Sandown Park International

Sandown Park, 12 Mar 1962

Notes on the cars:

1. Lotus 21 [935] (Stirling Moss): New for Rob Walker late in 1961, and raced by Stirling Moss in the New Zealand and Australian Internationals in January and February 1962. The car was not seen again but in February 1964, John Thompson of the Formula 1 Register spoke to Rob Walker and noted that "After it eventually came back from Australia and New Zealand it was sold, complete with 2.5 Climax engine, to John Mecom Jr of Houston Texas". Thompson added that "Rob thinks he still has the car". This car was reportedly wrecked by Mecom's team in 1962 and rebuilt by Walker with a new frame. It would therefore be the "brand new" Intercontinental Lotus raced for Mecom by Roger Penske with a 2.7-litre Climax engine at the Hoosier Grand Prix in July 1963. According to Lotus historian Michael Oliver, it was advertised by Mecom in June 1965, and then passed to regular Mecom team driver Jack Saunders (Houston, TX) for Formula A, using a 4-cylinder Chevrolet II engine. Saunders raced it in Southwest Division SCCA Formula A in 1966. He was second overall at Green Valley Raceway in June, winning his class, and won overall at Austin Raceway Park in August. This would be the Lotus 21 with 4-cylinder Chevrolet engine raced by Robert E. Moers (Houston, TX) in Formula A in 1967, and may be the Formula A Lotus 21 owned by Jim Sandman (Louisville, Tennessee) in 1968. Lotus historian Michael Oliver has traced this car further, through owners in Belleville, southern Illinois, and Chicago, but then the trail runs cold.
2. Lotus 21 [933] (Jim Clark): New for Team Lotus for 1961, and assigned to Innes Ireland, replacing chassis 931 destroyed at Monaco. Raced by Ireland in the Belgian, French, British, Solitude and German Grands Prix. Then for Jim Clark at Modena and Stirling Moss at Monza. Then for Ireland again at Zeltweg, Oulton Park and Watkins Glen, where he won the US Grand Prix. Raced by Trevor Taylor in the South African series of races in December and January, and then by Jim Clark in the Sandown Park International in Australia in February. Then sold to Ray Fielding and used in British hillclimbs in 1964 and 1965. Sold to Gray and Agnes Mickel who fitted a 3.5-litre Buick engine and used the car in hilllcimbs in 1967 and 1968. Then to Ernie Blakeman, who used it in sprints and hillclimbs in 1969 and 1970.
3. Cooper Mk IV 'T51' ["F2-2-57" or "F2-5-57"] (Bill Patterson): In December 1960, Bill Patterson acquired a full 2.5-litre Cooper T51 in England and had it shipped to Australia. This "new" car has been described by Patterson and by later owner Murray Richards in a number of ways, including "ex-works", "ex-Brabham" and "ex-Salvadori". It was said to have been bought from a private team and given the dispersal of the 1959 works T51s, that suggests either Tommy Atkins team or Fred Tuck's. The Salvadori reference would indicate Atkins' team so this car may be the late 1959 works car that was then acquired by Atkins for Salvadori to race in F1 in 1960. Whatever its origins, Patterson debuted the car at Warwick Farm on 29 Jan 1961 and used it to win the 1961 Gold Star. He retained it as a show car after replacing it in 1963 and finally sold it in 1988 to Murray Richards for historic racing. It was sold to Rod Jolley in England in the mid-1990s. It was still owned by Jolley in 2007.
4. Cooper Mk IV 'T51' [F2-15-59] (Doug Whiteford): Delivered to B Patterson less engine according to the Cooper Register. First raced by Bill Patterson at Port Wakefield in October 1960 where it was fitted with a 2-litre Climax engine. Raced by Patterson until crashed at Lakeside in 1961, after which Patterson raced an "ex-works" Cooper T51 that he had acquired earlier in the season. F2-15-59 was repaired and kept as a spare car being raced by Doug Whiteford on occasions. In 1962, the car was sold to Englishman John Brindley who raced it at Calder in April or May 1962. Brindley raced the car in minor events during 1962 until suffering a massive accident in a minor race at Sandown Park on 16 Sep 1962. The Autosportsman report on the race said "The car must be very nearly a complete write-off". The wreck sat in the yard behind Car World (Bulleen, Melbourne, Australia) the business in which Brindley was partners with Phil Trueman, for a couple of years. It was then passed on to Bill Patterson, and remained with him, still damaged, until it was acquired by Murray Richards from Patterson in 1988. Richards started to restore the car but this was incomplete when he died in early 2000. The car was still with Richards' sons in 2010.
5. Ferrari Dino 246/60 [0007] (Pat Hoare): The 246MI chassis built for the 1958 'Monzanapolis' with 3-litre Dino 296 engine. Later re-engined for late-1958 F1. Then "either extensively modified or replaced by a new car under the same serial" (Nye) for Dan Gurney in 1959 and again for Phil Hill in 1960. Fitted with a 3-litre engine for Pat Hoare to use in New Zealand. It was rebuilt as a sports car for some years before being bought by Neil Corner in 1978 for UK historic racing. (Source: History of the Grand Prix Car 1945-65, Nye; Ferrari, Tanner & Nye; Dino, The Little Ferrari, Nye)
6. Cooper Mk IV 'T51' [F2-20-59] (Austin Miller): Delivered to Stan Jones (Australia) according to the Cooper Register but with a note that it was transferred to R Stillwell.
7. Cooper Mk IV 'T51' [F2-14-59] (Bryan Thomson): Delivered to Victa Consolidated Industries (Australia) according to the Cooper Register.
8. Cooper Mk IV 'T51' [F2-9-60] (John Youl): Delivered to J Youl (Australia) according to the Cooper Register.
9. Cooper Mk IV 'T51' [F2-18-59] (Tom Wilson): Delivered to Norman Hamilton (Australia) in July according to the Cooper Register.
10. Cooper Mk I 'T41' [F2-3-56] (Lyn Archer): Jack Brabham was allocated the second Mk I which first appeared in his hands at the Oulton Park Gold Cup in Sep 1956. After a second race in October, Brabham took the car to New Zealand and Australia and, after an impressive run of results, sold it to Alex Mildren. It was later owned by Arthur Griffiths, John Roxburgh and Lyn Archer. This car now bears the chassis plate F2-P-56. (Sources: Cooper Cars, Nye; Historic Racing Cars in Australia, Blanden)

Sources

Note that the identification of individual cars in these results is based on the material presented elsewhere in this site and may in some cases contradict the organisers' published results.

These results have been compiled by David McKinney from a wide rangle of sources, including his own magazine articles and books. The 1959-1963 results are complete but for the 1957 and 1958 seasons, the only cars currently shown in the results are the F1, Intercontinental and F2 cars that feature elsewhere on this site plus the major Australian specials.

All comments, clarifications, corrections and additions are most welcome. Please email Allen (allen@oldracingcars.com) if you can help in any way with our research.