Bill Pitt (racing driver)

William Pitt is a former Australian racing driver and motor racing official.

For most of his racing career Pitt was associated with Jaguars, racing XK120 and D-Type sports cars, a Mark VIII rally car and Mark I touring cars with the assistance of Queensland's Jaguar agents Cyril and Geordie Anderson of Westco Motors.^[1]

Pitt first became involved in racing as an official at the 1948 Australian Grand Prix,^[1] but gradually moved into racing. By the mid-50s he was a front running sports car driver. Pitt co-drove a XK120 to a four lap victory in what for 48 years was Australia's only 24 hour motor race, the 1954 Mount Druitt 24 Hours Road Race, driving with Geordie Anderson and Charles Swinburne.^[2]

In 1956 Pitt, Swinburne and Anderson purchased a D-Type Jaguar which was heavily crashed at its first race at the 1956 Australian Toursit Trophy. The D-Type was rebuilt and with Pitt driving, became the dominant feature of Australian Sports Car racing. Frequently, because of his domination of sports car racing, Pitt raced the D-Type against Grand Prix type machinery in search of competition, finishing in the top three of Australian Drivers' Championship events.^[3]

The D-Type was sold in 1958 and Pitt and Anderson next invested in a Mark 1 Saloon to race in the growing touring car racing. After finishing second behind David McKay in 1960, Pitt became the first Queenslander to win the Australian Touring Car Championship, achieving the victory at his home circuit, Lowood in 1961.^[4]

Pitt retired from racing in 1963 but continued in his role as a Queensland representative of the National Control Council of the Confederation of Australian Motor Sport until 1964.^[2]

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