1974 Australian Sports Car Championship

The 1974 Australian Sports Car Championship was an Australian motor racing competition open to Group A Sports Cars and Group D Production Sports Cars.[1] It was authorised by the Confederation of Australian Motor Sport as an Australian National Title.[1]

Th championship, which was the sixth Australian Sports Car Championship,[2] was won by Henry Michell driving an Elfin 360 Repco.[3]

Calendar

The Elfin 360 Repco (foreground) in which Henry Michell won the 1974 Australian Sports Car Championship. The car is pictured in 2008

The championship was contested over a four-round series with one race per round.[3]

Round[3] Round name Circuit[3] Date Winner[3] Car[3]
1 Adelaide International Raceway 31 March[3] Lionel Ayers Rennmax Repco
2 Calder Raceway 26 May[4] Lionel Ayers Rennmax Repco
3 Endeavour Cup[5] Phillip Island 13 October[3] Garrie Cooper Elfin MS7[3] Repco Holden[6]
4 Symmons Plains 11 November[7] Garrie Cooper Elfin MS7[3] Repco Holden[6]

Classes

Cars competed in two engine displacement classes:[1]

  • Up to and including 2,500cc[1]
  • Over 2,500cc[1]

Points system

Championship points were awarded on a 9-6-4-3-2-1 basis to the first six place-getters in each class.[1] Additional points were awarded on a 4-3-2-1 basis to the first four place-getters outright, irrespective of class.[1]

Championship results

Position Driver[8] Car[9] Entrant[9] Ade.[8] Cal.[8] Phi.[8] Sym.[8] Total[8]
1 Henry Michell Elfin 360 Repco[3] Henry Michell[10] 12 11 12 12 47
2 Lionel Ayers Rennmax Repco Lionel Ayers 13 13 - - 26
= Garrie Cooper Elfin MS7 Repco Holden[6] Ansett Team Elfin[7] - - 13 13 26
4 Bill O'Gorman Matich SR5 Waggott[7] Singapore Airlines - 6 8 - 14
5 Peter Jones Farrell Clubman Motor Improvements[5] - 4 7 - 11
6 Robin Pare Elfin ME5 Chevrolet Donald Elliott - 9 - - 9
7 Eric Boord Boral Ford Shell Racing Team 8 - - - 8
= Peter Turnbull Turnham GM6 Holden P. Turnbull[7] - - - 8 8
9 Barry Randall Rennmax Repco Brabham Litre Motors 7 - - - 7
= Alan Gissing Gissing Holden[3] Alan Gissing 4 3 - - 7
11 Alan Newton R&T Chevrolet[3] A. Newton[5] - - 6 - 6
12 Stuart Kostera Kostera SR3A Chevrolet[11] Stuart Kostera Racing[12] - 5 - - 5
13 Doug Clark Wright Renault Doug Clark 4 - - - 4
= Paul Gibson Lotus 23B Oldsmobile[11] Paul Gibson - - 4 - 4
15 John Phillips Farrell Galant[10] Kookaburra Racing Team 3 - - - 3
= Mike Drewer Farrell CI/P M. J. Drewer - 3 - - 3
= Ross Wemyss Farrell Toyota Drug Houses of Australia[5] - - 3 - 3
18 Jim Doig Motorlab ASP[10] Motorlab Racing 2 - - - 2
= Vaughan Gibson Farrell Clubman[12] Linc Contemporary[12] - 2 - - 2
20 Peter Hunter Lotus Super 7[10] Peter Hunter 1 - - - 1

References

  1. ^ a b c d e f g Conditions for Australian Titles, 1974 CAMS Manual of Motor Sport, pages 84 to 86
  2. ^ Records, Titles and Awards, 2006 CAMS Manual of Motor Sport, page 14-6
  3. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m Sports Car Championship, Australian Competition Yearbook, 1975 Edition, pages 160 to 163
  4. ^ Official 1974 National calendar, Racing Car News, January 1974
  5. ^ a b c d Official Souvenir Programme, Phillip Island Auto Racing Club, October 13th (1974)
  6. ^ a b c Australian Competition Yearbook refers to Cooper’s car as an Elfin MS7 Repco. Graham Howard’s article “Elfins: the beautiful cars that keep winning” (Australian Motor Racing Yearbook 1982/83 pages 46 to 58) states that the one-off Elfin MS7 was powered by a Repco Holden engine
  7. ^ a b c d Steven Chopping, Michell is Champ!, Racing Car News, December 1974, pages 48 & 49
  8. ^ a b c d e f Championship Pointscores, Chequered Flag, December 1974 / January 1975, Pages Seventy Six & Seventy Seven
  9. ^ a b Entry list for Round 1, Australian Sports Car Championship, Official Program, Adelaide International Raceway, Sunday, March 31, 1974, page 22
  10. ^ a b c d Results, ASCC Rd 1, Racing Car News, June 1974
  11. ^ a b Mark Fogarty, Elfin Flies Home, Chequered Flag, November 1974, Pages Forty Six & Forty Seven
  12. ^ a b c Program, Calder, May 26 (1974)