Desmond Titterington

Desmond Titterington (1 May 1928 - 13 April 2002): James Desmond Titterington was a British racing driver from Cultra, near Holywood, County Down, Northern Ireland, whose brief but promising career showed exceptional talent before his early retirement. Born into a family involved in the flax and yarn merchant business in Belfast, Titterington was sent at age 14 to Glenalmond College in Perth, Scotland, and later attended St Andrews University in 1946, where he met and befriended fellow racing driver Archie Scott-Brown. In 1950, Titterington returned to Ulster and purchased an MG, beginning his racing career. He quickly established himself as a skilled driver, spending most of his career with the prestigious Jaguar Works Team and Ecurie Ecosse, competing in their D-Type sports cars.

The 1956 season marked the pinnacle of Titterington's motorsport career. In April, he raced in the non-championship Syracuse Grand Prix driving an Alta-engined Connaught B-Type, qualifying eighth before retiring with ignition problems. His Formula One World Championship debut came on 14 July 1956 at the British Grand Prix at Silverstone. In a field of 28 cars, he qualified the Connaught impressively on the third row in eleventh position, alongside Eugenio Castellotti's Ferrari, Tony Brooks' BRM, and his friend Archie Scott-Brown's Connaught.

Unfortunately, he retired from the race due to mechanical issues. In sports car racing during 1956, Titterington excelled with both the works Jaguar team and Ecurie Ecosse, winning at Goodwood and finishing second at Aintree twice, as well as taking third in the British Grand Prix support race. His most notable achievement came with a podium finish at the 1955 RAC Tourist Trophy, demonstrating his exceptional ability in endurance racing. At the end of the 1956 season, Titterington made the surprising decision to retire from motorsport completely at just 28 years old.

He had married earlier that year and was expecting his first child, choosing family life over the dangers of racing. Titterington lived the remainder of his life in Scotland, passing away in Dundee on 13 April 2002 at the age of 73, leaving behind memories of what might have been had he continued his promising racing career.