I was familiar with the name of Denis Jenkinson but didn’t really know anything about him or what he did, other than his navigation role for Stirling Moss in the 1955 Mille Miglia.  Hunting through the bargain section in the local Borders I came across a book titled “Jenks: A Passion for Motorsport” and for the price on the label I felt the need for further investigation.  

It quickly became clear that he was an exceptional (and eccentric!) enthusiast for all things automotive and fast.  As a teenager before WW2 he would ride his bicycle to various racing venues to watch the racing.  Post war he started competing himself on two wheels and as a “passenger” for sidecar racing.    He also soon became a roving reported for Motorsport magazine covering many European races and driving to them initially in a 1939 Lancia Aprilia, then in a Porsche 356 and later in E-types.  In the days before the major road networks had been built these journeys were clearly an adventure of their own.

The book comprises mostly of tales of racing, road trips or other musings originally written by Jenkinson for the British Racing Drivers’ Club journal.  Also included are a few period texts written for Motorsport in the mid ‘50s detailing the preparation and experiences of the Mille Miglia races of which he was a part.  Moss won the thousand mile sprint in 1955, in part thanks to Jenks navigation and their prepared notes and sign language, at an average speed of almost 98mph.  Top speed of the Mercedes 300SLR was approximately 170mph and this was regularly reached on the straighter sections.  Bear in mind this was on 1950s (closed) public roads.  Testing had been done in the months previously in a gullwing 300SL when the roads were of course open and so Moss kept below speeds of 150mph….

Beyond the ‘50s he stayed an avid fan of motor racing and Formula One, wrote reports for Motorsport for over 40 years and knew the teams and drivers well.  Impressions of certain up and coming drivers and technologies are recalled and are most enlightening, the identity of any driver in question only being revealed at the end of the story.  Here he can be seen talking to Colin Chapman and Patrick Head in front of Mansells Lotus at Zandvort in 1981 (from this small gallery of snaps of that years Dutch GP)

This book had been in the making when Jenkinson’s health deteriorated in the mid nineties and he died in November 1996 following a series of strokes.  As a result, instead of the book being in part a celebration of his 75th year it became a celebration of his life and there are additional chapters written by friends and colleagues such as the racing historian Doug Nye.  This photo records Jenks last public outing at the 1995 Goodwood Festival of Speed, once again sitting next to Moss in the same 300 SLR 40 years after their win.  For more fantastic motorsport photographs check out this flickr colllection.

This is when I now tell you to search out a copy of the book for yourself.  It was only when writing this that I thought to have a look in the usual places and it appears that I did indeed get an exceptional bargain as prices quoted are, err, quite considerably more than I paid!  I can heartily recommend it however and it may well also be worth picking up some older copies of Motorsport to read Jenks’ writing as it was first published.

If you really fancy this excellent book Amazon can supply it for you.

Have these videos as a bit of a taster for the life of Jenks

1955 Mille Miglia 300 SLR footage