1951 Australian Grand Prix

1951 Australian Grand Prix
Race details
Formula Libre race
Date	5 March 1951
Location	Narrogin, Western Australia
Course	Temporary street circuit
Course length	7.08 km (4.4 mi)
Distance	24 laps, 169.9 km (105.6 mi)
Weather	Sunny
Fastest lap
Driver	John Crouch	Cooper-JAP
Time	3'51
Podium
First	Warwick Pratley	Reed-Ford
Second	Dick Bland	Delahaye
Third	Steve Tillett	MG

The 1951 Australian Grand Prix was a Formula Libre motor race held at a street circuit in Narrogin, Western Australia on 5 March 1951.^[1] The race was held over 24 laps of the 7.1 kilometre circuit for a race distance of 170 kilometres.^[2]^[3]

The Reed/Ford Special Warwick Pratley drove to win the Grand Prix

It was the sixteenth Australian Grand Prix and the last to feature a handicap start which saw the slower cars starting ahead of the faster cars according to handicap allowance. The first car over the line was the MG TC special of South Australian Steve Tillett. The Australian Grand Prix title was however to be awarded to the driver setting the fastest outright time, regardless of handicap.^[1] The scratch race was won by Warwick Pratley driving a George Reed built Flathead Ford V8 powered racing car. It would be the last Australian Grand Prix victory by an Australian built car until Frank Matich won the 1971 race at the wheel of a Matich A50. Pratley started the race ten minutes and thirty seconds behind the first car to start the race, the Morgan of Colin Uphill. Pratley won the race by 96 seconds over the Delahaye of Dick Bland. Both Tillett and Pratley were awarded Commonwealth Jubilee Trophies for their victories in what was effectively two races in one.

Classification

Results as follows.^[4]

Pos	No.	Driver	Car	Laps	Time	H'cap Pos
1	18	Warwick Pratley	George Reed Special / Ford 4.0L	24	1h 39m 15s	3
2	9	Dick Bland	Delahaye 135 / Delahaye 3.6L	24	1h 40m 41s	8
3	34	Steve Tillett	MG TC / MG 1.3L	24	1h 43m 30s	1
4	15	Barry Ranford	Chrysler 6 Special / Chrysler 2.9L	24	1h 47m 03s	7
5	37	Bill Hayes	MG TC / MG 1.3L	24	1h 47m 36s	2
6	33	Sid Taylor	TS Dodge Special / Dodge 3.6L	24	1h 49m 18s	5
7	41	Ron Kennedy	MG TC / MG 1.3L	24	1h 50m 21s	4
8	30	Peter McKenna	BMW 328 / BMW 2.0L	24	1h 51m 05s	9
9	44	Colin Uphill	Morgan 4/4 / Coventry Climax 1.2L	24	1h 55m 48s	6
10	17	Syd Negus	Plymouth 6 Special / Plymouth 3.3L	24	2h 03m 6s	10
Ret	32	Jack Nelson	Ford 10 Special / Ford s/c 1.2L	23
Ret	16	George Reed	George Reed Monoskate / Ford 4.0L	22
Ret	1	Colin Murray	Maserati 6C / Maserati 1.5L	19
Ret	19	Harold Smith	Smith Special /	14
Ret	12	Vin Maloney	MG TC / MG 1.3L	11
Ret	24	Ron Denney	Targa Florio Ballot / Ford 3.6L	9
Ret	10	Eldred Norman	Double Ford V8 Special / Ford 7.8L	7
Ret		Andy Brown	MG TC / MG s/c 1.3L	6
Ret	26	D. Page	Ranford Chrysler 6 Special / Chrysler	5
Ret	7	Keith Martin	Cooper Mk.IV / JAP 1.0L	5
Ret	25	Bob Brown	Alfa Romeo Tipo B / Ford 4.0L	3
Ret	4	John Crouch	Cooper Mk.V / JAP 1.1L	3
Ret	38	Noel Aldous	MG TC / MG 1.3L	2
Ret	42	Claude LaMotte	Fidget Fiat 500 / Ford 1.2L	2
Ret	27	John Cummins	Ballot / Oldsmobile 3.9L	2
Ret	40	A. Dry	MG TC / MG 1.3L	1
Ret	36	Bob Brown	MG TC / MG 1.3L	1
Ret	20	Dennis Curran	Ford V8 Special / Ford 4.0L	1

Notes

Fastest lap: John Crouch – 3'51

References

1 2 "Steve Tillett, winner on handicap of the Narrogin Grand Prix, 5 March 1951 [picture]". National Library of Australia. Retrieved 6 October 2009.
↑ Western Australia. Government Photographer (1900), Narrogin Grand Prix civic reception to visiting drivers by the Mayor W.A. Manning, March 1951, retrieved 15 April 2012
↑ The Jubilee Grand Prix, 1951. A brief history and details of the motor car racing grand prix held in Narrogin in 1951. Carlines, March–June 2002, p.14-15
↑ Howard, Graham (1986). "1951". In Howard, Graham. The Official 50-race history of the Australian Grand Prix. Gordon, NSW: R & T Publishing. pp. 158–169. ISBN 0-9588464-0-5.

1951 Australian Grand Prix

Classification

Notes

References

Further reading