1948 Australian Grand Prix | |||
---|---|---|---|
Formula Libre handicap race | |||
Race details | |||
Date | 26 January 1948 | ||
Location | Point Cook, Victoria | ||
Course | Airfield circuit | ||
Course length | 3.85 km (2.4 miles) | ||
Distance | 42 laps, 100.8 km (162.19 miles) | ||
Weather | Sunny | ||
Fastest lap | |||
Driver | Alf Barrett | Alfa Romeo | |
Time | 1'48 | ||
Podium | |||
First | BMW | ||
Second | MG | ||
Third | Reed-Ford |
The 1948 Australian Grand Prix was a motor race held at the Point Cook Aerodrome, [1] a Royal Australian Air Force base at Point Cook, just outside Melbourne in Victoria, Australia on Australia Day, 26 January 1948. It was staged over 42 laps of a 3.85 kilometre circuit utilizing the runways and service roads of the base. [2] The total race distance was 162 kilometres. The race was organised by the Light Car Club of Australia and was sanctioned by the Australian Automobile Association. [3]
The race was the thirteenth Australian Grand Prix and the first not to be held on a public road circuit. It was staged as a handicap event with the first car starting 18 minutes before the last. [4] Conditions were oppressive, with the temperature topping 100 °F (38 °C) by mid-morning, along with hot winds buffeting the exposed pits on the start/finish straight. [5] The overpowering heat, plus the bumpy concrete-slab surface of the runways, took a heavy toll on the competing cars. As well as mechanical retirements, several drivers had to retire due to heat exhaustion. [5]
Prominent motorcycle racer Frank Pratt won the race driving a BMW 328. Alf Najar finished second driving an MG TB Special with Dick Bland placed third in a George Reed constructed Ford V8 special. Bland was also awarded the prize for setting the fastest time. [6]
Results as follows. [4]
Pos | No. | Driver | Car / Engine | Entrant [1] | Laps | Time |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | 28 | Frank Pratt | BMW 328 / BMW 2.0L | LF Pratt | 42 | 1h 33m 52s |
2 | 31 | Alf Najar | MG TB Special / MG 1.3L | A Najar | 42 | 1h 34m 35s |
3 | 11 | Dick Bland | G Reed Ford V8 Special / Ford 4.0L | R Bland | 42 | 1h 35m 19s |
4 | 12 | Granton Harrison | Ford V8 Special / Ford 3.6L | G Harrison | 42 | 1h 35m 58s |
5 | 26 | Dennis Curran | Willys Ford V8 Special / Ford 3.9L | D Curran | 42 | 1h 36m 05s |
6 | 30 | John Barraclough | MG NE / MG 1.3L | J Barraclough | 42 | 1h 37m 02s |
7 | 27 | Bill Ford | Hudson Special / Hudson 3.5L | WD Ford | 42 | 1h 38m 00s |
8 | 3 | John Crouch | Delahaye 135 / Delahaye 3.6L | J Crouch | 42 | 1h 39m 00s |
9 | 10 | Alec Mildren | Ford V8 Special / Ford 3.6L | AG Mildren | 42 | 1h 40m 22s |
10 | 22 | Ron Head | Riley Imp / Riley 1.1L | R Head | 42 | 1h 42m 13s |
NC | 35 | Bill Patterson | MG TC / MG 1.3L | GW Patterson | ? | |
NC | 23 | Jim Skinner | Ballot 8 / Ford 3.6L | J Skinner | ? | |
NC | 41 | Cec Warren | Morgan / Matchless 0.4L | CR Warren | ? | |
NC [7] | 19 | Arthur Chick | Bugatti Type 37 / Bugatti 2.3L | A Chick | ? | |
Ret | 4 | Doug Whiteford | Ford V8 Special / Ford 4.2L | D Whiteford | 34 | |
Ret | 5 | Hope Bartlett | Dixon Riley / Riley 1.8L | H Bartlett | 32 | |
Ret | 2 | Alf Barrett | Alfa Romeo Monza / Alfa Romeo 2.4L | H Bartlett | 22 | |
Ret | 6 | Lex Davison | Mercedes-Benz 38/250 / Mercedes-Benz 7.4L | AN Davison | 17 | |
Ret | 38 | Tom Sulman | Singer Special / Singer 1.0L | T Sulman | 16 | |
Ret | 20 | Jim Gullan | Ballot / Oldsmobile 3.9L | J Gullan | 15 | |
Ret | 16 | Rug Nutt | Cadillac Special / Cadillac | AC Cooper | 14 | |
Ret | 14 | Charlie Dean | Maybach I / Maybach 4.3L | HC Dean | 12 | |
Ret | 21 | John Nind | MG TB Special / MG 1.3L | J Nind | 10 | |
Ret | 18 | Tom Luxton | Nuttbug Bugatti Type 40 / Ford 3.6L | J McEwan | 7 | |
Ret | 1 | Tony Gaze | Alta / Alta 2.0L | FAO Gaze | 5 | |
Ret | 7 | Norm Andrews | Stewand / Lea-Francis 3.5L | N Andrews | 0 | |
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