1961 Armstrong 500

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The 1961 Armstrong 500 was an endurance motor race for standard production sedans. The event was held at the Phillip Island circuit in Victoria, Australia on 19 November 1961 over 167 laps of the 3.0 mile circuit, a total of 501 miles (807 km). The race was organised by the Light Car Club of Australia and was sponsored by Armstrong York Engineering Pty Ltd. [1]

It was the second event held in the combined history of the Bathurst 1000, which had begun the previous year with the first Armstrong 500. Interest had waned since the previous year with the entry for this year the lowest in the races history until the fields were restricted to V8 Supercars only in 1995.

Geoff Russell and David Anderson backed up their 1960 class victory in their Peugeot 403 by winning their class again. Bob Jane and Harry Firth were the only combination to complete the full race distance, earning the pair the first of their four outright race wins, although the concept of outright race win would not be officially recognised until 1965. Mercedes-Benz, Studebaker and Renault all took their first class wins.

Class structure

Class A

Class A was for cars with an engine capacity over 2600cc. The class featured Ford Customline, Studebaker Lark and Vauxhall Velox.

Class B

Class B was for cars with an engine capacity between 1601cc and 2600cc. The class featured Ford Falcon, Holden EK and Mercedes-Benz 220SE.

Class C

Class C was for cars with an engine capacity of between 1001cc and 1600cc. The class featured Morris Major, Peugeot 403, Simca Montlhery and Volkswagen 1200. [2]

Class D

Class D was for cars with an engine capacity of 1000cc or less. The class featured Ford Anglia, Morris 850, Renault Gordini and Triumph Herald.

Results

Pos. [3] No. [4] Entrant [4] Drivers [3] Car [3] Laps [3]
Class A
143York Motors (Sales) Pty Ltd David McKay
Brian Foley
Studebaker Lark 166
241WF Coad Frank Coad
John Roxburgh
Vauxhall Velox 165
344Canada Cycle & Motor Co (Sales) Pty LtdFred Sutherland
Bill Graetz
Studebaker Lark 165
DNF [5] 42SP Boyd-SquiresPeter Boyd-Squires
Peter Will [5]
Ford Customline
Class B
132Autoland Pty Ltd Bob Jane
Harry Firth
Mercedes-Benz 220SE 167
235KJ HarperKen Harper
Syd Fisher
John Raeburn
Ford Falcon XK [5] 161
Disq [5] 33Stan Jones Motors Pty Ltd [3] Ian Strachan
John Lanyon
Holden EK [2] 134
Class C
124GLA RussellGeoff Russell
Dave Anderson
Peugeot 403 163
226W CoeBill Coe
Ron Lilley
Peugeot 403 161
322Ecurie - BJ Auto Service,
Eiffel Tower Group,
Martins Panel Service
Bob Brown
Lionel Marsh
Michael Lempriere
Simca Montlhery 160
425Killara Motor Garage Bob Holden
Ken Brigden
Albert Bridge
Peugeot 403 153
521G Reynolds George Reynolds
Greg Cusack
Volkswagen 152
DNF [5] 27JP GrayCharlie Smith
Bruce Maher
Tony Osborne
Morris Major 141
DNF [5] 28EA ClayEddie Clay
Jack French
Jim Gray
Morris Major 135
Class D
13Monash Service StationJim Gullan
Brian Sampson
John Connolly
Renault Gordini 157
24W McB MarchBill March
Norm Beechey
Renault Gordini 156
39JGR PoultonGeorge Poulton
Joe Vanaria
Triumph Herald 155
410Autoland Pty LtdBill Jane
Norm Henthorn
Jim White
Triumph Herald 155
515Alan Coffey MotorsLou Molina
Doug Whiteford
Ford Anglia 152
62Ian W RobertsonLes Park
Stan Martin
Renault Gordini 150
711Viscount Motors Pty LtdAlan Caelli
J Edwards
M Watson
Ford Anglia 149
814KF LottKevin Lott
Brian Devlin
Peter Candy
Ford Anglia 148
912Hilltop AutoJohn Brindley
Lou Burke
Ford Anglia 148
1016Alan Coffey MotorsPeter Coffey
Ian Trudinger
Ford Anglia 146
117HNE JohannesenNeil Johannesen
Graham Mills
Jacques Sapir
Morris 850 136
Disq [5] 8G ReynoldsHoot Gibson
Paul England
Triumph Herald 12

Note: There was no outright winner, with only the winners of the four classes being given official recognition and prize money. [6] However the Mercedes-Benz 220SE driven by Bob Jane and Harry Firth was the only car to complete the full 500-mile distance and it is generally considered to be the "winner" of the race.

Statistics

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References

  1. Front cover, Official Programme, 1961 Armstrong 500, Philip Island, Sunday, 19 November 1961, pages 18 & 19
  2. 1 2 Tuckey, Bill (1981). "1961: The day the idea nearly died:". Australia's Greatest Motor Race The Complete History. Sydney: Lansdowne Press. pp. 74–81. ISBN   0-7018-1547-7.
  3. 1 2 3 4 5 The 1961 Armstrong 500 - A classic canter for hacks, Official Programme,1962 Armstrong 500, Philip Island, Sunday, 21 October 1962, pages 12 to 23
  4. 1 2 Entry list, Official Programme, 1961 Armstrong 500, Philip Island, Sunday, 19 November 1961, pages 18 & 19
  5. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 Australia's Greatest Motor Race, Second Edition 1990, page 292
  6. How the Armstrong 500 is run, Official Programme, 1961 Armstrong 500, Philip Island, Sunday, 19 November 1961, page 7