Jack Brabham, Cooper T53 Climax on pole of the Longford Trophy grid, March 5, 1961
He is surrounded by Cooper T51s: Bill Patterson‘s white one, that’s Patto walking away from the grid, Stan Jones blue machine, the nose of Roy Salvadori’s car is #12. Car #4 on row three is Lex Davison’s front engined interloper, Aston Martin DBR4/250 3-litre.
Salvadori won the Longford Trophy race aboard an Ecurie Vitesse – Jack Brabham Motor Racing – Cooper T51 Climax from Patterson, John Youl, and Austin Miller, all Cooper T51 mounted, then Davo’s Aston Martin. Brabham had a driveshaft break after completing 14 of the race’s 24 laps.
We’ve done this before of course, but a whole swag of Maurice Monk photographs justifies another crack I think, see here for the previous effort:https://primotipo.com/2018/02/22/roy-salvadori/
Brabham chewing the fat with Longford Motor Racing Club Supremo, Ron MacKinnon. Given Salvadori’s presence we can probably call that years Longford meeting the first international one, for cars at least
The other Australian Internationals that summer were the Warwick Farm 100 won by Stirling Moss in Rob Walker’s Lotus 18 Climax, and the Victoria Trophy held at Ballarat Airfield won by Dan Gurney’s BRM P48. I guess the Longford Motor Racing Association didn’t have the readies to pay the start money to Walker or BRM.
Roy had better luck in Australia than he did in New Zealand where he raced a Yeoman Credit Lotus 18 Climax at Ardmore, Levin, Wigram and Teretonga, his best a second place at Teretonga. He had gearbox problems twice and a leaking radiator in the other events.
‘Salvo’ crossed the Tasman Sea to Australia and raced the Cooper used by Ron Flockhart that Australasian season, in Tasmania and two International races a day apart at the new Hume Weir circuit outside Albury on the New South Wales/Victoria border. He was fourth in one, DNF the other, both races were won by Brabham’s Cooper T53 ‘Lowline’ photographed in this piece.
In this pre-Tasman period the Longford Trophy was an Australian Drivers Championship – Gold Star – event. It was one of the five rounds in 1961 albeit the very full calendar had 15 Formula Libre events.
Bill Patterson took the title with victories at Bathurst, Lowood and Caversham. Lex Davison nicked the AGP at Mallala from David McKay after a very ropey jumped-start call, and Salvadori won in Tasmania.
Grid of a mixed touring car and GT race.
Leo Geoghegan, Lotus Elite from David Lewis’ Holden Grey, Gavin Youl, Porsche 356, David McKay, Ferrari 250 Pininfarina, #39 Ron Marshall, AC Bristol, #30 Alan Ling, Holden, #121 Davison, #26 Doherty, #34 Maguire, #66 Gorringe, #130 H Cape, #40 Beechey and the rest! And below, McKay, Geoghegan and Youl charge across Long Bridge.
Grid of ‘The Examiner’ sports car handicap on the Monday morning. Murray Carter’s Carter Corvette V8 on pole from John Ampt in the ex-Whitehead/Jones/Phillips Cooper T38 Jaguar, Bob Jane’s Maserati 300S, Alan Jack, Cooper Climax, #13 Geoff Smedley, Le Mans Jaguar Spl, Gavin Youl’s Porsche 356B, #20 JW Barrie, Zephyr Spl and the #16 MGA of RS Ward towards the rear.
Etcetera…
Maurice Monk, who took many of these marvellous photographs, was co-founder of the Confederation of Australian Motorsport, CAMS, along with Donald Thomson.
‘Maurie’ was awarded the CAMS Award of Merit for his contribution to motorsport as a competitor, organiser and administrator. He was CAMS first President in 1953 and served again in that role in 1956.
He constructed a line of some 17 competition cars for motorsport events ranging from mud-trials to sprints and hillelimbs. These were successful in his and other family member’s hands.
Maurie Monk and Harry Firth with their HL Firth entered Standard Vanguard before the start of the 1957 Mobilgas Round Australia Trial. Car damaged at Mt Isa-Gloncurry as below.
Stan, Anita and Michael Monk in the Longford paddock in 1961. Gotta be a Ronson Stan, surely?
Longford was born to host the February 27-28, 1953 Australian Motorcycle Tourist Trophy.
The key men to get the event out of the water were local identity, Martin Coombe, and Longford councillor, Ray Chortle. Then local landowner Ron MacKinnon added his weight and muscle…and agreement to use his land.
Maurie Quincey won the Unlimited TT on his Norton Manx. The 12-lapper was reduced to four laps as the program was running late, so the race was shortened to ensure the Launceston-Hobart evening train crossed the track unimpeded!
The 1955 meeting included Geoff Duke on the final leg of his Australian Tour, so I guess his works-Gilera participation constitutes the first International Longford.
Jim Scaysbrook wrote that ‘Duke was timed at 144mph on his works-four cylinder Gilera on The Flying Mile, and despite severe misgivings about certain aspects of the track, he won both his races.’
‘Duke noted that the planks used to surface the bridges ran in the direction of travel, and had sizable gaps between them! In the first start, magneto trouble knocked 1600rpm off the Gilera’s maximum of 10,600 set in on lap 6 of the eight-lap race, allowing local star Max Stevens on the ex-Quincey Norton to close within nine seconds when the chequered flag came out. A replacement magneto was flown across from Melbourne, and after a quick trip to Launceston to fit it, he returned to win again and raised the lap record to a 92mph average.’
Check out Jim Scaysbrook’s article about Longford in full: https://www.oldbikemag.com.au/longford-fast-furious-friendly/ All too often, we car blokes forget that the pioneers of our best tracks were usually the bikies, not us. This one of mine too:https://primotipo.com/2021/03/02/longford-bikes/ Who, Norton, When? below folks.
Credits…
Maurie Monk and Arthur Wylie via the Anita Monk Collection, John Richardson, Andrew ‘Slim’ Lamont, Bob Wright via Kay Wright, Ron Lambert, oldracingcars.com, ‘Longrod. Fast, furious, friendly.’ by Jim Scaysbrook, Old Bike Australia, February 2019, Bob Young Collection, Ellis French for car identification, George Thomas via Tony Johns Archive
Finito…
primotipo... 