John Youl, left and Lex Sternberg aboard their Cooper T51 Climax’s at Symmons Plains circa 1961-62…
There were four of the eleven Cooper T51s that had ‘permanent residency’ in Australia, based in Tasmania for a while, this pair and those of Austin Miller. We know it’s before 15 April 1962 as Andrew ‘Slim’ Lamont tells us the Youl car passed to Jack Hobden then.
Youl’s car history is simple, he says confidently, John acquired F2/9/60 new from the factory whereas Sternberg’s F2/7/59 or F2/9/59 was an ex-works 1959 car brought to Australia for Jack’s 1960 Summer Tour and then sold to Bib Stillwell after Bathurst 1960. Bib bought it to obtain the 2.5 Coventry Climax FPF with which it was fitted; they were as rare as Rocking Horse Poop in the colonies at that stage.
Bib raced it a few times, including Longford’s 1961 meeting before selling it to Burnie’s Lex Sternberg, both he and his son David raced it. The later ownership has the usual twists and turns of many of these cars, which is beyond the scope of this pictorial. Click here for The Nostalgia Forum thread in relation thereto, it’s content rich; https://forums.autosport.com/topic/150838-cooper-t51s-in-tasmania/
Jack with T51 F2/7/59 or F2/9/59 at Longford in March 1960.
Brabham consorting with a couple of chaps during practice. Is that Alec Mildren in the straw hat or is my imagination running riot? Look at the monster mouths of those 58DCO Webers.
Jack had a good run with this car that summer winning at Ardmore – the New Zealand GP – and Wigram before shipping the car across the Tasman and was then victorious at Longford and Phillip Island in March, and then Bathurst in October.
Brabham won the March 5 Longford Trophy from Mildren’s Cooper T51 Maserati and Stillwell’s T51 Climax.
Jack Hobden (30/8/1942-18/9/2022) aboard the ex-Youl F2-9-60 at Baskerville?
The defunct Longford Grand Prix Expo FB page wrote that ‘Jack was requested to represent Tasmania in the 1965 Australian Grand Prix at Longford by then Premier Eric Reece. Upon being told of a lack of finances, he funded Jack’s race.’
Hobden was 12th in the race won by Bruce McLaren’s Cooper T79 Climax from Jack Brabham and Phil Hill.
Etcetera…
Noel Barnes was prowling the paddock at about the same time as Ron Lambert!
Credits…
Historic Racing Car Club of Tasmania, Ron Lambert, G Hartley, The Nostalgia Forum, Ellis French, Andrew ‘Slim’ Lamont, oldracingcars.com, Greg Ellis Collection, K Thompson Collection, Noel Barnes
Tailpiece…
An early Baskerville grid containing two Youls, #38 Gavin’s Porsche 356 and #55 John’s NSU Prinz, #7 is Ross Larner, #29 David Lewis’ Humpy Holden, the white Morris Minor is Greg Ellis and #51 is Dick Crawford
Finito…
primotipo... 
Thanks Mark for another excellent period article. I just realised from seeing that photo of Ron Lamberts (Brabham & the Cooper with engine cover open). My Dad must have been within minutes of this photo when he took a very, very similar shot himself !
regards
Mal.
Mark,
John Youl’s mystery #55 in the last shot is an NSU Prinz.
Cheers,
Rob B.
Thanks Rob,
Had no idea, a bit before my time!
m
Hi Mark,
Didn’t one of the Youls have a huge accident at Sandown, running up the ramp of Dunlop Bridge and going over the top?
I as only a wee lad but have a vague memory of it: presumably you can flesh it out.
Cheers,
Rod
Rod,
I think that’s correct. I recall, vaguely, Bryan Thomson telling me he’d had his own accident in The Causeway-Dunlop Bridge area and then John Youl aviating through above him. Not a good place to prang at all!
m
Thanks Mark,
The causeway & under Dunlop were the only corners that ever bothered me, although that may have been because on my first practice lap there in a FVee I got to the causeway to see 3 or 4 cars in a mess and a helmet bouncing down the road.
Took a bit of getting over, but everyone was OK: chin cups for helmets really don’t work.
But I always loved the run up to the old Peters corner, such a pity it has gone.
Cherrs,Rod
#55 = 1960 NSU Prinz