1966 Australian Drivers' Championship Previous 1965 Next 1967
The 1966 Australian Drivers' Championship was a CAMS sanctioned Australian motor racing title for drivers of racing cars complying with either the Australian National Formula or the Australian 1½ Litre Formula. The winner of the title, which was the tenth Australian Drivers' Championship, was awarded the 1966 CAMS Gold Star.
The championship was won by Spencer Martin driving a Repco-Brabham BT11A Coventry Climax for Bob Jane Racing.
Calendar
The championship was contested over a six-round series with one race per round.
| Round | Race | Circuit | State | Date | Round winner | Car |
| 1 | Governor's Trophy | Lakeside | Queensland | 10 July | Spencer Martin | Repco Brabham BT11A Coventry Climax |
| 2 | Surfers Paradise Trophy | Surfers Paradise | Queensland | 14 August | Spencer Martin | Repco Brabham BT11A Coventry Climax |
| 3 | Country Club Trophy | Mallala | South Australia | 10 October | John Harvey | Repco Brabham BT14 Ford |
| 4 | Victorian Trophy | Sandown | Victoria | 16 October | Spencer Martin | Repco Brabham BT11A Coventry Climax |
| 5 | Examiner 1000 | Symmons Plains | Tasmania | 13 November | Greg Cusack | Lotus 32B Coventry Climax |
| 6 | Hordern Trophy | Warwick Farm | New South Wales | 4 December | Kevin Bartlett | Repco Brabham BT11A Coventry Climax |
Each round also incorporated a round of the 1966 Australian One and a Half Litre Championship.
Points system
Championship points were awarded on a 9-6-4-3-2-1 basis to the first six finishers in each round. Only the best five round results could be obtained by each driver.
The championship was open to holders of a General Competition License issued by CAMS.
Results
| Position | Driver | Car | Entrant | Lak. | Sur. | Mal. | San. | Sym. | War. | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Spencer Martin | Repco-Brabham BT11A Coventry Climax | Bob Jane Racing | 9 | 9 | - | 9 | - | 6 | 33 |
| 2 | John Harvey | Repco-Brabham BT14 Ford | RC Phillips | 4 | (1) | 9 | 3 | 6 | 4 | 26 |
| 3 | Kevin Bartlett | Repco-Brabham BT11A Coventry Climax | Alec Mildren Racing | 6 | - | - | 6 | - | 9 | 21 |
| 4 | Greg Cusack | Lotus 32B Coventry Climax | Castrol Team | - | 4 | - | - | 9 | 3 | 16 |
| 5 | Mike Champion | Repco-Brabham BT2 Ford | Competition Cars | - | - | 6 | 2 | - | 2 | 10 |
| 6 | John MacDonald | Cooper T70 Coventry Climax | Bill Patterson Motors | - | 3 | - | 4 | - | - | 7 |
| 7 | Leo Geoghegan | Lotus 39 Coventry Climax | Total Team | - | 6 | - | - | - | - | 6 |
| 8 | Garrie Cooper | Elfin Mono Mk2B Ford | Elfin Sports Cars | 3 | 2 | - | - | - | - | 5 |
| Mel McEwin | Elfin Mono Mk1 Ford | Mel McEwin | 2 | - | - | - | 3 | - | 5 | |
| 10 | Jack Hunnam | Elfin Mono Mk1 Ford | Jack Hunnam Motors | - | - | 4 | - | - | - | 4 |
| John McCormack | Repco-Brabham BT4 Coventry Climax | J McCormack | - | - | - | - | 4 | - | 4 | |
| 12 | Stan Keen | Elfin Mono Mk1 Ford | Stan Keen | - | - | 3 | - | - | - | 3 |
| Glyn Scott | Lotus 27 Ford | Glyn Scott Motors | - | - | - | - | 2 | 1 | 3 | |
| 14 | Dean Rainsford | Elfin Catalina Ford | Tudor Accessories | - | - | 2 | - | - | - | 2 |
| 15 | Ian Ferguson | Elfin Catalina Ford | Ian Ferguson | 1 | - | - | - | - | - | 1 |
| Jim Orr | Austin Special | Jim Orr | - | - | 1 | - | - | - | 1 | |
| Bob Jane | Elfin Mono Mk1 Ford | Bob Jane Racing | - | - | - | 1 | - | - | 1 | |
| Lyn Archer | Elfin Catalina Ford | L Archer Motors | - | - | - | - | 1 | - | 1 |
Note:
- Kerry Grant placed sixth at Lakeside however the New Zealand driver was not awarded championship points.
- Roly Levis placed sixth at Surfers Paradise however the New Zealand driver was not awarded championship points.
- Frank Gardner (Repco-Brabham) won the Hordern Trophy but was not awarded championship points as he was not classified as an "Australian Resident".
Notes and references
- ^ CAMS Manual of Motor Sport, 1966, pages 70-71
- CAMS Online Manual of Motor Sport > About CAMS > Titles - CAMS Gold Star Archived 3 May 2009 at the Wayback Machine Retrieved from www.camsmanual.com.au on 8 September 2009
- ^ 1966 Gold Star races Archived 26 June 2008 at the Wayback Machine Retrieved from members.optusnet.com.au/dandsshaw on 8 September 2009
- ^ Car details have been compiled from data in race reports published in Racing Car News magazines (as listed in Further reading) with additional data from members.optusnet.com.au/dandsshaw
- Official Souvenir Programme, Mallala Motor Races, Monday, 10th October 1966
- ^ Gold Star Points - 1966, CAMS Report, February 1967, Page 2
- Entrant details have been compiled from data in race reports published in Racing Car News magazines (as listed in Further reading) with additional data from members.optusnet.com.au/dandsshaw
- Programme, Lakeside Gold Star, Sun. July 10 '66
- Official Programme, Warwick Farm, Sunday, February 13, 1966
- Guide to the Gold Star, page iv, Supplement to Racing Car News, August 1972
Further reading
- Jim Shepherd, A History of Australian Motor Sport, 1980
- Australian Motor Racing Annual, 1967
- Martin the Master at Lakeside, Racing Car News, August 1966, pages 20–21
- Martin Scores Magnificent Gold Star, Racing Car News, September 1966, pages 34–36
- Harvey Wins by Large Margin, The Advertiser, 11 October 1966
- Harvey Heads for 1½ Litre Title, Racing Car News, November 1966, page 34
- Solid Sandown, Racing Car News, December 1966, page 18
- Cusack's Luck Changes, Racing Car News, December 1966, pages 34–35
- Spencer Martin – Australia's Champion, Racing Car News, January 1967, pages 28–29
External links
- Australian Gold Star 1966, www.oldracingcars.com
- 1966 Gold Star images, members.optusnet.com.au/dandsshaw, as archived at web.archive.org
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