1972 Australian Grand Prix

1972 Australian Grand Prix
Race 7 of 8 in 1972 Tasman Series
Race details
Date 20 February 1972
Official name XXXVII Australian Grand Prix
Location Sandown Raceway, Melbourne, Victoria
Course Permanent racing facility
Course length 3.1 km (1.92 miles)
Distance 52 laps, 161.2 km (99.84 miles)
Weather Sunny
Pole position
Driver
Matich-Repco Holden
Time 1'01.3
Fastest lap
Driver New Zealand Graham McRae Leda-Chevrolet
Time 1'02.4
Podium
First
Leda-Chevrolet
Second
Lola-Chevrolet
Third
McLaren-Chevrolet

The 1972 Australian Grand Prix was a motor race for cars complying with the Tasman Formula, which admitted both Formula 5000 and 2-litre racing cars. It was held at Sandown International Raceway, Victoria, Australia on 20 February 1972.

The race was the thirty seventh Australian Grand Prix and it was held only 3 months after the 1971 race. It was also round seven of the 1972 Tasman Series. The race had 19 starters.

Defending winner Frank Matich started the race from pole position in his Repco Holden powered Matich A50 which had won the 1971 race on debut. New Zealand's Graham McRae started alongside Matich on the front row in his Leda GM1-Chevrolet.

Matich led from the start but was out after just 5 laps with a failed scavenge pump. McRae recorded the first of three AGP wins (all won at Sandown) by 3 seconds from the Lola T300-Chevrolet of Frank Gardner who had qualified 3rd. British International driver David Hobbs finished 3rd in his McLaren M18/M22-Chevrolet after starting from 4th on the grid.

McRae's win gave him an unassailable points lead in the 1972 Tasman Series with one round remaining.

Classification

Graham McRae won the race driving a Leda GM1, later to be known as the McRae GM1 (pictured above in 2008)

Results as follows:[1] [2]

Qualifying

Pos No [3] Driver Car Entrant [3] Qual Gap
1 3 Australia Frank Matich Matich A50 / Repco Holden 5.0L V8 Frank Matich Pty. Ltd. 1:01.3 —
2 22 New Zealand Graham McRae Leda GM1 / Chevrolet 5.0L V8 Grid International (N.Z.) Ltd. 1:01.8 +0.5
3 1 Australia Frank Gardner Lola T300 / Chevrolet 5.0L V8 Lola Cars Ltd. 1:01.8 +0.5
4 10 United Kingdom David Hobbs McLaren M22 / Chevrolet 5.0L V8 Hobbs Racing London 1:02.3 +1.0
5 4 Australia Bob Muir Lola T300 / Chevrolet 5.0L V8 Robert Muir Motors P/L 1:02.7 +1.4
6 9 Australia John McCormack Elfin MR5 / Repco Holden 5.0L V8 Team Elfin 1:02.8 +1.5
7 2 United Kingdom Mike Hailwood Surtees TS8A / Chevrolet 5.0L V8 Team Surtees 1:03.0 +1.7
8 34 Belgium Teddy Pilette McLaren M10B / Chevrolet 5.0L V8 Racing Team V.D.S. 1:03.2 +1.9
9 5 Australia Kevin Bartlett McLaren M10B / Chevrolet 5.0L V8 Kevin Bartlett Shell Racing 1:03.5 +2.2
10 12 Australia Warwick Brown McLaren M10B / Chevrolet 5.0L V8 Pat Burke Racing 1:03.9 +2.6
11 6 Australia Max Stewart Elfin MR5 / Repco Holden 5.0L V8 Max Stewart Motors - Seiko Service Centre 1:04.4 +3.1
12 76 Australia John Harvey Brabham BT36 / Waggott 2.0L I4 Bob Jane Racing 1:05.2 +3.9
13 8 Australia Garrie Cooper Elfin MR5 / Repco Holden 5.0L V8 Team Elfin 1:05.3 +4.0
14 50 New Zealand Frank Radisich McLaren M10B / Repco Holden 5.0L V8 Henderson Central Motors 1:06.5 +5.2
15 30 Canada Dave McConnell GRD 272 / Hart 2.0L I4 D.W.M. Racing Ltd. 1:07.1 +5.8
16 11 Australia Colin Hyams Lola T192 / Chevrolet 5.0L V8 Colin Hyams 1:08.2 +6.9
17 17 Australia Gary Campbell Elfin 600B / Waggott 2.0L I4 Provincial Motors P/L 1:08.3 +7.0
18 60 New Zealand Robbie Francevic McLaren M10A / Chevrolet 5.0L V8 Wright Machinery Ltd. 1:10.2 +8.9
19 15 Australia Tony Stewart Mildren (Rennmax) / Waggott 1.9L I4 Max Stewart Motors - Seiko Service Centre 1:11.5 +10.2

Race

Pos No.[3] Driver Car Entrant [3] Laps Time
1 22 New Zealand Graham McRae Leda GM1 / Chevrolet 5.0L V8 Grid International (N.Z.) Ltd. 52 54m 59.4s
2 1 Australia Frank Gardner Lola T300 / Chevrolet 5.0L V8 Lola Cars Ltd. 52 55m 02.1s
3 10 United Kingdom David Hobbs McLaren M18/M22 / Chevrolet 5.0L V8 Hobbs Racing London 52 55m 11.8s
4 2 United Kingdom Mike Hailwood Surtees TS8A / Chevrolet 5.0L V8 Team Surtees 51
5 12 Australia Warwick Brown McLaren M10B / Chevrolet 5.0L V8 Pat Burke Racing 50
6 34 Belgium Teddy Pilette McLaren M10B / Chevrolet 5.0L V8 Racing Team V.D.S. 50
7 76 Australia John Harvey Brabham BT36 / Waggott 2.0L 4cyl Bob Jane Racing 50
8 60 New Zealand Robbie Francevic McLaren M10A / Chevrolet 5.0L V8 Wright Machinery Ltd. 49
9 8 Australia Garrie Cooper Elfin MR5 / Repco Holden 5.0L V8 Team Elfin 49
10 30 Canada Dave McConnell GRD 272 / Hart 2.0L 4cyl D.W.M. Racing Ltd. 49
11 17 Australia Gary Campbell Elfin 600B / Waggott 2.0L 4cyl Provincial Motors P/L 47
12 15 Australia Tony Stewart Mildren (Rennmax) / Waggott 1.9L 4cyl Max Stewart Motors - Seiko Service Centre 44
13 50 New Zealand Frank Radisich McLaren M10B / Repco Holden 5.0L V8 Henderson Central Motors 26
Ret 11 Australia Colin Hyams Lola T192 / Chevrolet 5.0L V8 Colin Hyams 30
Ret 4 Australia Bob Muir Lola T300 / Chevrolet 5.0L V8 Robert Muir Motors P/L 19 engine
Ret 6 Australia Max Stewart Elfin MR5 / Repco Holden 5.0L V8 Max Stewart Motors - Seiko Service Centre 16 engine
Ret 5 Australia Kevin Bartlett McLaren M10B / Chevrolet 5.0L V8 Kevin Bartlett Shell Racing 6 transmission
Ret 3 Australia Frank Matich Matich A50 / Repco Holden 5.0L V8 Frank Matich Pty. Ltd. 5 scavenge pump
Ret 9 Australia John McCormack Elfin MR5 / Repco Holden 5.0L V8 Team Elfin 4 gearbox

Notes


References

  1. ^ Sergent, Bruce. "1972 Rounds 5–8 Australia". Archived from the original on 28 August 2008. Retrieved 7 October 2008.
  2. ^ a b Wilson, Stewart (1986). "1972". In Howard, Graham (ed.). The Official 50-race history of the Australian Grand Prix. Gordon, NSW: R & T Publishing. pp. 362–368. ISBN 0-9588464-0-5.
  3. ^ a b c d Official Programme, 37th Australian Grand Prix, Sandown
  4. ^ Wolfgang Klopfer, Formula 5000 in Australia & New Zealand, Race by Race, page 89
  5. ^ Racing Car News Championship Yearbook No.1, page 30
Preceded by Australian Grand Prix
1972 		Succeeded by