It’s Easter Monday 1959. March 30, the Bathurst 100 grid. Alec Mildren on the wheel of his Cooper T45 Climax, Ross Jensen behind and to the left of his Maserati 250F and Stan Jones perched on the back wheel of his 250F…
Top contenders for the 100 mile classic, held for the first time that year as a scratch race, were the three Maserati 250Fs driven by Stan Jones – winner of the AGP at Longford on March 2 and the South Australian Trophy at Port Wakefield only two days before on March 28 – Arnold Glass, and Kiwi 1957 Gold Star winner, the very experienced and accomplished Ross Jensen. His 250F Maserati is ‘in the blue and white colours of the Automobile Club of El Salvador – an NZGP publicity gimmick,’ wrote John Medley.
Doug Whiteford’s Maserati 300S, the 1958 Bathurst 100 winner was a contender as were the 2-litre Coventry Climax FPF powered Cooper T45s of Alec Mildren, Len Lukey and Bill Patterson.
Raceday, bright and sunny, attracted 25,000 spectators.
The first three lap qualifying heat was won by Glynn Scott’s Repco Holden from Bill Reynold’s Orlando MG and Alwyn Rose’s big, booming Dalro Jaguar. The second three-lapper was won by Jones’ Maserati 250F from Mildren’s Cooper T45 Climax and Jensen’s 250F.
The photo above shows the grid prior to the start of the second heat, with Jack Myers beside his WM Holden and then the Maserati 250Fs of Jones and Jensen. Myers’ special was a very clever concoction of Cooper T20 chassis – although by then the frame was of Jack’s construction – and six-cylinder Holden Grey block atop which sat a Merv Waggott designed and built aluminium DOHC, twin-cam, two-valve cylinder head. This car in Jack’s capable hands always punched above its weight, read about it here; https://primotipo.com/2015/02/10/stirling-moss-cumberland-park-speedway-sydney-cooper-t20-wm-holden-1956/
After the parade lap the Bathurst 100 grid of 27 starters was ‘away in indescribable noise, dust and confusion’, Jones was first to Hell Corner from Mildren Lukey and Whiteford – then Jensen, Glass, Scott, Jack Myers WM Cooper – with Ray Walmsley in the Alfa P3 GMC rolling to a halt out of Hell.
Mildren led at the end of lap one from Jones, Lukey, Jensen who was closing and Doug Whiteford who was falling back. Jensen passed Lukey on lap four and then challenged Jones, roaring past before The Cutting with the three leaders nose to tail through Reid Park.
Lukey’s Cooper was close, Whiteford a bit further back and Glass much further back, and then the Myers WM. Into lap five Medley records that the Kiwi started his run by putting in two laps of 2:51, taking the lead and extending it whilst Stan Jones pitted, restarted and retired after six laps.
Then Mildren was black flagged due to a loose bonnet catch, he pitted and rejoined after the drama was rectified, but he was now behind Jensen, Lukey and Whiteford.
Mildren got the bit back between his teeth and passed Whiteford up Mountain Straight at half distance and Lukey under brakes at Murray’s – Doug took Len two laps later as well. By then up to second, Mildren retired at Quarry having done a 2:55 lap and 147.73 mph on Conrod. Whiteford too retired from transmission failure.
After Mildren’s pitstop Jensen wasn’t threatened and ‘motored the next 80 miles to win easily’ with a best lap of 2:50.6 and a speed through the Conrod traps at 139.53 mph.
Jensen won a race of incredible attrition – only 11 of the 27 starters finished – from Len Lukey, Cooper T45 Climax, and Glass in the ex-Hunt/Stillwell Maserati 250F, then Jack Myers WM Cooper Holden, Walmsley’s Alfa P3 GMC and Bill Greve in the ex-Moss/Davison 1954 AGP winning HWM Jaguar.
Walmsley’s fifth place in a Gold Star round in his pre-war Alfa Romeo P3 was surely the highest placing for such an old car in any Gold Star round?
Ross Jensen…
While Aucklander, Ross Jensen’s performance may have astonished fringe-race-fans in Australia in fact he had been a front runner in New Zealand amongst the visiting internationals for years.
He purchased the ex-Moss Maserati 250F #2508 1956 NZ GP winner finishing second to Jack Brabham’s Cooper in the 1958 NZ GP. Later that year he raced works-Lister Jaguars in the UK, placing second at Snetterton and Brands in July-August and winning Scott-Brown Memorial – a man he got to know on Archie’s early ’58 NZ Tour – at Snetterton in September. He then returned home having taken delivery of the long shark-nosed 250F #2509 in time for the 1959 NZ internationals.
Bruce Sergent wrote that “the car was built around the frame of the Bira race winner (NZ GP) of 1955, but with the latest motor and transmission, giving the low, offset driving position.”
He was fifth in the NZ GP, qualified on the front row at Wigram but DNF with transmission problems, was second behind Bruce McLaren’s Cooper at Waimate, and was fourth behind McLaren, Flockhart’s BRM P25 and Brabham, Cooper T45 at Teretonga. He was no slouch…
Jensen established a race preparation shop, retired from racing in 1961 but was always part of the scene – foundation member and on the board of the NZ Grand Prix Association, founding trustee of the Bruce McLaren Trust – and later imported Renault, Jaguar and BMW amongst others. He died, aged 78 in October 2003.
Etcetera…
Stan Jones (right) dispenses some words of wisdom to a gent in the exclusive confines of the Mobilgas hospitality suite. BYO chair clearly.
Great Pit Straight panorama with the #33 Bruce Leer MG TC Spl, Jesse Griffiths Maserati 4CL #36 and John Schroeder, covered Nota Consul. All of them contested the Bathurst 100 and all were DNFs.
Porsche 356 Coupe leads Stan Jones and Ross Jensen on the parade lap.
Mildren, Cooper T45 and the Jensen and Jones 250F’s on the front row at the start of the 100, feel the vibe…Len Lukey’s #5 Cooper Climax on the outside of row two
Arnold Glass’ Maserati 250F goes inside Bill Clarke’s 492cc two-stroke, three-cylinder, air-cooled Berkeley SE492 Excelsior, the speed differential between some of the cars that weekend was mega.
Credits…
Russell Beckman, Bill Miles Collection, ‘Bathurst: Cradle of Australian Motor Racing’ John Medley, sergeant.com, Allan Dick-Classic Auto News, LAT, Maserati 250F chassis number source: http://8w.forix.com/250f-redux.html
Tailpiece…
Ross Jensen’s Maserati 250F in 1959, on the cover of the 1960 meeting programme.
Finito…