GNOO BLAS ^T AUSTRALIAN SPORTS CAR CHAMPIONSHIP - 2018
The inaugural winner of the Gnoo Blas^t Australian Sports Car Championship 2018 was Dave Barram.
The 2018 Gnoo Blas^t Australian Sports Car Championship was run over 6 rounds as follows:
Round 1 - Bill Pitt Trophy
Queenslander Bill Pitt is one of Australia’s true motor racing legends. He won, along with co-drivers Geordie Anderson and Charlie Swinburne, Australia’s first 24 Hour car race at Mt Druitt in Jan 1954 in a Jaguar XK 120 FHC. He finished 11th in the 1954 Australian G.P. at Southport driving an Anderson-Jaguar which was an XK 120 modified as an open wheeler. A punctured tyre miles from the pits (it was a long circuit) cost Bill 15 minutes and dropped him from a certain 3rd place and possible 2nd place finish behind winner Lex Davison in his HWM-Jaguar. A Jaguar D-type followed in 1956 and Bill often competed in CAMS Gold Star events to have some serious competition. Unfortunately because the D-type was not an open wheeler, Bill was awarded no championship points no matter how well he did. Bill came 2nd in the inaugural Australian Touring Car Championship in 1960 driving a Jaguar 3.4 sedan. He won the ATCC at Lowood in 1961 in the same car and was 2nd again in the ATCC at Longford in 1962 again in the 3.4 Jaguar. That’s a 100% finish rate, with a 33% win rate and 67% second place rate.
Round 3 - Vitesse Hyeres Trophy
Jack Brabham’s first race in Europe was the 12 Hour Sports Car race held at Hyeres (pronounced ee-air) in the south of France on 29 May 1955. Driving an Aston Martin DB3S with Tom Sulman, they finished 4th in a stirling display by the Kangaroo Stable of 3 Aston Martins finishing 2nd, 3rd and 4th.
Round 5 - Matich SR 87
Gnoo Blas ^t Australian Sports Car Championship Top 10 Point Scores after 6 Rounds:
Round 2 - Lowood T.T. Trophy
The Lowood motor racing circuit utilised the main runway and taxiways of the WW2 RAAF base at nearby Lowood (70 kms west of Brisbane and not far from the present RAAF base at Amberley). Several race meetings were held in the late 40’s and early 50’s on the 4.5 km track but from 1956 till its closure in 1966 it was one of Queensland’s major motor racing venues staging the Australian Grand Prix in 1960, the Australian Touring Car Championship in 1961 and the Australian T.T. in 1959 and 1963. Three 4-Hour touring car races were held in 1964,’65 & ’66.
Round 4- Montlhery 660 Trophy
Jack Brabham’s last race in Europe was the “PARIS 1000 KMS” at Montlhery in France on 18 Oct 1970. Driving a Matra 660 V12 sports racing prototype with Francois Cevert they drove to a decisive win, a fitting finale to close Jack’s outstanding career.
Round 6 - The Jolly Decca
Header photo:
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