Happy Australia Day, the official National Day of Australia!
The day commemorates the arrival of the British at Port Jackson, New South
Wales, in 1788. While it may be a day early in the U.S. (January 25), the time
difference lands the publication of this blog in Australia on Friday morning,
January 26. (Posted Friday from the United States would mean Australia Day would be over/almost over in Australia, which defeats the purpose.)
Australia has been immensely important in the history of
motor racing around the world. The country has played host to many of the top
sanctioning bodies in the world, and produced some of the best drivers and team
members in those forms of racing. Jack Brabham won three Formula 1 World
Championships (1959, 1960, 1966) and developed and raced his own cars. Alan
Jones joined Brabham as an F1 champ from the Land Down Under with his 1980
title.
More recently, Will Power won the 2014 IndyCar Series
championship for legendary car owner Roger Penske, who has teamed with Supercar Series legend Dick Johnson to field cars in Australia’s top series.
Speaking of Supercars, the series dates back to 1960, with a
one-off, winner-takes-all race/championship, as part of the Australian Touring
Car Championship. The series would eventually turn into a multi-race,
calendar-long season that has produced exciting racing with competitive,
high-performance cars and equally as competitive drivers. And since that 1960
debut, Australians have won all but one title. Allan Moffat, the
Canadian-born driver who spent the majority of his life and racing career in
Australia, received Australian citizenship in 2004; Shane van Gisbergen, the
2016 titlist, is from New Zealand.
Of course, Aussies don’t just play on pavement. A number of
top-level open-wheel stars have joined the U.S.-based World of Outlaws circuit
over the past many seasons. The circuit actually has sanctioned a number of
races in Australia.
The Australian National Drag Racing Association was
established in 1973 and includes a multitude of classes, similar to those in
the United States. Teams and driver frequent the United States as well,
competing on the NHRA circuit.
The World Sportscar Championship, contested between 1953 and
1992, first visited Australia in 1984, with the running of the Sandown 1000 at
Sandown Raceway. A few Australians won overall and in their class in some of
the biggest sports car races in the world during 40 years of WSC
competition.
While it’d be near impossible to list every Australian
achievement in motorsports (or at least it’d take a very long time to compile),
here’s a look at some of interesting facts, figures and statistics surrounding
Australian motorsport history and those that support it.
Statistics are related to Formula 1, IndyCar, NASCAR, NHRA,
World Endurance Championship, IMSA, historic Trans-Am and, of course, the
Supercars Championship; the now defunct World Sportscar Championship; the 24
Hours of Le Mans, 24 Hours of Daytona and the Dakar Rally.
History of Australian
Motorsport
- The first race in Australia was the Alpine Rally
at East Gippsland in 1921.
- The Australian Automobile Association (AAA) was
established in 1924 and oversaw motorsport competitions in the country from
1926 through 1952.
- The first Australian Grand Prix was held at
Phillip Island in Victoria in 1928. The 100 Miles Road Race, as it was known
then, was held on a temporary circuit consisting of closed public roads. The
race was won by Arthur Waite. The Grand Prix has been held 82 times, among the
most of any grand prix in any nation.
- The Australian Hillclimb Championship debuted in
1938. It has been held annually, in one form or another, every year since 1947,
the second running of the event.
- The Confederation of Australian Motor Sport
(CAMS) was established in 1953 and is the official governing body of
motorsports in Australia.
- Between 1928 and 1984, the Australian Grand Prix
(which was not part of the Formula 1 World Championship until 1985) was won by
Australians 32 times out of 46 events.
- The Australian manufacturer Matich won the
Australian Grand Prix twice – in 1971 and 1976.
- Lex Davison won the Australian Grand Prix a
record four times – all in the pre-F1 era. Michael Schumacher also has four
Australian Grand Prix wins – all in F1.
Australian
Connections to Formula 1
- A total of 14 drivers born in Australia have
competed in Formula 1. They are (in chronological order): Tony Gaze, Jack
Brabham, Paul England, Frank Gardner, Paul Hawkins, Tim Schenker, David Walker,
Vern Schuppan, Alan Jones, Larry Perkins, Warwick Brown, David Brabham, Mark
Webber and Daniel Riccardo.
- A total of four drivers born in Australia have combined
to win 40 F1 races: Jack Brabham (14); Alan Jones (12); Mark Webber (9); Daniel
Riccardo (5).
- Australian-born drivers have recorded four F1
championships – 1959, 1960, 1966 and 1980. It is one of 14 countries to produce
an F1 champion, one of 11 countries with more than one F1 title (tied for fifth
with four titles), and one of eight countries with two or more different F1
champions.
- In addition to Brabham and Jones, Mark Webber
also led the points standings.
- Formula 1 has had at least one Australian driver
in every season since 2001.
- Australia has hosted 33 Formula 1 points-paying
grand prix. It’s 33 straight grand prix make it the nation with the fifth-most
consecutive active grand prix for a country behind Italy, United Kingdom,
Monaco, and Brazil.
- Jack Brabham in F1’s Top 10:
o
5 consecutive victories (tied for sixth
all-time)
o
Final victory at age 43 years, 339 days (fifth
oldest winner all-time)
o
Final pole position at age 44 years, 17 days
(third oldest polesitter all-time)
o
Final podium finish at 44 years, 107 days (10th
oldest podium finisher all-time)
o
2 grand slams [pole, win, fastest lap, led every
lap] (tied for 10th all-time)
o
3 championships (tied for sixth all-time and one
of 10 drivers to accomplish that feat)
- Mark Webber in F1’s Top 10:
o
157 consecutive F1 starts (10th all-time)
o
129 races with a single constructor (ninth
all-time)
o
129 races with a single engine manufacturer
(10th all-time)
o
129 start before first win (highest all-time;
won in 130th start)
o
7 fastest laps in a single season (tied for
ninth all-time)
o
159 consecutive laps led (ninth all-time)
Australian
Connections to IndyCars
- One round in each of 17 Championship Auto Racing
Teams (CART) and/or Champ Car World Series seasons (1991-2007) was contested in
Australia at the temporary Surfers Paradise Street Circuit. A non-points paying
round of the Indy Racing League IndyCar Series was held in 2008, also at
Surfers Paradise, with Ryan Briscoe the only Australia to win an IndyCar race
at the track.
- Will Power (Toowoomba) won the 2014 IndyCar
Series championship. He owns a number of records for Australians in IndyCar
racing, including:
o
Races: 187
o
Victories: 32
o
Pole Positions: 50
o
Laps Led: 3,512
o
Best Indianapolis 500 Finish: 2nd (2015)
- A total of 14 drivers born in Australia have
competed in IndyCar races (in order of appearance): Jack Brabham (five races;
best finish of ninth); Kevin Bartlett (three races; best finish of 12th); Vern
Schuppan (33 races between USAC/CART; best finish of third in 1981 Indianapolis
500); Dennis Firestone (36 races; best finish of fifth twice); Geoff Brabham (94
races; best finish of second on six occasions); Alan Jones (one race; best
finish of third); Gary Brabham (two races; best finish of 14th); Jason Bright (one
race; best finish of 18th); John de Vries (five races; best finish of 11th); David
Besnard (one race; best finish of seventh); Ryan Briscoe (137 races; seven wins);
Marcus Marshall (12 races; best finish of eighth); Will Power (187 races; 32
wins); and James Davison (5 races; best finish of 15th).
o
Matthew Brabham, Geoff Brabham’s son, holds dual
American/Australian citizenship, having been born in the United States.
- Jack Brabham was the first Australian to compete
in USAC competition. Brabham made five starts – four in the Indianapolis 500
and one at Riverside International Raceway in California – with a best finish
of ninth in the 1961 Indianapolis 500. But he was best known in IndyCar history
as the first driver to compete in an IndyCar in a rear-engine car, the
Cooper/Climax.
- Power was the first Australian to win an IndyCar
race – the 2007 Champ Car race in Las Vegas.
- Kevin Kalkhoven (Adelaide) was one of three
owners to purchase the assets of the former CART series and continue on as the
Champ Car World Series. Kalkhoven also owned teams in IndyCar-style
competition, in Champ Car and the IndyCar Series. He earned seven victories as
a co-owner, including the 2013 Indianapolis 500 with Tony Kanaan.
- Team Australia competed for three seasons in Champ
Car, recording two victories (both by Will Power, in 2007 at Las Vegas and
Toronto) and fielding at least one car in 41 races.
o
Simon Pagenaud won the 2006 Champ Car Atlanta
Series title for Team Australia, winning one race.
- - The most Australians ever to compete in an
IndyCar race was three – on three occasions (Indianapolis 1981, 2014 and 2015).
In the 1981 Indianapolis 500, all three Australians finished in the top 10 –
Vern Schuppan (third); Geoff Brabham (fifth); and Dennis Firestone (10th).
Australian
Connections to NASCAR
- There has never been a NASCAR Cup Series
points-paying race in Australia, however, the series did compete in a single
exhibition race in 1988 at Calder Park Thunderdome in Melbourne. American
driver Neil Bonnett won the race, while Robin Best’s 11th-place finish was the
best of eight Australians in the 32-car field.
- Eight Australians have competed in a NASCAR Cup
Series points-paying race: Frank Gardner (1 race; best finish of 44th); Tony
Spanos (1 race; best finish of 18th); Allan Grice (2 races; best finish of
34th); Dick Johnson (7 races; best finish of 22nd); Terry Byers (5 races; best
finish of 19th); Geoff Brabham (1 race; best finish of 38th); Marcos Ambrose
(227 races; 2 wins); and Owen Kelly (1 race; best finish of 24th).
- Frank Gardner was the first Australian to
compete in what is now the NASCAR Cup Series. He finished 44th and
last in his only appearance, at Rockingham Speedway in North Carolina in 1968.
He completed two laps before the car’s engine expired.
- There have been three races with two Australians
competing. The first was the 1989 Coca-Cola 600 at Charlotte Motor Speedway in
North Carolina was the first, with Terry Byers and Allan Grice competing. The
second was the 1989 AC Spark Plug 500 at Pocono Raceway in Pennsylvania was the
second (Byers and Dick Johnson), and third and most recent was the 2013
Cheez-It 355 at Watkins Glen International in New York (Marcos Ambrose and Owen
Kelly).
- Ambrose is tied with Juan Pablo Montoya with
most Cup Series victories (two) by a driver not born in the United States.
Ambrose also leads all foreign-born drivers in Xfinity Series victories, with
five.
- Ambrose is the only Australian to win a Cup
race. Ambrose was also the fourth driver not from the United States to win a
Cup race, joining Mario Andretti, Earl Ross and Montoya (in chronological
order).
- Ambrose’s best points finish in NASCAR was 18th
in 2014.
Australian
Connections to NHRA
- Richie Crampton was the 2014 NHRA Rookie of the
Year, and has seven career Top Fuel victories, including the 2014 Chevrolet
Performance U.S. Nationals in Indianapolis, Indiana.
Australian
Connections to FIA World Endurance Championship
- Mark Webber won the 2015 WEC LMP1 championship
with Timo Bernhard and Brendon Hartley. The trio won four races together.
Overall, Webber has eight victories and 15 podiums in 25 races.
- John Martin won the second-ever WEC race in the
LMP2 class in the 6 Hours of Spa-Francorchamps, and won four of the eight races
during the series’ inaugural season in 2002. Overall, he has eight WEC
victories (also had four in 2013).
Australian
Connections to IMSA (not including ALMS)
- 1971-1988 (GT Championship)
o
Four drivers won in IMSA competition between
1971 and 1998: Geoff, David and Gary Brabham and Vern Schuppan.
o
Geoff Brabham scored four consecutive IMSA GTP
championships between 1988 and 1991. Brabham is the only Australian driver to
win an IMSA title and the only driver to win four consecutive championships in
any class.
o
Brabham became the first Australian to win in
IMSA competition, winning the 1987 Grand Prix of Miami, Florida. Overall, he
won 25 races between 1987 and 1992.
o
Vern Schuppan won his sole race in 1987, the
Kodak Copier 500 at Watkins Glen International.
o
David Brabham won 10 IMSA class races, including
two in the GTP category.
o
Gary Brabham won his sole GTP race in the 12
Hours of Sebring with Geoff Brabham. It marked the only time in this era of
IMSA that two Australians would co-win a race.
o
Overall, Australians shared in a victory or won
outright 28 IMSA GTP races and 36 class victories.
- 2014-2017
o
Two drivers have won in IMSA competition since
2014: John Martin and Ryan Briscoe.
o
Briscoe has five victories – all in the GTLM
category. He finished second in the 2016 points standings, with co-driver
Richard Westbrook (England).
o
Martin won his only race in 2013 in the PC
category. He co-won with Alex Popow, Mirco Schultis and Renger van der Zande in
the Petit Le Mans at Road Atlanta in Georgia.
Australian
Connections to Trans-Am
- Horst Kwech, though born in Austria but racing
under the Australian flag, won three of the seven races of the 1966 season in
the Under 2 Liter category. Allan Moffat, Canadian but also considered
Australian, won once. Frank Gardner, born in Australia, won the final round.
- Overall, Kwech – whose family emigrated to
Australia from Austria during World War II when he was young – won 14 Trans-Am
races between 1966 and 1972.
Australian
Connections to Supercars Championship
- There have been 965 races in V8 Supercar Series
history through January 26, 2018. This includes races held as part of the
Australian Touring Car Championship dating back to 1960.
- Of the 24 champions of the Australian Touring
Car Championship (ATCC) and Supercars Championship, 22 were born Australia.
Allan Moffat, a Canadian, was granted Australian citizenship in 2004, bringing
the number of Australian champs to 23. Shane van Gisbergen is from New Zealand.
- Holden, an Australian car manufacturer and
subsidiary of General Motors, won 507 races between 1960 and 2017.
- Jamie Whincup (Melbourne) holds the record for
most race victories (108) and series championships (seven).
Australian
Connections to 24 Hours of Le Mans
- Four Australian drivers have won the 24 Hours of
Le Mans overall – Bernard Rubin (1928); Vern Schuppan (1983); Geoff Brabham
(1993); and David Brabham (2009).
o
Rubin won with Woolf Barnato in a Bentley.
o
Schuppan won with Hurley Haywood and Al Holbert
in a Porsche 956.
o
Geoff Brabham won with Eric Helary and
Christophe Bouchut in a Peugeot 905 Evo 1B.
o
David Brabham won with Marc Gene and Alexander
Wurz in a Peugeot 908 HDi FAP.
Australian Connections
to Rolex 24 At Daytona
- Allan Moffat won the 1982 GTU class with Kathy
Rude and Lee Mueller in a Mazda RX-7.
- Geoff Brabham won the LM class in 1991 with Bob
Earl, Derek Daly and Chip Robinson in a Nissan R90C Lola.
- David Brabham is a two-time class winner. He won
the 1992 GTP class with Davy Jones, Scott Pruett and Scott Goodyear in a
Jaguar, and the 2003 Daytona Prototype class with David Empringham and Scott
Maxwell in a Ford Multimatic.
- Ryan Briscoe won the GTLM class in 2015 with Jan
Magnussen and Antonio Garcia, in a Corvette.
Australian
Connections to Dakar Rally
- Toby Price won the 2016 Dakar Rally, taking a
KTM 450 to a 39-minute, 41-second victory in the motorcycle category. He is the
only Australian to win the Dakar Rally in any category. Following the
completion of the 2018 Dakar Rally last week, Price has eight stage victories,
dating back to 2015.
- Two other Australians, Andy Caldecott and Andy
Haydon, own stage victories in the Dakar Rally, both in bikes. Caldecott won
three, while Haydon has two. Tragically, Caldecott was killed in the ninth
stage of the 2006 race.
Australian
Connections to World Sportscar Championship (1953-1992)
- Two WSC races were held in Australia – the 1984
Sandown 1000 and 1988 Lucas Supersprint, both at Sandown International Raceway
(then Sandown Park) in Melbourne.
- Neil Crang won five races in the Gr.C2 category
in 1984.
- Tim Schenken won five races in various classes –
two each in 1972 and 1974 and an overall win in 1977 at the 1000 kilometers of
the Nurburgring.
- Jack Brabham was the first Australian to win a
WSC event when he won the 1000 kilometers of the Nurburgring in 1958 with
British driver Stirling Moss.
- Two drivers won races in 1967 – Paul Hawkins won
the Prototype class in the Targa Florio (Italy) and Sportscar class at Zeltweg,
Austria, while Rudy Lins triumphed in the Sportscar category at
Villars-sur-Ollon.
- Vern Schuppan’s overall victory came in the 24
Hours of Le Mans in 1983.
- David Brabham won the 430 kilometers of the
Nurburgring overall and in the C1 class with British driver Derek Warwick in
1991.
Tasman Series
(1964-1975)
- A total of 12 seasons were contested for the
Tasman Series between 1964 and 1975.
- Eight different champions were crowned during
the series’ 12 seasons. Jim Clark (Scotland) and Graham McRae (New Zealand)
each won the series championship three times. Warwick Brown was the only
Australian to win the championship (1975).
Bathurst 1000
- The Bathurst 1000 has been held 60 times, dating
back to 1960. The race has been held at least once every year since, with two
1,000-kilometer races held in 1997 and 1998.
- Peter Brock has won the race a record nine
times. A total of 20 drivers have won outright or co-won the race more than
once. He was the last driver to win the race
without the need of a co-driver, in 1972 (when the race was scheduled for 500
kilometers).
- Mark Winterbottom and Steve Richards won the
race in 2013 at a record average speed of 161.5697 kilometers per hour,
equating to 100.3948 miles per hour. That marks the only time the race to
averaged more than 100 mph.
- At least one co-driver to win the race since
2000 has been an Australian.
Sandown 500
- The Sandown 500 has been held 47 times, dating
back to 1964, and every year since 2011.
- Peter Brock has won the race a record nine
times. A total of 15 drivers have won outright or co-won the race more than
once.
- Allan Moffat was the last driver to win the race
without the need of a co-driver, in 1983. Every race held since the 1984 event
has been with two drivers.
MotoGP
- Three motorcycle champions from the 500CC/MotoGP
category have won world championships – Mick Doohan (five; 1994-1998); Casey
Stone (two; 2007 and 2011); and Wayne Gardner (one; 1987).
- Ken Kavanagh was the first MotoGP race winner from
Australia – at Belfast in 1953. A total of 12 riders have won in the
500cc/MotoGP class and 19 riders across all classes have combined for 180
victories, making Australia the country with the fourth most victories behind
Italy, Spain and the United Kingdom.
- Mick Doohan has 54 grand prix victories, the
most of any rider from Australia and tied for seventh all-time with Dani
Pedrose (Spain). He was fourth when he retired after the 1999 season. Casey
Stoner is second with 38, tied for 10th all-time with two other riders.
Sources
- Wikipedia: Formula 1 Records; Motorsport in
Australia; Trans-Am; Team Australia; 1988 Goodyear NASCAR 500; World Sportscar
Championship; Bathurst 1000; Sandown 500; List of Grand Prix motorcycle racing
winners
- Racing-Reference.info
- Champ Car World Series media guide (2007)
- CART Media Guide (1996)
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