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1950 Australian Grand Prix

FieldValue
TypeCUST
DescriptionFormula Libre race
Grand PrixAustralian
CountryAustralia
LocationNuriootpa, South Australia
Date2 January
Year1950
CourseTemporary road circuit
Course_mi3.0
Course_km4.8
Distance_laps34
Distance_mi102
Distance_km163.2
WeatherSunny
Fast_DriverRupert Steele
Australia Doug Whiteford
Fast_TeamAlfa Romeo
Ford
Fast_Time2'27
Fast_CountryAUS
First_DriverDoug Whiteford
First_CountryAUS
First_TeamFord
Second_DriverRupert Steele
Second_CountryAUS
Second_TeamAlfa Romeo
Third_DriverJim Gullan
Third_CountryAUS
Third_TeamBallot-Oldsmobile

Australia Doug Whiteford Ford

The 1950 Australian Grand Prix was a motor race held at the Nuriootpa Road Circuit in South Australia on 2 January 1950. It was organised by the Sporting Car Club of South Australia, promoted by the Barossa Valley Vintage Festival Association of the 4.8-kilometre circuit for a race distance of 163 kilometres. was a Formula Libre race.

The race utilised a handicap start with cars commencing progressively, slowest through to fastest, at timed intervals. The declared winner of the Grand Prix however, was the driver with the fastest elapsed race time, regardless of handicap. All other official awards were based on the handicap results, with an additional trophy awarded to the handicap winner and prize money paid for the first nine handicap places. Doug Whiteford, driving a Ford V8 Special, known as 'Black Bess', won his first Australian Grand Prix, completing the race distance almost three minutes faster than Rupert Steele, driving an Alfa Romeo. Jim Gullan, driving an Oldsmobile-powered Ballot Special recorded the third fastest race time and was also the official handicap winner.

Classification

Rupert Steele set the second fastest time and placed ninth on handicap driving an [[Alfa Romeo Monza
PosNo.DriverCar / EngineEntrantLapsTimeH'cap PosH'cap start12345678910111213RetRetRetRetRetRetRetRetRetRetRetRetRetRetRetRetDNSDNSDNS
5Australia Doug WhitefordFord V8 Special / Ford 4.2LD Whiteford341h 24m 53s51m 45s
6Australia Rupert SteeleAlfa Romeo 8C / Alfa Romeo 2.3LPJR Steele341h 27m 51s91m 45s
21Australia Jim GullanBallot Special / Oldsmobile 3.9LJ Gullan341h 29m 23s**1**7m 45s
30Australia David HarveyMG TC Special / MG 1.3LDG Harvey341h 33m 49s211m 00s
22Australia Bill WillcoxDodge Special / Dodge 4.1LWH Wilcox341h 34m 11s108m 20s
32Australia Steve TillettMG TC Special / MG 1.3LSD Tillett341h 34m 37s611m 50s
33Australia Ron KennedyMG TC / MG 1.3LRJ Kennedy341h 34m 41s311m 30s
35Australia Don CantMG TC / MG 1.3LDP Cant341h 35m 05s411m 55s
27Australia Howard KeilHRG Special / HRG 1.5LFAO Gaze341h 35m 57s89m 40s
26Australia Norman SteeleHRG Special / HRG 1.5LNC Steele341h 36m 08s79m 40s
19Australia Granton HarrisonPhillips V8 Special / Ford 3.9LGT Harrison341h 37m 39s117m 45s
29Australia Vin MaloneyMG TC Special / MG 1.3LVA Maloney341h 40m 14s1210m 40s
38Australia R. VinallMG NA / MG 1.3LRK Vinall341h 46m 42s1313m 00s
25Australia Peter McKennaBMW 328 / BMW 2.0LPeter McKenna339m 05s
34Australia D. DouglasMG TC / MG 1.3LAP Douglas3211m 55s
20Australia Dennis CurranCurran Ford V8 Special / Ford 4.0LDE Curran307m 45s
16Australia Ken TubmanMG K3 / MG s/c 1.1LKV Tubman284m 50s
31Australia Ian JacksonMG TC / MG 1.3LIN Jackson2511m 20s
40Australia Phil HarrisonMG P / Vauxhall 1.4LP Harrison2113m 00s
24Australia Bob BrownAlfa Romeo 6C 1750 / Ford 4.0LRS Brown219m 00s
3Australia Charlie DeanMaybach Special Mk.1 / Maybach 4.2LHC Dean210m 30s
23Australia L. RobinsonBugatti / DodgeLD Robinson158m 40s
11Australia Peter DammanHudson Special / HudsonP Denman132m 50s
36Australia E. TrumanMG TC / MG 1.3LEC Truman1111m 55s
17Australia Bill PattersonMG TC / MG s/c 1.3LGW Patterson65m 05s
39Australia Max GaltMG NA / MG 1.3LM Galt413m 00s
4Australia Eldred NormanDouble Ford V8 Special / Ford 7.8LE de B Norman21m 25s
15Australia Otto StoneMG K3 / MG s/c 1.1LOtto Stone14m 50s
2Australia Lex DavisonAlfa Romeo Tipo B / Alfa Romeo 3.0LAN Davison10m 30s
1Australia Tony GazeAltaFAO Gaze-0m 00s
12Australia Stan JonesHRGS Jones-3m 25s
14Australia John BarracloughMG K3 s/cA.N. Davison-4m 50s

The above results rank all finishers based on actual race time, regardless of handicap. Officially, race results were based on handicap placings, with the exception of the actual Australian Grand Prix title itself, which was awarded to the driver setting the fastest race time.

It is not known if the cars of McKenna and Douglas actually retired from the race or were still running when the race time expired.

Notes

  • Attendance: 35,000 (police estimate)
  • Number of starters: 29
  • Fastest lap: Rupert Steele and Doug Whiteford – 2'27 (73.47 mph, 118.2 km/h)

References

References

  1. Programme, Australian Grand Prix Carnival, 2 January 1950, Nuriootpa Road Circuit, South Australia
  2. (1986). "The Official 50-race history of the Australian Grand Prix". R & T Publishing.
  3. and staged over 34 lapsLap chart, Australian Grand Prix, Nuriootpa, 2/1/50 (Sporting Car Club of South Australia)
  4. The race, which is recognized by the [[Confederation of Australian Motor Sport]] as the fifteenth [[Australian Grand Prix]],''Records, Titles and Awards'', 2002 CAMS Manual of Motor Sport, page 14-3
  5. Car 27 is listed in the Programme with F.A.O. Gaze as the Entrant and "C. Dyer" as the Driver. Australian Motor Sports, January 1950, page 33 lists the driver in the race results as H. Keil. The Official 50-race history of the Australian Grand Prix, page 156 explains that "C. Dyer" was a ''nom de guerre'' for Howard Keil.
  6. The Official 50-race history of the Australian Grand Prix uses Ian Jackson (page 156), Ken Jackson (page 157) and I. Jackson (page 157). The race programme and the SCCSA lap charts both show I.N. Jackson
  7. "The Official 50-race history" (page 157) uses both Phil Harrison & Phill Harrison. "The official history of the Australian Grand Prix - 80 Races" (page 127) uses Phil Harrison.
  8. The Official 50-race history of the Australian Grand Prix indicates that Brown drove Alfa Romeo Chassis No. 0132894 in the 1950 AGP (page 157) and Alfa Romeo Chassis No. 0312894 in the 1951 AGP (page 169). It also indicates that Brown's car in the 1951 AGP was a 1750 Zagato Spyder (page 164). Given that the John Blanden book Historic Racing Cars in Australia (1979) lists Bob Brown as the owner of Alfa Romeo 1750 S.S. Zagato Spyder No. 0312894 from 1949 to 1952 (pages 14 & 15) it would seem that the 1950 AGP car was the same 1750 chassis.
  9. The Official 50-race history of the Australian Grand Prix uses both Damman & Denman (page 157) however the Programme, the SCCSA Lap chart and the report in Australian Motor Sports (pages 29 & 32) each use Damman.
  10. The Official 50-race history of the Australian Grand Prix states on page 153 that Barraclough "had a rod break" in practice and on page 157 that the entry "did not start in Grand Prix".
  11. [https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/50198337/3201293 Victorian wins Grand Prix, The Advertiser, Tuesday, January 3 1950, page 3, trove.nla.gov.au]
  12. The 1950 Australian Grand Prix Carnival, Australian Motor Sports, January 1950, pages 29 to 33
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