1977 Australian Grand Prix
The 1977 Australian Grand Prix was a motor race held at Oran Park International Raceway[1] in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia on 6 February 1977. It was the forty second Australian Grand Prix and also the first round of the 1977 Rothmans International Series. The race was open to Australian Formula 1 cars and Australian Formula 2 cars.[2]
| 1977 Australian Grand Prix | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Round 1 of the 1977 Rothmans International Series | |||
 | |||
| Race details | |||
| Date | 6 February 1977 | ||
| Official name | XLII Australian Grand Prix | ||
| Location | Oran Park Raceway, Sydney | ||
| Course | Permanent racing facility | ||
| Course length | 2.620 km (1.628 miles) | ||
| Distance | 58 laps, 151.96 km (94.424 miles) | ||
| Weather | Sunny | ||
| Pole position | |||
| Driver | Lola-Chevrolet | ||
| Time | 1'05.7 | ||
| Fastest lap | |||
| Driver |
.svg.png.webp){kind=small} Alan Jones | Lola-Chevrolet | |
| Time | 1'06.4 | ||
| Podium | |||
| First | Lola-Chevrolet | ||
| Second | Chevron-Chevrolet | ||
| Third | Matich-Repco Holden | ||
The race was won by Warwick Brown (Lola T430), his first and only Australian Grand Prix victory. Alan Jones (Lola T332) actually finished his 58th and final lap 40 seconds ahead of Brown, however officials penalised Jones 60 seconds for jumping the start and he was officially classified in 4th place.
Classification
Warwick Brown won the race driving this Lola T430 (pictured in 2008)
Results as follows:[3]
Qualifying
| Pos | No | Driver | Car / engine | Qual | Gap |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 3 | Warwick Brown |
Lola T430 / Chevrolet 5.0L V8 | 1:05.7 | — |
| 2 | 6 | Alan Jones |
Lola T332 / Chevrolet 5.0L V8 | 1:06.0 | +0.3 |
| 3 | 4 |  Peter Gethin |
Chevron B24 / Chevrolet 5.0L V8 | 1:06.1 | +0.4 |
| 4 | 2 | John Goss |
Matich A53 / Repco Holden 5.0L V8 | 1:06.1 | +0.4 |
| 5 | 16 | Max Stewart |
Lola T400 / Chevrolet 5.0L V8 | 1:06.9 | +1.2 |
| 6 | 5 | Kevin Bartlett |
Lola T332 / Chevrolet 5.0L V8 | 1:07.3 | +1.6 |
| 7 | 1 | Vern Schuppan |
Elfin MR8 / Chevrolet 5.0L V8 | 1:07.3 | +1.6 |
| 8 | 84 | Alfredo Costanzo |
Lola T332 / Chevrolet 5.0L V8 | 1:07.7 | +2.0 |
| 9 | 12 | Garrie Cooper |
Elfin MR8 / Chevrolet 5.0L V8 | 1:08.0 | +2.3 |
| 10 | 15 | Terry Hook |
Lola T332 / Chevrolet 5.0L V8 | 1:09.8 | +4.1 |
| 11 | 17 | Ken Shirvington |
Lola T400 / Chevrolet 5.0L V8 | 1:10.4 | +4.7 |
| 12 | 10 | Chris Milton |
Gardos OR2 / Chevrolet 5.0L V8 | 1:10.9 | +5.2 |
| 13 | 14 | Jon Davison |
Matich A51 / Repco Holden 5.0L V8 | 1:11.1 | +5.4 |
| 14 | 62 | Dave Powell |
Matich A51 / Repco Holden 5.0L V8 | 1:11.3 | +5.6 |
| 15 | 19 | John Edmonds |
Elfin MR5B / Repco Holden 5.0L V8 | 1:11.7 | +6.0 |
| 16 | 8 |  Graeme Lawrence |
Lola T332 / Chevrolet 5.0L V8 | DNP | |
| 17 | 77 | John McCormack |
McLaren M23 / Leyland 5.0L V8 | DNP | |
| – | 7 | John Leffler |
Lola T400 / Chevrolet 5.0L V8 | DNP | engine[4] |
Race
| Pos | No. | Driver | Car / engine | Entrant[1] | Laps | Time |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 3 | Warwick Brown |
Lola T430 / Chevrolet 5.0L V8 | Racing Team VDS | 58 | 1h 05m 31.9s |
| 2 | 4 | Peter Gethin |
Chevron B24 / Chevrolet 5.0L V8 | Racing Team VDS | 58 | 1h 05m 46.7s |
| 3 | 2 | John Goss |
Matich A53 / Repco Holden 5.0L V8 | John Goss Racing | 58 | 1h 05m 49.2s |
| 4 | 6 | Alan Jones |
Lola T332 / Chevrolet 5.0L V8 | Theodore Racing (Hong Kong) / Bill Patterson Motors | 58 | 1h 05m 51.9s |
| 5 | 1 | Vern Schuppan |
Elfin MR8 / Chevrolet 5.0L V8 | Ansett Team Elfin | 57 | |
| 6 | 12 | Garrie Cooper |
Elfin MR8 / Chevrolet 5.0L V8 | Ansett Team Elfin | 56 | |
| 7 | 15 | Terry Hook |
Lola T332 / Chevrolet 5.0L V8 | Terry Hook Racing | 54 | |
| 8 | 10 | Chris Milton |
Gardos OR2 / Chevrolet 5.0L V8 | C & C Racing | 52 | |
| 9 | 14 | Jon Davison |
Matich A51 / Repco Holden 5.0L V8 | J. Davison | 52 | |
| 10 | 19 | John Edmonds |
Elfin MR5B / Repco Holden 5.0L V8 | J. Edmonds | 48 | |
| 11 | 5 | Kevin Bartlett |
Lola T332 / Chevrolet 5.0L V8 | Magnum Wheels | 45 | |
| Ret | 77 | John McCormack |
McLaren M23 / Leyland 5.0L V8 | Budget Motor Racing Team | 42 | blown engine |
| Ret | 8 | Graeme Lawrence |
Lola T332 / Chevrolet 5.0L V8 | 18 | broken engine pushrod | |
| Ret | 62 | Dave Powell |
Matich A51 / Repco Holden 5.0L V8 | D. Powell | 17 | overheating |
| Ret | 84 | Alfredo Costanzo |
Lola T332 / Chevrolet 5.0L V8 | Stock 84 | 8 | broken drive shaft |
| DNS | 16 | Max Stewart |
Lola T400 / Chevrolet 5.0L V8 | M. Stewart | dropped valve | |
| DNS | 17 | Ken Shirvington |
Lola T400 / Chevrolet 5.0L V8 | K. Shirvington | dropped valve[5] | |
| DNS | 7 | John Leffler |
Lola T400 / Chevrolet 5.0L V8 | Grace Bros. Racing Team | – | engine[4] |
Notes
- Pole Position: Warwick Brown – 1:05.7
- Fastest Lap: Alan Jones – 1:06.4
- Average speed of winning car: 138.6 km/h[6]
- Alan Jones was penalised 60 seconds for jumping the start
References
- Official Programme, 42nd Australian Grand Prix, Oran Park International Raceway
- 1977 CAMS Manual of Motor Sport, Conditions for Australian Titles, page 87
- Wilson, Stewart (1986). "1977". In Howard, Graham (ed.). The Official 50-race history of the Australian Grand Prix. Gordon, NSW: R & T Publishing. pp. 408–415. ISBN 0-9588464-0-5.
- According to The Official 50-race history of the Australian Grand Prix, Leffler was unable to contest the timed qualifying sessions due to an engine failure, suffered another engine failure during an later untimed session and did not start the race.
- Ray Bell, Beer Baron's Brown Bomber!, Racing Car News, February 1977, pages 62 to 65
- Australian Competition Yearbook, 1978 Edition, 42nd Australian Grand Prix. pages 86 to 89
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