| Ken Smith MBE | |
|---|---|
| Nationality |  New Zealander |
| Full name | Kenneth James Smith |
| Born | (1941-08-11)11 August 1941 (age 84) |
Kenneth James SmithMBE (born 11 August 1941) is aNew Zealandmotor racing driver, who won theNew Zealand Grand Prix in 1976, 1990, and 2004.[1][2]
Smith first competed in motor racing in 1958, winning the New ZealandHill Climb championship when he was 16. He progressed to single seater racing in 1962, first driving aLola March T,Formula Junior car. Later he raced inFormula Ford,Formula 5000,Formula Pacific,Formula Mondial, andToyota Racing Series among others[3][4]
Smith won theGold Star Drivers Award in the 1975–1976, 1983–1984, 1984–1985, 1986–1987 and 1989–1990 seasons.[5] In 2011 Smith won theFormula 5000 Revival championship for the third time.[6] As well as his victories in New Zealand, Smith also won thePenang Grand Prix three times, theSelangor Grand Prix twice, and theMalaysian Grand Prix once.[7]
In 2021, Smith took part in his 50thNew Zealand Grand Prix at age 79, during his 63rd consecutive season of racing.[8][9] Smith also mentored currentRacing Bulls Formula 1 driverLiam Lawson in his early career.
Smith was appointed aMember of the Order of the British Empire in the1987 Queen's Birthday Honours, for services tomotorsport,[10] and in 1995 was inducted into theNew Zealand Motorsport Hall of Fame.[11] In 2008 he received the Motorsport Personality of the Year award.[12] In 2010 he received a Motorsport New Zealand Special Award given in recognition of his pivotal role in motorsport.[13]
| Year | Entrant | Chassis | Engine | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | Position | Points |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2014/15 | Ken Smith Motorsport | Lola T332 | Chevrolet | SAN R1 | SAN R2 | SAN R3 | SMSP R1 | SMSP R2 | SMSP R3 | HAM R1 1 | HAM R2 1 | HAM R3 1 | HAM2 R1 1 | HAM2 R2 1 | HAM2 R3 1 | RUA R1 | RUA R2 | RUA R3 | MAN R1 1 | MAN R2 1 | MAN R3 1 | N/A | 0** |
| 2015/16 | Ken Smith Motorsport | Lola T332 | Chevrolet | MAN R1 1 | MAN R2 1 | MAN R3 1 | HAM R1 1 | HAM R2 1 | HAM R3 1 | RUA R1 1 | RUA R2 1 | RUA R3 1 | MAN2 R1 1 | MAN2 R2 1 | MAN2 R3 1 | PHI R1 2 | PHI R2 2 | PHI R3 3 | PHI R4 3 | 1st | ? | ||
| 2016/17 | Ken Smith Motorsport | Lola T332 | Chevrolet | BAR R1 | BAR R2 | BAR R3 | SAN R1 | SAN R2 | SAN R3 | HAM R1 1 | HAM R2 1 | HAM R3 1 | TAU R1 1 | TAU R2 3 | TAU R3 1 | RUA R1 1 | RUA R2 1 | RUA R3 2 | N/A | 0** | |||
| 2017/18 | Ken Smith Motorsport | Lola T332 | Chevrolet | PUK R1 DNS | PUK R2 DNF | PUK R3 DNS | MAN R1 | MAN R2 | MAN R3 | TAU R1 1 | TAU R2 2 | TAU R3 2 | HAM R1 1 | HAM R2 1 | HAM R3 1 | RUA R1 DNF | RUA R2 DNS | RUA R3 DNS | PHI R1 | PHI R2 | PHI R3 | 12th | 272 |
| 2018/19 | Ken Smith Motorsport | Lola T332 | Chevrolet | PUK R1 1 | PUK R2 1 | PUK R3 1 | TAU R1 1 | TAU R2 1 | TAU R3 1 | HAM R1 | HAM R2 | HAM R3 | RUA R1 | RUA R2 | RUA R3 | HAM R1 | HAM R2 | HAM R3 | 1st | 208 |
(key) (Races inbold indicate pole position) (Races initalics indicate fastest lap)
| Sporting positions | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by | New Zealand Grand Prix Winner 1976 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | New Zealand Grand Prix Winner 1990 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | New Zealand Grand Prix Winner 2004 | Succeeded by Simon Gamble |