1968 Australian Grand Prix

March 2024 January 2021 CUST Race 7 of 8 in 1968 Tasman Series Australian Australia Sandown Park, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia 25 FebruaryOfficial Programme, 33rd Australian Grand Prix, Sandown, 25 February (1968) 1968 Permanent racing facility 1.92 3.1 55 105.6 170.5 Sunny Jack Brabham Australia Repco Brabham 1'06.7 Chris Amon Ferrari 1'07.0 (166.7 km/h, 103.6 mph) New Zealand Jim Clark UK Lotus-Ford Cosworth Chris Amon New Zealand Ferrari Graham Hill UK Lotus-Ford Cosworth thumb|Jim Clark won the race driving a Lotus 49T, similar to the Lotus 49B pictured above thumb|Chris Amon placed second driving a Ferrari Dino 246T/68, similar to that pictured above The 1968 Australian Grand Prix was a motor race held at Sandown Park in Victoria, Australia on 25 February 1968. The race was open to Racing Cars complying with the Australian National Formula or the Australian 1½ Litre Formula.Conditions for Australian Titles, 1968 CAMS Manual of Motor Sport, p. 70 It was the thirty third Australian Grand Prix and was also round seven of the 1968 Tasman Series. The race was staged by the Light Car Club of Australia and was sponsored by the Royal Automobile Club of Victoria. Jim Clark, driving a Lotus 49T, won by 0.1 seconds from Chris Amon (Ferrari Dino 246T/68), with whom he battled for the lead throughout the race. Clark's victory was rewarded with the Lex Davison Trophy and the Royal Automobile Club of Victoria Trophy. It proved to be the last major victory for the Scotsman. Twice winner of the World Championship of Drivers, three-time Tasman Series champion and the winner of the 1965 Indianapolis 500, Clark was killed in a Formula 2 crash at the Hockenheim circuit in West Germany six weeks after the race. In his last drive in an Australian Grand Prix, Jack Brabham started the race from pole position but retired with engine failure. Chris Amon set the fastest race lap. Leo Geoghegan (Lotus 39 Repco) was the first Australian resident driver to finish,Tasman Cliff-Hanger!, Sports Car World, April 1968, pages 20 & 21 an achievement which was rewarded with the Langridge Cup. Classification Results as follows:XXXIII Australian Grand Prix, www.tasman-series.com, as archived at web.archive.orgWhite Des Graham Howard The Official 50-race history of the Australian Grand Prix 1986 R & T Publishing Gordon, NSW 0-9588464-0-5 328–335 1968 Pos No. Driver Entrant Car Laps Time / Comment 1 6 UK Jim Clark Gold Leaf Team Lotus with Ford Australia Lotus 49T / Cosworth DFW 2.5L V8Australian Grand Prix, Sandown Park, 25 Feb 1968, www.oldracingcars.com Retrieved 19 November 2017 55 1h 02m 40.3s 2 4 New Zealand Chris Amon Chris Amon Ferrari Dino 246T/68Amon's car was entered in the Official Programme as a Ferrari V6. / Ferrari 2.4L V6 55 1h 02m 40.4s 3 5 UK Graham Hill Gold Leaf Team Lotus with Ford Australia Lotus 49T / Cosworth DFW 2.5L V8 55 1h 03m 39.6s 4 8 Australia Frank Gardner Alec Mildren Racing Pty. Ltd. Brabham BT23D / Alfa Romeo 2.5L V8 55 1h 03m 39.8s 5 18 UK Piers Courage P. Courage McLaren M4A / Cosworth FVA 1.6L I4The Sports Car World race report lists the Courage car as a McLaren Ford. 54 6 12 UK Richard Attwood Owen Racing Organisation BRM P126 / BRM 2.5L V12 53 7 10 Australia Leo Geoghegan Geoghegan Racing Division Lotus 39 / Repco 2.5L V8 53 8 9 Australia Kevin Bartlett Alec Mildren Racing Pty. Ltd. Brabham BT11A / Coventry Climax FPF 2.5L I4 53 9 1 New Zealand Denny Hulme Racing Team S.A. Repco Brabham BT23A / Cosworth FVAThe car of Hulme was entered in the Official Programme as a "Repco Brabham Ford". 50 Ret 2 Australia Jack Brabham Ecurie Vitesse S.A. Repco Brabham BT23E / Repco 2.5L V8The cars of Brabham, Cusack & Harvey were in each case entered in the Official Programme as a "Repco Brabham". 21 Engine Ret 7 Australia Greg Cusack Scuderia Veloce Repco Brabham BT23A / Repco 2.5L V8 21 ?? Ret 3 Australia John Harvey Bob Jane Racing Team Repco Brabham BT11A / Repco 2.5L V8 16 Gearbox Ret 11 Mexico Pedro Rodriguez Owen Racing Organisation BRM P126 / BRM 2.5L V12 10 Engine DNS Adrian Ryan, Mighty Clark / Amon G.P. Duel, Racing Car News, April 1968, pages 36-39 11 Australia Geoff Vercoe D. G. Fraser Cicada BRM - Practice accident Notes Attendance: 12,000 Winner's average speed: 101.5 mph (163.3 km/h)The official history of the Australian Grand Prix – 80 Races, p. 245 References External links Australian Grand Prix, Sandown Park, 25 Feb 1968, www.oldracingcars.com Tasman Series 1968 Warwick Farm International 1968 1968 South Pacific Trophy Australian Grand Prix 1967 Australian Grand Prix 1968 1969 Australian Grand Prix Grand Prix Category:Australian Grand Prix Category:Motorsport at Sandown Category:Tasman Series Australian Grand Prix