1981 Australian Grand Prix

  1981 Australian Grand Prix

Race details
Formula Pacific race
Date	8 November 1981
Official name	XLVI National Panasonic Australian Grand Prix
Location	Calder Park Raceway, Melbourne, Victoria
Course	Permanent racing facility 1.609 km (1.000 mi)
Distance	100 laps, 160.9 km (100 mi)
Weather	Sunny
Pole position
Driver	Roberto Moreno	Ralt-Ford
Time	0'39.2
Fastest lap
Driver	Roberto Moreno	Ralt-Ford
Time	0'39.8
Podium
First	Roberto Moreno	Ralt-Ford
Second	Nelson Piquet	Ralt-Ford
Third	Geoff Brabham	Ralt-Ford

The 1981 Australian Grand Prix was a Formula Pacific motor race held at Calder Park Raceway in Victoria, Australia on 8 November 1981.

It was the forty sixth Australian Grand Prix and the first to be restricted to Formula Pacific racing cars. It was the first AGP since 1968 to feature two or more current or past World Drivers' Champions with reigning 1981 World Champion Nelson Piquet of Brazil and Australia's 1980 World Champion Alan Jones both in the field.

The race was won by 22 year old Roberto Moreno (the youngest driver to win the event) by over a lap from Nelson Piquet with Australian Geoff Brabham finishing 3rd. The top 3 drivers all drove Ralt RT4's (13 of the 20 starters were in fact driving the 1.6L Ford powered RT4's). To actually be able to compete in the Grand Prix Moreno needed 5 endorsements before the race to be able to obtain his FIA Super Licence, the first endorsement coming from Calder Park Clerk of Course Ken Smith.

Defending race winner Alan Jones failed to finish after transmission failure in his RT4 six laps from home while in second place. The first resident Australian driver home was another ex-Formula One driver and future touring car star Larry Perkins who finished 4th, one lap behind Moreno.

Classification

Results as follows:^[1]

Qualifying

Pos	No	Driver	Car	Qual	Gap
1	19	Roberto Moreno	Ralt RT4 Ford	0:39.2	—
2	27	Alan Jones	Ralt RT4 Ford	0:39.2	+0.0
3	9	Nelson Piquet	Ralt RT4 Ford	0:39.3	+0.1
4	4	John Bowe	Ralt RT4 Ford	0:39.6	+0.4
5	62	Bruce Allison	Ralt RT4 Ford	0:39.8	+0.6
6	26	Jacques Laffite	Ralt RT4 Ford	0:39.8	+0.6
7	12	Geoff Brabham	Ralt RT4 Ford	0:39.9	+0.7
8	71	John Smith	Ralt RT4 Ford	0:39.9	+0.7
9	3	Larry Perkins	Ralt RT4 Ford	0:40.0	+0.8
10	6	Ray Mallock	Ralt RT4 Ford	0:40.2	+1.0
11	5	Andrew Miedecke	Ralt RT4 Ford	0:40.2	+1.0
12	84	Alfredo Costanzo	Tiga FA81 Ford	0:40.3	+1.1
13	2	Charlie O'Brien	Ralt RT4 Ford	0:40.4	+1.2
14	18	David Oxton	Ralt RT4 Ford	0:40.6	+1.4
15	16	Lucio Cesario	Ralt RT3 Golf	0:40.7	+1.5
16	83	Peter Larner	Kaditcha Ford	0:40.7	+1.5
17	7	Peter Williamson	Toleman TA860 Toyota	0:40.9	+1.7
18	77	Mike Quinn	Galloway HG1 Ford	0:41.4	+2.2
19	11	Ron Barnacle	Ralt RT1 Ford	0:41.8	+2.6
20	48	Ray Hangar	March 77B Ford	0:42.5	+3.3
21	36	Bob Creasy	Birrana 273 Ford	0:43.1	+3.9

Race

Pos	No	Driver	Car	Laps	Time
1	19	Roberto Moreno	Ralt RT4 Ford	100	1h 07m 39.2s
2	9	Nelson Piquet	Ralt RT4 Ford	99
3	12	Geoff Brabham	Ralt RT4 Ford	99
4	3	Larry Perkins	Ralt RT4 Ford	99
5	5	Andrew Miedecke	Ralt RT4 Ford	99
6	18	David Oxton	Ralt RT4 Ford	98
7	6	Ray Mallock	Ralt RT4 Ford	98
8	62	Bruce Allison	Ralt RT4 Ford	98
9	2	Charlie O'Brien	Ralt RT4 Ford	98
10	84	Alfredo Costanzo	Tiga FA81 Ford	97
11	83	Peter Larner	Kaditcha Ford	97
12	71	John Smith	Ralt RT4 Ford	96
13	11	Ron Barnacle	Ralt RT1 Ford	90
14	48	Ray Hangar	March 77B Ford	87
Ret	27	Alan Jones	Ralt RT4 Ford	93	transmission
Ret	26	Jacques Laffite	Ralt RT4 Ford	43	oil line
Ret	7	Peter Williamson	Toleman TA860 Toyota	40	accident
Ret	4	John Bowe	Ralt RT4 Ford	15	water pump belt
Ret	16	Lucio Cesario	Ralt RT3 Golf	10	broken valve spring
Ret	36	Bob Creasy	Birrana 273 Ford	6	spin
DNS	77	Mike Quinn	Galloway HG1 Ford		gearbox input shaft

Notes

• Pole position: Roberto Moreno - 0'39.2
• Fastest lap: Roberto Moreno - 0'39.8

References