Australian Gold Star Race

Sandown Park, 22 Feb 1981

All cars are 5-litre F5000 unless noted.

Notes on the cars:

1. Elfin MR9 [80231] (John Bowe): New for the Australian Grand Prix in November 1980, where Didier Pironi was due to drive it for Ansett Team Elfin, but withdrew as the car was untested. Raced by Garrie Cooper at the GP. Taken to the opening Australian Gold Star race in February 1981 for Cooper to drive, but taken over by John Bowe for the race after Cooper was "spooked" by its behavior. Then raced by Cooper in a non-championship race at Adelaide in May. After the Gold Star series moved to Formula Pacific rules, Cooper raced the MR9 in the ARCO Graphite F5000 series in the 1981/82 season. After Cooper's death in April 1982, the car was not raced again. It was retained by Lorraine Cooper and displayed for some time in the National Motor Museum at Birdwood South Australia. In 2003, it was sold to a private collector in Sydney, NSW, and it was next seen on display for the opening of the Elfin Heritage Centre in Moorabbin, Melbourne. Since then, it has not been seen in public but is believed to remain in the same collection.
2. Lola T332 [T330 HU8] (Rob Butcher): To Haas/Hall and developed by Jim Hall with revised bodywork, radiators and rear wing for Brian Redman in the 1973 US series. Then to Rogers Racing for Larry Harley in the 1974 US series. To Ken Smith (New Zealand) for the 1974/75 season, the New Zealand and Australian Internationals 1976. To Chris Milton (South Australia) and raced in Australia from Sep 1977 to Sep 1978. To John Blanden 1978, and driven for him by Rob Butcher from 1979 to 1982. To Bib Stillwell 1988 for Australian historic racing. To Noel Robson (Melbourne, Australia) 1993, and raced in Australian historic racing for many years. More information about Lola T330 HU8
3. Lola T332 ['071-084'] (Colin Trengove): See full history: Lola T330 HU7.
4. March 77B [30] (Ray Hanger): Entered by March for Danny Sullivan in the 1978 New Zealand International series. Sold to Colin Giltrap and entered by him for Dave McMillan at Baypark Mar 1978 then for Larry Perkins in the 1978/79 series. Raced by Desiré Wilson in the Jan/Feb 1980 series then John Smith in Jan 1981. Sold to Ray Hanger (Australia) and used in the 1981 AF1 and Pacific series. Also raced at Shah Alam in October 1981.
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 [HU36a] (Chas Talbot): See full history: Lola T332 HU36.
7. Lola T400 [HU15] (John Wright): See full history: Lola T400 HU15.
8. Elfin MR9 [80231] (Garrie Cooper): New for the Australian Grand Prix in November 1980, where Didier Pironi was due to drive it for Ansett Team Elfin, but withdrew as the car was untested. Raced by Garrie Cooper at the GP. Taken to the opening Australian Gold Star race in February 1981 for Cooper to drive, but taken over by John Bowe for the race after Cooper was "spooked" by its behavior. Then raced by Cooper in a non-championship race at Adelaide in May. After the Gold Star series moved to Formula Pacific rules, Cooper raced the MR9 in the ARCO Graphite F5000 series in the 1981/82 season. After Cooper's death in April 1982, the car was not raced again. It was retained by Lorraine Cooper and displayed for some time in the National Motor Museum at Birdwood South Australia. In 2003, it was sold to a private collector in Sydney, NSW, and it was next seen on display for the opening of the Elfin Heritage Centre in Moorabbin, Melbourne. Since then, it has not been seen in public but is believed to remain in the same collection.
9. Lola T332 [HU34] (Jon Davison): See full history: Lola T332 HU34.
10. March 732/A ["732-15"] (Russell Davidson): Reported to have been bought from Jock Topin's Ecurie Santos (Watford, UK) and imported to Australia by Ray Gibbs (East Malvern, Victoria, Australia) in 1978. Entered by Gibbs for Russell Davidson in the Australian ARCO Graphite series in 1980. To Ron Cullen (Sydney, NSW) about 1996 and restored, then to Graham Smith (Bellbrae, Victoria) late 2000/early 2001. Raced by Smith in F5000 Revival Series races in early 2006, and in Australian historic races including the Australian Grand Prix support races in 2009 and 2010. Sold by Smith to an unknown owner in Victoria in 2014. Sold at auction in April 2016 to Rob Splatt. More information about March 732/73A 'the second Gibbs car'
11. 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.

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.

Individual sources for this event

Results for Sandown Park from Milan Fistonic, using Motor Racing Yearbook.