| 1955 Australian Grand Prix | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Formula Libre race | |||
| Race details | |||
| Date | 10 October 1955 | ||
| Location | Port Wakefield, South Australia | ||
| Course | Permanent racing facility | ||
| Course length | 2.09 km (1.3 miles) | ||
| Distance | 80 laps, 167.3 km (104 miles) | ||
| Weather | Sunny | ||
| Pole position | |||
| Driver |
| Maserati | |
| Fastest lap | |||
| Driver |
 Jack Brabham Reg Hunt |
Cooper-Bristol Maserati | |
| Time | 1'03 | ||
| Podium | |||
| First | Cooper-Bristol | ||
| Second |
| Maserati | |
| Third | Talbot-Lago | ||
The 1955 Australian Grand Prix was a motor race held at the Port Wakefield Circuit in South Australia on 10 October 1955. The race, which had 22 starters, was held over 80 laps of the 2.09 km (1.3 mi) circuit. It was open to Formula Libre cars[1] of unlimited capacity.[2] The race was promoted by Brooklyn Speedway (SA) Ltd. and was organised by the Sporting Car Club of SA Inc.[3]
It was the twentieth Australian Grand Prix and the first to be held on a purpose built motor racing circuit after the previous 19 were held on closed streets or country roads, or on airfields modified for the purpose. Future World Champion Jack Brabham won his first Australian Grand Prix in a streamlined Cooper-Bristol that Brabham, having recently joined the Cooper team, had assembled himself and sent to Australia. It was the first time a rear-engined car had won the AGP, although this was seen as an upset win and a rear-engined car would not win again until 1960.
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Transcription
Classification
Results as follows.[4]
| Pos | No. | Driver | Car | Entrant[5] | Laps | Time / Remarks |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 6 | Jack Brabham
|
Cooper T40 / Bristol 2.0L | J. Brabham | 80 | 1h 26m 44.43s |
| 2 | 5 | Reg Hunt
|
Maserati A6GCM / Maserati 2.5L | R.H. Hunt | 80 | 1h 26m 47.54s |
| 3 | 3 | Doug Whiteford
|
Talbot-Lago T26C / Talbot-Lago 4.5L | D. Whiteford | 80 | 1h 26m 48.92s |
| 4 | 10 | Kevin Neal
|
Cooper T23 / Bristol 2.0L | R.H. Hunt | 78 | |
| 5 | 12 | Murray Trenberth
|
Vincent Special / Vincent 1.0L | M. Trenberth | 76 | |
| 6 | 16 | Keith Rilstone
|
Rilstone Special / Vincent 1.0L | G.T. Harrison | 75 | |
| 7 | 14 | Bill Craig
|
Alta / Holden 2.4L | W.J. Craig | 75 | |
| 8 | 2 | Eldred Norman
|
Eclipse Zephyr / Ford s/c 2.3L | E. Norman & Eclipse Motors Pty. Ltd. | 75 | |
| 9 | 20 | Bill Wilcox
|
Ford V8 Special / Ford 4.4L | W. Wilcox | 74 | |
| 10 | 17 | Greg McEwin
|
Austin-Healey 100 / Austin-Healey 2.7L | Invicta Motors Ltd. | 71 | |
| 11 | 30 | Jack Johnson
|
MG TC Special / MG 1.3L | J. Johnson | 69 | |
| 12 | 7 | Charlie Whatmore
|
Jaguar Special / Jaguar 3.4L | C. Whatmore | 68 | |
| 13 | 27 | Bob Burnett Read
|
MG K3 / MG 1.1L | E.R. Burnett Read | 67 | |
| 14 | 29 | Steve Tillet
|
MG TC / MG 1.4L | S.D. Tillett | 66 | |
| 15 | 21 | C.F. Norris[5]
|
AC Ace / AC 2.0L | C.F. Norris | 64 | |
| Ret | 8 | Tom Hawkes
|
Cooper T23 / Bristol 2.0L | T.V. Hawkes | 76[6] | Fuel supply |
| Ret | 18 | Clem Smith
|
Austin-Healey 100 / Austin-Healey 2.7L | C. Smith | 65[6] | Suspension |
| Ret | 4 | Stan Jones
|
Maybach Mk. 3[7] / Maybach 3.8L | S.J. Jones | 43[6] | Clutch |
| Ret | 9 | Stan Coffey
|
Cooper T20 / Bristol 2.0L | Mrs J. Coffey | 38[6] | Accident |
| Ret | 26 | Bruce Walton
|
Walton / JAP 0.5L | B.A. Walton | 31[6] | |
| Ret | 25 | Murray Rainey
|
Cooper Mk.IX / Norton 0.5L | M. Rainey | 14[6] | Universal joint |
| Ret | 23 | Bill Patterson
|
Cooper Mk.V / JAP 0.5L | G.W. Patterson | 14[6] | Engine |
| DNQ[4] | 35 | John Cummins
|
Bugatti Type 37 / Holden 2.2L | J. Cummins | - |
Notes
- Pole position: Reg Hunt[8]
- Fastest lap: Jack Brabham/Reg Hunt - 1'03
- Number of starters: 22[4]
References
- ^ 1955 Australian Grand Prix, Australian Motor Sports, September 1955, page 324
- ^ Grand Prix in October, The Argus (Melbourne, Vic. : 1848–1957), Wednesday 3 August 1955, page 10, trove.nla.gov.au Retrieved 27 June 2015
- ^ The Australian 1955 Grand Prix brochure
- ^ a b c Howard, Graham (1986). "1955". In Howard, Graham (ed.). The Official 50-race history of the Australian Grand Prix. Gordon, NSW: R & T Publishing. pp. 206–217. ISBN 0-9588464-0-5.
- ^ a b Official Souvenir Programme, Australian Grand Prix, Port Wakefield - South Australia, 8th - 10th October 1955
- ^ a b c d e f g Sporting Car Club of South Australia (Inc) - Lap Score Sheet - Australian Grand Prix 10-10-55
- ^ John B Blanden, Maybach Mk. 3, Historic Racing Cars in Australia, 1979, pages 230 to 231
- ^ 30,000 see thrilling Grand Prix, The Advertiser , Tuesday, 11 October 1955, page 3
External links
- Image of Jack Brabham (Cooper Bristol) contesting the 1955 Australian Grand Prix, www.jack-brabham-engines.com via web.archive.org
- Images from Port Wakefield, 1955, aussieroadracing.homestead.com via web.archive.org
This page was last edited on 29 April 2023, at 19:19