King's Cup Race

This article is about the British air race. For other uses, see King's Cup (disambiguation).

The King's Cup
Awarded for	Handicapped race over 5 laps
Country	International
Presented by	His Majesty King George V
First awarded	1922
Last awarded	2014
Official website	Royal Aero Club Records Racing and Rally Association

The King's Cup Race is an annual British handicapped cross-country air race, is run by the Royal Aero Club Records Racing and Rally Association and was first contested on 8 September 1922. The event was open to British pilots only, but that did include members of the Commonwealth.

The event was established by King George V as an incentive to the development of light aircraft and engine design. The first race was an 810-mile contest from Croydon Aerodrome, south of London, to Glasgow, Scotland and back again after an overnight stop. The winner of the first race was Frank L. Barnard, chief pilot of the Instone Air Line, in a passenger-carrying Airco DH.4A.

There were no races during World War II (1939–45), and the contest did not resume until 1949. The race was abandoned in 1951, due to bad weather. In 1953 a crowd of 10.000 watching the King's Cup Air Race meeting at Southend-on-Sea Essex, saw a mid-air collision in which John Crowther, a hotelier from the Marine Hotel, Tankerton, Kent, was killed.

Along with the Schneider Trophy, and the British Air Racing Championship, it is one of the most sought after prizes of an air racing season.

File:DH4A G-EAMU1922.jpg

Airco DH.4A (G-EAMU), after winning the first King's Cup air race, 1922

Winners

Finish date	Location of finish	Course length miles	No. of starters	Winning pilot	Aircraft type	Identity	Race no.	Avge speed mph
9 September 1922	Croydon	810	22	Frank L. Barnard	Airco DH.4A	G-EAMU		123.6
14 July 1923	RAF Hendon	794	17	Frank T. Courtney	A.W. Siskin II	G-EBEU		149
12 August 1924	Lee-on-Solent	950	10	Alan J. Cobham	de Havilland DH.50	G-EBFN		106.6
4 July 1925	Croydon	1,608	14	Frank L. Barnard	A.W. Siskin V	G-EBLQ		141.7
10 July 1926	RAF Hendon	1,464	14	Hubert S. Broad	de Havilland DH.60 Moth	G-EBMO		90.4
30 July 1927	Hucknall	540	16	W. L. Hope	de Havilland DH.60 Moth	G-EBME	5	92.8
20 July 1928	Brooklands	1,097	36	W. L. Hope	de Havilland DH.60 Moth	G-EBYZ	7	105.5
6 July 1929	Heston	1,170	41	R. L. R. Atcherley	Gloster Grebe II	J7520	39	150
5 July 1930	Hanworth	753.25	88	Miss Winifred Brown	Avro Avian III	G-EBVZ	55	102.75
25 July 1931	Heston	983	40	E. C. T. Edwards	Blackburn Bluebird IV	G-AACC		117.8
9 July 1932	Brooklands	1,223	42	W. L. Hope	de Havilland Fox Moth	G-ABUT	7	124.25
8 July 1933	Hatfield	831	42	Geoffrey de Havilland	de Havilland Leopard Moth	G-ACHD	23	139.51
14 July 1934	Hatfield	801	41	Harry M. Schofield	GAL Monospar ST-10	G-ACTS	15	134.16
7 September 1935	Hatfield	801	43	Tommy Rose	Miles M.3B Falcon Six	G-ADLC		176.28
11 July 1936	Hatfield	1,380	26	Charles E. Gardner	Percival Vega Gull	G-AEKE	6?	164.47
11 September 1937	Hatfield	1,443	27	Charles E. Gardner	Percival Mew Gull	G-AEKL	4	233.7
2 July 1938	Hatfield	1,102	19	Alex Henshaw	Percival Mew Gull	G-AEXF	22	236.25
30 July 1949	Elmdon	60	36	J. Nat Somers AFC	Miles M.65 Gemini 3	G-AKDC	9	164.25
17 June1950	Pendeford	186	36	Edward Day	Miles M.14 Hawk Trainer 3	G-AKRV	14	138.5
12 July 1952	Woolsington	131.2	12	C. Gregory	Taylorcraft Plus D	G-AHGZ	5	113.5
21 June 1953	Rochford	59.34	12	Pat Fillingham	DHC-1 Chipmunk 22	G-AKDN	54	142
19 June 1954	Baginton	68	15	Harold Wood	Miles M.38 Messenger 2A	G-AKBO	38	133
20 August 1955	Baginton	68	15	Peter S. Clifford	Percival Mew Gull	G-AEXF	97	213.5
21 July 1956	Baginton	68	16	James H. Denyer	Auster J/1N Alpha	G-AJRH	7	124
14 July 1957	Baginton	40.6	35	Fred Dunkerley	Miles M.77 Sparrowjet	G-ADNL	98	228
12 July 1958	Baginton	71.6	21	James H. Denyer	DH.82A Tiger Moth	G-AIVW	30	118.5
11 July 1959	Baginton	72	21	A. J. Spiller	Percival Proctor 3	G-AHFK	64	143
9 July 1960	Baginton	68.36	21	John de M. Severne	Druine D.31 Turbulent	G-APNZ	7	109
15 July 1961*	Baginton	72	21	H. Brian Iles	Miles M.18	G-AHKY	35	142
18 August 1962	Baginton	67.5	21	Peter S. Clifford	Tipsy Nipper 2	G-ARDY	11	101
5 August 1963	Baginton	72	22	Paul G. Bannister	Tipsy Nipper 3	G-APYB	10	102.5
1 August 1964	Baginton	72	22	Dennis M. Hartas	LeVier Cosmic Wind	G-ARUL	75	185
21 August 1965	Baginton	40	12	John Stewart-Wood	Cessna 172C	G-ARYS	34	131.5
12 August 1966	Baginton	66	16	John A.C. Miles	DHC-1 Chipmunk 22	G-APTS	23	135
19 August 1967	Tollerton	75	17	Charles B.G. Masefield	N.A. P-51D Mustang	N6356T	100	277.5
24 August 1968	Tollerton	79.2	16	F.R.E. Hayter	DH.87B Hornet Moth	G-ADKM	42	121
12 July 1969	Rochester	50	16	Robin D'Erlanger	Druine D.31 Turbulent	G-ASAM	3	99.5
28 June 1970	Tollerton	95	26	Mike Pruden	Champion 7ECA Citabria	N7566F	118	129.5
14 August 1971	White Waltham	155.5	30	J. Bradshaw	Percival P.56 Provost	G-AWPH	33	204.5
15 July 1972	Booker	120	58	Stan Warwick	Glos-Airtourer T4	G-AZBE	95	164.5
9 September 1973	Cranfield	112.5	28	H.W. Bonner	DHC-1 Chipmunk 22	G-ARWB	77
29 September 1974	Tees-side			Jan Behrman	Piper PA-24 Comanche		70?	186.6
28 September 1975	Baginton	68?	21	John Cull	Bölkow Bo 208C Junior			128.66
15 August 1976	Baginton	102	18	A.J. Spiller	Cessna 180	G-ASIT	64	162.89
11 September 1977	Baginton		18	Andrew Chadwick	Rollason Beta	G-AWHX	33	197.19
17 September 1978	Thruxton	102	22	John Stewart-Wood	Piper PA-34 Seneca	G-BDRI	34	200.48
9 September 1979	Jurby, Isle of Man		25	Ian Dalziel	Miles M.3A Falcon Major	G-AEEG	54	136.3
21 September 1980	Finningley	103		A.J. Spiller	Cessna 180	G-ASIT	64
19 September 1981	Finningley	103	22	Josephine O'Donnell	Piper PA-18 Super Cub	G-NICK	103	102
4 September 1982	Finningley			Geoffrey Richardson	Bolkow Bo 209 Monsun	G-AZOB	104	154.81
17 September 1983	Finningley	105	29	Don Sainsbury	Piper PA-28R Cherokee Arrow			166.54
15 September 1984	St Athan	110	18	K Fehrenback	Beagle Pup 100	G-AZDA		120.65
15 September 1985	Shoreham			G Franks	SIAI-Marchetti SF.260	G-BDEN	69
31 August 1986	Thruxton			S/Ldr C Hilliker
4 September 1988	Leicester			S/Ldr M Baker
3 September 1989	Leicester			R Hayes/R Nesbitt
2 September 1990	Leicester			A Hawley
1 September 1991	Leicester			S Jones
6 September 1992	Leicester			Peter Crispe	Cessna 337F Skymaster	G-AWVS
5 September 1993	Leicester			Roger Hayes
4 September 1994	Leicester			Geoffrey Boot	Cessna 340	N66SW		220
3 September 1995	Leicester			D Soul
1 September 1996	Leicester			E Coventry
7 September 1997	Leicester			Melanie Willes
5 September 1999	Leicester			Roger Hayes
3 September 2000	Leicester			Milan Konstantinovic
9 September 2001	Leicester			J Spooner	Cessna 182	G-CBIL
8 September 2002	Leicester			S Ollier
6 September 2003	Leicester			Geoffrey Boot	Beagle Pup 150	G-TSKY		131
12 September 2004	Leicester			Phil Wadsworth
21 August 2005	Shobdon			Roger Hayes
13 August 2006	Shobdon			Nigel Reddish	Vans RV-7	G-SEVN	777
1 July 2007	Sywell			Neil Cooper	Beagle Pup 150	G-IPUP	12
10 August 2008	Sywell			Nigel Reddish	Vans RV-7	G-SEVN	777
16 August 2009	Sywell			Richard Marsden	Vans RV-6	G-TNGO	23	190
15 August 2010	Sywell			Roderick Morton	Slingsby T.67 Firefly	G-KONG	293
14 August 2011	Sywell	120	13	Malcolm Montgomerie	Cessna 152	G-BJWH	72	116
19 August 2012	Shobdon	97		Gordon Bellerby	Grumman AA-5B Tiger	G-BXFW	82	124.5
18 August 2013	Shobdon	97	13	Geoffrey Boot	Siai Marchetti SF260W	G-NRRA	31	204
17 August 2014	Shobdon	121	13	Michael Wingenroth	Beagle Pup 150	G-TSKY	2	132.6
30 August 2015	Shobdon	121	16	Dr Roger-James Scholes	Slingsby T.67 Firefly	G-CILK	7

'*' As of 1961, aircraft designed outside Great Britain and the Commonwealth of Nations were allowed to enter.

References

• Lewis, Peter. British Racing and Record-Breaking Aircraft. London:Putnam, 1971. ISBN 0-370-00067-6
• Tegler, John. International 1971 Air Racing Annual. USARA.

External links

• Berliner, Don. A Concise History of Air Racing Society of Air Racing Historians
• Pathe News Reel of the 1957 Air Race Included is footage of winner F. Dunkerley