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... 