Scuderia Veloce

Last updated

Scuderia Veloce won a number of major Australian Sports Car endurance races with this Ferrari 250 LM seen in 2014 1964 Ferrari 250LM (Ralph Lauren), Lime Rock 2014.jpg
Scuderia Veloce won a number of major Australian Sports Car endurance races with this Ferrari 250 LM seen in 2014

Scuderia Veloce was an Australian motor racing team founded by journalist racer David McKay and his chief mechanic Bob Atkin. The team, which competed in many motor racing categories in the 1960s, is regarded as the first professional motor racing operation in Australia. It was based in Wahroonga on Sydney's upper North Shore. It later became a motor car dealership Specialising in Volvo, Porsche and Ferrari with Bob Atkin as the Managing Director.

Chris Amon won both the 1969 New Zealand and Australian Grands Prix and the 1969 Tasman Series driving a Dino 246 Tasmania for Scuderia Veloce Amon-AGP-Graham-Ruckert.jpg
Chris Amon won both the 1969 New Zealand and Australian Grands Prix and the 1969 Tasman Series driving a Dino 246 Tasmania for Scuderia Veloce

McKay gained prominence as a racing driver and as a motoring writer during the 1950s. He won many races including the inaugural Australian Touring Car Championship in 1960 driving a Jaguar Mark 1.

McKay's operation began sporting the Scuderia Veloce name in 1960, following a change of sponsorship from Ampol to Castrol. [1] It ran Cooper-Climax, then Brabham-Climax open racings cars in the Tasman Series, Australian Grand Prix and Australian Drivers' Championship. In 1969 the team was Ferrari's official Tasman Series team and had Chris Amon and Derek Bell in the drivers seats. The venture was a success with Amon winning the 1969 Tasman Series, which included winning the Australian Grand Prix at Lakeside and New Zealand Grand Prix at Pukekohe.

Scuderia Veloce also competed in Appendix J Touring Cars running a variety of cars, as well as competing in Sports Car racing with Ferraris. A Scuderia Veloce entered Ferrari 250 LM won the 1965 Six Hour Le Mans, the 1966 Rothmans 12 Hour International Sports Car Race, the 1967 Rothmans 12 Hour and the 1968 Surfers Paradise 6 Hour.

As well as his own racing efforts, McKay supported several drivers including Brian Muir and Greg Cusack, although the driver most associated with SV would be Spencer Martin.

Tasman Series results

YearEntrantChassisDriver12345678RankPoints
1964 Scuderia Veloce Brabham BT4 Flag of the United Kingdom.svg Graham Hill LEV PUK WIGTER SAN WAR
4
LAKLON
1
6th12
Brabham BT6 Flag of Australia (converted).svg Greg Cusack LEV PUK WIGTER SAN WAR
11
LAK
7
LON
10
-0
1965 Scuderia Veloce Repco Brabham BT11A Flag of the United Kingdom.svg Graham Hill Puk
1
Lev
-
Wig
-
Ter
-
War
5
San
Ret
Lon
4
7th14
1966 Scuderia Veloce Repco Brabham BT11A Flag of Australia (converted).svg Spencer Martin Puk
Ret
Lev
3
Wig
4
Ter
Ret
War
5
Lak
Ret
San
Ret
Lon
5
7th11
1969 Scuderia Veloce Dino 246 Tasmania Flag of New Zealand.svg Chris Amon PUK
1
LEV
1
WIG
3
TER
3
LAK
1
WAR
Ret
SAN
1
1st44
Flag of the United Kingdom.svg Derek Bell PUK
4
LEV
Ret
WIG
5
TER
5
LAK
2
WAR
2
SAN
5
4th21

Related Research Articles

Scuderia Ferrari S.p.A. is the racing division of luxury Italian auto manufacturer Ferrari and the racing team that competes in Formula One racing. The team is also known by the nickname "The Prancing Horse", in reference to their logo. It is the oldest surviving and most successful Formula One team, having competed in every world championship since the 1950 Formula One season. The team was founded by Enzo Ferrari, initially to race cars produced by Alfa Romeo. However, by 1947 Ferrari had begun building its own cars. Among its important achievements outside Formula One are winning the World Sportscar Championship, 24 Hours of Le Mans, 24 Hours of Spa, 24 Hours of Daytona, 12 Hours of Sebring, Bathurst 12 Hour, races for Grand tourer cars and racing on road courses of the Targa Florio, the Mille Miglia and the Carrera Panamericana. The team is also known for its passionate support base, known as the tifosi. The Italian Grand Prix at Monza is regarded as the team's home race.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">John Surtees</span> British motorcycle and automobile racer (1934–2017)

John Norman Surtees, was a British Grand Prix motorcycle road racer and Formula One driver. On his way to become a seven-time Grand Prix motorcycle World Champion, he won his first title in 1956, and followed with three consecutive doubles between 1958 and 1960, winning six World Championships in both the 500 and 350cc classes. Surtees then made the move to the pinnacle of Motorsport, the Formula 1 World Championship, and in 1964 made motor racing history by becoming the F1 World Champion. To this day Surtees remains the only person to have won World Championships on both two and four wheels. He founded the Surtees Racing Organisation team that competed as a constructor in Formula One, Formula 2 and Formula 5000 from 1970 to 1978. He was also the ambassador of the Racing Steps Foundation.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Denny Hulme</span> New Zealand racing driver

Denis Clive Hulme was a New Zealand racing driver who won the 1967 Formula One World Drivers' Championship for the Brabham team. Between his debut at Monaco in 1965 and his final race in the 1974 US Grand Prix, he started 112 Grand Prix, resulting eight victories and 33 trips to the podium. He also finished third in the overall standing in 1968 and 1972.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Chris Amon</span> New Zealand racing driver (1943–2016)

Christopher Arthur Amon was a New Zealand motor racing driver. He was active in Formula One racing in the 1960s and 1970s, and is widely regarded as one of the best F1 drivers never to win a championship Grand Prix. His reputation for bad luck was such that fellow driver Mario Andretti once joked that "if he became an undertaker, people would stop dying". Former Ferrari Technical Director Mauro Forghieri stated that Amon was "by far the best test driver I have ever worked with. He had all the qualities to be a World Champion but bad luck just wouldn't let him be".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">1966 Formula One season</span> 20th season of FIA Formula One motor racing

The 1966 Formula One season was the 20th season of FIA Formula One motor racing. It featured the 1966 World Championship of Drivers and the 1966 International Cup for F1 Manufacturers which were contested concurrently over a nine-race series that commenced on 22 May and ended on 23 October. The season saw the "return to power" with the introduction of the '3 litre formula', doubling maximum engine capacity from 1.5 litres. Jack Brabham won the World Championship of Drivers and Brabham-Repco was awarded the International Cup for F1 Manufacturers.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jo Siffert</span> Swiss racing driver

Joseph Siffert was a Swiss racing driver.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lorenzo Bandini</span> Italian motor racing driver

Lorenzo Bandini was an Italian motor racing driver who raced in Formula One for the Scuderia Centro Sud and Ferrari teams.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Derek Bell (racing driver)</span> British racing driver

Derek Reginald Bell is a British racing driver. In sportscar racing, he won the Le Mans 24 hours five times, the Daytona 24 three times and the World Sportscar Championship twice. He also raced in Formula One for the Ferrari, Wheatcroft, McLaren, Surtees and Tecno teams. He has been described by fellow racer Hans-Joachim Stuck as one of the most liked drivers of his generation.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tasman Series</span> 1964–1975, a motor racing series in Australia and New Zealand

The Tasman Series was a motor racing competition held annually from 1964 to 1975 over a series of races in New Zealand and Australia. It was named after the Tasman Sea which lies between the two countries. The Tasman Series races were held in January through to late February or early March of each year, during the Formula One off season, taking advantage of winter in the Northern Hemisphere to attract many top drivers to summer in the south. The Tasman Cup was the permanent trophy awarded to the winning driver.

Alexander Nicholas Davison was a racing driver who won the Australian Grand Prix four times between 1954 and 1961 and won the Australian Drivers' Championship in 1957. He drove HWM-Jaguar, Ferrari, Aston Martin and Cooper-Climax grand prix cars.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cooper T51</span> Formula One racing car

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.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Longford Circuit</span>

The Longford Circuit was a temporary motor racing course laid out on public roads at Longford, 23-kilometre (14 mi) south-west of Launceston in Tasmania, Australia. It was located on the northern edges of the town and its 7.242 km (4.500 mi) lap passed under a railway line viaduct, crossed the South Esk River via the wooden Kings Bridge, turned hard right at the doorstep of the Longford Hotel, passed over the railway line using a level crossing and traversed the South Esk again via another wooden structure, the Long Bridge.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">1969 Australian Grand Prix</span> Motor car race

The 1969 Australian Grand Prix was a motor race held at Lakeside in Queensland, Australia on 2 February 1969. The race was promoted by the Queensland Motor Sports Club and was open to Australian National Formula cars and Australian Formula 2 cars. It was the thirty fourth Australian Grand Prix and was race five of the 1969 Tasman Championship.

The 1969 Tasman Series was a motor racing competition staged in New Zealand and Australia for cars complying with the Tasman Formula. The series, which commenced on 4 January 1969 and ended on 16 February 1969 after seven rounds, was the sixth annual Tasman Series. It was won by Chris Amon, driving a Dino 246 Tasmania.

The Holden Dealer Racing Team was an Australian motor racing team, covertly backed by General Motors-Holden's through their dealer network so as to get around GM's worldwide ban on the company being involved in motorsport. The HDRT contested the 1968 Hardie-Ferodo 500 endurance race at the Mount Panorama Circuit, Bathurst, as well as the 1968 London-Sydney Marathon using GMH's latest car, the Holden HK Monaro.

The Rothmans International Series was an Australian motor racing series which was staged annually from 1976 to 1979. Initially open to Australian Formula 1 cars, for the final year it was for ‘’Australian Formula 5000’’, ‘’World Formula 1’’ and ‘’Australian Formula Pacific’’ cars.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">George Reynolds (racing driver)</span>

George Reynolds was an Australian racing driver.

David McKay was an Australian journalist and prominent motoring identity.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">1965 New Zealand Grand Prix</span> Motor car race

The 1965 New Zealand Grand Prix was a motor race held at the Pukekohe Park Raceway on 9 January 1965. The race was held over 50 laps of the 3.5 km (2.2 mi) combined circuit for a total distance of 175 km (110 mi). The Grand Prix was run for open wheel racing cars, specifically conforming to either the 2.5 litre Tasman Formula regulations or the 1.6 litre New Zealand National Formula regulations.

Spencer Martin is an Australian championship-winning racing driver. Martin's short career was highlighted by two Australian Drivers' Championship victories in 1966 and 1967, racing for Bob Jane Racing.

References

  1. Barry Lake, Gentleman racer, Motor Racing Australia, No 84, Feb/Mar 2005, pages 75-78