1968 Tasman Series

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The 1968 Tasman Championship for Drivers was a motor racing series contested over eight races during January, February and March 1968, with four races held in New Zealand and four in Australia. [1] The championship was open to Racing Cars fitted with unsupercharged engines with a capacity equal or inferior to 2500cc. [1] It was the fifth annual Tasman Championship.

The championship won by Jim Clark, driving a Lotus 49T. [2]

It was the third and final Tasman Championship win for Clark who was killed in a Formula 2 crash on the ultra fast Hockenheim circuit in West Germany just over a month after the series concluded. Clark won the last of his twelve career Tasman Series wins when he won the 1968 Australian Grand Prix at the Sandown Raceway in Melbourne, only 0.1 seconds in front of the Dino 246 Tasmania of Chris Amon after a famous duel between the pair.

Reigning 1967 Formula One World Champion Denny Hulme finished equal seventh in the series in his Formula 2 Brabham with a best finish of third in Round 3 for the Lady Wigram Trophy, his first race of the series.

Schedule

RoundNameCircuitDateWinning driverWinning carWinning teamReport
New
Zealand
1 New Zealand Grand Prix Pukekohe 6 January Flag of New Zealand.svg Chris Amon Dino 246 Tasmania C.Amon Report
2Levin International Levin 13 January Flag of New Zealand.svg Chris Amon Dino 246 Tasmania C.Amon Report
3 Lady Wigram Trophy Wigram 20 January Flag of the United Kingdom.svg Jim Clark Lotus 49T Team Lotus Report
4Teretonga International Teretonga 27 January Flag of New Zealand.svg Bruce McLaren BRM P126 Owen Racing Organisation Report
Australia5Surfers Paradise 100 Surfers Paradise 11 February Flag of the United Kingdom.svg Jim Clark Lotus 49T Team Lotus Report
6Warwick Farm International Warwick Farm 18 February Flag of the United Kingdom.svg Jim Clark Lotus 49T Team Lotus Report
7 Australian Grand Prix Sandown 25 February Flag of the United Kingdom.svg Jim Clark Lotus 49T Team Lotus Report
8South Pacific Trophy Longford 4 March Flag of the United Kingdom.svg Piers Courage McLaren M4AP.Courage Report

Points system

Points were awarded at each race on the following basis: [1]

Position [1] 123456
Points [1] 964321

Championship placings were determined by the total number of points scored by a driver in all races. [1]

Championship standings

PosDriverCar [3] PukLevWigTerSurWarSanLonPts
1 Flag of the United Kingdom.svg Jim Clark Lotus 49T Cosworth RetRet12111544
2 Flag of New Zealand.svg Chris Amon Dino 246 Tasmania 1124Ret42736
3 Flag of the United Kingdom.svg Piers Courage McLaren M4A Cosworth 3245335134
4 Flag of the United Kingdom.svg Graham Hill Lotus 49T Cosworth 223617
= Flag of Australia (converted).svg Frank Gardner Brabham BT23D Alfa Romeo 2RetRet39Ret4317
6 Flag of New Zealand.svg Bruce McLaren BRM P126 RetRet5111
7 Flag of Mexico.svg Pedro Rodríguez BRM P126
BRM P261
RetRet6Ret106Ret28
= Flag of New Zealand.svg Denny Hulme Brabham BT23 Cosworth 36659DNS8
9 Flag of New Zealand.svg Jim Palmer McLaren M4A Cosworth 43783
10 Flag of the United Kingdom.svg Richard Attwood BRM P126 RetRet644
11 Flag of Australia (converted).svg Leo Geoghegan Lotus 39 Repco 4Ret7DNS3
= Flag of New Zealand.svg Roly Levis Brabham BT18 Ford 848103
13 Flag of Australia (converted).svg Kevin Bartlett Brabham BT11A Coventry Climax 5Ret8DNS2
= Flag of New Zealand.svg Red Dawson Brabham BT7A Coventry Climax Ret59DNS2
= Flag of Australia (converted).svg Paul Bolton Brabham BT22 Coventry Climax [4] 5RetRet2
16 Flag of New Zealand.svg Graeme Lawrence Brabham BT18 Ford 69Ret91
= Flag of New Zealand.svg Bill Stone Brabham BT6 Ford 10610Ret0
Flag of New Zealand.svg Bryan Faloon Brabham BT4 Coventry Climax 7713DNS0
Flag of New Zealand.svg David Oxton Brabham BT16 Ford Ret10Ret70
Flag of Australia (converted).svg Glyn Scott Lotus 27 Ford 7100
Flag of Australia (converted).svg Jack Brabham Brabham BT21E Repco 7Ret0
Flag of Australia (converted).svg John Harvey Brabham BT11A Coventry Climax RetRet80
Flag of New Zealand.svg Frank Radisich Lotus 22 Ford 8DNS0
Flag of Australia (converted).svg Malcolm Aldred Lotus 22 Ford 80
Flag of Australia (converted).svg Alfredo Costanzo Elfin Mono Ford 80
Flag of New Zealand.svg John Nicholson Lotus 27 Ford 9DNS0
Flag of Australia (converted).svg Ian Ferguson Lotus 27 Ford 90
Flag of Australia (converted).svg John McCormack Brabham BT4 Coventry Climax 90
Flag of New Zealand.svg Ken Smith Lotus 41 Ford 12DNS11Ret0
Flag of New Zealand.svg Don MacDonald Brabham BT10 Ford 1112DNQ0
Flag of New Zealand.svg Graham McRae Brabham BT6 Ford Ret14Ret0
Flag of New Zealand.svg Peter Yock Lotus 33 BRM RetRetDNQRet0
Flag of New Zealand.svg Vince Anderson Brabham BT11A Coventry Climax Ret0
Flag of New Zealand.svg Grahame Harvey Brabham BT6 Ford Ret0
Flag of Australia (converted).svg Greg Cusack Brabham BT23 Repco RetRetRetDNS0
Flag of Australia (converted).svg Brian Page Brabham BT6 Ford RetRet0
Flag of Australia (converted).svg Max Stewart Rennmax Ford Ret0
Flag of Australia (converted).svg Fred Gibson Brabham Coventry Climax Ret0
Flag of Australia (converted).svg Mel McEwin Lotus 32B Coventry Climax Ret0
Flag of New Zealand.svg Tony Batchelor Brabham BT6 Ford DNS0
PosDriverCarPukLevWigTerSurWarSanLonPts
ColourResult
GoldWinner
SilverSecond place
BronzeThird place
GreenPoints finish
BlueNon-points finish
Non-classified finish (NC)
PurpleRetired (Ret)
RedDid not qualify (DNQ)
Did not pre-qualify (DNPQ)
BlackDisqualified (DSQ)
WhiteDid not start (DNS)
Withdrew (WD)
Race cancelled (C)
BlankDid not practice (DNP)
Did not arrive (DNA)
Excluded (EX)

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References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 6 The Tasman Championship for Drivers – Season 1968, 1968 CAMS Manual of Motor Sport, pages 66 to 69
  2. IX South Pacific Trophy, www.tasman-series.com, as archived at web.archive.org
  3. Tasman Series 1968, www.sergent.com.au (linked round results pages) Retrieved 22 November 2017
  4. www.oldracingcars.com Retrieved 22 November 2017