1959 Australian Drivers' Championship
Encyclopedia
The 1959 Australian Drivers Championship was a CAMS
Confederation of Australian Motor Sport
The Confederation of Australian Motor Sport , has been the governing body of Australian motorsport since 1953. It is affiliated with the Federation Internationale de l'Automobile ....

 sanctioned motor racing title for drivers of Formula Libre
Formula Libre
Formula Libre is a form of automobile racing allowing a wide variety of types, ages and makes of purpose-built racing cars to compete "head to head". This can make for some interesting matchups, and provides the opportunity for some compelling driving performances against superior machinery...

 cars. The championship winner was awarded the 1959 CAMS Gold Star.

The series was won by Victorian racer Len Lukey driving his Cooper
Cooper Car Company
The Cooper Car Company was founded in 1946 by Charles Cooper and his son John Cooper. Together with John's boyhood friend, Eric Brandon, they began by building racing cars in Charles' small garage in Surbiton, Surrey, England in 1946...

 T45 Climax
Coventry Climax
Coventry Climax was a British forklift truck, fire pump, and speciality engine manufacturer.-History:The company was started in 1903 as Lee Stroyer, but two years later, following the departure of Stroyer, it was relocated to Paynes Lane, Coventry, and renamed to Coventry-Simplex by H...

 and in the opening round of the series his own much modified Cooper
Cooper Car Company
The Cooper Car Company was founded in 1946 by Charles Cooper and his son John Cooper. Together with John's boyhood friend, Eric Brandon, they began by building racing cars in Charles' small garage in Surbiton, Surrey, England in 1946...

 T23 which was known as the Lukey-Bristol
Bristol Cars
Bristol Cars is a manufacturer of hand-built luxury cars headquartered in Patchway, near Bristol, United Kingdom. Bristol have always been a low-volume manufacturer; the most recent published official production figures were for 1982, which stated that 104 cars were produced in that year...

. Lukey was one of only a few drivers who attempted to complete the gruelling twelve race schedule, the longest in ADC history. Lukey finished just two points ahead of his season long rival, Alec Mildren from the ACT
Australian Capital Territory
The Australian Capital Territory, often abbreviated ACT, is the capital territory of the Commonwealth of Australia and is the smallest self-governing internal territory...

  (Cooper-Climax). Stan Jones
Stan Jones (racing driver)
Stanley Jones was an Australian racing driver.Today better known as father of 1980 World Drivers' Champion Alan Jones, Stan was a prominent racing driver himself, racing mainly in the 1950s. He is one of eleven drivers to have won the Australian and New Zealand Grands Prix...

 was third in the series, using four different racing cars of the course of the series. Race victories were shared around with Mildren taking three wins. Lukey, Jones and Bill Patterson
Bill Patterson (racing driver)
Gerard William Riggall "Bill" Patterson was an Australian motor racing driver, race team owner and businessman....

 each took two wins, with single victories going to Jack Brabham
Jack Brabham
Sir John Arthur "Jack" Brabham, AO, OBE is an Australian former racing driver who was Formula One champion in , and . He was a founder of the Brabham racing team and race car constructor that bore his name....

, Bib Stillwell and New Zealand Maserati 250F
Maserati 250F
The Maserati 250F was a racing car made by Maserati of Italy used in '2.5 litre' Formula One racing between January 1954 and November 1960. Twenty-six examples were made.-Mechanical details:...

 racer Ross Jensen.

Calendar

The title, which was the third Australian Drivers' Championship
Australian Drivers' Championship
The Australian Drivers' Championship is a motor racing championship which has been contested annually since 1957 by drivers of cars complying with Australia's premier open-wheeler racing category as determined by the Confederation of Australian Motor Sport. Since 2005 this category has been Formula...

, was contested over a twelve race series.
Rd. Date Race Circuit Location Winner
1 26 January South Pacific Championship Gnoo Blas circuit
Gnoo Blas circuit
Gnoo Blas circuit was a motor racing circuit at Orange, New South Wales, Australia. The circuit was formed from rural roads and highways outside of the town, around the grounds of Bloomfield Hospital and what is now known as Sir Jack Brabham Park. It was 6.03 km long...

Orange
Orange, New South Wales
Orange is a city in the Central West region of New South Wales, Australia. It is west of the state capital, Sydney, at an altitude of . Orange has an estimated population of 39,329 and the city is a major provincial centre....

, New South Wales
New South Wales
New South Wales is a state of :Australia, located in the east of the country. It is bordered by Queensland, Victoria and South Australia to the north, south and west respectively. To the east, the state is bordered by the Tasman Sea, which forms part of the Pacific Ocean. New South Wales...

Jack Brabham
Jack Brabham
Sir John Arthur "Jack" Brabham, AO, OBE is an Australian former racing driver who was Formula One champion in , and . He was a founder of the Brabham racing team and race car constructor that bore his name....

*
2 22 February Victorian Trophy Fisherman's Bend Melbourne
Melbourne
Melbourne is the capital and most populous city in the state of Victoria, and the second most populous city in Australia. The Melbourne City Centre is the hub of the greater metropolitan area and the Census statistical division—of which "Melbourne" is the common name. As of June 2009, the greater...

, Victoria
Victoria (Australia)
Victoria is the second most populous state in Australia. Geographically the smallest mainland state, Victoria is bordered by New South Wales, South Australia, and Tasmania on Boundary Islet to the north, west and south respectively....

Alec Mildren
3 2 March Australian Grand Prix
1959 Australian Grand Prix
The 1959 Australian Grand Prix was a Formula Libre motor race held at Longford on March 2, 1959. The race had just 13 starters.It was the twenty fourth Australian Grand Prix and the third race of the 1959 Australian Drivers' Championship...

Longford Circuit
Longford Circuit
The Longford Circuit was a temporary motor racing course laid out on public roads at Longford, south-west of Launceston in Tasmania, Australia...

Longford
Longford, Tasmania
Longford is a town in the north-east of Tasmania, Australia. It lies 175 m above sea level at the convergence of the Macquarie River and the South Esk River, 21 km south of Launceston. It is just south of the Illawarra Road, a road connecting the Bass and Midland Highways. It has a...

, Tasmania
Tasmania
Tasmania is an Australian island and state. It is south of the continent, separated by Bass Strait. The state includes the island of Tasmania—the 26th largest island in the world—and the surrounding islands. The state has a population of 507,626 , of whom almost half reside in the greater Hobart...

Stan Jones
Stan Jones (racing driver)
Stanley Jones was an Australian racing driver.Today better known as father of 1980 World Drivers' Champion Alan Jones, Stan was a prominent racing driver himself, racing mainly in the 1950s. He is one of eleven drivers to have won the Australian and New Zealand Grands Prix...

4 28 March South Australian Trophy Race Port Wakefield Circuit
Port Wakefield Circuit
Port Wakefield Circuit was the first purpose built motor racing facility built in Australia after World War II, and only the second in Australian history...

Port Wakefield
Port Wakefield, South Australia
Port Wakefield was the first government town to be established north of the capital, Adelaide, in South Australia.Port Wakefield is situated approximately 98.7 kilometres from Adelaide and lies on the Port Wakefield Road section of the A1 National Highway...

, South Australia
South Australia
South Australia is a state of Australia in the southern central part of the country. It covers some of the most arid parts of the continent; with a total land area of , it is the fourth largest of Australia's six states and two territories.South Australia shares borders with all of the mainland...

Stan Jones
Stan Jones (racing driver)
Stanley Jones was an Australian racing driver.Today better known as father of 1980 World Drivers' Champion Alan Jones, Stan was a prominent racing driver himself, racing mainly in the 1950s. He is one of eleven drivers to have won the Australian and New Zealand Grands Prix...

5 30 March Bathurst 100 Mount Panorama Circuit
Mount Panorama Circuit
Mount Panorama Circuit is a motor racing track located in Bathurst, New South Wales, Australia. It is the home of the Bathurst 12 Hour motor race, held each February, and the Bathurst 1000 motor race, held each October...

Bathurst
Bathurst, New South Wales
-CBD and suburbs:Bathurst's CBD is located on William, George, Howick, Russell, and Durham Streets. The CBD is approximately 25 hectares and surrounds two city blocks. Within this block layout is banking, government services, shopping centres, retail shops, a park* and monuments...

, New South Wales
Ross Jensen*
6 14 June Lowood Trophy Lowood circuit
Lowood circuit
The Lowood Airfield Circuit was a motor racing venue in Queensland, Australia which was used from 1946 to 1966. It was located at a former wartime airfield site at Mount Tarampa, near Lowood, 72 km west of the state capital Brisbane...

Lowood
Lowood, Queensland
Lowood is a town in south east Queensland, Australia. The town is located on the Brisbane River, 66 kilometres west of the state capital, Brisbane or 17 km birds line and 31 kilometres north of Ipswich...

, Queensland
Queensland
Queensland is a state of Australia, occupying the north-eastern section of the mainland continent. It is bordered by the Northern Territory, South Australia and New South Wales to the west, south-west and south respectively. To the east, Queensland is bordered by the Coral Sea and Pacific Ocean...

Alec Mildren
7 30 August Queensland Centenary Road Race Lowood circuit
Lowood circuit
The Lowood Airfield Circuit was a motor racing venue in Queensland, Australia which was used from 1946 to 1966. It was located at a former wartime airfield site at Mount Tarampa, near Lowood, 72 km west of the state capital Brisbane...

Lowood
Lowood, Queensland
Lowood is a town in south east Queensland, Australia. The town is located on the Brisbane River, 66 kilometres west of the state capital, Brisbane or 17 km birds line and 31 kilometres north of Ipswich...

, Queensland
Queensland
Queensland is a state of Australia, occupying the north-eastern section of the mainland continent. It is bordered by the Northern Territory, South Australia and New South Wales to the west, south-west and south respectively. To the east, Queensland is bordered by the Coral Sea and Pacific Ocean...

Alec Mildren
8 4 October New South Wales Road Racing Championship Mount Panorama Circuit
Mount Panorama Circuit
Mount Panorama Circuit is a motor racing track located in Bathurst, New South Wales, Australia. It is the home of the Bathurst 12 Hour motor race, held each February, and the Bathurst 1000 motor race, held each October...

Bathurst
Bathurst, New South Wales
-CBD and suburbs:Bathurst's CBD is located on William, George, Howick, Russell, and Durham Streets. The CBD is approximately 25 hectares and surrounds two city blocks. Within this block layout is banking, government services, shopping centres, retail shops, a park* and monuments...

, New South Wales
Bib Stillwell
9 12 October The Advertiser Trophy Port Wakefield Circuit
Port Wakefield Circuit
Port Wakefield Circuit was the first purpose built motor racing facility built in Australia after World War II, and only the second in Australian history...

Port Wakefield
Port Wakefield, South Australia
Port Wakefield was the first government town to be established north of the capital, Adelaide, in South Australia.Port Wakefield is situated approximately 98.7 kilometres from Adelaide and lies on the Port Wakefield Road section of the A1 National Highway...

, South Australia
South Australia
South Australia is a state of Australia in the southern central part of the country. It covers some of the most arid parts of the continent; with a total land area of , it is the fourth largest of Australia's six states and two territories.South Australia shares borders with all of the mainland...

Bill Patterson
Bill Patterson (racing driver)
Gerard William Riggall "Bill" Patterson was an Australian motor racing driver, race team owner and businessman....

10 24 October Western Australian Road Race Championship Caversham
Caversham Airfield
Caversham Airfield, also known as Middle Swan Airfield was an airfield constructed at Caversham, Western Australia during World War II as a parent aerodrome for the United States Fleet Air Arm of the 7th Fleet....

Caversham
Caversham, Western Australia
Caversham is a suburb of Perth, Western Australia, located in the City of Swan....

, Western Australia
Western Australia
Western Australia is a state of Australia, occupying the entire western third of the Australian continent. It is bounded by the Indian Ocean to the north and west, the Great Australian Bight and Indian Ocean to the south, the Northern Territory to the north-east and South Australia to the south-east...

Len Lukey
11 22 November Phillip Island Grand Prix Circuit
Phillip Island Grand Prix Circuit
The Phillip Island Grand Prix Circuit is a motor racing racing circuit on Phillip Island, Victoria, Australia. The circuit was opened in 1956.-Road circuit:...

Phillip Island, Victoria Bill Patterson
Bill Patterson (racing driver)
Gerard William Riggall "Bill" Patterson was an Australian motor racing driver, race team owner and businessman....

12 13 December Phillip Island Trophy Race Phillip Island Grand Prix Circuit
Phillip Island Grand Prix Circuit
The Phillip Island Grand Prix Circuit is a motor racing racing circuit on Phillip Island, Victoria, Australia. The circuit was opened in 1956.-Road circuit:...

Phillip Island, Victoria Len Lukey

  • Winning driver not awarded points for races 1 and 5

Points

Championship points were awarded on a 12-7-5-3-2-1 basis to the first six Australian drivers at each race, irrespective of actual race placings gained. Only the best nine race results could be retained by each driver. Additionally only Australian resident drivers could score points which precluded Gnos Blas winner Jack Brabham and Bathurst 100 winner Ross Jensen from being able to score points towards the championship.

Results

generated with :de:Wikipedia:Helferlein/VBA-Macro for EXCEL tableconversion V1.4<\hiddentext>>
Position Driver Car Entrant Points
1 Len Lukey Cooper
Cooper Car Company
The Cooper Car Company was founded in 1946 by Charles Cooper and his son John Cooper. Together with John's boyhood friend, Eric Brandon, they began by building racing cars in Charles' small garage in Surbiton, Surrey, England in 1946...

 T23 Bristol
Bristol Cars
Bristol Cars is a manufacturer of hand-built luxury cars headquartered in Patchway, near Bristol, United Kingdom. Bristol have always been a low-volume manufacturer; the most recent published official production figures were for 1982, which stated that 104 cars were produced in that year...


Cooper T43
Cooper T43
The Cooper T43 was a Formula One and Formula Two racing car designed and built by the Cooper Car Company for the 1957 Formula One season, first appearing at the 1957 Monaco Grand Prix in a factory entered car for Jack Brabham...

 Climax
Coventry Climax
Coventry Climax was a British forklift truck, fire pump, and speciality engine manufacturer.-History:The company was started in 1903 as Lee Stroyer, but two years later, following the departure of Stroyer, it was relocated to Paynes Lane, Coventry, and renamed to Coventry-Simplex by H...

Lukey Mufflers Pty Ltd 68
2 Alec Mildren Cooper T43
Cooper T43
The Cooper T43 was a Formula One and Formula Two racing car designed and built by the Cooper Car Company for the 1957 Formula One season, first appearing at the 1957 Monaco Grand Prix in a factory entered car for Jack Brabham...

 Climax
Coventry Climax
Coventry Climax was a British forklift truck, fire pump, and speciality engine manufacturer.-History:The company was started in 1903 as Lee Stroyer, but two years later, following the departure of Stroyer, it was relocated to Paynes Lane, Coventry, and renamed to Coventry-Simplex by H...


Cooper
Cooper Car Company
The Cooper Car Company was founded in 1946 by Charles Cooper and his son John Cooper. Together with John's boyhood friend, Eric Brandon, they began by building racing cars in Charles' small garage in Surbiton, Surrey, England in 1946...

 T45 Climax
Coventry Climax
Coventry Climax was a British forklift truck, fire pump, and speciality engine manufacturer.-History:The company was started in 1903 as Lee Stroyer, but two years later, following the departure of Stroyer, it was relocated to Paynes Lane, Coventry, and renamed to Coventry-Simplex by H...

AG Mildren Pty Ltd 66
3 Stan Jones
Stan Jones (racing driver)
Stanley Jones was an Australian racing driver.Today better known as father of 1980 World Drivers' Champion Alan Jones, Stan was a prominent racing driver himself, racing mainly in the 1950s. He is one of eleven drivers to have won the Australian and New Zealand Grands Prix...

Maybach
Maybach
Maybach-Motorenbau GmbH is a German luxury car manufacturer. It was founded in 1909 by Wilhelm Maybach and his son. The company was originally a subsidiary of Luftschiffbau Zeppelin GmbH and was itself known as Luftfahrzeug-Motorenbau GmbH until 1912.Today, the ultra-luxury car brand is owned by...

 Special Chevrolet
Chevrolet
Chevrolet , also known as Chevy , is a brand of vehicle produced by General Motors Company . Founded by Louis Chevrolet and ousted GM founder William C. Durant on November 3, 1911, General Motors acquired Chevrolet in 1918...


Maserati 250F
Maserati 250F
The Maserati 250F was a racing car made by Maserati of Italy used in '2.5 litre' Formula One racing between January 1954 and November 1960. Twenty-six examples were made.-Mechanical details:...


Cooper T51
Cooper T51
The Cooper T51 was a Formula One and Formula Two racing car designed and built by the Cooper Car Company for the 1959 Formula One season. The T51 earned a significant place in motor racing history when Jack Brabham drove the car to become the first driver to win the championship with a rear-engined...

 Climax
Coventry Climax
Coventry Climax was a British forklift truck, fire pump, and speciality engine manufacturer.-History:The company was started in 1903 as Lee Stroyer, but two years later, following the departure of Stroyer, it was relocated to Paynes Lane, Coventry, and renamed to Coventry-Simplex by H...

 
Sabakat/Lotus 12
Lotus 12
The Lotus 12 was an unsuccessful Formula Two and Formula One racing car.Colin Chapman's first foray into single-seater racing, the 12 appeared in 1957. It featured a number of important innovations Chapman would use on later models. To better use the power of the Coventry Climax engine, it was...

 Climax
Coventry Climax
Coventry Climax was a British forklift truck, fire pump, and speciality engine manufacturer.-History:The company was started in 1903 as Lee Stroyer, but two years later, following the departure of Stroyer, it was relocated to Paynes Lane, Coventry, and renamed to Coventry-Simplex by H...

Stan Jones Motors 44
4 Bill Patterson
Bill Patterson (racing driver)
Gerard William Riggall "Bill" Patterson was an Australian motor racing driver, race team owner and businessman....

Cooper T43
Cooper T43
The Cooper T43 was a Formula One and Formula Two racing car designed and built by the Cooper Car Company for the 1957 Formula One season, first appearing at the 1957 Monaco Grand Prix in a factory entered car for Jack Brabham...

 Climax
Coventry Climax
Coventry Climax was a British forklift truck, fire pump, and speciality engine manufacturer.-History:The company was started in 1903 as Lee Stroyer, but two years later, following the departure of Stroyer, it was relocated to Paynes Lane, Coventry, and renamed to Coventry-Simplex by H...


Cooper T51
Cooper T51
The Cooper T51 was a Formula One and Formula Two racing car designed and built by the Cooper Car Company for the 1959 Formula One season. The T51 earned a significant place in motor racing history when Jack Brabham drove the car to become the first driver to win the championship with a rear-engined...

 Climax
Coventry Climax
Coventry Climax was a British forklift truck, fire pump, and speciality engine manufacturer.-History:The company was started in 1903 as Lee Stroyer, but two years later, following the departure of Stroyer, it was relocated to Paynes Lane, Coventry, and renamed to Coventry-Simplex by H...

36
5 Arnold Glass Ferrari
Ferrari
Ferrari S.p.A. is an Italian sports car manufacturer based in Maranello, Italy. Founded by Enzo Ferrari in 1929, as Scuderia Ferrari, the company sponsored drivers and manufactured race cars before moving into production of street-legal vehicles as Ferrari S.p.A. in 1947...

 555 Super Squalo
Maserati 250F
Maserati 250F
The Maserati 250F was a racing car made by Maserati of Italy used in '2.5 litre' Formula One racing between January 1954 and November 1960. Twenty-six examples were made.-Mechanical details:...

Capital Motors 23
6 Doug Whiteford
Doug Whiteford
Doug Whiteford was an Australian racing driver.Whiteford was best known as a competitor in the Australian Grand Prix which he won three times in four years. He was fondly remember for his Talbot-Lago T26 Formula One car which he used to win his second and third Grands Prix. His third win was at the...

Maserati 300S
Maserati 300S
The Maserati 300S was a racing car produced by Maserati of Italy between 1955-58, which competed in the FIA's World Sportscar Championship. Twenty eight examples were produced....

D Whiteford 18


Note: Only the top six pointscorers are shown in the above table.

Further reading

  • Australian Motor Sport Review, 1958–59, pages 83–95
  • The official 50-race history of the Australian Grand Prix, 1986

External links

The source of this article is wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.  The text of this article is licensed under the GFDL.
 
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