David McQueen Johnston
TRIBUTE
Ken Ayers
Motorsport UK was saddened to learn of the death of Ken Ayers, a former chair of the Speed Events Committee, a wellrespected Sprinter and Hill Climb competitor.
Ken started his racing life in the 1960’ s as a member of the Sporting Owner Drivers Club( SODC). Encouraged by Roy Salvadori, a distant relative, he competed in a Mini co-owned with Gerry Marshall, across circuits and speed events. In 1965 and 1966 he then joined DW Racing Enterprise to support Bob Anderson in Grand Prix racing, further embedding the racing bug.
In the early 1970’ s, Ken returned to racing as a driver when he bought the ex-Jochen Neerpasch F3 Lotus 35 MAE for sprints and hill climbs. A move up to the 1600 class followed with the purchase of a March 712 BDA, which formed the basis of an ever-developing car that finally morphed into a 76B after a few tub and bodywork changes.
During this time Ken formed a strong friendship with Hill Climb aficionado Roy Lane, resulting in his purchasing Roy’ s bespoke March 79S, which included the DFV engine that Bruce McLaren used for his first Grand Prix win at Spa. This car unleashed Ken’ s determination to win the British Sprint Championship, and he relied on Martin Slater from Lyncar to fettle the March, with Mike Endean providing some very worthwhile gearbox tweaks. With wins at Blackpool and Brighton, plus two second places and two fourths, in 1982, the British Sprint Championship title was his.
From 1982 to 1990 Ken won the Brighton Speed trials five times – the most victorious driver ever. One secret of his success was using a locked differential – a spool diff – which made turning the car difficult, it was quick off the line and ran straight. A few years ago, he and David McQueen Johnston returned to spectate. He simply loved the place.
Ken commissioned Lyncar to build his next car, an MS83 mated to an ex Le Mans Cosworth DFL 3.9. As is often the case, delivery was slower than expected so Roy Lane lent Ken his Chevron B32 F5000 car for the early rounds of the championship. Over the following years, Ken competed in several other cars from Roy’ s collection, demonstrating their strong friendship.
Ken’ s final years of competition were spent in a Pilbeam MP58 for which the DFL was also utilised. In 1991 Ken hung up his helmet to focus on his escalating activities in London, where he held some high-profile positions within the City of London – Sheriff to Lord Mayor( 1995-96), and Chief Commoner of the City of London. He was awarded an MBE for his services to the City of London in 2010.
“ Ken brought a great wealth of knowledge and experience to both the Motorsports Council as chairman of the Speed Events Committee and also to the MSA staff pension scheme as honorary chairman,” noted former MSA CEO Colin Hilton.“ We were privileged to gain his advice and guidance on many occasions.”
Ken’ s motorsport legacy lives on through his daughter Caroline Ryder and grandson Matthew Ryder, who both continue to compete in hill climbs. With the help of his family – including Roy Lane’ s son Antony, Matthew won the British Hill Climb Championship in 2024. An achievement Ken would be immensely proud of.
David McQueen Johnston
Revolution- July 2025
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