| 1961 Australian Touring Car Championship | |||
| Previous: | 1960 | Next: | 1962 |
The 1961 Australian Touring Car Championship was a CAMS sanctioned motor racing title for drivers of Appendix J Touring Cars.[1] The championship, which was contested over a single 72 mile (115 km) race [2] staged at the Lowood circuit in Queensland on 3 September 1961, was the second running of the Australian Touring Car Championship.[3] The race was won by Bill Pitt, driving a Jaguar 3.4 Litre.[4]
Race[]
Jaguars dominated proceedings, filling the first two rows of the grid and the top four race positions. Pitt started from the front row but had to come back through the field after polesitter Ian Geoghegan won the start and pulled away early. Pitt fought his way past Ron Hodgson then tracked down Geogehgan who was fading with a minor clutch problem. Hodgson hung on to third place in what was his best chance to win the ATCC. Geoghegan would only have to wait another three years to win the Championships. Hodgson would eventually win the ATCC as a team owner in 1979.
Behind the Jaguar of Bill Burns, Bob Holden was best of the rest in his Holden FJ ahead of Muir Daniel driving an Austin A105.
Results[]
| Position | Driver | No.[3][6] | Car | Laps |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Bill Pitt | 34 | Jaguar 3.4 Litre | 25 |
| 2 | Ian Geoghegan | 5 | Jaguar 3.4 Litre | |
| 3 | Ron Hodgson | 69 | Jaguar 3.8 Litre Mark 2 | |
| 4 | Bill Burns | Jaguar 3.4 Litre | ||
| 5 | Bob Holden | 113 | Holden FJ | |
| 6 | Muir Daniel | Austin A105 | ||
| 7 | Cecil Keid | 32 | Holden FJ | |
| 8 | Ken Bridgen | 63 | Peugeot 403 | |
| 9 | Viv Eddy | 12 | Morris 850 | |
| 10 | J. D. Sherman | 77 | Ford XK Falcon | |
| 11 | J. Whalen | Morris Minor 1000 | ||
| 12 | T. Uren | Peugeot 203 | ||
| DNF | Noel Trees | 8 | Morris 850 | 13 |
| DNF | Des West | Morris 850 | 12 | |
| DNF | Barry Gibson | Ford Zephyr | 9 | |
| DNF | Roy Sawyer | Ford Anglia 105E | 8 | |
| DNF | Bob Jane | 7 | Jaguar 3.8 Litre Mark 2 | 1 [7] |
References[]
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Template:Australian Touring Car Racing
- ↑ 1961 CAMS Manual Of Motor Sport, National Titles, page 53
- ↑ Bill Tuckey, The Book of Australian Motor Racing, page 156
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 Graham Howard & Stewart Wilson, The Australian Touring Car Championship, 30 Fabulous Years, 1990, pages 26–32
- ↑ 2004 V8 Supercars TV Guide, page 102
- ↑ V8 Central website
- ↑ Stewart Wilson, Holden – the official racing history, 1988, page 26
- ↑ Peter Schell, Archives, Racing Car News, October 1986, page 70