1955 Six Hour Le Mans Explained

The 1955 Six Hour Le Mans was an endurance motor race,[1] staged at the Caversham Airfield circuit near Perth in Western Australia[2] on 11 April 1955.[3] The event was the first of a sequence of eighteen Six Hour Le Mans races to be held in Western Australia between 1955 and 1972.[2]

The race, which attracted eleven starters, was staged on the "Triangle" layout of the Caversham circuit as the more commonly used "D" layout was considered to be too demanding for an event of this duration.[2] The event was dominated by the Austin-Healey 100 driven by Sydney Anderson & Sid Taylor, with its only serious opposition, a Jaguar XK120, retiring near the halfway mark.[2] Much of the race was held in wet conditions, a situation which would occur frequently during the history of the Six Hour.[2]

Results

PositionDriversNo.CarClassClass pos.Laps
1Sydney Anderson, Sid Taylor Austin-Healey 100Over 1500cc Sports1127
2Aub Badger Holden FJClass D (2000 - 3000cc)1119
3Ray Bailey, Geoff Way MGTFUnder 1500cc Sports1115
4Tony Frederico Fiat 1100Class G (750 - 1100cc)1114
5Hugh McKinlay Class F (1100 - 1500cc)1112
6Ray Davies  MGTF  108
7Barry Ranford Sr Volkswagen  102
8Syd Negus Austin A30  99
?F de Bonde[4] 56Austin-Healey 100  ?
DNF? Simca  ?
DNF? Jaguar XK120  ?

Notes and References

  1. Quoted sources do not specify the categories of cars eligible for the event, however Wheels magazine, July 1955 page 51 noted that the second placed car was a "modified Holden saloon".
  2. Terry Walker, Six Hour Le Mans, Around The Houses, 1980, pages 56-59
  3. https://web.archive.org/web/20110716212801/http://www.terrywalkersplace.com/Results/1951-1955.pdf Western Australian Motor Race Results, 1951-1955, at www.terrywalkersplace.com
  4. Wheels magazine, July 1955, pages 40-41