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Historic legends wow
Island crowds
- by Richard Batchelor
Shannons Phillip Island Historics - March
7-9
The annual Phillip Island historic meeting
lived up to its reputation as Australia’s best celebration
of its type. For the first time the meeting was held over
three days, with Friday devoted to practice in the morning
and qualifying during the afternoon. The practice sessions
were slightly marred by a couple of showers, but the track
was dry for qualifying and there was hardly a cloud to be
seen for the rest of the weekend.
A highlight was the 80th AGP
anniversary celebration on the Saturday, which saw around 80
cars parade on the old 10 kilometre Phillip Island road
circuit, which was used prior to the Second World War.
Among those taking part was a re-creation of Capt. Arthur
Waite’s 1928 race winning Austin 7 and the Bugatti T37 which
Bill Thompson drove in the first official AGP in 1929.
Other great cars demonstrated during the weekend included
the Porsche 917/30 from the company’s museum, the Alfa Romeo
P3 which won the 1934 Monaco GP, a Bugatti T39, the ex-Stan
Jones Maybach Special (driven by leading UK motor sports
journalist Simon Taylor), Peter Harburg’s glorious Ferrari
Monza, Russell Kempnich’s Porsche 956C and German Hans
Kleissl’s Mercedes 300SL gullwing, driven by former Le Mans
winner Vern Schuppan.
Whilst every race category has its keen
followers, unquestionably the most popular is the Formula
5000 and Invited Cars category, which featured 28
starters – more than most F5000 races achieved in period.
When these thundering beasts take to the track, other
competitors and pit crews join the throng of spectators on
top of the pit building, while on the other side of the main
straight, spectators were several deep at the fence. Quick
Kiwi Chris Hyde in his McRae GM1 dominated qualifying,
recording an outstanding 1:30.73, well clear of the
redoubtable Andrew Robson (Lola T332) at 1:33.19 and Guido
Belgiorno-Nettis in his beautiful ex-Alboreto 1.5 litre
turbocharged Ferrari 156/85 (1:35.01). The Ferrari was not
the only ex-F1 car in the field as Ian Ross was giving his
ex-Alan Jones 1.5 litre turbo Lola-Hart an outing,
resplendent in its Beatrice colours. Ross qualified 18th
in 1:44.19, in the large field. Hyde’s pole position must
have pleased Kiwi former F5000 ace Graeme McRae, who built
the car and who was present.
With eighteen F5000 cars entered from New
Zealand, our scenic Pacific neighbour continues to be the
F5000 capital of the world, but a Kiwi mechanic I spoke to
in the pits was quick to scotch a scurrilous rumour that
they were building new cars for the category! Hyde went on
to dominate all the F5000 races during the weekend, chased
hard by Robson. Behind them, the pecking order was fluid,
with battles between Kiwi Tony Richards (Lola T332),
Englishman Peter Dunn (March 73A), Belgiorno-Nettis in the
Ferrari, Stuart Lush (McRae GM1) and former V8 Supercar race
winner, and Patron of the Meeting, John Bowe in an ex-Costanzo/Hamilton
Lola T430. By Race 4 the order had settled as follows:-
Hyde, Robson, Belgiorno-Nettis, Richards, Lush and Bowe,
after some of the best open wheeler racing seen for years.
Fittingly, Chris Hyde set the fastest lap (Race 4), an
outstanding 1:30.12.
This year marks the 50th
anniversary of Formula Junior and a large field of
both front and rear engined examples was present, including
entries from Great Britain, the USA and New Zealand. Locals
Peter Strauss (Brabham BT6) and Jonathan Williamson (Lotus
22) set the qualifying pace in 1:58.55 and 1:58.60
respectively, followed by another BT6 driven by American Ned
Spieker (I:59.43). In Race 1, Strauss, Williamson and
Spieker finished in that order, followed by Speed-on-Tweed
supremo Roger Ealand (Lotus 18) and Elfin Museum proprietor
Bill Hemming (in an Elfin, naturally!). Saturday’s Race 2
saw Strauss win again, followed by the improving Spieker,
Williamson, Queenslander Don Thallon (MRC 22 Ford) and the
consistent Ealand. Race 3 on Sunday was much the same,
Strauss winning from Williamson, Spieker, Thallon, Ealand
and Hemming. In the final event, Strauss cleaned up yet
again, from Williamson, Spieker, Thallon, John Rapley
(Brabham BT2) and David Reid (Cooper T59). Of the 38
qualifiers, 28 completed Sunday’s final race.
A high quality field contested the Groups
Q & R Sports races. Jamie Larner (Ralt 2.0 litres) set
the qualifying pace, recording a best of 1:36.96 to take
pole from Rusty French (Porsche 935) in 1:39.47 and Russell
Kempnich (Porsche 956C) in 1:39.77. Larner went on to win
Race 1 from French, followed by John Briggs (VesKanda),
Steve Webb (Elfin 360 Repco), Paul Stubber (Lola GT1),
Kempnich and Peter Harburg (Lola 610). In Race 2, Briggs
prevailed in the spectacular VesKanda, from Larner, Stubber,
Webb, Kempnich, Harburg, French, and Paul Mander in the
second 2 litre car (Tiga SC81). Sunday saw Briggs win again
in Race 3, recording the category’s fastest lap for the
weekend of 1:32.61 – very rapid indeed! He was followed by
Larner, Webb, Kempnich, Harburg, Stubber and Dean Hanger,
second best of the two litre cars (Tiga Sports 2000). Race
4 again saw Larner back on the top step of the podium after
humbling the larger-engined cars, followed by Webb, Briggs,
Kempnich, Harburg, Trevor Lambert (Elfin ME5), Stubber and
Andrew McCarthy, second in the two litre category in his
Lola T594.
Group S (pre-1978 Production Sports Cars)
was another popular category, with a full entry list of 50
cars and another eight or so reserves. In fact only 48
fronted up for qualifying, with Sydney’s Bill Pye on pole in
1:53.62 in his Porsche 911 from Queenslander Don Thallon’s
Corvette (1:54.02), South Australian Peter Hall’s very rapid
Datsun 240Z (1:55.20) and Stan Adler’s Porsche Carrera
(1:55.76). Pye, Adler and Thallon finished in that order in
Race 1, with Adler recording the fastest race lap for the
weekend of 1:52.71. At the other end of the field, Judith
Dorrell from NSW in a 998cc Austin-Healey Sprite was
competing in the true spirit of historic racing, a smile
never leaving her face all weekend. Race 2 saw a surprise
winner in Terry Lawlor from NSW (Porsche 911) from Hall’s
Datsun and Bill Pye, the latter surviving some spirited
attention from Adler, who ended his race in the gravel
trap. In Race 3, Lawlor again prevailed from Pye and Hall,
followed by Brian Taylor (911), Michael Byrne (Lotus 7),
Phil Verwoert (RS Carrera) and a more subdued Adler, who
nevertheless recorded fastest lap. Race 4 was won by Pye
from Lawlor, Hall, Adler, Taylor, Byrne and Verwoert, to
complete a clean sweep for the Stuttgart machines, after
having their colours lowered at last November’s Sandown
meeting by the big vee-eights. With three Ferraris in the
field, including Trevor Bassett’s magnificent 365 GTC4,
Healeys, Corvettes, a de Tomaso, Shelbys, Morgans, Mercedes,
MGs, Alfas and even (ahem!) a BMW coupe, Group S continues
to provide great variety and close racing.
Groups J, K, &Lb, Sports, Racing
drew an extraordinary number of classic
Aussie specials, ranging from the tiny 1935 Sulman Singer to
hairy V8 Ford racers. In the silk department we had Peter
Giddings from the USA in the Alfa Romeo T3 and David Hands
from GB in the T39 Bugatti, a Cooper-Bristol driven by Wayne
Gibson from GB, Hans Kleissl from Germany in his 300SL
gullwing and Dean Butler from GB in his American Bocar V8.
Space does not permit an analysis of divisional results, but
Nick McDonald had the Ausca on pole in 1:58.08, from John
Virgo’s Riley Special (2:02.40) and David Reid (Prad Repco
Holden) in 2:02.98.
With such a time buffer in qualifying, it was
no surprise to see McDonald clear out to win all three
scratch races comfortably, recording the category’s fastest
lap in Race 1 of 1:55.54. David Reid chased McDonald home
in Race 1, followed by Mick Arnold (Sharp Holden), Giddings
in the P3, Graeme Marks (Mac Healey) and Geoffrey McInnes
(Riley Special). In Race 2 we saw the same first three place
getters, with Samantha Dymond fourth in her Lola Mark 1,
ahead of Marks, McInnes, Gibson in the Cooper-Bristol and
Kleissl in the 300SL. Just to liven things up, Race 3
comprised a handicap, won by Charles Knill-Jones (Bugatti
T39), from Thomas Benson (BMH Special) and Frank Cuttell (Sulman
singer). Race 4 was again won by McDonald, from Reid,
Arnold, Trevor Booth (Nota Sunbeam), Gibson and Dymond.
Another crowd pleasing category is Group
Nb and Nc Touring Cars. In the over three
litre category, Darren Pearce put his Mustang on pole
with a 1:52.02 qualifier, from Scott Slater (Torana GTR-XU1)
in 1:52.73 and evergreen John Mann (Mustang) in 1:52.97.
Pearce won Race 1 from the Camaros of Darren Collins and Ron
Moller, followed by Slater in the XU1 and the Mustangs of
Darrel Hansen and John Mann. This quartet dominated Race 2,
followed by Alf Bargwanna (XU1), John Harrison (XU1), and
Michael Hibbert (Charger). Another close battle ensued in
Race 3, won again by Pearce from Moller, Collins, V8
Supercar enduro ace Glenn Seton (Capri), Slater and Simon
Phillips (XU1). We had to wait until the final race for a
changing of the guard, with Moller coming through to win in
his Camaro, also recording the fastest race lap for the
weekend of 1:50.04. Pearce was second, followed by Seton,
Collins, Phillips, Slater and Ray Challis (XU1).
In the Nb and Nc under 3 litre category,
Greg Malaure took pole in his Cooper S in 1:57.39, from Ben
Read (Mazda RX2) in 1:58.12 and Paul Cruse (Ford Escort) in
1:58.86. Malaure took Race 1 from Chris Smith (Alfa), Read,
Cruse, Kirk Davis (RX2) and Mark Johnson (911). Smith
prevailed in Race 2 from Malaure, Read, Cruse, Johnson and
Garry Edwards (BMW 2002). A very serious start line shunt
occurred in Race 3, destroying three cars and I understand
causing injuries to drivers (see below). In the final race,
Malaure continued on his winning way, from Cruse, Johnson,
Davies, Errol Stratford (Escort) and Jason Armstrong (Cooper
S).
I did not see the start line collision
mentioned above, but I saw a similar accident in the Groups
A & C event the previous year, which resulted in two
destroyed cars and drivers needing hospital treatment. I
was also in a Group S race last year at the Island, which
was started (unbelievably) with a car immobilized at the
front of the grid. Fortunately everybody managed to miss
it. Perhaps rolling starts should be tried in big crowded
fields, before somebody gets killed.
On a happier note, let’s turn to M & O
Sports & Racing. The field comprised a variety of
small sports cars and open wheelers from the
sixties, plus some heavy metal in the form of Max
Warwick’s 4.8 litre McLaren M1A and Keith Berryman’s 4.7
litre Matich SR3. The 1.6 litre Elfin 600B Formula 2 cars
of Richard Carter, Laurie Bennett and Herb Neal dominated
qualifying, with Carter well clear on 1:41.72 from Bennett
1:44.14 and Neal 1:44.72. Eleventh fastest was the familiar
figure of John Bowe, at 1:47.97 in a Brabham BT14. Carter
failed to finish Race 1, which was taken by Bennett from
Neal and Ray Stubber (Brabham BT29). They were followed by
Max Brunninghausen in his lovely Chevron B8 sports, Calven
Bonney (Macon MR1) and Tim Kuchel (Brabham BT18). In Race 2
the order was Carter, Bennett, Stubber, Neal, Kuchel and
Murray Sinclair (Chevron B16). Come Sunday and Carter again
dominated, winning both races 3 and 4. In Race 3 he was
followed home by Bennett, Neal, Stubbber, Bonney and
Sinclair. The final event saw another easy victory for
Carter, followed by Stubber, Bennett, Neal, Brunninghausen
and Sinclair. Carter’s best lap during Race 2 of 1:39.53
was the fastest for the category during the weekend, but
interestingly Ray Stubber also recorded a very fast 1:39.81
in his drive to second place in the last race. These are
seriously quick times for 40 year old cars.
Space does not permit a detailed discussion
on the Regularity events but the machinery was superb
and, in case anybody thinks they were lapping slowly, it
should be noted that fourteen Division 2 Regularity
competitors qualified faster than the two slowest F5000
runners!
Finally we had the relatively new category of
Groups A & C Touring Cars, bringing together race
cars from the exciting and varied era prior to V8 Supercars.
On pole after qualifying was Rod Markland in the Nissan GT-R
on 1:47.28, followed by Robert Tweedie’s Ford Sierra RS500
(1:47.86) and Michael West’s Commodore (1:48.30). Race 1
was dominated by Tweedie from Markland and David Holc
(Holden VL), followed by Gary Collins (Holden VC), Norman
Mogg (Holden VL) and Roger Townshend in his glorious Ford RS
2600 Cologne. Race 2 saw the same first three finishers,
followed by Townshend, Mogg and Mike Roddy in the Jaguar XJS.
In Race 3 it was again Tweedie, Markland and Holc
dominating, with Tweedie setting fastest race lap for the
weekend of 1:46.04. Townshend, Neville Butler (Mustang) and
Roddy were next to finish. Godzilla came into its own in
the final race, helped by Tweedie’s Sierra failing to greet
the starter. Markland cleared away to win from the
consistent Holc, Townshend, Butler, Roddy and Collins,
leaving many spectators misty eyed at the memories of great
Bathurst races in the past.
As one of the 500 or so competitors, I would
like to thank the Victorian Mini Club, the VHRR, Shannons
and the large number of officials and administrators who
helped conduct this outstanding meeting.
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