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Start of the Australian Tourist Trophy at the Lowood airfield circuit in Queensland on June 14, 1959.

The 36 lap, 102 mile race was won by Wangaratta racer, Ron Phillips’ ex-Whitehead Cooper T38 Jaguar (#42 partially obscured on the second row). Bill Pitt’s Jaguar D-Type #1 was second, Bob Jane, Maserati 300S #56 third and John Ampt, 1100cc Coventry Climax engined Decca Special #58 was fourth. Car #87 is Frank Matich’ Jaguar C-Type.

These fantastic photographs were taken by Mr R Donaldson and published in the Pix news-magazine, one of those slightly naughty magazines to be found in Steve’s, the local barber shop. The meeting also featured the sixth round of the Australian Drivers Championship, the Gold Star, and drew a crowd estimated at 20,000.

Bill Pitt prepares to climb aboard the Westco Motors D-Type while Frank Matich is ready to roll in the Leaton Motors C-Type behind. More on the C-Type: https://primotipo.com/2014/08/05/gnoo-who-gnoo-blas-circuit-jaguar-xkc-type-xkc037/ and the D-Type here:https://primotipo.com/2016/03/18/lowood-courier-mail-tt-1957-jaguar-d-type-xkd526-and-bill-pitt/ Leaton Motors acquired XKD526 when it was sold by Westco for Frank to race.

Another grid shot with a youthful Bob Jane in his superb Maserati 300S, a car he retained well into the historic period. See here: https://primotipo.com/2015/05/15/bob-jane-maserati-300s-albert-park-1958/

#18 is Tom Ross eighth place Triumph TR2, #31 Tony Basile, Porsche Carrera and #101, E Laker, Triumph TR3.

The grid ready to start with the Chas Whatmore Lotus 11 Le Mans Climax at left on the front row, then Matich and Pitt. The second row comprises Allan Jack’s Cooper on the left, winner, Phillips’ largely obscured Cooper Jag, John Cleary’s Healey 100S, Jane’s 300S and John Ampt’s Decca Climax.

Ampt was a later owner of the Cooper Jag and raced in Formula Junior in Europe with some success in the early 1960s.

With the flag dropped, Phillips is at the far left, the Bobtail Cooper is Allan Jack’s Type 39 Climax, #36 John Cleary, Austin Healey 100S, #10 Les Agnew, Lotus 11 Climax, #56 Jane, #31 Basile, #28 B Coventry, MGA and #18 Tom Ross, Triumph TR2.

While Bob Donaldson did a great job, he has managed not to take a decent shot of the winning car. Here it is, shown above on the way to victory on the cover of the July issue of AMS.

David Finch’s D-Type in front of one of the Lotus 11s. See here about XKD520: https://primotipo.com/2020/04/17/stillwells-d-type/

Test of straight-line-squirt between the E Laker TR3 and J Ausina MGA. And below the beautiful lines of the Allan Jack Cooper T39 Climax.

That battle between the Triumph TR and MG seems to have been settled in the TR’s favour.

Bob Jane and John Ampt. The grunt of the 3-litre, DOHC-six engined, relatively light 300S prevailed over the very light 1.1-litre Decca. See here for lengthy feature on Derek Jolly and his Decca and Lotus cars: https://primotipo.com/2017/11/09/dereks-deccas-and-lotus-15s/

Awards were made for outright and class placings in the TT. Phillips won outright and the over 3-litre class, Jane the 2-3-litre class, Ampt the 1.1-1.5-litre class and Les Agnew the up to 1100cc class in his Lotus 11 Le Mans. Unusually, the organisers, the Queensland Racing Drivers Club, ran a handicap event over the first 20 laps, with Coventry’s MGA prevailing over the Ross Triumph TR2 and Tony Basile’s Porsche.

Lowood Trophy Gold Star round…

1959 was the third year in which the Gold Star was contested. Lex Davison won it aboard his famous ex-Ascari Ferrari 500/625 3-litre in 1957, with Stan Jones the reigning champion during 1959, his primary weapon of war was a Maserati 250F but his Maybach 4 Chev occasionally got a run too, as here at Lowood.

Lowood was the sixth of twelve rounds – the longest Gold Star series of all – and in a year where victory honours were spread widely. Melbourne auto-parts manufacturer, Len Lukey won with a mix of speed and consistency aboard a Lukey Bristol and an ex-Brabham Cooper T45 Climax.

Alec Mildren won three races in his Cooper T43 and T45, and Stan Jones, Bill Patterson and Lukey two apiece, with singleton wins for Jack Brabham, Ross Jensen and Bib Stillwell. Brabham and Jensen were non-residents and therefore ineligible for Gold Star points.

At Lowood, Mildren won from Stan Jones in Maybach 4 Chev, Arnold Glass, Maserati 250F, Arthur Griffiths, Ferrari 555 Super Squalo and Glyn Scott, Cooper T43 Climax.

Coopers had a mortgage on the Gold Star for a while: Cooper drivers, Len Lukey won it in 1959, Alec Mildren in 1960 (T51 Maserati), Bill Patterson in 1961 (T51 Climax) and finally Bib Stillwell won in 1962 (T53 Climax). The Brabham era followed…

Credits…

R Donaldson-State Library of New South Wales

Tailpiece…

Stan Jones hustles his Maybach 4 Chev around Lowood.

He used four cars in his fight to retain the Gold Star, primarily his Maserati 250F – it was just quick enough to prevail over Len Lukey’s 2-litre Cooper at Longford during the AGP – Maybach 4, which had been extensively updated by Ern Seeliger, not least by fitment of a Chev 283 engine, Sabakat and a Cooper T51 Climax.

Finito…