NOTICE OF DEATH - MIKE KIMPTON (1948-2022)

With great regret we must advise Members of the death yesterday of Mike Kimpton at the age of 73. Elected as a Full Member in 1992, Mike had been BRDC Regional Co-ordinator for the Home Counties for many years.

In the late 1970s Mike was a front runner in the national Sports 2000 championships. In 1980 with a Tiga SC80 he achieved a best result of third place at Donington Park plus fourth at Mallory Park, fifth at Denmark’s Jyllandsring and sixth at Castle Combe. For the following season Mike moved into the British Saloon Car Championship with a Ford Capri 3.0S run by Richard Grant Racing, coming up against stiff opposition not just from the many other Capris but also the 3.5 Rover SD1 V8s. His outstanding result came on a wet day at Brands Hatch when Mike finished fifth overall behind the Capri of Nick Whiting and the three Rovers of Win Percy, Jeff Allam and Peter Lovett but ahead of such acknowledged Capri experts as Vince Woodman and Phil Martin-Dye. Mike had three BSCC outings in the Team Electroplan Mazda RX7 in 1982, finishing as class runner up to the Ford Escort RS2000 of Tony Dickinson at Silverstone.

In late September 1981 a Sports 2000 class was incorporated in the Flying Tiger 1000 round of the 1981 World Endurance Championship at Brands Hatch for which Mike teamed up with Adrian Hall and Robert Parker to share a Tiga SC80. In a 32-car entry the rookie trio finished 13th overall and second Sports 2000. Putting saloon car racing to one side, Mike ventured into the newly-introduced Thundersports series with Adrian Hall in a Tiga 83TS GT although it was with the late Neil Crang in a Toyota-powered Tiga SC82 that Mike achieved his best result with 10th place overall at Thruxton.

Mike’s busiest year came in 1985 when he raced one of Roy Baker’s Group C2 Tiga GC 284/285s in the 1000 Ks World Sportscar Championship races at Silverstone, Brands Hatch, Hockenheim and Spa Francorchamps. However, poor reliability meant that Mike and co-driver Paul Smith were only once classified as finishers with 19th place overall at Spa. In 1988, still running with Roy Baker Racing in a Tiga, Mike finished 12th overall and third in Group C2 with American Lon Bender in the Czechoslovakian Grand Prix sprint race round of the World Sports Car Championship at Brno and 14th overall in the Silverstone 1000 Ks with Chris Ashmore and David Andrews.

Ironically Mike’s last notable result was back behind the wheel of a touring car in May 1990 when he shared Andy Britnell’s Ford Sapphire Cosworth to sixth place overall and third in class in the Donington Park BRDC 500 Ks round of the Group N Esso Saloon Car Championship.

With his wife Anne, Mike ran successful businesses in marketing and the motor trade. He regarded his membership of the BRDC as a great honour and supported many Club events, particularly Golf Days. In recent months he had not been at all well but had seen off both cancer and pneumonia only to be struck down by COVID-19. To Anne, to their daughter Louise, son Dan and to granddaughters Emie, Orlette, Amelia and Olivia the BRDC wishes to extend its most sincere condolences.   

Mike's funeral will take place on Monday 7 February at 3.30pm.  Unfortunately, numbers at the crematorium are incredibly tight so Mike's family have arranged a live broadcast for guests at the wake venue - The Tythe Barn, Tewinbury Farm Hotel, Hertford Road, Tewin, Welwyn AL6 0JB.  Please do not wear black and donations are welcome to Parkinsons UK.  Please RSVP to louise@aviditymarketing.com if you wish to attend.

If you are unable to attend in person, you can join the live broadcast of the service from home, details below:
Webcast login PIN:
567-9476

www.wesleymedia.co.uk/webcast-view