Australian Gold Star Race

Bathurst, 7 Apr 1969

All cars are 2.5-litre Tasman unless noted.

Notes on the cars:

1. Brabham BT31 [1] (Jack Brabham): New for Jack Brabham for the 1969 Tasman series but only appeared for the last race. Used also to win one Gold Star race but then remained with Repco in Australia as a show car. To Repco employee Rodway Wolfe in 1974 and sold to collector Dr Bill Marshall in 1984. To Bib Stillwell in 1987 to join his collection of cars. Sold in January 2000 to Jeremy Thomas (Hundon, Suffolk). To Peter McLaughlin (Hannover, NH) July 2006. To Peter Strauss (Melbourne, Victoria, Australia) January 2011 and used in Australian historic racing.
2. Brabham BT23E [1] (John Harvey): Built for Jack Brabham to use in the 1968 Tasman series and fitted with the latest "overhead everything" lightweight 2.5-litre Repco 830 V8. However, after an oil leak in practice at Warwick Farm, Repco supplied a replacement 740-series engine for the race. Also raced by Brabham at Sandown Park, this time with the 830 engine. Sold to Bob Jane Racing but crashed by John Harvey in practice at Bathurst in April. It was then raced by Jim Palmer, Ian Cook, and Bob Jane himself in a minor race at Calder. Then crashed again by Allan Moffat in practice at Sandown Park in September. For Harvey again in the 1969 Australian Gold Star, the 1970 Tasman series (Warwick Farm and Sandown Park only) and for the first race of the 1970 Australian Gold Star (won at Symmons Plains March 1970). Then sold to Bob 'Woody' Curran and fitted with a Ford twin cam for ANF2 racing in Tasmania from 1971 to 1977. From Curran to David Madrers in the early 1980s who started a restoration. He sold it in 1983 to Bill Marshall who completed the restoration and used it in historic racing in Australia. Then sold via Ray Delaney (Melbourne, Australia) to Art Valdez (Torrance, CA) in late 1990, and remained in his collection for many years, until sold to the Rare Metals consortium in the UK in 2017. Bought from the consortium by Aaron Lewis (Australia) and rebuilt for him by Tony Ditheridge's Hawker Racing (Milden, Suffolk).
3. Brabham BT23A [1] (Brian Page): Built for Jack Brabham to use in the 1967 Tasman series and fitted with a 2.5-litre Repco 640 V8. Brabham won the last race of the series at Longford in March. The car was then sold to David McKay's Scuderia Veloce and entered for driver Greg Cusack in the 1967 Australian Gold Star. Cusack finished second in the series having won the Gold Star round at Symmons Plains in November, and two weeks later also took the Australian Hill Climb Championship in the car. Cusack then raced the BT23A in the Australian rounds of the 1968 Tasman series but was injured when he crashed at Longford in March, and decided to retire. Although extensively damaged, the car was repaired and Phil West took over the drive for the 1968 Gold Star, starting with victory at Bathurst on Easter Monday. The Brabham was then sold to Brian Page, who used it in Gold Star and regional events during 1969. After being missig for a couple of seasons, the Brabham was mentioned again in 1972 when Monarch-Ford racer Alan Stewart was said to have it for ANF2. At some point the car was crashed, and the rear of the chassis was replaced. Acquired by Peter Simms (Kurrajong, NSW Australia) in January 1980, restored and raced for the first time at Amaroo in August 1984. Raced in Australian historics by Simms for many years.
4. McLaren M4A [M4A/2] (Niel Allen): Entered by John Coombes for Piers Courage in F2 in 1967. Crashed at Brands Hatch in August 1967 and believed to have been rebuilt on a new tub before its next race at Albi four weeks later, but Autosport makes no mention of a rebuild nor of it being a new car. Raced by Piers Courage in the 1968 Tasman series. Sold to Niel Allen and raced in Australian events in 1968 until Allen crashed heavily at Lakeside in July, reportedly requiring another new tub to be fabricated. Raced again by Allen in 1969, then to Pat Burke for drivers Len Goodwin 1970-71 and Warwick Brown 1971. Sold by Burke and Peter Malloy to Erol Richardson but bought back by Pat Burke around 1982. Restored by Molloy for Burke and retained until sold to John Hugenholtz. To David Coplowe (England) by 1994. Raced in the HSCC Historic Formula Racing Car Championship in 1995. Raced by Coplowe until 2010, and sold to Gareth Williams (Oxfordshire) in 2012.

Sources

Note that the identification of individual cars in these results is based on the material presented elsewhere in this site and may in some cases contradict the organisers' published results.

All comments, clarifications, corrections and additions are most welcome. Please email Allen (allen@oldracingcars.com) if you can help in any way with our research.