1977 Australian Grand Prix

  1977 Australian Grand Prix

Race details
Round 1 of the 1977 Rothmans International Series
Date	6 February 1977
Official name	XLII Australian Grand Prix
Location	Oran Park Raceway, Sydney, New South Wales
Course	Permanent racing facility
Course length	2.620 km (1.628 mi)
Distance	58 laps, 151.96 km (94.424 mi)
Weather	Sunny
Pole position
Driver	Warwick Brown	Lola-Chevrolet
Time	1'05.7
Fastest lap
Driver	Alan Jones	Lola-Chevrolet
Time	1'06.4
Podium
First	Warwick Brown	Lola-Chevrolet
Second	Peter Gethin	Chevron-Chevrolet
Third	John Goss	Matich-Repco Holden

The 1977 Australian Grand Prix was a Formula 5000 race held at Oran Park Raceway and was held on 6 February.

It was the forty second Australian Grand Prix and doubled as the first round of the 1977 Rothmans International Series. Warwick Brown won his first and only AGP.

Alan Jones actually won the race 'on the road' as he finished his 58th and final lap some 40 seconds clear of Brown. However, officials had penalised Jones 60 seconds for jumping the start in his Lola T332 and he was only classified in 4th place.

Classification

Results as follows:^[1]

Qualifying

Pos	No	Driver	Car	Qual	Gap
1	3	Warwick Brown	Lola T430 / Chevrolet 5.0L V8	1:05.7	—
2	6	Alan Jones	Lola T332 / Chevrolet 5.0L V8	1:06.0	+0.3
3	4	Peter Gethin	Chevron B24 / Chevrolet 5.0L V8	1:06.1	+0.4
4	2	John Goss	Matich A53 / Repco Holden 5.0L V8	1:06.1	+0.4
5	16	Max Stewart	Lola T400 / Chevrolet 5.0L V8	1:06.9	+1.2
6	5	Kevin Bartlett	Lola T332 / Chevrolet 5.0L V8	1:07.3	+1.6
7	1	Vern Schuppan	Elfin MR8 / Chevrolet 5.0L V8	1:07.3	+1.6
8	84	Alfredo Costanzo	Lola T332 / Chevrolet 5.0L V8	1:07.7	+2.0
9	12	Garrie Cooper	Elfin MR8 / Chevrolet 5.0L V8	1:08.0	+2.3
10	15	Terry Hook	Lola T332 / Chevrolet 5.0L V8	1:09.8	+4.1
11	17	Ken Shirvington	Lola T400 / Chevrolet 5.0L V8	1:10.4	+4.7
12	10	Chris Milton	Gardos OR2 / Chevrolet 5.0L V8	1:10.9	+5.2
13	14	Jon Davison	Matich A51 / Repco Holden 5.0L V8	1:11.1	+5.4
14	62	Dave Powell	Matich A51 / Repco Holden 5.0L V8	1:11.3	+5.6
15	19	John Edmonds	Elfin MR5B / Repco Holden 5.0L V8	1:11.7	+6.0
16	8	Graeme Lawrence	Lola T332 / Chevrolet 5.0L V8	DNP
17	77	John McCormack	McLaren M23 / Leyland 5.0L V8	DNP

Race

Pos	No.	Driver	Car	Laps	Time
1	3	Warwick Brown	Lola T430 / Chevrolet 5.0L V8	58	1h 05m 31.9s
2	4	Peter Gethin	Chevron B24 / Chevrolet 5.0L V8	58	1h 05m 46.7s
3	2	John Goss	Matich A53 / Repco Holden 5.0L V8	58	1h 05m 49.2s
4	6	Alan Jones	Lola T332 / Chevrolet 5.0L V8	58	1h 05m 51.9s
5	1	Vern Schuppan	Elfin MR8 / Chevrolet 5.0L V8	57
6	12	Garrie Cooper	Elfin MR8 / Chevrolet 5.0L V8	56
7	15	Terry Hook	Lola T332 / Chevrolet 5.0L V8	54
8	10	Chris Milton	Gardos OR2 / Chevrolet 5.0L V8	52
9	14	Jon Davison	Matich A51 / Repco Holden 5.0L V8	52
10	19	John Edmonds	Elfin MR5B / Repco Holden 5.0L V8	48
11	5	Kevin Bartlett	Lola T332 / Chevrolet 5.0L V8	45
Ret	77	John McCormack	McLaren M23 / Leyland 5.0L V8	42	blown engine
Ret	8	Graeme Lawrence	Lola T332 / Chevrolet 5.0L V8	18	broken engine pushrod
Ret	62	Dave Powell	Matich A51 / Repco Holden 5.0L V8	17	overheating
Ret	84	Alfredo Costanzo	Lola T332 / Chevrolet 5.0L V8	8	broken drive shaft
DNS	16	Max Stewart	Lola T400 / Chevrolet 5.0L V8		dropped valve
DNS	17	Ken Shirvington	Lola T400 / Chevrolet 5.0L V8

Notes

• Pole Position: Warwick Brown - 1:05.7
• Fastest Lap: Alan Jones - 1:06.4
• Alan Jones was penalised 60 seconds for jumping the start

References