Mildren (racing cars)

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The Mildren name was used on a series of racing vehicles constructed for, or acquired by, Australian racing team owner Alec Mildren during the 1960s and early 1970s.

Australia Country in Oceania

Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a sovereign country comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania and numerous smaller islands. It is the largest country in Oceania and the world's sixth-largest country by total area. The neighbouring countries are Papua New Guinea, Indonesia and East Timor to the north; the Solomon Islands and Vanuatu to the north-east; and New Zealand to the south-east. The population of 25 million is highly urbanised and heavily concentrated on the eastern seaboard. Australia's capital is Canberra, and its largest city is Sydney. The country's other major metropolitan areas are Melbourne, Brisbane, Perth and Adelaide.

Alec Mildren (1915–1998) was active in Australian motor racing as a driver from 1938 to 1961, and subsequently as the owner of Alec Mildren Racing.

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Mildren Maserati

The Mildren Maserati was a one-off sports car which was built in 1964, utilizing a clone of a Lotus 19 chassis with components from a Cooper T51 and a 2.9 litre Maserati Type 61 engine. [1] The chassis was constructed by Bob Britton, who also produced racing cars under the Rennmax name. [2] The car was driven to victory in the 1965 Victorian Sports Car Championship by Kevin Bartlett. [3] It was also favoured to win the 1965 Australian Tourist Trophy [4] in the hands of Frank Gardner, but it failed to start the race after an engine failure in a preliminary heat. [5]

The Lotus 19 or Monte Carlo is a mid-engine sports-racing car designed by Colin Chapman of Lotus and built from 1960 until 1962.

Cooper T51 racing automobile

The Cooper T51 was a Formula One and Formula Two racing car designed by Owen Maddock and built by the Cooper Car Company for the 1959 Formula One season. The T51 earned a significant place in motor racing history when Jack Brabham drove the car to become the first driver to win the World Championship of Drivers with an engine mounted behind them, in 1959. The T51 was raced in several configurations by various entrants until 1963 and in all no less than 38 drivers were entered to drive T51s in Grand Prix races.

Rennmax

The Rennmax name was applied to a series of open wheel racing cars and sports racing cars constructed by Rennmax Engineering in Sydney, Australia between 1962 and 1978. Rennmax Engineering was established by Bob Britton in 1961, its name derived from the German word "Renn", meaning race and the abbreviation "max", for maximum.

The Mildren Maserati was sold to Tasmanian Ross Ambrose in 1966 and was subsequently fitted with a 2.2-litre Coventry Climax engine and raced as the Rennmax-Climax. [1] In 1969 Ambrose had the car re-engined with a 4.4 litre Traco-Oldsmobile powerplant and then race it as the Traco-Rennmax. [1]

Tasmania island state of Australia

Tasmania is an island state of Australia. It is located 240 km (150 mi) to the south of the Australian mainland, separated by Bass Strait. The state encompasses the main island of Tasmania, the 26th-largest island in the world, and the surrounding 334 islands. The state has a population of around 526,700 as of March 2018. Just over forty percent of the population resides in the Greater Hobart precinct, which forms the metropolitan area of the state capital and largest city, Hobart.

Coventry Climax British forklift truck, fire pump, and speciality engine manufacturer

Coventry Climax was a British forklift truck, fire pump, racing, and other speciality engine manufacturer.

Oldsmobile car brand, originally of Olds Motor Works, and later General Motors

Oldsmobile was a brand of American automobiles produced for most of its existence by General Motors. Olds Motor Vehicle Co. was founded by Ransom E. Olds in 1897. It produced over 35 million vehicles, including at least 14 million built at its Lansing, Michigan factory. During its time as a division of General Motors, it slotted in the middle of GM's five divisions, and was noted for its testing of groundbreaking technology and designs, most notably the "Rocket V8" engine. In 1985, over 1 million Oldsmobiles were sold, but by the 1990s the division was tasked with competing with import brands. When it was shut down in 2004, Oldsmobile was the oldest surviving American automobile marque, and one of the oldest in the world, after Peugeot, MAN, and Tatra.

Mildren Waggott (Rennmax BN3)

Max Stewart won the 1971 Australian Drivers' Championship at the wheel of the Mildren Waggott Max Stewart Waggott TC4V 4 Graham Ruckert.jpg
Max Stewart won the 1971 Australian Drivers' Championship at the wheel of the Mildren Waggott

The Mildren Waggott was a space frame [6] open wheeler racing car built by Bob Britton for Alec Mildren Racing, as one of a number of cars built to the Rennmax BN3 design, which itself was derived from the Brabham BT23. [7] Originally powered by a 1.6 litre Alfa Romeo engine, the car was driven by Max Stewart in the 1969 Tasman Series and was subsequently fitted with a 1.6 litre Waggott. [7] Stewart drove the car to victory in the 1969 Australian Formula 2 Championship, the 1970 Australian Formula 2 Championship and the 1971 Australian Drivers' Championship, [8] with a 2.0 litre Waggott engine being used to win the third title. [9]

Space frame structure made of connected strands of metal, fiber, or other flexible/ductile material, with evenly spaced openings between them

In architecture and structural engineering, a space frame or space structure is a rigid, lightweight, truss-like structure constructed from interlocking struts in a geometric pattern. Space frames can be used to span large areas with few interior supports. Like the truss, a space frame is strong because of the inherent rigidity of the triangle; flexing loads are transmitted as tension and compression loads along the length of each strut. Steel space frames provide great freedom of expression and composition as well as the possibility to evenly distribute loads along each rod and external constraints. With these features, steel space frames can be used to achieve also complex geometries with a structural weight lower than any other solution. The inner highly hyper-static system provides an increased resistance to damages caused by fire, explosions, shocks and earthquakes. Space frames are modular and made of highly industrialized elements designed with a remarkable dimensional accuracy and precise surface finish.

Alfa Romeo Italian automotive manufacturer

Alfa Romeo Automobiles S.p.A. is an Italian luxury car manufacturer, founded by Frenchman Alexandre Darracq as A.L.F.A. on 24 June 1910, in Milan. The brand is known for sporty vehicles and has been involved in car racing since 1911.

Max Stewart Australian racing driver

Malcolm Clarke Stewart was an Australian racing driver. He was known as the "Jolly Green Giant" for his disposition and height.

Mildren Mono

The Mildren Mono was a monocoque open wheeler racing car which was designed by Len Bailey and built by Alan Mann Racing. [10] The car debuted in 1968 at Warwick Farm Raceway in the hands of Frank Gardner, powered by a 2.5 litre Alfa Romeo V8 engine. [10] Kevin Bartlett drove the car to victory in the 1969 Australian Drivers' Championship utilizing the Alfa Romeo engine and 4 cylinder, four valve per cylinder Waggott engines of 1850cc and 2 litre capacity. [10]

Monocoque Structural design that supports loads through an objects external skin

Monocoque, also structural skin, is a structural system where loads are supported through an object's external skin, similar to an egg shell. The word monocoque is a French term for "single shell" or "single hull". First used in boats, a true monocoque carries both tensile and compressive forces within the skin and can be recognised by the absence of a load-carrying internal frame.

Leonard Bailey was a British automobile designer.

Alan Mann Racing was a British motor racing team organised by Alan Mann, who was a part-time racing driver and team manager. The team ran a substantial part of the Ford works racing effort in Europe from 1964 to 1969, when it ceased operations. It was based in Byfleet, Surrey, near the Brooklands race circuit.

The Mono was later raced as a Ford powered Australian Formula 2 car by Ray Winter, [11] finishing third in the rain-effected 1975 Australian Grand Prix at Surfers Paradise against a field composed primarily of "Formula 5000" cars. [12]

Australian Formula 2

Australian Formula 2, sometimes abbreviated to AF2 or ANF2, is a "wings and slicks" formula racing category in Australia. The category is one of Australia's oldest, dating back to 1964. The current format of AF2 was introduced in 1978. Brian Shead of Cheetah Racing Cars and Garrie Cooper of Elfin Racing Cars were largely responsible for the development of the format, which was devised to suit the needs of Australian drivers, most of whom had little or no sponsorship and had to bear the costs of racing out of their own pockets.

The 1975 Australian Grand Prix was a motor race for Australian Formula 1 and Australian Formula 2 racing cars, held on a very wet track at the Surfers Paradise International Raceway in Queensland, Australia on 31 August 1975. It was the fortieth Australian Grand Prix and was also Round 1 of the 1975 Australian Drivers' Championship.

Surfers Paradise International Raceway

Surfers Paradise International Raceway was a motor racing complex at Gold Coast, Queensland, Australia. The 3.219 kilometres (2.000 mi) long circuit was designed and built by Keith Williams, a motor racing enthusiast who also designed and built the Adelaide International Raceway (AIR) in South Australia in 1972. It was located opposite the Surfers Paradise Ski Gardens at Carrara.

The car was commonly referred to as the "Yellow Submarine", [10] due to the Mildren team cars generally being painted yellow.

Mildren Chevrolet

The Mildren Chevrolet was a Chevrolet powered monocoque Formula 5000 racing car, designed by Len Bailey with assistance from Frank Gardner. [13] The car was driven by Kevin Bartlett in the 1970 Australian Grand Prix, but failed to finish. [14] It was also driven by Bartlett in the 1971 Tasman Series, with Bartlett placing seventh in that series. [13]

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Cooper Car Company auto racing team

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The 1952 Formula One season was the sixth season of FIA Formula One motor racing. In comparison to previous seasons, the 1952 season consisted of a relatively small number of Formula One races, following the decision to run all the Grand Prix events counting towards the World Championship of Drivers to Formula Two regulations rather than Formula One. The Indianapolis 500 was still run to AAA regulations as in previous seasons.

Coppa Acerbo automobile race held in Pescara, Italy

The Coppa Acerbo was an automobile race held in Italy, named after Tito Acerbo, the brother of Giacomo Acerbo, a prominent fascist politician. Following Italy's defeat in World War II, and the consequent demise of fascism, the race was renamed the Circuito di Pescara, and in some years was also referred to as the Pescara Grand Prix. The race was run between 1924 and 1961 and over the years was held to a variety of vehicle class regulations and durations. In 1957 the Pescara Grand Prix formed a round of the Formula One World Championship, a race which still holds the record as having the longest circuit length ever used for a Championship event.

Roberto Bussinello was a racing driver from Italy. He participated in three Formula One World Championship Grands Prix, debuting on 10 September 1961. He scored no championship points. He also participated in several non-Championship Formula One races.

Formula 5000 international motor racing format

Formula 5000 was an open wheel, single seater auto-racing formula that ran in different series in various regions around the world from 1968 to 1982. It was originally intended as a low-cost series aimed at open-wheel racing cars that no longer fit into any particular formula. The '5000' denomination comes from the maximum 5.0 litre engine capacity allowed in the cars, although many cars ran with smaller engines. Manufacturers included McLaren, Eagle, March, Lola, Lotus, Elfin, Matich and Chevron.

Alfa Romeo Tipo 33

The Alfa Romeo Tipo 33 was a sports racing prototype raced by the Alfa Romeo factory-backed team between 1967 and 1977. These cars took part for Sport Cars World Championship, Nordic Challenge Cup, Interserie and CanAm series. A small number of road going cars were derived from it in 1967, called Alfa Romeo 33 Stradale.

Kevin Bartlett (racing driver) Australian motor racing driver

Kevin Bartlett, often known by his nickname "KB", is an Australian former open wheel and touring car racing driver who won the Australian Drivers' Championship in 1968 and 1969, as well as the prestigious Bathurst 1000 in 1974. Bartlett was named in Wheels magazine's annual yearbook in 2004 as one of Australia's 50 greatest race drivers. He placed #15 on the list.

Alfa Romeo in Formula One auto racing team

Italian motor manufacturer Alfa Romeo has participated many times in Formula One. It currently participates as Alfa Romeo Racing while being operated by Sauber Motorsport AG. The brand has competed in motor racing as both a constructor and engine supplier sporadically between 1950 and 1987, and later as a commercial partner since 2015. The company's works drivers won the first two World Drivers' Championships in the pre-war Alfetta: Nino Farina in 1950; and Juan Manuel Fangio in 1951. Following these successes Alfa Romeo withdrew from Formula One.

The 1965 International 6 Hour Touring Car Race was a six-hour endurance race for touring cars held at the Sandown Park circuit in Victoria, Australia on 21 November 1965. The race, which was open to cars classified in Group 1 of international Appendix J, was the second in a sequence of races which would evolve into the Sandown 500. The race was won by Frank Gardner and Kevin Bartlett driving an Alfa Romeo TI Super entered by Alec Mildren Racing.

Warwick Farm Raceway former motor racing facility in New South Wales, Australia

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Lowood Airfield Circuit

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Leo Geoghegan Australian racing driver

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1960 Australian Grand Prix

The 1960 Australian Grand Prix was a motor race held at Lowood in Queensland, Australia on 12 June 1960. The race had 16 starters.

The Matich name was applied to a series of sports racing cars and open wheel racing cars produced in Australia between 1967 and 1974 under the direction of Sydney-based racing driver and engineer Frank Matich.

The 1969 Australian Drivers' Championship was a CAMS sanctioned Australian motor racing title for drivers of cars conforming to Australian National Formula or Australian Formula 2 regulations. The championship was contested over a six race series with the winner awarded the 1969 CAMS Gold Star. It was the thirteenth Australian Drivers' Championship to be awarded by CAMS.

Cooper T86 racing automobile

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References

  1. 1 2 3 Rennmax, www.oldracingcars.com Retrieved on 15 December 2012
  2. Alec Mildren Rennmax Maserati, www.motorsportarchive.com Retrieved on 15 December 2012
  3. Sandown Park, Australian Motor Sports and Automobiles, November 1965, page 46
  4. Mildren Maserati, Motor Racing Australia, No 100, October / November 2007, page 54
  5. Australian TT 1965, www.racingsportscars.com Retrieved on 15 December 2012
  6. Australian Gold Star 1969, www.oldracingcars.com Retrieved on 15 December 2012
  7. 1 2 Rennmax BN3, www.oldracingcars.com Retrieved on 15 December 2012
  8. Mildren Waggott information board image, www.flickr.com Retrieved on 15 December 2012
  9. John Brownsea, Stewart is 'Gold Star' Champ, Racing Car News, November 1971, page 58
  10. 1 2 3 4 Old Gold, Racing Car News, May 1989, pages 88 to 91
  11. Mildren Yellow Submarine, Motor Racing Australia No 100, October / November 2007, page 43
  12. The official 50-race history of the Australian Grand Prix, pages 388 to 395
  13. 1 2 1971 Season, www.sergent.com.au Retrieved on 15 December 2012
  14. The official 50-race history of the Australian Grand Prix, pages 346 to 352