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]

1973 Australian Drivers' Championship
Previous: 1972 Next: 1974

Schedule
John McCormack won the championship driving an Elfin MR5 (pictured in 1972)

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   Surfers Paradise 2 September John McCormack Elfin MR5 Repco Holden
2 Channel 7 Trophy [6] Adelaide International Raceway 7 October John McCormack Elfin MR5 Repco Holden
3   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

Points system

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]

Results
Position [3] Driver [3] No. Car [3] Entrant [6] 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 Racing – – 4 – – 4
Howie Sangster 14 McLaren M22 Repco-Holden – – – 4 – 4
Chas Talbot Elfin 600E Ford – – 2 – 2 4
11 Paul Feltham Birrana 273 Ford – – – – 3 3
12 John Leffler 34 Elfin MR5 Repco-Holden – – – 2 – 2
Chris Farrell 36 Dolphin 732 Ford Chris Farrell 1 – 1 – – 2
14 Bob Minogue Elfin 600 Ford – – – – 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]

Championship name

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.

References
  1. Conditions for Australian Titles, 1973 CAMS Manual of Motor Sport, pages 92 to 93
  2. Records, Titles and Awards : Australian Drivers' Championship – CAMS Gold Star, 2006 CAMS Manual of Motor Sport, page 14-4
  3. Australian Formula One Championship, Australian Competition Yearbook, 1974 Edition, pages 60 to 77
  4. Australian Competition Yearbook 1974 Edition. 1974. p. 92.
  5. Australian Competition Yearbook 1974 Edition. 1974. p. 60.
  6. Official Programme, Adelaide International Raceway, 7 October 1973
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