Andre Loens was a keen competitor in 500cc racing, but little is known about him.

The first misconception is that he was Belgian. He was in fact born in Roubaix in France on the 3rd of February 1920. To add to the confusion, he later raced with the Ecurie Flandres – here referring not to northern Belgium, but Le Flandre, the French region on the border that includes the town of Roubaix. It is possible, if doubtful, that he took Belgian citizenship during the War, but we do know that after the War he moved to Bournemouth in England, where he would race under a British licence.

Loens ran the Purewell Motors garage in nearby Christchurch. The first racing appearance we have found was in a JBS Norton (quite possibly the prototype, purchased from Alf Bottoms) at Brands Hatch on the 21st April 1951. As he won the first race of the day, a heat for the Open Challenge, it is perhaps likely that he had some experience already. A good season followed on the national circuit with several podiums and a new lap record at Castle Combe.

For 1952 he purchased the new Kieft CK52, and he achieved broadly similar results, often challenging for victory, but rarely gaining it against the best opposition. As an aside, this Kieft chassis is now the immaculate yellow car now owned by Rodney Delves.

In the early summer, he made a tour of events in France, returning for the June meeting at Brands Hatch, where he transferred to a new Staride (probably assisting with development). Later he returned to his Kieft and continued to run the car through 1953, again making trips to France. Loens was running in other classes by now, notably George Hartwell’s Cooper Bristol in 1952, and the Kieft Butterworth in 1953.

Leading from the start  in the Loweno at the Roskildering.

For 1954 he purchased a Staride, replaced in 1955 by a Cooper. The results continued, and by now he had added a tour of Scandinavia to his repertoire. For 1956 he built the Loweno. The evidence suggests that he only raced this on the continent, perhaps that he had moved back to France.

In October 1957, Loens competed in a 2 litre sports car race at La Coupe du Salon, a meeting to support the Paris motor show. Battling for the lead in a Maserati A6GCS, he clipped Godia, careered off the track, and hit first a post, then a parked van. He was killed instantly.

If anyone has any more details or photos of Andre or the Loweno, please get in touch.