Jim Kennedy

Have just learned of the death last month of former Greymouth driver Jim Kennedy, at the age of 82

He appeared on the national scene with a 2.5 Brabham-Climax in the 1967/68 season, but the car was not competitive and he tended to run down the back of the field of the big races. He was more of a front-runner though in smaller races at Ruapuna, Timaru and Teretonga

After giving up a promising rugby career through injury he turned to motorcycles, subsequently crossing the Alps from Canterbury and running the West Coast Ford dealership, Greymouth Motors. For a time Roaring Season member Bob Homewood worked with Kennedy in this establishment

Before the Brabham, Jim Kennedy had had a couple of seasons’ club-racing with a big-engined Anglia, and met greater success subsequently in South Island saloon events with a Lotus-Cortina and then an Escort Twincam. I seem to remember he also ran bigger Fords in production-car races

Condolences to his family and friends.

Thats sad news - Jim was at Teretonga 15 October 1967 in the ex Jim Palmer Brabham 2.5 winning the Feature race.

This must be the same Jim Kennedy that built the Capri V8 that has recently been restored by that avid collector of race cars, Tony Mann. The car, built at vast expense, had a good pedigree in OSCA racing in the South Island. [NZCD] Tony had it at the Evolution meeting at Teretonga last february, and is certainly a credit to the original builder, and to Tony's restoration expertise.

Sad news indeed, I have nothing but very pleasant memories of my association with him both on the West Coast and within Motorsport. It was only yesterday at Teretonga that a few of us were talking about the Brabham and what became of it.

It is in Auckland with Roger Munn. Roger, coincidentally, owns another ex-Palmer car - a FJ Lotus. Both were out at the Bruce McLaren Festival where at least one of them were badly impacted by the fuel that day.

Roger had the BT22 over at Eastern Creek for the Tasman Revival in December 2006 - still in red with yellow nose/central stripe.

Roger Munns has had both those cars for more than 25 years

A couple of shots of the Brabham taken at Whenuapai a few years ago.

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Great to see such historic cars still in NZ and being exercised where possible.

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I was very fortunate with having the opportunity to work and race with Jim in the early seventies and he was one great guy and boss,I have been looking for a photo that showed a typical poise of Jim ,thanks to a friend I think this one does it well ,that's Jim in the Rally Jacket in the center seeing of the cars at the start of a Car trial ,which he no doubt sponsored in Greymouth ,in the background you can see Greymouth Motors itself ,which was a very pivotal part of Jim's life at that time