1931 Australian Grand Prix Explained

The 1931 Australian Grand Prix was a motor race held at the Phillip Island Circuit in Victoria, Australia on 23 March 1931.^[1] The race, which was the fourth Australian Grand Prix and the fourth to be held at Phillip Island, had 19 entries^[1] and 14 starters.^[2] It was organised by the Victorian Light Car Club.^[1]

The race was staged using a handicap format with the first car starting 35 minutes before the two "Scratch" cars.^[1] Prize money was paid for both handicap and overall results^[1] with the principle prize of £100 awarded to the fastest car to complete the distance.^[3]

Carl Junker was awarded the Grand Prix win,^[4] having set the fastest time driving a Bugatti Type 39.^[1] The Handicap Section was won by Cyril Dickason,^[4] driving an Austin 7.^[1]

Classes

Car competed in four classes:^[5]

• A – 850cc^[5]
• B – 1100cc^[5]
• C – 1500cc^[5]
• D – 2000cc^[5]

Classification

Pos^[6]	No.	Class	Driver	Car	Laps	Time / Reason for ret.	Handicap (mins)	Handicap Pos.
1	16	C	Carl Junker	Bugatti Type 39	31	2h 54m 50s	10	2
2	1	A	Cyril Dickason	Austin 7 Ulster s/c	31	3h 02m 24s	30	1
3	12	C	Harold Drake-Richmond	Bugatti Type 37	31	3h 03m 19s	10	3
4	10	B	Barney Dentry		31	3h 09m 39s	11	4
5	13	B	Joan Richmond		31	3h 34m 00s	22	6
6	3	A	Cec Warren	Austin 7 Ulster	31	3h 35m 21s	35	5
Ret	15	C	Hope Bartlett	Bugatti Type 37A s/c	29	Engine	Scratch
Ret	19	D	Les Jennings	Morris Oxford	28	Connecting rod^[7]	22
Ret	2	A	Clarrie May	Austin 7 s/c	18		30
Ret	4	A	Ian Russell	Morris Minor	15	Engine	32
Ret	20	D	Jack Clements	Bugatti Type 30	14	Crankshaft	9
Ret	18	D	Jack Sidebottom	Singer	12		24
Ret	14	C	Arthur Terdich	Bugatti Type 37A s/c	8	Connecting rod	Scratch
Ret^[8]	9	B	Bill Lowe	Lombard AL.3 s/c^[9]	0	Gearbox	11
DNS	5	A	Eric Armstrong	Triumph s/c	–		29
DNS	6	B	Alan Chamberlain	Chamberlain	–		23

Notes

• Weather: Fine & mild^[1]
• Race time limit: 4¼ hours from the commencement of the race, i.e., from the first car to start^[10]
• Fastest lap: Hope Bartlett – 4'45.00 (79.90 mph)^[1]
• Average speed of winning car: 69.87 mph^[1]

External links

• Australian Grand Prix, The Argus, Tuesday, 24 March 1931, page 8, trove.nla.gov.au
• Joan Richmond collection, collectionsearch.nma.gov.au, as archived at web.archive.org

Notes and References

1. John B. Blanden, A History of Australian Grand Prix 1928–1939, pages 59–73
2. The Official History of the Australian Grand Prix 80 Races 1927–2014, page 51 lists 13 competitors by name but does not mention Bill Lowe. Lowe is however mentioned as a retirement during the first lap of the race in the article in The Argus, Tuesday, 24 March 1931, page 8
3. The Official 50-race history of the Australian Grand Prix, 1986, pages 44–50
4. The Australian Grand Prix 1931 - Carl Junker Wins Race - Fastest and Record Time, The Car (magazine of the Victorian Light Car Club), April 15, 1931, pages Three to Seven
5. Australian Grand Prix, West Australian, Thursday, 12 February 1931, page 4
6. The Official History of the Australian Grand Prix 80 Races 1927–2014, page 51
7. Australian Grand Prix, Northern Argus, Friday, 10 April 1931, page 4
8. Australian Grand Prix. The Argus, Tuesday, 24 March 1931, page 8
9. John B. Blanden, Historic Racing Cars in Australia, 1979, page 191
10. John B. Blanden, A History of Australian Grand Prix 1928–1939, page 62