1960 Australian Grand Prix Explained

Type:CUST
Description:Race 3 of 7 in 1960 Australian Drivers' Championship
Grand Prix:Australian
Country:Australia
Location:Lowood circuit, Tarampa, Queensland
Date:12 June
Year:1960
Course:Permanent racing facility
Course Mi:2.82
Course Km:4.54
Distance Laps:36
Distance Mi:101.52
Distance Km:163.44
Weather:Sunny
Pole Driver:Alec Mildren
Pole Country:AUS
Pole Team:Cooper-Maserati
Pole Time:1'45.9
Fast Driver:Lex Davison
Fast Team:Aston Martin
Fast Time:1'44
Fast Country:AUS
First Driver:Alec Mildren
First Country:AUS
First Team:Cooper-Maserati
Second Driver:Lex Davison
Second Country:AUS
Second Team:Aston Martin
Third Driver:Bib Stillwell
Third Country:AUS
Third Team:Cooper-Climax

The 1960 Australian Grand Prix was a motor race held at Lowood in Queensland, Australia on 12 June 1960. The race, which was run to Formula Libre,[1] had 16 starters.

It was the twenty fifth Australian Grand Prix.[2] Alec Mildren won his only AGP, which was also the second AGP victory for a rear-engined racing car. Mildren eschewed the more usual Coventry Climax FPF engine in favour of a Maserati sports car unit to power his Cooper T51, one of many competitors at the time who tried sports car engines in racing car chassis. Davison's Aston Martin DBR4 too had a sports car engine replacing the 2.5-litre powerplant, this being 3.0 litre unit from a DBR1.[3]

Classification

Results as follows.[4]

PosNo.DriverCarEntrant[5] LapsTime
12 Alec MildrenCooper T51 / Maserati 2.5LA.G. Mildren Pty. Ltd.361h 4m 35.05s
23 Lex DavisonAston Martin DBR4/300 / Aston Martin 3.0LA.N. Davison361h 4m 35.55s
316 Bib StillwellCooper T51 / Coventry Climax FPF 2.2LB.S. Stillwell36
470 Jon LeightonCooper T45 / Coventry Climax FPF 2.0LScuderia Birchwood35
571 Noel HallCooper T51 / Coventry Climax FPF 2.0LEcurie Hall35
68 Arnold GlassMaserati 250F / Maserati 2.5LCapitol Motors 35
720 Glynn ScottCooper T43 / Coventry Climax FPF 1.7LG. A. Scott
84 Charlie WhatmoreLotus Eleven / Coventry Climax FPF 1.5LC. Whatmore & Co.
933 Mel McEwinTornado II / Chevrolet 4.6LM. W. McEwin
1049 Noel BarnesMG TC Special / MG 1.5LN. F. Barnes
?37 Keith RussellMG TC Special / MG 1.5LD. K. Russell
?32 Max WilliamsMG TC Special / MG 1.5LEcurie Lismore
?10 George JamiesonLotus Eleven / Coventry Climax FWA 1.1L[6] Rockhampton Car Sales
Ret87 Frank MatichLotus 15 / Coventry Climax FPF 2.5LLeaton Motors (Sports Cars) Pty. Ltd.9
Ret18 Stan JonesMaybach III / Chevrolet 4.6LMoran Motors Pty. Ltd.4
Ret6 Joe BonentiMG TF Special / MG 1.5LJ. A. Bonetti
DNS7 Ern TadgellSabakat / Lycoming 7.9LC. E. Tadgell

Notes

Alec Mildren – 1'45.9

Lex Davison – 1'44.0, 97.7 mph, new lap record[7]

External links

Notes and References

  1. Book: Australian Grand Prix, Autosport . 5 August 1960 . 198, 199 & 207.
  2. 25th Australian G.P. at Lowood, Australian Motor Sports, July 1960, pages 252 to 254
  3. John B. Blanden, Historic Racing Cars in Australia, 1979, p. 41
  4. Book: Howard . Graham . Graham . Howard . The Official 50-race history of the Australian Grand Prix . 1986 . R & T Publishing . Gordon, NSW . 0-9588464-0-5 . 256–266 . 1960.
  5. Official Programme, Twenty Fifth Australian Grand Prix, Lowood, Queensland, 12 June 1960
  6. http://www.oldracingcars.com/results/result.php?RaceID=AU60 Australian Grand Prix Lowood, 12 Jun 1960, oldracingcars.com
  7. News: "Whisker" win in Grand Prix . The Courier Mail . 13 June 1960 . 12.