The 1954 Mount Druitt 24 Hours Road Race was an endurance race for production cars staged at the Mount Druitt circuit in New South Wales, Australia from 31 January to 1 February 1954. The race, which was organized by the Australian Racing Drivers' Club, was the first motor race of 24 hours duration to be held in Australia. Cars were required to be stock models, competing as purchased with no modifications permitted other than the removal of the silencer. All starters finished the race, with those that had retired rejoining to cross the finish line at the end of the 24 hours.
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The race was won by Geordie Anderson, Chas Swinburne and Bill Pitt driving a Jaguar XK120 Coupe.
Results
| Position | Drivers | No. | Car | Entrant | Class pos. | Class | Laps |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Geordie Anderson Chas Swinburne Bill Pitt |
6 | Jaguar XK120 Coupe | Mrs. C. Anderson | 1 | Closed Cars 3001 cc and Over | 573 |
| 2 | Gordon Greig Bill Reynolds Peter Vennermark |
4 | Bristol 400 | Sports Cars Pty. Ltd. | 1 | Closed Cars 1501 – 3000 cc | 569 |
| 3 | Tom Sulman Nat Buchanan J. A. Masling |
10 | Humber Super Snipe | T. N. Sulman | 563 | ||
| 4 | Dick Shaw J. H. Shaw R. E. Long |
12 | Holden 48/215 | R. D. Shaw | 547 | ||
| 5 | John Crouch J. Dowling David McKay |
23 | Peugeot 203 | Harden Johnston Pty. Ltd. | 1 | Closed Cars 1101 – 1500 cc | 546 |
| 6 | R. M. Daniel P. Spring B. Polaine |
18 | MG TC | R. M. Daniel | 1 | Open Cars 1101 – 1500 cc | 537 |
| 7 | Ken Tubman Kel Ebbeck |
22 | Peugeot 203 | K. Tubman | 528 | ||
| 8 | Doug Chivas Frank Dent Peter Lowe |
20 | MG TD | Lowe's Service Station | 491 | ||
| 9 | John Le Foe G. R. McColl |
9 | Standard Vanguard Spacemaster | Marshalls Motors Pty. Ltd. | 481 | ||
| 10 | John Nind A. McAlpine |
21 | MG TD | J. P. Nind | 441 | ||
| 11 | W. Collins K. French N. Senior |
16 | MG TD | W. Collins | 414 | ||
| 12 | K. Harrison B. Maher J. Johnston |
26 | Morris Minor Tourer | K. Harrison | 1 | Open Cars Under 1100 cc | 406 |
| 13 | Reg Lewis F. Samuels J. H. Richards |
15 | Jaguar Mark V | R. Lewis | 399 | ||
| 14 | I. Boydell M. Robinson P. Moffitt |
25 | Renault 760 | I. Boydell | 1 | Closed Cars Under 1100 cc | 396 |
| 15 | N. Perkins R. Barnard R. A. Dixon |
17 | Ford V8 (1938) | N. Perkins | 323 | ||
| 16 | Peter Whitehead Tony Gaze Alf Barrett |
1 | Jaguar XK120C | P. N. Whitehead | 1 | Open Cars 3001 cc and Over | 282 |
| 17 | Bill Ford W. Hand P. Carter |
27 | Singer Nine | C. H. C. Engineering Co. | 245 | ||
| 18 | John Webber Ashton Marshall |
28 | Fiat 500C | J. H. Webber | 2 | Closed Cars Under 1100 cc | 210 |
| 19 | Les Cosh Dick Cobden Stewart Moody |
2 | Aston Martin DB2 | L. J. Cosh | 170 | ||
| 20 | Belf Jones Col James G. E. Turner |
7 | Austin A90 Atlantic | B. J. Jones | 153 | ||
| 21 | W. Broad W. Clarke S. Hall |
14 | MG TD | W. Broad | 140 | ||
| 22 | E. Wright B. J. Jones L. A. Painter |
11 | MG TD | E. Wright | 130 |
Notes
- Entries: 28
- Starters: 22
- Finishers: 22
- Start format: Le Mans-style
- Start time: 2pm
- Distance covered by winning car: Approximately 1,260 miles (2,029 km)
- Average speed of winning car: 53 m.p.h.
- Attendance: 15,000
- Prize money: 3,000 pounds
References
- ^ Mt. Druitt 24-Hours Road Race, Australian Motor Sports, February 1954, pages 23 to 29
- Varied Entry for Mt Druitt Race, The Sun-Herald, Sunday 10 January 1954, page 78, as retrieved from nla.gov.au
- David McKay, Behind the Wheel, The Best Car and Sports Driver Magazine, Dec 1992 / Jan 1993, pages 104 & 105
- ^ Con rods at dawn, Australian Monthly Motor Manual, March 1954, pages 910-913
- ^ Official Souvenir Programme, The Grand Prix Circuit, Mt. Druitt, Australia Day Week-end, Jan. 30-31, Feb. 1
- The Anderson XK120, www.jagqld.org.au as archived at web.archive.org
- ^ Woman Driver's Victory With Borrowed "Spare", The Sydney Morning Herald, Tuesday 2 Feb 1954, Page 6, as archived at trove.nla.gov.au
- David McKay, Australia's First Twenty Four Hour Race, Anniversary Day 1954, The Best Car and Sports Driver Magazine, Dec 1992 / Jan 1993, pages 104-105
- ^ Woman Wins First 24 Hour Race, Wheels, March 1954, pages 800 to 803
- ^ Tricky circuit limits top speed, The Sun-Herald, Sunday 24 January 1954, page 77, as retrieved from nla.gov.au
- ^ The AMS report says there were 22 starters and lists results for 22 cars. The Motor Manual report says 24 starters but lists results for 22 cars. The Motor Manual report also says that all cars finished.
- Jim Shepherd, A History of Australian Motor Sport, 1980, pages 142-143