The 1961 Armstrong 500 was an endurance motor race for standard production sedans. The event was held at the Phillip Island circuit in Victoria, Australia on 19 November 1961 over 167 laps of the 3.0 mile circuit, a total of 501 miles (807 km). The race was organised by the Light Car Club of Australia and was sponsored by Armstrong York Engineering Pty Ltd.[1]
It was the second event held in the combined history of the Bathurst 1000, which had begun the previous year with the first Armstrong 500. Interest had waned since the previous year with the entry for this year the lowest in the races history until the fields were restricted to V8 Supercars only in 1995.
Geoff Russell and David Anderson backed up their 1960 class victory in their Peugeot 403 by winning their class again. Bob Jane and Harry Firth were the only combination to complete the full race distance, earning the pair the first of their four outright race wins, although the concept of outright race win would not be officially recognised until 1965. Mercedes-Benz, Studebaker and Renault all took their first class wins.
Class structure
Class A
Class A was for cars with an engine capacity over 2600cc. The class featured Ford Customline, Studebaker Lark and Vauxhall Velox.
Class B
Class B was for cars with an engine capacity between 1601cc and 2600cc. The class featured Ford Falcon, Holden EK and Mercedes-Benz 220SE.
Class C
Class C was for cars with an engine capacity of between 1001cc and 1600cc. The class featured Morris Major, Peugeot 403, Simca Montlhery and Volkswagen 1200.[2]
Class D
Class D was for cars with an engine capacity of 1000cc or less. The class featured Ford Anglia, Morris 850, Renault Gordini and Triumph Herald.
Results
| Pos.[3] | No.[4] | Entrant[4] | Drivers[3] | Car[3] | Laps[3] |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Class A | |||||
| 1 | 43 | York Motors (Sales) Pty Ltd | David McKay Brian Foley |
Studebaker Lark | 166 |
| 2 | 41 | WF Coad | Frank Coad John Roxburgh |
Vauxhall Velox | 165 |
| 3 | 44 | Canada Cycle & Motor Co (Sales) Pty Ltd | Fred Sutherland Bill Graetz |
Studebaker Lark | 165 |
| DNF[5] | 42 | SP Boyd-Squires | Peter Boyd-Squires Peter Will[5] |
Ford Customline | |
| Class B | |||||
| 1 | 32 | Autoland Pty Ltd | Bob Jane Harry Firth |
Mercedes-Benz 220SE | 167 |
| 2 | 35 | KJ Harper | Ken Harper Syd Fisher John Raeburn |
Ford Falcon XK[5] | 161 |
| Disq[5] | 33 | Stan Jones Motors Pty Ltd[3] | Ian Strachan John Lanyon |
Holden EK[2] | 134 |
| Class C | |||||
| 1 | 24 | GLA Russell | Geoff Russell Dave Anderson |
Peugeot 403 | 163 |
| 2 | 26 | W Coe | Bill Coe Ron Lilley |
Peugeot 403 | 161 |
| 3 | 22 | Ecurie - BJ Auto Service, Eiffel Tower Group, Martins Panel Service |
Bob Brown Lionel Marsh Michael Lempriere |
Simca Montlhery | 160 |
| 4 | 25 | Killara Motor Garage | Bob Holden Ken Brigden Albert Bridge |
Peugeot 403 | 153 |
| 5 | 21 | G Reynolds | George Reynolds Greg Cusack |
Volkswagen | 152 |
| DNF[5] | 27 | JP Gray | Charlie Smith Bruce Maher Tony Osborne |
Morris Major | 141 |
| DNF[5] | 28 | EA Clay | Eddie Clay Jack French Jim Gray |
Morris Major | 135 |
| Class D | |||||
| 1 | 3 | Monash Service Station | Jim Gullan Brian Sampson John Connolly |
Renault Gordini | 157 |
| 2 | 4 | W McB March | Bill March Norm Beechey |
Renault Gordini | 156 |
| 3 | 9 | JGR Poulton | George Poulton Joe Vanaria |
Triumph Herald | 155 |
| 4 | 10 | Autoland Pty Ltd | Bill Jane Norm Henthorn Jim White |
Triumph Herald | 155 |
| 5 | 15 | Alan Coffey Motors | Lou Molina Doug Whiteford |
Ford Anglia | 152 |
| 6 | 2 | Ian W Robertson | Les Park Stan Martin |
Renault Gordini | 150 |
| 7 | 11 | Viscount Motors Pty Ltd | Alan Caelli J Edwards M Watson |
Ford Anglia | 149 |
| 8 | 14 | KF Lott | Kevin Lott Brian Devlin Peter Candy |
Ford Anglia | 148 |
| 9 | 12 | Hilltop Auto | John Brindley Lou Burke |
Ford Anglia | 148 |
| 10 | 16 | Alan Coffey Motors | Peter Coffey Ian Trudinger |
Ford Anglia | 146 |
| 11 | 7 | HNE Johannesen | Neil Johannesen Graham Mills Jacques Sapir |
Morris 850 | 136 |
| Disq[5] | 8 | G Reynolds | Hoot Gibson Paul England |
Triumph Herald | 12 |
Note: There was no outright winner, with only the winners of the four classes being given official recognition and prize money.[6] However the Mercedes-Benz 220SE driven by Bob Jane and Harry Firth was the only car to complete the full 500-mile distance and it is generally considered to be the "winner" of the race.
Statistics
- Fastest Lap - #32 Jane/Firth - 2:41 - Laps 14 & 121
- Race Time - 8:00:31
References
- ↑ Front cover, Official Programme, 1961 Armstrong 500, Philip Island, Sunday, 19 November 1961, pages 18 & 19
- 1 2 Tuckey, Bill (1981). "1961: The day the idea nearly died:". Australia's Greatest Motor Race The Complete History. Sydney: Lansdowne Press. pp. 74–81. ISBN 0-7018-1547-7.
- 1 2 3 4 5 The 1961 Armstrong 500 - A classic canter for hacks, Official Programme,1962 Armstrong 500, Philip Island, Sunday, 21 October 1962, pages 12 to 23
- 1 2 Entry list, Official Programme, 1961 Armstrong 500, Philip Island, Sunday, 19 November 1961, pages 18 & 19
- 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 Australia's Greatest Motor Race, Second Edition 1990, page 292
- ↑ How the Armstrong 500 is run, Official Programme, 1961 Armstrong 500, Philip Island, Sunday, 19 November 1961, page 7
- Australia's Greatest Motor Race, 1960–1989, The First 30 Years
- The Australian Racing History of Ford, © 1989
- The First 15 Years (Hardie-Ferodo 1000, A Pictorial History 1960–1975)
- Wilson, Stewart (1988). The Official Racing History of Holden. Hornsby: Chevron Publishing Group. ISBN 0959037845.
- The Age, Monday, 20 November 1961, Page 17
- Greenhalgh, David; Thomas B. Floyd; Bill Tuckey (2000). "1961 The day the idea nearly died". Australia's Greatest Motor Race 1960-1999 The first 40 years. Hornsby: Chevron Publishing Group Pty Limited. pp. 102–107 & 451. ISBN 1-875221-12-3.