1956 Australian Tourist Trophy

The 1956 Australian Tourist Trophy was a 100-mile motor race for sports cars,[1] staged at the Albert Park Circuit in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia on 25 November 1956.[2] It was the first in a sequence of annual Australian Tourist Trophy races, each of these being recognised by the Confederation of Australian Motor Sport as the Australian Championship for sports cars.[3] The race was won by Stirling Moss driving a Maserati 300S.[4]

Class Structure

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Cars competed in five classes based on engine capacity:[1]

Class awards were restricted to Australian residents only.[5]

Results

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Stirling Moss won the 1956 Australian Tourist Trophy driving a Maserati 300S similar to that pictured above
Position[6] Driver[6][7][1] No.[6] Car[6][1][7][8] Entrant[1] Class[1] Class pos.[9][10] Laps[9][10]
1 Stirling Moss 7 Maserati 300S Officine Alfieri Maserati 2701 - 3000cc N/A 32
2 Jean Behra 6 Maserati 300S Officine Alfieri Maserati 2701 - 3000cc N/A 32
3 Ken Wharton 10 Ferrari 750 Monza K Wharton 2701 - 3000cc N/A 31
4 Bill Pitt 2 Jaguar D-Type Mrs G Anderson Open 1 31
5 Bib Stillwell 5 Jaguar D-Type BS Stillwell Open 2 31
6 Peter Whitehead 8 Ferrari 750 Monza PN Whitehead 2701 - 3000cc N/A 31
7 Lex Davison 3 HWM Jaguar Ecurie Australie Open 3 29
8 Ross Jensen 18 Austin-Healey 100S R Jensen 1501 - 2700cc N/A 29
9 Tom Sulman 14 Aston Martin DB3S T Sulman 2701 - 3000cc 1 29
10 Ron Phillips 20 Austin-Healey 100S JK & RK Phillips 1501 - 2700cc 1 28
11 Jack Brabham 35 Cooper T39 Coventry Climax Cooper Car Co Limited 1101 - 1500cc 1 28
12 Paul England 25 Ausca Sports PT England 1501 - 2700cc 2 28
13 Derek Jolly 38 Decca Mk 2 Special DE Jolly Up to 1100cc 1 27
14 G Bailieu 26 Triumph TR2 Special[9] G Bailieu 1501 - 2700cc 3 27
15 Colin Miller 19 Austin-Healey 100 CW Miller 1501 - 2700cc 4 27
16 Doug Whiteford 23 Austin-Healey 100S D Whiteford 1501 - 2700cc 5 27
17 Ray Gibbs 17 Austin-Healey 100 RG Gibbs 1501 - 2700cc 6 27
18 Keith Jones 16 Ferrari 225 S N Sacilotto 2701 - 3000cc 2 27
19 LJ Taylor 43 Austin-Healey 100 LJ Taylor 1501 - 2700cc 7 26
20 Barry Topen 34 MG TF[9] BD Topen 1101 - 1500cc 2 26
21 HC Old 31 Porsche Monaro Motors 1101 - 1500 cc 3 26
22 Sam Miller 22 Austin-Healey 100S SN Miller 1501 - 2700cc 8 25
23 Ralph Snodgrass 4 Allard J2 RW Snodgrass Open 4 25
24 Jim Gullan 39 MG K3 s/c J Gullan Up to 1100cc 2 24
25 AC Newman 33 MG AC Newman 1101 - 1500 cc 4 21
DNF[7] Doug Chivas 37 Lotus Mk.6 Coventry Climax DG Chivas Up to 1100cc   24
DNF[7] John Aldis[11] 1 Cooper T33 Jaguar JA Aldis Open   19
DNF[7] Stan Coffey 9 Ferrari 750A Dowidat Spanner Distributors 2701 - 3000cc   20
DNF[7] Bill Coad 24 Vauxhall Special WF Coad 1501 - 2700cc   16
DNF[7] WJ Clemens 41 Austin-Healey 100 WJ Clemens 1501 - 2700cc   8
DNF[7] NF Price 42 Austin-Healey 100 NF Price 1501 - 2700cc   7
DNF[7] AS Baker 27 Triumph TR2 AS Baker 1501 - 2700cc   7
DNF Otto Stone 30 Porsche N McK. Hamilton 1101 - 1500 cc   1
DNF[7] Bill Patterson 36 Cooper Type 39 Coventry Climax Bill Patterson Motors P/L 1101 - 1500cc   1

Notes

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  • Race distance: 32 laps - 100 miles[1]
  • Starters: 34[7]
  • Winner's race time: 1h 3m 24.2s (94.6 mph)[9]
  • Fastest lap: Stirling Moss - 1:55.8 (97.15 mph) Sports car lap record[9]
  • First Australian driver: Bill Pitt[5]
  • Joseph Lucas Trophy (for driver of the first British car): Bill Pitt[9]

Notes & references

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  1. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l Australian Tourist Trophy (Entry list), First Day Programme, Australian Tourist Trophy (1956), page 47
  2. ^ "RACE FANS SEE DRIVER HURT IN CRASH". The Argus (Melbourne). Victoria, Australia. 26 November 1956. p. 5. Retrieved 22 May 2017 – via National Library of Australia.
  3. ^ National Titles, 1961 CAMS Manual of Motor Sport, page 53
  4. ^ Athol Yeomans, Moss in walkover win, Behra second, Wheels (magazine), January 1957, pages 60 & 61.
  5. ^ a b First Day's Race Results, Second Day Programme, Australian Grand Prix (1956), page 11
  6. ^ a b c d Results - 1956 Australian Tourist Trophy, ("Reproduced from the actual lap charts of the 1956 Albert Park event: Competitors are listed in finishing order"), Commemorative Programme, Historic Demonstration, Fosters Australian Grand Prix 2006, page 13
  7. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k Barry Green, Glory Days - Albert Park 1953-58, pages 68 to 74
  8. ^ John B Blanden, Historic Racing Cars in Australia, 1979
  9. ^ a b c d e f g Australian Tourist Trophy, Australian Motor Sports, January 1957, pages 18 to 20
  10. ^ a b Australian Tourist Trophy 1956 Official Results. 1956.
  11. ^ Aldis is listed in the Official Programme, the Commemorative Programme and in Green's Glory Days. The Wheels magazine report says the car was driver by John Grey and Blanden says Alan Gray
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