1972 Australian Grand Prix

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1972 Australian Grand Prix
Race 7 of 8 in 1972 Tasman Series
Race details
Date20 February 1972
Official name XXXVII Australian Grand Prix
Location Sandown Raceway, Melbourne, Victoria
Course Permanent racing facility
Course length 3.1 km (1.92 miles)
Distance 52 laps, 161.2 km (99.84 miles)
Weather Sunny
Pole position
Driver Matich-Repco Holden
Time 1'01.3
Fastest lap
Driver Flag of New Zealand.svg Graham McRae Leda-Chevrolet
Time 1'02.4
Podium
First Leda-Chevrolet
Second Lola-Chevrolet
Third McLaren-Chevrolet

The 1972 Australian Grand Prix was a motor race for cars complying with the Tasman Formula, which admitted both Formula 5000 and 2-litre racing cars. It was held at Sandown International Raceway, Victoria, Australia on 20 February 1972.

Contents

The race was the thirty seventh Australian Grand Prix and it was held only 3 months after the 1971 race. It was also round seven of the 1972 Tasman Series. The race had 19 starters.

Defending winner Frank Matich started the race from pole position in his Repco Holden powered Matich A50 which had won the 1971 race on debut. New Zealand's Graham McRae started alongside Matich on the front row in his Leda GM1-Chevrolet.

Matich led from the start but was out after just 5 laps with a failed scavenge pump. McRae recorded the first of three AGP wins (all won at Sandown) by 3 seconds from the Lola T300-Chevrolet of Frank Gardner who had qualified 3rd. British International driver David Hobbs finished 3rd in his McLaren M18/M22-Chevrolet after starting from 4th on the grid.

McRae's win gave him an unassailable points lead in the 1972 Tasman Series with one round remaining.

Classification

Graham McRae won the race driving a Leda GM1, later to be known as the McRae GM1 (pictured above in 2008) McRae-Chevrolet GM1 - Flickr - exfordy.jpg
Graham McRae won the race driving a Leda GM1, later to be known as the McRae GM1 (pictured above in 2008)

Results as follows: [1] [2]

Qualifying

PosNo [3] DriverCarEntrant [3] QualGap
13 Flag of Australia (converted).svg Frank Matich Matich A50 / Repco Holden 5.0L V8 Frank Matich Pty. Ltd.1:01.3
222 Flag of New Zealand.svg Graham McRae Leda GM1 / Chevrolet 5.0L V8 Grid International (N.Z.) Ltd.1:01.8+0.5
31 Flag of Australia (converted).svg Frank Gardner Lola T300 / Chevrolet 5.0L V8 Lola Cars Ltd. 1:01.8+0.5
410 Flag of the United Kingdom.svg David Hobbs McLaren M22 / Chevrolet 5.0L V8 Hobbs Racing London1:02.3+1.0
54 Flag of Australia (converted).svg Bob Muir Lola T300 / Chevrolet 5.0L V8 Robert Muir Motors P/L1:02.7+1.4
69 Flag of Australia (converted).svg John McCormack Elfin MR5 / Repco Holden 5.0L V8 Team Elfin 1:02.8+1.5
72 Flag of the United Kingdom.svg Mike Hailwood Surtees TS8A / Chevrolet 5.0L V8 Team Surtees 1:03.0+1.7
834 Flag of Belgium (civil).svg Teddy Pilette McLaren M10B / Chevrolet 5.0L V8 Racing Team V.D.S.1:03.2+1.9
95 Flag of Australia (converted).svg Kevin Bartlett McLaren M10B / Chevrolet 5.0L V8 Kevin Bartlett Shell Racing1:03.5+2.2
1012 Flag of Australia (converted).svg Warwick Brown McLaren M10B / Chevrolet 5.0L V8 Pat Burke Racing1:03.9+2.6
116 Flag of Australia (converted).svg Max Stewart Elfin MR5 / Repco Holden 5.0L V8 Max Stewart Motors - Seiko Service Centre1:04.4+3.1
1276 Flag of Australia (converted).svg John Harvey Brabham BT36 / Waggott 2.0L I4 Bob Jane Racing 1:05.2+3.9
138 Flag of Australia (converted).svg Garrie Cooper Elfin MR5 / Repco Holden 5.0L V8 Team Elfin 1:05.3+4.0
1450 Flag of New Zealand.svg Frank Radisich McLaren M10B / Repco Holden 5.0L V8 Henderson Central Motors1:06.5+5.2
1530 Flag of Canada (Pantone).svg Dave McConnell GRD 272 / Hart 2.0L I4 D.W.M. Racing Ltd.1:07.1+5.8
1611 Flag of Australia (converted).svg Colin Hyams Lola T192 / Chevrolet 5.0L V8 Colin Hyams1:08.2+6.9
1717 Flag of Australia (converted).svg Gary Campbell Elfin 600B / Waggott 2.0L I4 Provincial Motors P/L1:08.3+7.0
1860 Flag of New Zealand.svg Robbie Francevic McLaren M10A / Chevrolet 5.0L V8 Wright Machinery Ltd.1:10.2+8.9
1915 Flag of Australia (converted).svg Tony Stewart Mildren (Rennmax) / Waggott 1.9L I4 Max Stewart Motors - Seiko Service Centre1:11.5+10.2

Race

PosNo. [3] DriverCarEntrant [3] LapsTime
122 Flag of New Zealand.svg Graham McRae Leda GM1 / Chevrolet 5.0L V8Grid International (N.Z.) Ltd.5254m 59.4s
21 Flag of Australia (converted).svg Frank Gardner Lola T300 / Chevrolet 5.0L V8 Lola Cars Ltd. 5255m 02.1s
310 Flag of the United Kingdom.svg David Hobbs McLaren M18/M22 / Chevrolet 5.0L V8Hobbs Racing London5255m 11.8s
42 Flag of the United Kingdom.svg Mike Hailwood Surtees TS8A / Chevrolet 5.0L V8 Team Surtees 51
512 Flag of Australia (converted).svg Warwick Brown McLaren M10B / Chevrolet 5.0L V8Pat Burke Racing50
634 Flag of Belgium (civil).svg Teddy Pilette McLaren M10B / Chevrolet 5.0L V8Racing Team V.D.S.50
776 Flag of Australia (converted).svg John Harvey Brabham BT36 / Waggott 2.0L 4cyl Bob Jane Racing 50
860 Flag of New Zealand.svg Robbie Francevic McLaren M10A / Chevrolet 5.0L V8Wright Machinery Ltd.49
98 Flag of Australia (converted).svg Garrie Cooper Elfin MR5 / Repco Holden 5.0L V8 Team Elfin 49
1030 Flag of Canada (Pantone).svg Dave McConnell GRD 272 / Hart 2.0L 4cylD.W.M. Racing Ltd.49
1117 Flag of Australia (converted).svg Gary Campbell Elfin 600B / Waggott 2.0L 4cylProvincial Motors P/L47
1215 Flag of Australia (converted).svg Tony Stewart Mildren (Rennmax) / Waggott 1.9L 4cylMax Stewart Motors - Seiko Service Centre44
1350 Flag of New Zealand.svg Frank Radisich McLaren M10B / Repco Holden 5.0L V8Henderson Central Motors26
Ret11 Flag of Australia (converted).svg Colin Hyams Lola T192 / Chevrolet 5.0L V8Colin Hyams30
Ret4 Flag of Australia (converted).svg Bob Muir Lola T300 / Chevrolet 5.0L V8Robert Muir Motors P/L19engine
Ret6 Flag of Australia (converted).svg Max Stewart Elfin MR5 / Repco Holden 5.0L V8Max Stewart Motors - Seiko Service Centre16engine
Ret5 Flag of Australia (converted).svg Kevin Bartlett McLaren M10B / Chevrolet 5.0L V8Kevin Bartlett Shell Racing6transmission
Ret3 Flag of Australia (converted).svg Frank Matich Matich A50 / Repco Holden 5.0L V8Frank Matich Pty. Ltd.5scavenge pump
Ret9 Flag of Australia (converted).svg John McCormack Elfin MR5 / Repco Holden 5.0L V8 Team Elfin 4gearbox

Notes

References

  1. Sergent, Bruce. "1972 Rounds 5–8 Australia". Archived from the original on 28 August 2008. Retrieved 7 October 2008.
  2. 1 2 Wilson, Stewart (1986). "1972". In Howard, Graham (ed.). The Official 50-race history of the Australian Grand Prix. Gordon, NSW: R & T Publishing. pp. 362–368. ISBN   0-9588464-0-5.
  3. 1 2 3 4 Official Programme, 37th Australian Grand Prix, Sandown
  4. Wolfgang Klopfer, Formula 5000 in Australia & New Zealand, Race by Race, page 89
  5. Racing Car News Championship Yearbook No.1, page 30
Preceded by Australian Grand Prix
1972
Succeeded by