Sherwood Johnston facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Sherwood Johnston
Nationality	American
Born	Sherwood Johnston (1927-09-29)29 September 1927
Died	9 November 2000(2000-11-09) (aged 73) Eureka, California, USA
24 Hours of Le Mans career Years 1954–1955 Teams Briggs Cunningham Best finish 3rd (1954) Class wins 1 (1954)

Sherwood Johnston (born September 29, 1927, died November 9, 2000) was an American racing driver. He was known for winning championships in both car and boat races. Johnston was a big name in sports car racing during the 1950s. His most famous win was the 1952 SCCA National Sports Car Championship.

Sherwood Johnston's Racing Journey

Starting His Racing Career

Sherwood Johnston began his racing journey in April 1951. He competed at the Thompson Speedway in the United States. Driving his own Jaguar XK120, he finished third in a smaller national sports car race. When the SCCA National series returned to Thompson in July, Johnston won two races and placed third in another. The next year, Johnston decided to race full-time in the SCCA National series. Even though he didn't win any single race that year, he earned enough points to become the champion of 1952.

Joining Briggs Cunningham's Team

Because of his success, Sherwood Johnston met Briggs Cunningham, a famous team owner. Johnston then signed up to race for Cunningham's team. His contract started in the summer of 1953. Before that, he raced a Jaguar D-Type with Bob Wilder. They finished third overall in the 12 Hours of Sebring race. This was a very important race, as it was the first ever event in the World Sports Car Championship.

Johnston's first trip to the famous Le Mans race was also in 1953. He was listed to drive three of Cunningham's cars, but he did not actually race. Just three weeks later, he achieved his first success in Europe. He teamed up with Briggs Cunningham himself to finish third overall in the 12 Hours of Reims race. This race was not part of the World Championship.

Success at Le Mans and SCCA Races

When Cunningham's team returned to Le Mans in 1954, Johnston was still a key driver. This time, he raced with Bill Spear. They finished an amazing third place overall and won their class! Johnston also took part in many SCCA National races for Cunningham. He drove different sports cars in various classes. He earned enough points to finish second in the B Modified class that year.

In 1955, Cunningham and Johnston teamed up for the Le Mans race at Circuit de la Sarthe. Unfortunately, their car had an engine problem, and they could not finish. When the team came back to the US, Johnston started driving one of Cunningham's new Jaguar D-Type cars. They immediately began winning races. Johnston had started the SCCA season driving a Ferrari 375 MM. He ended the year as the champion of SCCA's new C/Sports Racing class. He even beat a young driver from California named Phil Hill, who later became very famous.

Retirement and Comeback

On May 20, 1956, something happened that changed Johnston's racing career. He was racing with the Cunningham team at the Cumberland circuit. They were driving their D-Types. Another driver, Walt Hansgen, also joined them. Hansgen won the race easily, but Johnston did not finish. Two weeks later, at Road America, both Johnston and Hansgen had accidents where their D-Types rolled over. After a very serious accident at Le Mans in 1955 and the crash at Road America, Johnston decided it was too much. He retired from racing after finishing third in an SCCA National race at Beverly Airport.

In the summer of 1969, Johnston made a comeback to racing. He got a Lola-Chevrolet T142 car to race in the SCCA Continental Championship for Formula 5000 cars. His best result was ninth place in the Le Circuit Continental race at Circuit Mont-Tremblant. For 1970, Johnston joined J & B Racing to drive their Surtees-Ford TS5. After not finishing any of the first four races, he announced at the Monterey Grand Prix that he would stop racing for good. He said his eyes were not focusing quickly enough between the road and the car's gauges.

Sherwood Johnston's Achievements

In 1955, Sherwood Johnston received two special awards from the SCCA. He was given the President's Cup for showing great skill, competitiveness, and success in the SCCA National Championship. He also won the Kimberly Cup, which is given to the driver who has improved the most in the past year.

Racing Record Highlights

Career Highlights

Complete 24 Hours of Le Mans Results

Year	Team	Co-Drivers	Car	Class	Laps	Pos.	Class Pos.
1954	Briggs Cunningham	Bill Spear	Cunningham C-4R	S8.0	283	3rd	1st
1955	Briggs Cunningham	Bill Spear	Cunningham C-4R	S8.0	196	DNF (Engine)

Complete 12 Hours of Sebring Results

Year	Team	Co-Drivers	Car	Class	Laps	Pos.	Class Pos.
1953	A. H. Feverbacher	Bob Wilder	Jaguar C-Type	S5.0	162	3rd	1st
1954	B. S. Cunningham Co.	Briggs Cunningham	Cunningham C-4R	S8.0	104	DNF (Engine)
1955	William C. Spear	William C. Spear	Maserati 300S	S3.0	180	3rd	2nd
1956	Jaguar of New York Distributions Inc.	William C. Spear	Jaguar D-Type	S5.0	127	DNF (Valve)

Complete 12 Hours of Reims Results

Year	Team	Co-Drivers	Car	Class	Laps	Pos.	Class Pos.
1954	Briggs Cunningham	Briggs Cunningham	Cunningham C-4R		212	5th