1959 Australian Grand Prix

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1959 Australian Grand Prix
Race 3 of 12 in 1959 Australian Drivers' Championship
Longford Circuit track map.jpg
Race details
Date2 March 1959
Location Longford Circuit, Longford, Tasmania
Course Temporary road circuit
Course length 7.242 km (4.501 mi)
Distance 25 laps, 175 km (110 mi)
Weather Sunny
Pole position
Driver Maserati
Fastest lap
Driver Flag of Australia (converted).svg Arnold Glass Maserati
Time 2'27
Podium
First Maserati
Second
  • Flag of Australia (converted).svg Len Lukey
Cooper-Climax
Third
  • Flag of Australia (converted).svg Arnold Glass
Maserati

The 1959 Australian Grand Prix was a Formula Libre motor race [1] held at the Longford Circuit in Tasmania, Australia on 2 March 1959.

Contents

The race, which had 13 starters, was the twenty fourth Australian Grand Prix and the third race of the 1959 Australian Drivers' Championship. Stan Jones won his only AGP, breaking through after years of trying with the Maybach series of specials to win in his Maserati 250F, in what would be the last Australian Grand Prix victory for a front-engined car.

The grid for the Grand Prix was determined by race times set in two qualifying races on the Saturday prior to the main race. The first heat was won by Doug Whiteford from Arnold Glass and Bill Patterson. The second heat was won by Jones in a race time almost 20 seconds shorter than Whiteford's, giving him the pole position, from Len Lukey and Alec Mildren.

Classification

A Maserati 250F, similar to the car driven to victory in the 1959 Australian Grand Prix by Stan Jones Maserati 250F.jpg
A Maserati 250F, similar to the car driven to victory in the 1959 Australian Grand Prix by Stan Jones

Results as follows. [2]

PosNo.DriverCarEntrant [3] LapsTime
11 Flag of Australia (converted).svg Stan Jones Maserati 250F / Maserati 2.5LStan Jones Motors Pty Ltd251h 11m 44s
25 Flag of Australia (converted).svg Len Lukey Cooper T45 / Climax FPE 2.0LLukey Mufflers Pty Ltd251h 11m 46s
37 Flag of Australia (converted).svg Arnold Glass Maserati 250F / Maserati 2.5LCapitol Motors251h 13m 21s
44 Flag of Australia (converted).svg Alec Mildren Cooper T43 / Climax FPF 2.0LAG Mildren Pty Ltd251h 13m 50s
56 Flag of Australia (converted).svg Alan Jack Cooper T39 / Climax FPE 1.5LA Jack21
614 Flag of Australia (converted).svg Lyn Archer Cooper T39 / Climax 1.1LEcurie van Diemen20
Ret74 Flag of Australia (converted).svg Max Stephens Cooper T40 / Bristol 2.0LMax Stephens' Palm Grove Car Centre18
Ret56 Flag of Australia (converted).svg Ron Phillips Cooper T33 [4] / Jaguar 3.8LJ & R Phillips13
Ret19 Flag of Australia (converted).svg John Roxburgh Cooper T41 / Climax 1.5LKingsbridge Service13
Ret60 Flag of Australia (converted).svg Austin MillerMiller Special / Climax FWB 1.5LVictorian Amateur Drivers Club Inc8
Ret3 Flag of Australia (converted).svg Ted GrayTornado Mk.II / Chevrolet 4.6LLou Abrahams4
Ret44 Flag of Australia (converted).svg John Lanyon MG TC Special / MG 1.3L S/c [5] Victorian Amateur Drivers Club Inc0
Ret26 Flag of Australia (converted).svg Doug Whiteford Maserati 300S / Maserati 3.0LDoug Whiteford0
DNS75 [5] Flag of Australia (converted).svg Bill Patterson Cooper T43 [5] / Climax FPF 1.8LBill Patterson Motors Pty Ltd
DNQ [5] 55 [5] Flag of Australia (converted).svg John Youl [5] Wylie Javelin [5] / Jowett 1.5L S/c [5] John C Youl

Notes

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References

  1. Official Yearbook of Motor Sport in Australia - 1959, published by authority of CAMS, The Australian Grand Prix - page 43
  2. 1 2 Howard, Graham (1986). "1959". In Howard, Graham (ed.). The Official 50-race history of the Australian Grand Prix. Gordon, NSW: R & T Publishing. pp. 248–255. ISBN   0-9588464-0-5.
  3. Souvenir Programme, Australian Grand Prix, Longford Circuit, (1959), page 29
  4. John B Blanden, Cooper Type 33 Jaguar, Historic Racing Cars in Australia, 1979, page 128
  5. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 1959 Gold Star Races, dandsshaw, as archived at web.archive.org
  6. 1 2 3 4 1959 Australian Grand Prix, Australian Motors Sports, March 1959, pages 98 to 101, page 118 & page 126
  7. 1959 Australian Grand Prix, Australian Motor Sport Review 1958-59, pages 86 & 87

Further reading

Preceded by
1958 Australian Grand Prix
Australian Grand Prix
1959
Succeeded by
1960 Australian Grand Prix