Australian National F1 Championship Race

Oran Park, 21 Aug 1983

All cars are 1.6-litre F/Pac unless noted.

Notes on the cars:

1. Ralt RT4/81 [256] (Andrew Miedecke): Ralt sales record says sold to Andrew Meidecke, without delivery date. [Tub no: 81/94; gearbox: FT1423; JM34732 11/80]. The car of Andrew Meidecke in the 1981 Australian season; chassis number given for Meidecke's car in NZMA report of 1981 AGP [NZMA 23 Nov 81 p4]; chassis number given for Meidecke's car at the Selangor GP 29 Nov 81 [NZMA 11 Jan 82 p3]. [CT]
2. Ralt RT4/81 [264] (John Smith): Ralt sales record says sold to Graham Watson/Smith without delivery date. [Tub no: 81/122; gearbox: FT1475; fuel cell: JM36405 4/81]. The car of John Smith: chassis number given for Smith's car in NZMA report of 1981 AGP, [NZMA 23 Nov 81 p4]. Retained by Smith for the 1982 Gold Star season, but very badly damaged in testing before the Adelaide round. [A/S 15 Jul 82 p49; AMSYB-82 p152]. The car was rebuilt around a new Ralt tub. Chassis number given by AMSYB for Smith's car at 1982 AGP so presumably kept the plate. [CT]
3. Cheetah Mk8 [81-2] (Brian Sampson): Built to Formula Pacific (AF1) specification and delivered to Brian Sampson in October 1982. Sampson raced the car in Formula Pacific in 1982, 1983, 1984 and 1985. Sold to Barry Johnson in August 1985, and raced by him in ANF1 series in 1986, and then in the ANF2 series in 1987 and 1988 using a VW engine. To Alan Watts in October 2003, and raced by him in Australian historic racing.
4. Toleman TA860 [HU2] (Peter Williamson): Invoiced to Peter Williamson 16 Sep 1981. Fitted with a Toyota 2T-G Formula Pacific engine, and raced in Williamson in Australian F/Pacific and in some Southeast Asian Formula Pacific events. In 1982 it was crashed heavily at Oran Park, and rebuilt on a new monocoque produced by Liston & Fisher. Williamson raced the car until the end of 1984 when he crashed the car during practice for the Australian Grand Prix, and abruptly announced his retirement from racing. The Toleman was sold to Ken Shirvington who raced it in 1985. Retained by Shirvington thereafter.
5. Cheetah Mk8 [81-3] (Peter Macrow): Built to Formula Pacific (AF1) specification and delivered to Peter Macrow in February 1983. Macrow raced the car in Formula Pacific in 1983, 1984, 1985 and 1986. It was sold to Graham (Graeme?) Smith in 1986, then to Rod Anderson in 1989. The next owner is reported to be a James Sears in 1995. It was next owned by Geoff Turner in 1996, and then to Geoff Wiseman in 1998.
6. Ralt RT4/82 [81-274] (Lucio Cesario): Ralt sales record says sold to Graham Watson for Charlie O'Brien, delivered 29 Sep 81. O'Brien's car at Shah Alam GP 16-18 Oct 81 is described as 'new' by NZMA. Chassis number given for O'Brien's car in NZMA report of 1981 AGP [NZMA 23 Nov 81 p4].
7. Ralt RT1/77 [91] (Terry Ryan): New to Larry Perkins (Victoria, Australia) for the 1978 New Zealand Formula Pacific series. Then to John Smith (NEW, Australia) and raced in the 1979 New Zealand series. Smith used the car in some Rothmans International and Gold Star races later in 1979, still with its BDA engine, before converting it to single cam ANF2 specification for the Australian ANF2 series. Again raced by Smith in New Zealand in January 1980, then in ANF1 and ANF2 events in Australia. Retained for a third season in 1981, and used in the New Zealand series and in the National Panasonic Formula Pacific series in Australia. Smith then bought a new Ralt RT4/81, but the RT1 was retained as a spare car, and loaned to Brett Fisher for the 1982 Australian GP. Raced by Terry Ryan in ANF2 in 1984.
8. Ralt RT3/81 [203] (Peter Boylan): Ralt sales record says sold via Graham Watson, delivered 14.1.81. [Tub no: 80/42; gearbox Hewland Mk9 H93599; fuel cell: JM 27166 3/79]. The car was sold to Lucio Cesario who used it, fitted with a VW engine, as an Australian rules F2 car, but running it also in F. Pacific races with considerable success in 1981. [CT]

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.

The Australian race results have been provided by Chris Townsend based on material in Autosport and Motoring News reports plus the information supplied by a wide range of contributors.

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.