Australian National F1 Championship Race

Oran Park, 25 Apr 1982

All cars are 1.6-litre F/Pac unless noted.

Notes on the cars:

1. Ralt RT4/81 [264] (John Smith): Ralt sales record says sold to Graham Watson/Smith without delivery date. [Tub no: 81/122; gearbox: FT1475; fuel cell: JM36405 4/81]. The car of John Smith: chassis number given for Smith's car in NZMA report of 1981 AGP, [NZMA 23 Nov 81 p4]. Retained by Smith for the 1982 Gold Star season, but very badly damaged in testing before the Adelaide round. [A/S 15 Jul 82 p49; AMSYB-82 p152]. The car was rebuilt around a new Ralt tub. Chassis number given by AMSYB for Smith's car at 1982 AGP so presumably kept the plate. [CT]
2. Ralt RT4/81 [258] (Richard Davison): Ralt sales record says sold to Bruce Allison, without delivery date. [Tub no: EDA002, a unique style of number in the record; gearbox: FT1426; fuel cell: JM34731 12/80]. Chassis number given for Allison's car at Selangor GP 29 Nov 81 [NZMA 11 Jan 82 p3] and presumed to be Allison's car in the 1981 Australian and South East Asian races. Chassis number given for Allison's car in NZMA report of 1981 AGP [NZMA 23 Nov 81 p4]. Sold to Richard Davison for 1982 Australian season - Davison's car at the Calder race of 28 Feb 82 is described in NZMA as 'ex Allison'. Chassis number given for Davison's car at the 1982 AGP. [CT]
3. Ralt RT4/81 [265] (Graham Watson): Ralt sales record says sold to Graham Watson/Pwee, no delivery date. [Tub no: 81/126; gearbox: FT1478; JM36735 6/81] "Pwee" is Gregg 'Peewee' Siddle, who ran the teams of first Nelson Piquet in F3, and then Roberto Moreno in all junior formulae. Chassis number noted in NZMA report on the car of Nelson Piquet at Australian GP 1981 [NZMA 23 Nov 81 p4]. Chassis number given for Moreno's car in NZMA report of the Bay Park race, 3 Jan 82, and presumed to be the car run by Moreno throughout the NZ series. Chassis number given for Phillip Revell's car at the 1982 AGP and presumed to be the car used by Revell in the 1982 Australian Gold Star series. Revell's car also described by AMSYB-82 p166 as 'ex Piquet 1981 AGP'. [CT]
4. Ralt RT4/82 [81-275] (Russell Nordern): Ralt sales record says sold to Mallock, delivered 2 Oct 81. [Tub no: gearbox: FT1476; fuel cell: JM36737 6/81]. Ray Mallock's car for Australian GP, 1981 and this number observed on Mallock's car in the NZMA report of that race, [NZMA 23 Nov 81 p4]. Dave McKinney's report of that race says that the car had been shaken down in a Formula Libre race in Britain. Chassis number given for the car of Hubert Phipps at the 1982 AGP. It is presumed the car was in fact owned by Bob Jane [owner of Calder] and leased to Mallock, and later to Phipps. [CT]
5. Ralt RT4/81 [256] (Andrew Miedecke): Ralt sales record says sold to Andrew Meidecke, without delivery date. [Tub no: 81/94; gearbox: FT1423; JM34732 11/80]. The car of Andrew Meidecke in the 1981 Australian season; chassis number given for Meidecke's car in NZMA report of 1981 AGP [NZMA 23 Nov 81 p4]; chassis number given for Meidecke's car at the Selangor GP 29 Nov 81 [NZMA 11 Jan 82 p3]. [CT]
6. Toleman TA860 [HU2] (Peter Williamson): Invoiced to Peter Williamson 16 Sep 1981. Fitted with a Toyota 2T-G Formula Pacific engine, and raced in Williamson in Australian F/Pacific and in some Southeast Asian Formula Pacific events. In 1982 it was crashed heavily at Oran Park, and rebuilt on a new monocoque produced by Liston & Fisher. Williamson raced the car until the end of 1984 when he crashed the car during practice for the Australian Grand Prix, and abruptly announced his retirement from racing. The Toleman was sold to Ken Shirvington who raced it in 1985. Retained by Shirvington thereafter.
7. Ralt RT4/81 [273] (Ray Hanger): Ralt sales record says sold to Graham Watson/Bob Jane, without delivery date. [Tub no: 81/132; Gearbox FT1486; Fuel cell: JM37174 10/81] Chassis number given in NZMA report for the car of Jacques Laffite at the 1981 AGP, [NZMA 23 Nov 81 p4]. The car of Ray Hanger at 1982 AGP is described as 'ex Laffite 1981 AGP' [AMSYB-82 p166] and presumed to be the car used by Hanger earlier in the Australian Gold Star series. [CT]
8. Ralt RT4/82 [81-276] (Robert Handford): Ralt sales record says sold to Graham Watson for Rob Handford, without delivery date. [Tub no: 81/131; gearbox: FT1487; fuel cell: JM36739 6/81] Chassis number noted on the car of Larry Perkins, entered by Robert Handford Racing, at AGP, 1981 [NZMA 23 Nov 81 p4]. A note in the race report says that the car had been given a new tub after a testing accident. AMSYB-82 notes 'the RT4 Larry Perkins drove in the 1981 AGP' [AMSYB-82 p149] for the car used by Handford throughout the 1982 Australian Gold Star season; chassis number given for Handford's car at 1982 AGP. [CT]
9. Cheetah Mk8 [81-1] (Chris Hocking): Built to Formula Pacific (AF1) specification and delivered to Chris Hocking on 2 June 1982. Hocking raced the car in Formula Pacific in 1982 and early 1983. It was then converted to ANF2 using a VW Golf engine. Sold to Ray Bond (Wangaratta, Victoria) in August 1984 and raced in ANF2 until November 1991. It was then retained unused until sold to Kevin Lewis in November 2003. Sold to Edward Gavin (NSW) in December 2005, and used by him in Australian historic racing.
10. Ralt RT4/81 [255] (John Bowe): Ralt sales record says sold to Graham Watson/John Bowe, without delivery date. [Tub no: 80/109; gearbox: FT1469; fuel cell: JM34734 11/80]. Chassis number given for Bowe's car in report of 1981 AGP, 6 Nov 81 [NZMA 23 Nov 81 p4] and presumed to be Bowe's car earlier in the Australian season. Retained by Bowe for the 1982 season and taken by him to the race at Long Beach as well. Report of the Gold Star round at Oran Park says Bowe 'rushed getting car ready after Long Beach' [NZMA 7 May 82 p20]. Chassis number given for Bowe's car at 1982 AGP. [CT]

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.

The Australian race results have been provided by Chris Townsend based on material in Autosport and Motoring News reports plus the information supplied by a wide range of contributors.

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.

Individual sources for this event

Chris Townsend's sources include Australian Motor Sport Yearbook 1982 pp150-151, NZMA and Autosport.