressure issue.
At the end of the year, he transitioned back to sports cars, racing the Aston Martin DB3S. He retired shortly after, moving to South Africa and then to Monaco.
Formula One Statistical Overview[]
Formula One Record[]
| Year | Entrant | Team | WDC Points | WDC Pos. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1952 |  Connaught Engineering
|
Connaught-Lea-Francis | 0 | NC |
| Kenneth Downing
|
Career Statistics[]
| Entries | 2 |
| Starts | 2 |
| Pole Positions | 0 |
| Race Wins | 0 |
| Podiums | 0 |
| Fastest Laps | 0 |
| Points | 0 |
| Laps Raced | 109 |
| Distance Raced | 500 km (310 mi) |
Career Results[]
| Complete Formula One Results | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Year | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | Pts | Pos | |||||||||||||||
| 1952 | 
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0 | NC | |||||||||||||||
| 9th | Ret | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Key | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Symbol | Meaning | Symbol | Meaning | ||
| 1st | Winner | Ret | Retired | ||
| 2nd | Podium finish | DSQ | Disqualified | ||
| 3rd | DNQ | Did not qualify | |||
| 5th | Points finish | DNPQ | Did not pre-qualify | ||
| 14th | Non-points finish | TD | Test driver | ||
| Italics | Fastest Lap | DNS | Did not start | ||
| 18th† | Classified finish (retired with >90% race distance) | NC | Non-classified finish (<90% race distance) | ||
| 4thP | Qualified for pole position | [+] More Symbols | |||
Notes[]
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