Australian Gold Star Race

Symmons Plains, 23 Mar 1980

All cars are 5-litre F5000 unless noted.

Notes on the cars:

1. Elfin MR8B-C [8783-2] (John Bowe): New for Vern Schuppan to drive for Ansett Team Elfin in the 1978 Australian Internationals. Also for Schuppan at the Australian GP in September 1978 but he crashed heavily and the car was rebuilt on a new monocoque. James Hunt guest drove this car to take pole position and win at Winton in November. Then raced by Schuppan in the 1979 Australian Internationals. John Bowe took over the Ansett Team Elfin later that season, and raced the car at the 1979 Australian GP and in the 1980 Australian Gold Star, where he won two rounds. Then sold to Reg Orr and driven for him by Stuart Kostera in 1981, and by Bruce Allison in 1982. It was owned by Mike Trengove in 1984, but its history is then unknown until it was sold by Paul Trevethan to Bryan Thompson (Victoria) in 1994. Then to Mike Glynn (Victoria) in 1997.
2. Lola T430 [HU1] (Alfredo Costanzo): VDS for Teddy Pilette US 1976 (6 races; best result 3rd at R3 Mosport Park 20 Jun); used as spare car to Brown's HU2 in Australian Internationals 1977 - Alan Hamilton (Australia): used as spare car; maybe Jon Davison's car Australian Gold Star 1977 (R1 Surfers Paradise 28 Aug 1977 only). Built up after Hamilton's crash at the 1978 Australian GP and raced by Alfredo Costanzo: Australian Gold Star 1978; Australian Internationals 1979 (won at Sandown Park and Adelaide); Australian Gold Star 1979 (won at Sandown 9 Sep); Australian Gold Star 1980 (won at Sandown 14 Sep and Winton 26 Oct); Australian GP 1980 (4th) - Bob Minogue: Australian Gold Star 1981, Arco Graphic 1981/82. Minogue still holds several lap records in Australia, including the Sandown International circuit record for F5000, set on 2 Mar 1986 and the Historic F5000 record at Winton on 30 May 1993. Subsequently sold to Gavin Bain, then to Graham Cameron, who raced it at Historic Sandown in 2000. To David Abbott (Christchurch, NZ) by 2002, and raced in the F5000 Tasman Revival regularly from 2003 to 2008, when Abbott moved over to his newly rebuilt HU2. Then raced by Ken Smith in the series from 2008 to 2010.
3. Lola T332 [HU34] (Jon Davison): See full history: Lola T332 HU34.
4. Lola T400 [HU15] (John Wright): See full history: Lola T400 HU15.
5. Elfin MR8-C [8761] (Peter "Chris" Middleton): New for Garrie Cooper to drive for Ansett Team Elfin at the Sandown Park Cup in February 1976, for Vern Schuppan at the Australian Grand Prix, which he won, and then for Cooper in the remainder of the 1976 Australian Gold Star races. For Cooper again in the 1977 Australian Internationals and Australian Gold Star. Retained again for Cooper to drive in the 1978 Australian Internationals and in that season's Australian Grand Prix, but he had a major accident at this race. Larry Perkins took over the repaired car for the 1979 Internationals. It was then sold to Chris Middleton for the 1980 Gold Star, after which Didier Pironi guest-drove the car at the 1980 Australian GP. Middleton retained the car for 1981 and 1982, and John Smith drove it once in the 1982 ARCO Graphite Series. Bob Minogue then acquired the car in 1984, but its history is then unknown until Peter Brennan (Melbourne, Victoria) sold it in 1998 to Graham Mein (Ballina, Queensland). Mein raced it at VHRR Historic Sandown in 1999 and 2000. In 2008, it went from Mein to Ken James (Gold Coast, Queensland), who raced it in the Tasman Revival series in 2008/09 and 2009/10. It then went to Bend Motorsport Park Managing Director Sam Shahin (Tailem Bend, South Australia) in 2018.
6. Lola T332 [HU36] (Chas Talbot): See full history: Lola T332 HU36.

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.

Australian Gold Star results for the period 1971-1976 are now available from a variety Australian magazines and yearbooks. As well as Racing Car News, results have been cross-checked against the 1972 Australian Motoring Yearbook and the 1973 and 1974 Australian Competition Yearbooks. Information is added from Autosport where available. The 1975 season was collated by Glenn Moulds using Racing Car News, Australian Auto Action, Chequered Flag, Australian Competition Year, "50 Years Of The Australian Grand Prix" and "Australia's Elfin Sports and Racing Cars". For the 1976 season, Glenn was also able to use Motor Sport Reporter from R3 Calder onwards.

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.