1981 Australian Sports Car Championship
The 1981 Australian Sports Car Championship was a CAMS sanctioned Australian motor racing title open to Group D Production Sports Cars.[1] It was the thirteenth Australian Sports Car Championship[2] and the last to be restricted to cars complying with Group D regulations. The championship was won by John Latham, driving a Porsche Turbo.[3]
Schedule
The championship was contested over a four-round series with Rounds 1, 2 and 3 each staged over two heats and Round 4 run as a single race.[3]
| Round[3] | Circuit[3] | Location / state | Date[3] | Heat 1 winner[3] | Heat 2 winner[3] | Round winner |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Sandown Park | Melbourne, Vic. | 22 February | John Latham | John Walker | John Latham |
| 2 | Baskerville Raceway | Hobart, Tas. | 5 April | John Walker | John Latham | John Latham |
| 3 | Winton Motor Raceway | Winton, Vic. | 23 August | Murray Bryden | John Latham | John Latham |
| 4 | Calder Park Raceway | Melbourne, Vic. | 8 October | John Latham | N/A | John Latham |
Class structure
Cars competed in two engine capacity classes:[1]
- Class A[3] - Over 2000cc[1]
- Class B[3] - Up to and including 2000cc[1]
Points system
Championship points were awarded on a 9-6-4-3-2-1 basis for the first six placings in each class at each round.[1] Bonus points were awarded on a 4-3-2-1 basis for the top four placings irrespective of class at each round.[1]
Where rounds were run in multiple parts, drivers were allocated points on a 20-16-13-11-10-9-8-7-6-5-4-3-2-1 basis for the first fourteen positions in each part.[1] These points were then aggregated to determine the placings for that round.[1]
Championship standings
| Position[3] | Driver[3] | Car[3] | Entrant[4] | Class[3] | San[3] | Bas[3] | Win[3] | Cal[3] | Total[3] |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | John Latham | Porsche Turbo | John Latham | A | 13 | 13 | 13 | 13 | 52 |
| 2 | Murray Bryden | Lotus Super 7 | Murray Bryden | B | 9 | 10 | 4 | - | 23 |
| 3 | Peter Fitzgerald | Porsche Carrera | Lindsay Quinn Real Estate | A | 1 | 6 | 4 | 9 | 20 |
| 4 | John Walker | Porsche Turbo | Magnum Wheels | A | 9 | 9 | DNS | DNS | 18 |
| 5 | Lex Lasry | Triumph GT6 | Lex Lasry | B | 3 | 3 | 7 | 3 | 16 |
| 6 | Norman Carr | Austin-Healey Sprite Lotus Elan | Norman Carr | B | 2 | - | 2 | 11 | 15 |
| 7 | Gordon Dobie | Datsun 260Z | Gordon Dobie | A | DNS | DNS | 8 | 5 | 13 |
| 8 | Bernie Bisseling | Lotus Elan | Norman Carr | B | DNS | DNS | 12 | DNS | 12 |
| 9 | Don Hume | Lotus 47 | Don Hume | B | 6 | 4 | 1 | DNS | 11 |
| 10 | Dick Smith | Lotus Super 7 | Dick Smith | B | 4 | 6 | - | - | 10 |
| 11 [5] | Rusty French [6] | De Tomaso Pantera | Rusty French | A | 4 [7] | 5 [8] | - | - | 9 [5] |
| 12 [5] | Chris Swingler [6] | Triumph TR7 | Chris Swingler | B | ? | ? | ? | ? | 8 [5] |
| 13 [5] | Rex Colliver [6] | Lotus Elan | R. Colliver [9] | B | ? | ? | ? | ? | 6 [5] |
| 14 [5] | Ross Mathieson [6] | Porsche Carrera | Ross Mathieson [10] | A | ? | ? | ? | ? | 4 [5] |
| 15 [5] | Alan Edwards [6] | Bolwell Nagari | Alan Edwards [10] | A | 2 [7] | - | - | - | 2 [5] |
| = [5] | Geoff Munyard [6] | Triumph TR4 | G. Westwell [11] | A | ? | ? | ? | ? | 2 [5] |
References
- ^ a b c d e f g h Conditions for Australian Titles, 1981 CAMS Manual of Motor Sport, pages 91 to 93
- ^ Records, Titles and Awards, 2006 CAMS Manual of Motor Sport, page 14-6
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r Australian Sports Car Championship, Australian Motor Racing Yearbook 1981/82, pages 140 to 149
- ^ Aust. Sports Car C'ship, Racing Car News, January 1982, page 37
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l Lack-Lustre Last to Latham, Racing Car News, December 1981, Page 21
- ^ a b c d e f Family names from Lack-Lustre Last to Latham, Racing Car News, December 1981, Page 21 and given names from Australian Sports Car Championship, Australian Motor Racing Yearbook 1981/82, pages 140 to 149
- ^ a b Graham Slater, Latham and Costanzo First Up, Racing Car News, March 1981, pages 66 to 69
- ^ Sandown round report in Racing Car News shows French's progressive score as 4 points, Baskerville report in Racing Car News, May 1981 shows French's progressive score as 9 points
- ^ Program. Calder Raceway, November 7th-8th
- ^ a b Official Program, Sandown, February 22, 1981
- ^ Program, Baskerville, 5 April 1981
External links
- Baskerville Raceway Photo Catalogue & Race Program Entry Listings, oldmotorsportphotos.com.au
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