Tommy Wisdom facts for kids
Thomas Henry Wisdom (born February 16, 1906 – died November 12, 1972) was a British writer and a super-fast racing driver. He wrote about cars for a newspaper called the Daily Herald. But he wasn't just a writer; he also took part in many exciting car races and rallies.
Tommy Wisdom was born in Brighton, England. His wife, Elsie, was also a famous racing driver. Their daughter, Ann Wisdom, became a rally driver too, often racing with Pat Moss. Tommy Wisdom passed away in Birmingham when he was 66 years old.
A Life on the Track
Tommy Wisdom loved long-distance races, known as endurance events. He raced in 52 sports car events over 33 years! This included 12 times at the famous Le Mans 24-hour race, 10 times in the Mille Miglia, and 4 times in the Targa Florio. These races test both the car and the driver for many hours or even days.
He was very successful, winning his class (meaning he was the fastest in his car's category) at the Mille Miglia in 1949, 1952, and 1957. He also won his class at Le Mans in 1950 and 1952. In 1950, he even lent his Jaguar XK120 car to a young driver named Stirling Moss. This helped Moss win his first big international race!
Wisdom drove many different types of cars, including Singer, Riley, MG, Jaguar, Aston Martin, Bristol, Nash-Healey, Austin-Healey, Jowett, and Bentley. He also shared the driving with other great racers like Jack Fairman, Leslie Johnson, and Graham Whitehead.
Rallying Adventures
Besides track racing, Tommy was also an experienced rally driver. Rallies are races on public or private roads, often with different types of surfaces like dirt or snow. He competed in the challenging Monte Carlo Rally an amazing 23 times!
Breaking Speed Records
In 1959, Tommy Wisdom was part of a special team from BMC. They used a unique car called the EX-219 streamliner, which was a specially built Austin-Healey Sprite. This car was designed to go super fast and break records.
The team went to the Bonneville Salt Flats in the USA, a huge, flat area perfect for speed tests. There, they broke 12 speed records! Their car averaged about 138.75 miles per hour (223.30 km/h) for 12 hours straight. This was a huge achievement and showed how skilled Tommy and his team were.
