1959 Australian Drivers' Championship
1959 Australian Drivers' Championship | |||
Previous: | 1958 | Next: | 1960 |
The 1959 Australian Drivers Championship was a CAMS sanctioned motor racing title for drivers of Formula Libre cars. The championship winner was awarded the 1959 CAMS Gold Star.
The series was won by Victorian racer Len Lukey driving his Cooper T45 Climax and in the opening round of the series his own much modified Cooper T23 which was known as the Lukey-Bristol. Lukey was one of only a few drivers who attempted to complete the gruelling twelve race schedule, the longest in ADC history. Lukey finished just two points ahead of his season long rival, Alec Mildren from the ACT [1] (Cooper-Climax). Stan Jones was third in the championship, using four different cars over the course of the series. Race victories were shared around with Mildren taking three wins. Lukey, Jones and Bill Patterson each took two wins, with single victories going to Jack Brabham, Bib Stillwell and New Zealand Maserati 250F racer Ross Jensen.
Calendar
The title, which was the third Australian Drivers' Championship,[2] was contested over a twelve race series.[3][4]
- Winning driver not awarded points for races 1 and 5
Points
Championship points were awarded on a 12-7-5-3-2-1 basis to the first six Australian drivers at each race, irrespective of actual race placings gained. Only the best nine race results could be retained by each driver.[5] Additionally only Australian resident drivers could score points which precluded Gnoo Blas winner Jack Brabham and Bathurst 100 winner Ross Jensen from being able to score points towards the championship.
Results
Position[6] | Driver [6] | Car | Entrant | Points[6] |
---|---|---|---|---|
1 | Len Lukey | Cooper T23 Bristol Cooper T43 Climax |
Lukey Mufflers Pty Ltd | 68 |
2 | Alec Mildren | Cooper T43 Climax Cooper T45 Climax |
AG Mildren Pty Ltd | 66 |
3 | Stan Jones | Maybach Special Chevrolet Maserati 250F Cooper T51 Climax Sabakat/Lotus 12 Climax |
Stan Jones Motors | 44 |
4 | Bill Patterson | Cooper T43 Climax Cooper T51 Climax |
Bill Patterson Motors P/L | 36 |
5 | Arnold Glass | Ferrari 555 Super Squalo Maserati 250F |
Capital Motors | 23 |
6 | Doug Whiteford | Maserati 300S | D Whiteford | 18 |
Note: Only the top six pointscorers are shown in the above table.
References
- ↑ 1961 CAMS Manual of Motor Sport, page 51
- ↑ CAMS Gold Star Retrieved from www.camsmanual.com.au on 15 July 2009
- ↑ Australian Motor Sport Review, 1958-59, pages 82
- 1 2 Guide to The Gold Star, Supplement to Racing Car News, August 1970, page ii
- ↑ CAMS Manual of Motor Sport, 1959, page 44
- 1 2 3 Jim Shepherd, A History of Australian Motor Sport, 1980, page 63
Further reading
- Australian Motor Sport Review, 1958–59, pages 83–95
- The official 50-race history of the Australian Grand Prix, 1986
External links
- 1959 Australian motor racing images Retrieved from www.autopics.com.au on 15 July 2009