1973_Australian_Drivers'_Championship
The 1973 Australian Drivers' Championship was a CAMS sanctioned national motor racing title open to drivers of Australian Formula 1 and Australian Formula 2 cars.[1] It was the seventeenth Australian Drivers' Championship[2] and the championship winner was awarded the 1973 CAMS "Gold Star".[1]
The championship was won by John McCormack driving an Elfin MR5 Repco Holden.
The championship was contested over a five-round series with one race per round.[3] There was to be a round at Symmons Plains on 23 September in an event shared with the 1973 Australian Formula 2 Championship. However, as just four Formula 5000 cars were entered, organisers decided to run the event only for Formula Two cars.[4] There was also originally to be an event at Warwick Farm before that facility closed suddenly earlier in 1973.[5] As a result of these cancellations, a second event was added at Phillip Island in late November.
| Round[3] | Name | Circuit[3] | Date[3] | Winner[3] | Car[3] | Report |
| 1 | Glyn Scott Memorial Trophy[6] | Surfers Paradise | 2 September | John McCormack | Elfin MR5 Repco Holden | |
| 2 | Channel 7 Trophy[7] | Adelaide International Raceway | 7 October | John McCormack | Elfin MR5 Repco Holden | |
| 3 | Victorian Road Racing Championship[8] | Phillip Island | 14 October | Johnnie Walker | Lola T330 Repco Holden | |
| 4 | Australian Grand Prix[3] | Sandown | 4 November | Graham McRae | McRae GM2 Chevrolet | Report |
| 5 | Phillip Island | 25 November | Johnnie Walker | Lola T330 Repco Holden |
Championship points were awarded on a 9–6–4–3–2–1 basis for the top six places in each round[3] with all rounds counting towards each driver's points total.[1] Only drivers holding a CAMS General Competition License were eligible to score points.[1]
| Position[3] | Driver[3] | No. | Car[3] | Entrant[7] | Sur[3] | Ade[3] | Phi[3] | San[3] | Phi[3] | Total[3] |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | John McCormack | 3 | Elfin MR5 Repco-Holden | Ansett Team Elfin | 9 | 9 | – | 9 | 6 | 33 |
| 2 | Johnnie Walker | 25 | Lola T330 Repco-Holden | John Walker Motor Racing | – | 6 | 9 | 6 | 9 | 30 |
| 3 | Garrie Cooper | 2 | Elfin MR5 Repco-Holden | Ansett Team Elfin | 6 | 1 | 6 | 3 | 4 | 20 |
| 4 | Leo Geoghegan | 9 | Birrana 273 Ford | Grace Bros – 5AD City State Racing Team | 4 | 2 | – | – | – | 6 |
| Bruce Allison | 62 | Bowin P6 Ford | Hobby and Toyland Racing | 3 | – | 3 | – | – | 6 | |
| Enno Busselmann | 18 | Birrana 273 Ford | Bob and Marj Brown | 2 | 3 | – | 1 | – | 6 | |
| 7 | Max Stewart | 6 | Lola T330 Chevrolet | Seiko Service Centre | – | 4 | – | – | – | 4 |
| Kevin Bartlett | 5 | Lola T330 Chevrolet | Chesterfield Filter Racing[9] | – | – | 4 | – | – | 4 | |
| Howie Sangster | 14 | McLaren M18/M22 Chevrolet [10] | Don O'Sullivan Racing Pty. Ltd.[9] | – | – | – | 4 | – | 4 | |
| Chas Talbot | Elfin 600E Ford | C. Talbot[11] | – | – | 2 | – | 2 | 4 | ||
| 11 | Paul Feltham | Birrana 273 Ford | Feltham Team Racing[11] | – | – | – | – | 3 | 3 | |
| 12 | John Leffler | 34 | Elfin MR5 Repco-Holden | Seiko Service Centre[11] | – | – | – | 2 | – | 2 |
| Chris Farrell | 36 | Dolphin 732 Ford | Chris Farrell | 1 | – | 1 | – | – | 2 | |
| 14 | Bob Minogue | Elfin 600B Ford[12] | R. A. Minogue[11] | – | – | – | – | 1 | 1 |
Note: The Australian Grand Prix was won by New Zealander Graham McRae.[3] However, as the Australian Drivers' Championship was open only to holders of a CAMS General Competition License,[1] 9 points were awarded to the highest placed eligible driver, John McCormack, 6 points to the second highest placed eligible driver etc.[3]
Conditions for the championship were promulgated by CAMS under the name "Australian Formula 1 Championship – Gold Star Award",[1] with mention of the requirement for the phrase "Australian Champion Driver" to be reserved exclusively for the winner of the CAMS Gold Star.[1] Historic records published by CAMS use the term Australian Drivers' Championship[2] and that title has been used here.
- Conditions for Australian Titles, 1973 CAMS Manual of Motor Sport, pages 92 to 93
- Records, Titles and Awards : Australian Drivers' Championship – CAMS Gold Star, 2006 CAMS Manual of Motor Sport, page 14-4
- Australian Formula One Championship, Australian Competition Yearbook, 1974 Edition, pages 60 to 77
- Australian Competition Yearbook 1974 Edition. 1974. p. 92.
- Australian Competition Yearbook 1974 Edition. 1974. p. 60.
- Glyn Scott Memorial Trophy, Surfers Paradise, 2 Sep 1973, www.oldracingcars.com Retrieved 10 May 2021
- Official Programme, Adelaide International Raceway, 7 October 1973
- Official Souvenir Programme, Victorian Road Racing Championship, Phillip Island Auto Racing Club, October 15th (1973)
- Official Programme, 38th Australian Grand Prix, Sandown, November 4, 1973
- Australian Grand Prix, Sandown Park, 4 Nov 1973, www.oldracingcars.com Retrieved 10 May 2021
- Official Souvenir Programme, Meeting of Champions, Phillip Island, November 25th (1973)
- Australian Gold Star Race, Phillip Island, 25 Nov 1973, www.oldracingcars.com Retrieved 10 May 2021