James Walter McKeown (c.1937/1938 – 22 May 2023) was an Australian racing driver who competed in the Australian Touring Car Championship from 1964 to 1972, with the best finish of 2nd in the 1970 ATCC. McKeown was part of the successful Neptune Racing Team alongside Norm Beechey and Peter Manton. The team later became known as the Shell Racing Team and consisted of McKeown in a Porsche 911S, Beechey in a Holden Monaro GTS350 and Manton in a Morris Cooper S.
In addition to the Australian Touring Car Championship, McKeown also competed in the Bathurst 500 and its forerunner at Phillip Island on four occasions. He and George Reynolds took the Class D win at the 1962 Armstrong 500, five laps off the lead. McKeown drove for the Ford Works Team under Harry Firth in the 1968 Hardie-Ferodo 500, finishing 42nd with Spencer Martin in the team's only XT Falcon GT fitted with an automatic transmission. In the 1970s, McKeown raced Porsches in the Sports Sedan category, achieving a second-place finish in the 1974 Toby Lee Series at Oran Park.
Death McKeown died peacefully on 22 May 2023, at the age of 85.
Career results
Season Title Position Car Team 1967 Australian Touring Car Championship 6th Ford Lotus Cortina Tridents Racing Team 1969 Australian Touring Car Championship 4th Ford Lotus Cortina Jim McKeown MotorsOfficial programme, Mallala Motor Races, 16 June 1969 1970 Australian Touring Car Championship 2nd Porsche 911S Shell Racing Team 1971 Australian Touring Car Championship 4th Porsche 911S Shell Racing Team 1972 Australian Touring Car Championship 13th Alfa Romeo 2000 GTV Shell Racing Team 1973 Toby Lee Series 4thSports Sedans, Oran Park Toby Lee Series, Australian Competition Yearbook, 1974 Edition, pages 144-154 Porsche Carrera 1974 Toby Lee Series 2ndSports Sedans, Oran Park Toby Lee Series, Australian Competition Yearbook, 1975 Edition, pages 146-149 Porsche Carrera
Complete Australian Touring Car Championship results (key) (Races in bold indicate pole position) (Races in italics indicate fastest lap) Year Team Car 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 DC Points 1964 Neptune Racing Team Ford Cortina Mark I Lotus LAK NC - 1965 Neptune Racing Team Ford Cortina Mark I Lotus SAN NC - 1967 Tridents Racing Team Ford Cortina Mark I Lotus LAK NC - 1968 Jim McKeown Motors Ford Cortina Mark II Lotus WAR NC - 1969 Jim McKeown Motors Ford Cortina Mark II Lotus CAL BAT MAL SUR SYM 4th 11 1970 Jim McKeown Shell Racing Team Porsche 911S CAL BAT SAN MAL WAR LAK SYM 2nd 29 1971 Shell Racing Porsche 911S SYM CAL SAN SUR MAL LAK ORA 4th 20 1972 Shell Racing Team Alfa Romeo 2000 GTV SYM CAL BAT SAN AIR WAR SUR ORA 13th 6
References