1960 Australian Touring Car Championship

1960 Australian Touring Car Championship
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The 1960 Australian Touring Car Championship was a CAMS sanctioned motor racing title for drivers of Appendix J Touring Cars. The title, which was the inaugural Australian Touring Car Championship, was contested over a single 20 lap, 75 mile race held on 1 February 1960 at the Gnoo Blas circuit near Orange in New South Wales. The race was the first to be run under Appendix J Touring Car regulations, ushering in a new era that would last until January 1965 when CAMS replaced Appendix J with Group C for Improved Production Touring Cars.

Race

This, the first Australian touring car race to be run under a set of national regulations which defined a level of modification, was dominated by the three Jaguar Mark 1 drivers. The journalist racer David McKay, remembered for his efforts promoting racing cars and sports cars with his Scuderia Veloce team, claimed the racing achievement he is best remembered for, in a touring car race.

Ron Hodgson led away from the McKay and Bill Pitt at the start. The three Jaguar drivers missed their braking markers at the end of the long back straight, Hodgson running wide at the apex of Windsock corner and McKay and Pitt spinning. Despite this, McKay managed to take the lead from Hodgson at Windsock corner on the next lap after Hodgson had mechanical dramas which left him down the order and one minute behind McKay, who was battling with Pitt for the lead. Hodgson regained third place from Max Volkers, who was settling into a lonely race as the fastest Holden runner.

McKay led Pitt by 26 seconds at three-quarters race distance when rain started to fall. Roy Sawyer fell victim to the rain, sliding into the bank at Connaghan's corner and rolling, narrowly missed by Jack van Schaik's Simca and scraped by Ken Miller's Holden. Des West, who was behind Sawyer at the time of the incident, stopped to help his fellow Holden driver escape the wreckage and this, coupled with a stopped Ford Zephyr, caused the track to be blocked. McKay was warned by a flag marshal about the incident and was able to slow before he reached it. McKay pushed the Zephyr out of the way with his own car, but Pitt had caught up by this stage, turning the final five laps into a duel between the two Jaguar drivers.

McKay spun at Mrs Muttons corner on lap 16 and allowed Pitt to take the lead, but the positions reversed once more on lap 18 when Pitt has gearbox troubles. McKay held on to win by six seconds over Pitt, with Hodgson a distant third, 77 seconds behind. Volkers took fourth, one lap down on the Jaguars.[1]

Ironically, despite a race driving career that would continue until 1979, David McKay did not appear in another ATCC race as a driver.

Results

Pos [2] Driver [2] No [3] Car [3] Entrant [3] Laps [4]
1 Australia David McKay 71 Jaguar Mark 1 3.4-litre [5] D McKay 20
2 Australia Bill Pitt 34 Jaguar Mark 1 3.4-litre [5] Mrs Anderson 20
3 Australia Ron Hodgson 69 Jaguar Mark 1 3.4-litre[5][6] Strathfield Motors 20
4 Australia Max Volkers 4 Holden FJ [5] M Volkers 19
5 Australia Jan Harris 72 Holden J Harris
6 Australia Ralph Sach 15 Holden 48-215 [7] T Sulman
7 Australia Ken Miller 17 Holden KE Miller
8 Australia John Millard 36 Holden JR Millard
9 Australia Bruce McPhee 33 Holden 48-215 [2] BA McPhee
10 Australia Andy Selmes 41 Holden AW Selmes
11 Australia Des West 27 Holden 48-215 [2] DL West
12 [5] Australia Jerry Trevor-Jones [5] 55 Austin Lancer R Bland
13[8] Australia Ian Grant 37 Holden Momchong Motors
2001-2600cc
1 Australia Max Volkers 4 Holden FJ [5] M Volkers 19
2 Australia Jan Harris 72 Holden J Harris
3 Australia Ralph Sach 15 Holden 48-215 [7] T Sulman
4 Australia Ken Miller 17 Holden KE Miller
5 Australia John Millard 36 Holden JR Millard
6 Australia Bruce McPhee 33 Holden 48-215 [2] BA McPhee
7 Australia Andy Selmes 41 Holden AW Selmes
8 Australia Des West 27 Holden 48-215 [2] DL West
9 Australia Ian Grant 37 Holden Momchong Motors
? Australia Dick Rees ? Ford Zephyr [9] ?
? [10] Australia John Halcrow [10] 31 Holden JE Halcrow
DNF Australia Roy Sawyer[11] 7 Holden FJ [2] RA Sawyer
DNF Australia Ian Geoghegan 5 Holden 48-215 [12] I Geoghegan
1301-2000cc
1 Australia Jerry Trevor-Jones 55 Austin Lancer R Bland
2 Australia Charles van Schaik 46 Morris Major C van Schaik
3 Australia John Malcolm 35 Austin Lancer JR Malcolm
4 Australia Denis Gregory 20 Morris Major D Gregory
5 Australia Malcolm Bailey 89 Wolseley 1500 MS Bailey
6 Australia Emmanual Pitsiladis 38 Austin Lancer ED Piltsiladis
DNF Australia Charlie Smith 14 Morris Major CG Smith
DNF Australia Howard Sketchley 44 Austin Lancer H Sketchley
DNF Australia Keith Watts ? Peugeot K Watts
1001-1300cc
1 Australia Jack van Schaik 47 Simca J van Schaik
2 Australia Ken Brigden 63 Peugeot 203 [2] KA Brigden
3 Australia Eric Cleese 96 Simca E Cleese
DNF Australia Doug Stewart 50 Simca JA Witter & Co
DNF Australia Alton Boddenberg 24 Peugeot 203 [2] AJ Boddenberg
DNF Australia Ray Price 24 Fiat 1100 RA Price
Under 1000cc
1 Australia Brian Foley 11 Austin A40 Farina [2] Kinsley Pty Ltd
2 Australia Kevin Bartlett ? Morris Minor 1000 [2] K Bartlett [13]
3 Australia Dick Martin 66 Morris Minor 1000 R Martin
4 Australia R Copley 48 Morris Minor R Copley
5 Australia Ted Ansell 40 NSU Prinz [2] E Ansell
DNF Australia Doug Kelly 23 Fiat Abarth 750 Bank Corner Motors

Statistics

References

  1. ↑ Graham Howard, Stewart Wilson, David Greenlaigh (2011). The official history: Australian Touring Car Championship 50 Years. Chevron Publishing Group. pp. 18–19. ISBN 978-0-9805912-2-4.
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 2.4 2.5 2.6 2.7 2.8 2.9 2.10 2.11 Mark Oastler, Des West's 'Appendix J' Holden 48-215, Australian Muscle Car, Issue 53, Jan/Feb 2011, pages 36-63
  3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 Official Programme, Austraian Touring Car Championship Meeting, Monday, 1 February 1960, pages16 & 17
  4. ↑ Howard, Graham & Wilson, Stewart (1989). "1960 Let the race begin". Australian Touring Car Championship 30 fabulous years. R&T Publishing. ISBN 1-875221-02-6.
  5. ↑ 5.0 5.1 5.2 5.3 5.4 5.5 5.6 5.7 David McKay, First Touring Titles Decided, Modern Motor, April 1960, pages 22-23 & 80-81
  6. ↑ Hodgson’s car was fitted with a 3.8 litre engine from a Jaguar Mark IX - Modern Motor, April 1960, page 23
  7. ↑ 7.0 7.1 Image of the Sach Holden 48-215
  8. ↑ Graham Howard, Stewart Wilson, David Greenlaigh (2011). The official history: Australian Touring Car Championship 50 Years. Chevron Publishing Group. p. 21. ISBN 978-0-9805912-2-4.
  9. ↑ "the driver of an elderly Zephyr had unthinkingly pulled up and parked his car right next to the inverted Holden" David McKay, First Touring Titles Decided, Modern Motor, April 1960, page 80
  10. ↑ 10.0 10.1 Stewart Wilson, Holden, The official racing history, 1988, page 329
  11. ↑ "The wet track caught out the unfortunate Sawyer, whose Holden slid off at Connaghan's Crest and rolled." - 1960 ATCC Where It All Began - 2010 Australian Muscle Car Masters Programme, p.14
  12. ↑ Image of the Geoghegan Holden 48-215
  13. ↑ Orange Road Races, Australian Motor Sports, February 1960, pages 68&71

Further reading

External links