1988 Australian Drivers' Championship

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The 1988 Australian Drivers' Championship was a CAMS sanctioned national motor racing title [1] which was awarded to the winner of the 1988 Australian Formula 2 Championship. The winning driver received the 1988 CAMS Gold Star [1] and is recognised by CAMS as the winner of both the 43rd Australian Drivers' Championship and the 21st Australian Formula 2 Championship. [1] 1988 was the second and last year in which the Australian Drivers' Championship was contested by Australian Formula 2 cars, this being an interim arrangement between the demise of Formula Mondial in Australia at the end of 1986 [2] and the introduction of Formula Holden in 1989. [3]

New South Wales driver Rohan Onslow won the first of his two Australian Drivers' Championships and his only Australian Formula 2 Championship driving a Cheetah Mk.8 Volkswagen and a Ralt RT30 Volkswagen. Queensland driver Derek Pingel (Ralt RT30 Volkswagen) finished second with Barry Ward (Ralt RT30 Volkswagen) placed third. Onslow and Neil Israel (Magnum 863 Volkswagen) each attained two round wins with single victories scored by Pingel, Ward and factory Nissan Touring Car driver Glenn Seton, who drove a Nissan Pulsar powered Ralt RT4 in two rounds of the championship. Seton's win at Adelaide International Raceway would be the only win for a car powered by an engine other than a Volkswagen Golf unit during the two years in which Australian Formula 2 cars contested the Australian Drivers' Championship.

Race calendar

The championship was contested over a seven-round series with one race per round. [4]

Round [4] Circuit [4] StateDate [4] Winning driver [4] Winning car [4]
1 Calder Park Victoria 26 MarchNeil IsraelMagnum 863 Volkswagen
2 Amaroo Park New South Wales 27 MarchBarry Ward Ralt RT30 Volkswagen
3 Oran Park New South Wales 17 AprilNeil IsraelMagnum 863 Volkswagen
4 Adelaide International Raceway South Australia 1 May Glenn Seton Ralt RT4 Nissan
5 Mallala Motor Sport Park South Australia 5 JuneRohan Onslow Cheetah Mk.8 Volkswagen
6 Lakeside Queensland 24 JulyDerek Pingel Ralt RT30 Volkswagen
7 Sandown Park Victoria 11 SeptemberRohan Onslow Ralt RT30/85 Volkswagen

Points system

Championship points were awarded on a 30-27-24-21-19-17-15-14-13-12-11-10-9-8-7-6-5-4-3-2 basis for the first twenty places at each round. [5] Only the best six results from the seven rounds could be retained by each driver. [3]

Championship results

Position [6] Driver [6] No. [7] Car [4] Entrant [7] Cal [6] Ama [6] Ora [6] Ade [6] Mal [6] Lak [6] San [6] Total [6]
1Rohan Onslow7 Cheetah Mk.8 Volkswagen &
Ralt RT30/85 Volkswagen 		RJ MacArthur Onslow27-2727302730168
2Derek Pingel8 Ralt RT30 Volkswagen Ralt Australia Pty Ltd-272424-3021126
3Barry Ward4 Ralt RT30 Volkswagen Barry Ward193021---2494
4Graham Blee2 Cheetah Mk.6 Volkswagen Graham Blee1415(12)1713141487
5Graeme Smith27 Cheetah Mk.8 Volkswagen Graeme Smith2419--12171789
6Neil Israel44Magnum 863 Volkswagen Magnum Racing Australia30-30-27--87
7Rod Moody18 [8] Cheetah Mk.6 Toyota Rod Moody [8] 1113--19191577
8Wayne Ford31 Ralt RT3 Ford Wayne Ford--131924-965
9Arthur Abrahams1 Cheetah Mk.8 Volkswagen New Racing Corporation2121-----42
10Ron Barnacle5Wren Volkswagen David Green9--21--1141
11Tony Rees79 Ralt RT3 Volkswagen AG Rees-1414---1240
12Bap Romano35 [3] Elfin 852 Volkswagen  1524-----39
13Barry Johnson74 [8] Cheetah Mk.8 Volkswagen Barry Johnson [8] --17-17--34
14Brian Sampson78 Cheetah Mk.6 Toyota Brian Sampson10-15---530
= Glenn Seton 53 Ralt RT4 Nissan Dave Thompson ---30---30
16Mike Drewer45 Cheetah Mk.7 Volkswagen Mike Drewer---1514--29
17Roger Martin  Cheetah Mk.8 Volkswagen  ------2727
18Noel Orphan  Elfin 700 Ford  -----24-24
19Bronte Rundle29 Kaditcha Alfa Romeo Bronte Rundle8---15--23
20Dean Hosking25Arbyen Volkswagen The Volkshop----21--21
=Rolf Vine  March 77B Volkswagen  -----21-21
22Ian Richards22Richards 201C Volkswagen Ian Richards--19----19
=Carl Gibson  Elfin 792 Volkswagen  ------1919
24John Wise  Cheetah Mk.7 Volkswagen  17------17
=David Goode  Elfin 700 Ford  -17-----17
26Kees Koppenol  Elfin 700 Ford  -----15-15
27Shane Flynn17 [3] Kaditcha Volkswagen  13------13
=David Robinson  Cheetah Mk.6 Toyota  -----13-13
=Adrian Martin  Ralt RT1 Ford  ------1313
30Ray Cutchie  Ralt RT4 Ford  12------12
31Peter Jones65 [8] Cheetah Mk.8 Volkswagen Peter Jones [8] ----11--11
32Ian Caldwell6 Cheetah Mk.6 Mitsubishi Ian Caldwell----10--10
=Sam Astuti12 [8] Cheetah Mk.6 Ford Sam Astuti [8] ------1010
34Ray Colenso76 [8] Cheetah Mk.7 Volkswagen Ray Colenso [8] ------88
35Peter Clark Magnum 823 Volkswagen  ------77
36Ian Carrig CRD 852 ------66

Championship name

Whilst the 1988 Australian Formula 2 Championship winner was awarded the CAMS Gold Star, it was not certain at the time that the winner would be officially recognised as the 1988 Australian Champion Driver. [9] Subsequently, however, the Confederation of Australian Motor Sport listed Onslow as the winner of both the 1988 Australian Formula 2 Championship and the 1988 Australian Drivers' Championship. [1]

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 Records Titles & Awards, 2002 CAMS Manual of Motor Sport, pages 14-4 to 14-6
  2. ↑ 1988 Australian Formula 2 Championship, Program, Mallala Motor Sport Park, Sunday 5 June 1988, page 5
  3. 1 2 3 4 Barry Catford, The Australian Formula 2 Gold Star Championship, Australian Motor Racing Year 1988/89, pages 181 to 197
  4. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 1988 Championship Results, Australian Formula 2 Championship/CAMS Gold Star, Australian Motor Racing Year 1988/89, page 317
  5. ↑ Conditions for Australian Titles, 1988 CAMS Manual of Motor Sport, pages 74 & 75
  6. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 Points shown in the "Championship results" table have been calculated by applying the points system for the Australian Formula 2 Championship (as published in the 1988 CAMS Manual of Motor Sport) to the round placings (as published on page 317 of Australian Motor Racing Year 1988/89). The top ten championship positions shown match those published in the top ten championship table on page 182 of Australian Motor Racing Year 1988/89
  7. 1 2 Entry list, Event 6, Australian Formula 2 Championship – For the CAMS Gold Star, Official Programme, Adelaide International Raceway, 1 May 1988, page 25
  8. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 Entry list, Australian Formula 2 Championship, Round 5, Program, Mallala Motor Sport Park, Sunday 5 June 1988, page 15
  9. ↑ Barry Catford, Australian Formula 2 Championship, Australian Motor Racing Year 1988/89, page 181
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