1938 Australian Grand Prix

October 2020 May 2011 CUST Formula Libre handicap race Australian Australia Mount Panorama 1938-1986.png Mount Panorama Circuit, Bathurst, New South Wales 18 April 1938 Temporary road circuit 3.84 6.12 40 153.6 244.8 Sunny Peter Whitehead ERA 3m 23sJohn B Blanden, A History of Australian Grand Prix 1928–1939, Volume 1, 1981, pages 151 to 168 UK Peter Whitehead UK ERA Les Burrows AUS Terraplane Special Alan Crago & John Sherwood AUS MG The 1938 Australian Grand Prix was a motor race held at the Mount Panorama Circuit near Bathurst in New South Wales, Australia on 18 April 1938. It was staged over 40 laps of the six kilometre circuit for a total distance of 241 kilometres. The race, which was organised by the Light Car Club of New South Wales, attracted 38 entries, 30 of which started the race. 33,000 people paid for admission to the circuit on race day.The Australian Grand Prix, The Car (magazine), May 1938, pages Ten to Fourteen The race was the tenth Australian Grand Prix and the first to be held in New South Wales. It utilised the newly completed Mount Panorama Circuit, a dirt surface tourist drive which climbed and descended Mount Panorama in the Bald Hills to the south of the city of Bathurst. The Grand Prix was the feature race at the inaugural meeting at the rural New South Wales venue. With a circuit length of just over 3.8 miles it was the shortest circuit to host the Australian Grand Prix to this time. The format of the race was the same as that used since the 1932 event. This utilised a handicap start with the slowest car starting first and other cars starting at intervals according to their predicted pace with the winner being the first car to complete the total race distance. The meeting was enlivened by two visiting British drivers, Peter Whitehead and Alan Sinclair who had brought with them supercharged racing machinery, respectively an ERA and an Alta. While Sinclair was unable to start the race, Whitehead did and it was quickly realised that his position as the scratch handicap competitor was too generous and by races end he had driven through the field. Whitehead's main opposition came from Les Burrows driving a 1933 Terraplane-based racing car. However Burrows slowed near the end, his engine reducing in power sufficiently to allow Whitehead to sweep by to take victory despite Burrows starting the race 15 minutes earlier. The MG TA driven by Alan Crago and John Sherwood placed third. The initial release of official results attracted various protests and led to a recount, with some placings subsequently changed.John Medley, Bathurst - Cradle of Australian Motor Racing, page 27 Whitehead was awarded the RAC of Australia Cup and £250 prizemoney for winning the race. He also received £100, the NRMA Trophy and the title of Australian Road Racing Champion for achieving the fastest time and the Courtney and Bohlsen Cup for setting the fastest lap. Classification Results as follows.Medley John Graham Howard The Official 50-race history of the Australian Grand Prix 1986 R & T Publishing Gordon, NSW 0-9588464-0-5 92–103 1952 Pos No. Driver Car / Engine EntrantJohn Medley, Bathurst - Cradle of Australian Motor Racing, page 19 Handicap Laps Time 1 1 UK Peter Whitehead ERA B Type / ERA s/c 1.5L P.N. Whitehead Scratch 40 2h 46m 50s 2 22 Australia Les Burrows Terraplane Special / Terraplane 2.6L L. Burrows 15 mins 40 2h 48m 21s 3 31 Australia Alan Crago Australia John Sherwood MG TA / MG 1.3L F.A. Crago 26 mins 40 2h 49m 20s 4 3 Australia Tom Peters Bugatti Type 37A / Ford s/c 2.9L T. Peters 4 mins 40 2h 50m 19s 5 32 Australia John Crouch MG TA / MG 1.3L J.F. Crouch 26 mins 40 2h 51m 38s 6 17 Australia Jack Phillips Ford Special / Ford 3.6L J.K. Phillips 13 mins 40 2h 52m 28s 7 20 Australia Charles Whatmore Ford Special / Ford 3.6L C. Whatmore 14 mins 40 2h 52m 56s 8 39 Australia Ron Uffindell Austin 7 Special / Austin 0.7L R.G. Uffindell 34 mins 40 2h 55m 07s 9 37 Australia Les Murphy MG PB / MG 0.8L J.H. O'Dea 30 mins 40 3h 02m 40s 10 15 Australia George Bonser Terraplane Special / Terraplane 3.5L G. Bonser junior 12 mins 40 2h 56m 47s 11 18 Australia Bob Lea-Wright Terraplane Special / Terraplane 3.5L R.A. Lea-Wright 13 mins 40 2h 58m 01s 12 38 Australia Colin Anderson Morris Cowley / Morris 1.7L A.I Barrett 30 mins 40 2h 57m 47s 13 19 Australia D. Kerr Ford Special / Ford 3.6L D. Kerr 14 mins 40 2h 59m 59s 14 16 Australia Harry Beith Terraplane Special / Terraplane 3.5L H.J. Beith 13 mins 40 3h 05m 19s 15 12 Australia George Martin BMW 328 / BMW 2.0L G.C. MartinRecord entry for Grand Prix at Easter, The Advocate, Wednesday, April 6, 1938, page 10, as archived at trove.nla.gov.au 7 mins 40 16 14 Australia Barney Dentry Riley Special / Riley 1.1L G.B. Dentry 12 mins 40 Ret 21 Australia Paul Burton Alvis / Alvis s/c 1.5L P.H. Burton 14 mins Ret 30 Australia Jack Boughton Morgan 4/4 / Coventry Climax 1.1L J.S. Boughton 24 mins Ret 5 Australia Jim Fagan MG K3 / MG s/c 1.1L J.H. Fagan 6 mins31 Ret 36 Australia John Pike Singer 9 / Singer 1.0L J.E. Pike 30 mins Ret 35 Australia Arthur Beasley Singer 9 / Singer 1.0L A. Beasley 28 mins Ret 23 Australia Fred Foss Ford Special / Ford 3.6L F.J. Foss 17 mins Ret 33 Australia R. Keir MG TA / MG 1.3L R.C. Keir 26 mins Ret 9 Australia Tim Joshua Frazer Nash / GoughJohn Medley, Preface - Pity the poor historian, Bathurst - Cradle of Australian Motor Racing, page vii 1.5L C.M. Joshua 7 mins Ret 24 Australia C. Williamson Chrysler Special / Chrysler 4.2L C. Williamson 17 mins Ret 11 Australia George Reed Ford Special / Ford 3.6L N.F. Aubin 7 mins Ret 2 Australia Frank Kleinig Kleinig-Hudson 8 Special / Hudson 4.2L W.A. McIntyre 4 mins 5 Ret 26 Australia Reg Sevil Singer / Singer 1.5L R.B. Sevil 22 mins 4 Ret 34 Australia George Thame Riley Nine Imp / Riley 1.1L G.J. Thame 5 mins 3 Ret 25 Australia Alf Barrett Lombard AL3 / Lombard 1.2L A.I Barrett 28 mins 2 DNS 8 Australia Wally James Frazer Nash / Ford 2.9L W. James 7 mins DNS 4 Australia Colin Dunne MG K3 / MG s/c 1.1L C.A. Dunne 5 mins DNS 6 Australia Lyster Jackson MG K3 / MG s/c 1.1L L. Jackson 6 mins DNS 7 UK Alan Sinclair Alta / Alta s/c 1.1L A.J. Sinclair 6 mins DNS 10 Australia John Barraclough Alfa Romeo 6C 1750 SS / Alfa Romeo s/c 1.8L J.A. Barraclough 7 mins DNS 27 Australia John Sherwood MG NE / MG 1.3L J.O. Sherwood 22 mins DNS 28 Australia John Summers MG Magna / MG 1.1L J.H. Summers 24 mins DNS 29 Australia C. Frederick MG Magnette Special / MG 1.3L C. Frederick 24 mins References External links 40,000 watch big race, The Bathurst National Advocate, Tuesday, April 19, 1938, page 2, as archived at trove.nla.gov.au English driver wins first N.S.W. Grand Prix, The Sydney Morning Herald, Tuesday, April 19, 1938, Page 12, as archived at trove.nla.gov.au Motoring Grand Prix - Triumph for E.R.A., The Argus, Tuesday, April 19, 1938, page 15, as archived at trove.nla.gov.au 1938 Australian GP @ Bathurst, www.youtube.com Australian Grand Prix 1937 Australian Grand Prix 1938 1939 Australian Grand Prix Grand Prix Category:Australian Grand Prix Category:Motorsport in Bathurst, New South Wales Australian Grand Prix Australian Grand Prix