1953 Australian Grand Prix

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1953 Australian Grand Prix
Formula Libre race
Race details
Date21 November 1953
Location Albert Park, Melbourne, Victoria
Course Temporary street circuit
Course length 5.03 km (3.125 miles)
Distance 64 laps, 321.92 km (250 miles)
Weather Sunny
Fastest lap
Driver Flag of Australia (converted).svg Stan Jones Maybach Special
Time 2'03
Podium
First Talbot-Lago
Second
  • Flag of Australia (converted).svg Curley Brydon
MG Special
Third
  • Flag of Australia (converted).svg Andy Brown
MG
The start of the 1953 Australian Grand Prix. Davison (#3 HWM), Jones (#2 Maybach) and Whiteford (#1 Talbot-Lago) 1953 Australian Grand Prix start.jpg
The start of the 1953 Australian Grand Prix. Davison (#3 HWM), Jones (#2 Maybach) and Whiteford (#1 Talbot-Lago)
Race winner Doug Whiteford (Talbot-Lago T26C) contesting the 1953 Australian Grand Prix Talbot-Lago of Doug Whiteford (1953 AGP).jpg
Race winner Doug Whiteford (Talbot-Lago T26C) contesting the 1953 Australian Grand Prix
The 9th placed Wylie Javelin of Ken & Arthur Wylie, pictured during its first lap spin with Arthur driving Wylie Javelin of Arthur Wylie (1953 AGP).jpg
The 9th placed Wylie Javelin of Ken & Arthur Wylie, pictured during its first lap spin with Arthur driving
Alf Barrett and Julian Barrett placed 12th driving the BWA BWA of Alf & Julian Barrett (1953 AGP).jpg
Alf Barrett and Julian Barrett placed 12th driving the BWA
Stan Jones (Maybach Special) set fastest lap of the race but did not finish Maybach of Stan Jones (1953 AGP).jpg
Stan Jones (Maybach Special) set fastest lap of the race but did not finish

The 1953 Australian Grand Prix was a Formula Libre [1] motor race held at Albert Park Street Circuit, Victoria, Australia on 21 November 1953. The race, which had 40 starters, was held over 64 laps of the five kilometre circuit for a total of 322 kilometres. It was organised by the Light Car Club of Australia and Army Southern Command. [2]

Contents

It was the eighteenth Australian Grand Prix. While much of the Grand Prix's history to this point had taken place on public road or street circuits, this was the first time it had been held on a circuit in a major population centre. The circuit was laid out on public roads surrounding the Albert Park Lake in inner Melbourne.

The race was won by Doug Whiteford, his third and final Australian Grand Prix victory, equalling the feat achieved by Bill Thompson in the 1930s. It was also the largest margin of victory in the race's history, Whiteford winning by six laps for a margin of 30 kilometres.

Classification

Results as follows. [3]

PosNo.DriverCar / EngineEntrant [2] Laps [4] Time
11 Flag of Australia (converted).svg Doug Whiteford Talbot-Lago T26C / Talbot-Lago 4.5LD. Whiteford642h 24m 50s
226 Flag of Australia (converted).svg Curley Brydon MG TC Special / MG s/c 1.3LH. Brydon58
322 Flag of Australia (converted).svg Andy Brown MG K3 / MG 1.1LA.G. Brown57
423 Flag of Australia (converted).svg Les Murphy MG Q / MG 0.7LL.P. Murphy57
530 Flag of Australia (converted).svg Lou MolinaMM Special / Holden 2.3LL. Molina56
632 Flag of Australia (converted).svg Jim Leach Austin-Healey 100 / Austin-Healey 2.7LC.R. Dickason56
77 Flag of Australia (converted).svg Frank KleinigKleinig-Hudson 8 Special / Hudson 4.4LF. Kleinig56
838 Flag of Australia (converted).svg Stuart Charge Austin-Healey 100 / Austin-Healey 2.7LL.J. Gray55
919 Flag of Australia (converted).svg Ken Wylie
Flag of Australia (converted).svg Arthur Wylie
Wylie Javelin / Jowett s/c 1.5LA.J. Wylie55
1016 Flag of Australia (converted).svg Reg Hunt Allard J2 / Cadillac 4.4LR.H. Hunt55
1133 Flag of Australia (converted).svg Bib Stillwell Austin-Healey 100 / Austin-Healey 2.7LB.S. Stillwell54
1217 Flag of Australia (converted).svg Alf Barrett [5]
Flag of Australia (converted).svg Julian Barrett [5]
BWA Special / Frazer Nash 1.5LJ. Barrett53
1340 Flag of Australia (converted).svg Neil Charge MG TC Special / MG 1.3LN. and S. Charge52
1435 Flag of Australia (converted).svg Frank Lobb Jaguar XK120 / Jaguar 3.4LF. Lobb51
159 Flag of Australia (converted).svg Ted McKinnon Maserati 6C / Maserati 1.5LE.D. McKinnon50
1642 Flag of Australia (converted).svg John Nind MG TB Special / MG 1.3LJ.P. Nind45
1760 Flag of Australia (converted).svg Bill Patterson Cooper Mk.V / JAP 0.5LEcurie Australie43
1831 Flag of Australia (converted).svg Syd Negus Plymouth Special / Plymouth 3.1LS.A. Negus39
Ret2 Flag of Australia (converted).svg Stan Jones Maybach Special Mk.1 / Maybach 4.3LEcurie Australie58
Ret34 Flag of Australia (converted).svg John Calvert Jaguar XK120 / Jaguar 3.4LJ. Calvert52
Ret28 Flag of Australia (converted).svg Les O'Donaghue Ballot / Oldsmobile 3.9LL.F. O'Donoghue48
Ret6 Flag of Australia (converted).svg Peter Vennermark
Flag of Australia (converted).svg Cec Warren [6]
Maserati 4CL / Maserati 1.5LC. Warren41
Ret65 Flag of Australia (converted).svg Harry Thompson
Flag of Australia (converted).svg Wal Gillespie [7]
HRG SpecialH. Thompson39
Ret15 Flag of Australia (converted).svg Bill WilcoxFord V8 Special / Ford 4.3LW. Wilcox37
Ret55 [2] Flag of Australia (converted).svg Ron Phillips Allard K2 / Ford 4.4LJ.H. Phillips34
Ret57 [2] Flag of Australia (converted).svg Haig Hurst Allard K2 / Ford 4.4LH.W. Hurst29
Ret25 Flag of Australia (converted).svg Phillip Catlin Bugatti T51A / Bugatti 1.5LP.C. Catlin23
Ret27 Flag of Australia (converted).svg Phil HarrisonDodge Special / Dodge 4.0LP.G. Harrison22
Ret64 Flag of Australia (converted).svg Silvio Masolla [8] HRG Special / HRG 1.5LS. Massola19
Ret10 Flag of Australia (converted).svg W.H. HayesFord V8 Special / Ford 4.4LW.H. Hayes17
Ret11 Flag of Australia (converted).svg Ted Gray Alta / Ford 4.3LE. Gray13
Ret18 Flag of Australia (converted).svg Don McDonald Austin A40 Special / Austin 1.3LWeir and Male Motors13
Ret24 Flag of Australia (converted).svg Reg Nutt Talbot-Darracq / Talbot 1.5LR.J. Nutt11
Ret37 Flag of Australia (converted).svg Peter McKenna BMW 328 / BMW 2.0LP. McKenna11
Ret39 Flag of Australia (converted).svg Jack O'DeaMG Special / MG 1.3LJ.H. O'Dea8
Ret [9] 45 Flag of Australia (converted).svg Gordon Greig Cooper Mk.IV / JAP G. Greig8
Ret56 [2] Flag of Australia (converted).svg Vin Maloney MG TC Special / MG 1.3LV. Moloney5
Ret20 Flag of Australia (converted).svg Jim Gullan MG K3 / MG 1.1LJ. Gullan3
Ret12 Flag of Australia (converted).svg Arthur Chick Bugatti T37 / Bugatti 2.0LA.E. Chick3
Ret3 Flag of Australia (converted).svg Lex Davison HWM F2 / Jaguar 3.4LEcurie Australie1
DNS [10] 5 Flag of Australia (converted).svg Jack Brabham Cooper / Bristol 2.0LJ.A. Brabham-

Notes

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References

  1. Racing into history, A look back at the 1953 Australian Grand Prix at Albert Park, Australian Grand Prix Corporation, 2013, page 6
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 Official Souvenir Programme, XVIIIth Australian Grand Prix
  3. Howard, Graham (1986). "1953". In Howard, Graham (ed.). The Official 50-race history of the Australian Grand Prix. Gordon, NSW: R & T Publishing. pp. 182–191. ISBN   0-9588464-0-5.
  4. Australian Grand Prix 1953 - Laps Completed, The official history of the Australian Grand Prix - 80 Races
  5. 1 2 Alf Barrett: ‘The Maestro’: Alfa Romeo 8C2300 Monza, primotipo.com Retrieved 21 November 2015
  6. The Official 50-race history of the Australian Grand Prix page 189 states that Peter Vennermark drove Warren's car at the start and page 190 states that Vennermark handed over to Warren during the race.
  7. The Official 50-race history of the Australian Grand Prix page 189 states that Thompson and Gillespie both drove car 65.
  8. The Official 50-race history of the Australian Grand Prix uses both Messola and Massolla. The Official Programme uses Massola.
  9. Gordon Greig is listed as a DNS in the Entry List on page 191 of in The Official 50-race history of the Australian Grand Prix, but is also listed under Retirements on the same page. Greig is shown on the Laps Completed chart in The official history of the Australian Grand Prix - 80 Races
  10. Brabham is mentioned as a non-starter (due to mechanical problems in practice) on page 186 of The Official 50-race history of the Australian Grand Prix.
  11. Official Programme, Sandown, 9 February 1964, page 23
Preceded by Australian Grand Prix
1953
Succeeded by