About Kerry Grant
Kerry Grant is from Palmerston North, New Zealand. He is one of New Zealands most iconic racing drivers. Competing in the Australian F1 series, this man was no joke in the Motorsport community. He was born in 1942. He had a very successful career, which ended far before it should’ve.
Kerry’s Timeline in Motorsport
1967 Gold Star Series: Pukekohe
Kerry was very eager to win this race, but so was Dennis Marwood. Marwood was on pole position, and Kerry was on P2. By the second lap, Grant was out on top, closely followed by Marwood and Brownlie. Marwood and Grant had a great battle, but Grant overcooked his engine on the ninth lap. He fought hard to get back up to P3, but he had to retire after a misfiring engine.
Below: Grant out on top after the first lap.
Kerry’s Timeline in Motorsport
1967 Pukekohe Grand Prix, (14 New Zealand Grand Prix
This was Kerrys final race in an open wheeler car. He shunted wheels with another car at the end of the straight, and luckily didn’t hit anything when he spun. However, his car caught on fire and he suffered severe burns. He was lucky to come out of the crash alive.
LEVIN CHAMPIONSHIP
Kerry’s Timeline in Motorsport
16 January 1960
This race was recorded as Kerrys debut at the Levin Motor Racing Circuit. He finished 4th in his first race, and 3rd in his second.
Kerry’s Timeline in Motorsport
2 April 1960
In his first race of the day, Kerry finished 3rd in his Ford Anglia. In his second race, he finished an impressive second place.
Kerry’s Timeline in Motorsport
26 November 1960
In Kerrys first race, he finished in fourth position, in his new Austin A40. In his second saloon race, he won, finishing ahead of Barnett, who was very fast at the time. In his third race, he finished P1, in front of Watt, who was in the same car as him. In Kerrys last race of the day, he won again, but this time he was in front of Hogg.
Kerry’s Timeline in Motorsport
16 January 1961
In heat 1, Kerry won the race. It was becoming evident to the other drivers that Kerry was an upcoming talent, and they had to up their game. His Austin A40 was admirably fast, and he could drive it. He was also only 19 at this point. His finishes from then onward spiraled downhill as issues with the car limited his placing.
Kerry’s Timeline in Motorsport
15 April 1961
In his first race of the day, Kerry won, in front of Buchanan. In his second race, he finished second, with Hackett ahead of him. In his third race, he finished third, with Barnett in P2 and Shirer for P1. Overall he had a very successful weekend.
Kerry’s Timeline in Motorsport
25 November 1961
This was one of Kerrys worst weekends, not finishing on the podium once, letting his rivals catch up to him in the standings.
Kerry’s Timeline in Motorsport
13 January 1962
Kerry was racing Bruce Mclaren in this weekend, and he would be versing him many more times to come. In the first race, Grant finished three tenths ahead of Mclaren. In Kerrys second race, he didn’t finish on the podium. In his third race, he finished third, with Simmons and Francevic in front of him. In the final race, he finished P2 after a good swapping battle with Mclaren. Mclaren was in a Mini Cooper.
Kerry’s Timeline in Motorsport
24 March 1962
These next few races were all between Grant, Mclaren, Marwood and Innes. In the first race, Grant and Marwood were having great battles, but Marwood came out on top. Kerry finished P2. In the second race, Grant got a spectacular start, so Dennis Marwood responded, putting up a great fight with Kerry. It made no difference though, and Grant won. In the third race, McBeath got a great start this time around, but so did Kerry. He fought very well, and it was so close at the line that the judges said that McBeath won by a singular tenth. In the fourth race, Grant and McBeath were nowhere to be seen, having their own tussle further back in the field. While that was going on, Langley won with Marwood in P2, and Hogan in P3. In the final race, Grant and Marwood had a great battle, but Kerry came out on top to win.
Kerry’s Timeline in Motorsport
24 November 1962
Grants Austin A40 was noticeably sounding less crisp, signifying that it may have been on it’s last legs. In his first race, he didn’t finish on the podium. In his second race, he finished in P2, with McBeath taking the win. In the third race, he finished P2 again, with McBeath in P1. In the fourth race, he finished P3, with Marwood in P2 and Harker in P1. In the fifth race, he wasn’t on the podium, and he wasn’t on the podium in the following race. In the final, he finished P2, behind the on form McBeath in the Jaguar.
Kerry’s Timeline in Motorsport
1965 Levin
Kerry had a monumental start, and proceeded to pass both Phil Hill and Bruce Mclaren at the hairpin. He came out after the first lap in second behind Jim Clark. Clark created a 3 second gap to Grant. The tables turned when Grant tried to correct a slide, but got it wrong and his rear wheel dropped into a rough and spun off course. He fought back to 12th out of 16.
Above: Grant at his home circuit in Levin.
Kerry’s Timeline in Motorsport
Contact
Kerry Grant 