1973 Australian Drivers' Championship Previous 1972 Next 1974
The 1973 Australian Drivers' Championship was a CAMS sanctioned national motor racing title open to drivers of Australian Formula 1 and Australian Formula 2 cars. It was the seventeenth Australian Drivers' Championship and the championship winner was awarded the 1973 CAMS "Gold Star".
The championship was won by John McCormack driving an Elfin MR5 Repco Holden.
Schedule
The championship was contested over a five-round series with one race per round. There was to be a round at Symmons Plains on 23 September in an event shared with the 1973 Australian Formula 2 Championship. However, as just four Formula 5000 cars were entered, organisers decided to run the event only for Formula Two cars. There was also originally to be an event at Warwick Farm before that facility closed suddenly earlier in 1973. As a result of these cancellations, a second event was added at Phillip Island in late November.
| Round | Name | Circuit | Date | Winner | Car | Report |
| 1 | Glyn Scott Memorial Trophy | Surfers Paradise | 2 September | John McCormack | Elfin MR5 Repco Holden | |
| 2 | Channel 7 Trophy | Adelaide International Raceway | 7 October | John McCormack | Elfin MR5 Repco Holden | |
| 3 | Victorian Road Racing Championship | Phillip Island | 14 October | Johnnie Walker | Lola T330 Repco Holden | |
| 4 | Australian Grand Prix | Sandown | 4 November | Graham McRae | McRae GM2 Chevrolet | Report |
| 5 | Phillip Island | 25 November | Johnnie Walker | Lola T330 Repco Holden |
Points system
Championship points were awarded on a 9–6–4–3–2–1 basis for the top six places in each round with all rounds counting towards each driver's points total. Only drivers holding a CAMS General Competition License were eligible to score points.
Results
| Position | Driver | No. | Car | Entrant | Sur | Ade | Phi | San | Phi | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | John McCormack | 3 | Elfin MR5 Repco-Holden | Ansett Team Elfin | 9 | 9 | – | 9 | 6 | 33 |
| 2 | Johnnie Walker | 25 | Lola T330 Repco-Holden | John Walker Motor Racing | – | 6 | 9 | 6 | 9 | 30 |
| 3 | Garrie Cooper | 2 | Elfin MR5 Repco-Holden | Ansett Team Elfin | 6 | 1 | 6 | 3 | 4 | 20 |
| 4 | Leo Geoghegan | 9 | Birrana 273 Ford | Grace Bros – 5AD City State Racing Team | 4 | 2 | – | – | – | 6 |
| Bruce Allison | 62 | Bowin P6 Ford | Hobby and Toyland Racing | 3 | – | 3 | – | – | 6 | |
| Enno Busselmann | 18 | Birrana 273 Ford | Bob and Marj Brown | 2 | 3 | – | 1 | – | 6 | |
| 7 | Max Stewart | 6 | Lola T330 Chevrolet | Seiko Service Centre | – | 4 | – | – | – | 4 |
| Kevin Bartlett | 5 | Lola T330 Chevrolet | Chesterfield Filter Racing | – | – | 4 | – | – | 4 | |
| Howie Sangster | 14 | McLaren M18/M22 Chevrolet | Don O'Sullivan Racing Pty. Ltd. | – | – | – | 4 | – | 4 | |
| Chas Talbot | Elfin 600E Ford | C. Talbot | – | – | 2 | – | 2 | 4 | ||
| 11 | Paul Feltham | Birrana 273 Ford | Feltham Team Racing | – | – | – | – | 3 | 3 | |
| 12 | John Leffler | 34 | Elfin MR5 Repco-Holden | Seiko Service Centre | – | – | – | 2 | – | 2 |
| Chris Farrell | 36 | Dolphin 732 Ford | Chris Farrell | 1 | – | 1 | – | – | 2 | |
| 14 | Bob Minogue | Elfin 600B Ford | R. A. Minogue | – | – | – | – | 1 | 1 |
Note: The Australian Grand Prix was won by New Zealander Graham McRae. However, as the Australian Drivers' Championship was open only to holders of a CAMS General Competition License, 9 points were awarded to the highest placed eligible driver, John McCormack, 6 points to the second highest placed eligible driver etc.
Championship name
Conditions for the championship were promulgated by CAMS under the name "Australian Formula 1 Championship – Gold Star Award", with mention of the requirement for the phrase "Australian Champion Driver" to be reserved exclusively for the winner of the CAMS Gold Star. Historic records published by CAMS use the term Australian Drivers' Championship and that title has been used here.
References
- ^ Conditions for Australian Titles, 1973 CAMS Manual of Motor Sport, pages 92 to 93
- ^ Records, Titles and Awards : Australian Drivers' Championship – CAMS Gold Star, 2006 CAMS Manual of Motor Sport, page 14-4
- ^ Australian Formula One Championship, Australian Competition Yearbook, 1974 Edition, pages 60 to 77
- Australian Competition Yearbook 1974 Edition. 1974. p. 92.
- Australian Competition Yearbook 1974 Edition. 1974. p. 60.
- Glyn Scott Memorial Trophy, Surfers Paradise, 2 Sep 1973, www.oldracingcars.com Retrieved 10 May 2021
- ^ Official Programme, Adelaide International Raceway, 7 October 1973
- Official Souvenir Programme, Victorian Road Racing Championship, Phillip Island Auto Racing Club, October 15th (1973)
- ^ Official Programme, 38th Australian Grand Prix, Sandown, November 4, 1973
- Australian Grand Prix, Sandown Park, 4 Nov 1973, www.oldracingcars.com Retrieved 10 May 2021
- ^ Official Souvenir Programme, Meeting of Champions, Phillip Island, November 25th (1973)
- Australian Gold Star Race, Phillip Island, 25 Nov 1973, www.oldracingcars.com Retrieved 10 May 2021
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