It was “Courage Day” at Longford on March 4. Courage, in name and in fact. In name because the young Englishman of that name shattered predictions in the grandest possible manner by running away with the South Pacific Trophy in his 1.6 litre motor car on this ultra fast circuit. In fact, because it was Piers Courage alone who was willing and enthusiastic to go motor racing in the difficult conditions.
The meeting, which concludes the Tasman Championship, is spread over four days. Official practice is held on Friday, with untimed practice sessions and racing on Saturday and Monday.
The racing on Saturday was held in very pleasant conditions. By Monday morning, Saturday’s gentle breeze had turned to the south, bringing rain clouds over the circuit. Light rain began falling around 10 a.m. and continued without stop, getting heavier during the day. By race time the rain was moderately heavy, but not torrential. A preceding race was cancelled, when the lowest part of the circuit at Tannery Corner was flooded, due to a drain blockage. The trouble was overcome, the circuit drained, and the cars were ‘ called to the grid.
The drivers, clad in waterproof overalls and most wearing visors, set out to evaluate the conditions. The circuit was very wet, and the cars created huge plumes of spray, especially as they streaked down the very fast Mountford Straight.
After considerable delay, the stewards met to consider the obviously disturbing conditions. Their decision was most
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difficult. The race would decide the outcome of the Tasman Championship, the whole point of the series of Australasian races, and it could not be postponed. On the other hand, the danger factor was obviously increased and the drivers were vocal in their concern on this point. After much consideration, the stewards decided, in view of the fact that the organisers had accepted admission charges from spectators that the race would go on, if racing was possible and with reasonable safety. One hour after the scheduled start time, the rain had eased slightly, the wind was blowing strongly and it was bitterly cold.
These conditions were judged by the stewards to be “possible and reasonably safe”. They announced the race would be run, but, in view of the discomfort to drivers and spectators, would be cut from 128 miles to 68.
Piers Courage was confident of his ability and his equipment, and was willing to go. Other international drivers were not similarly confident. In their opinion, the conditions were definitely unsafe, so after conferring among themselves, they told the stewards they wanted the race cancelled. Some were concerned that the conditions heightened the danger due to the speed differential, and the number of cars on the circuit. It was suggested that only the likely winners start. Leo Geoghegan led some of the local drivers in offering to non-start, to give the fast men the best possible conditions.
Chris Amon, Jim Clark, Denny Hulme and Kevin Bartlett were vocal in their reluctance to run. Graham Hill was sympathetic to this faction, but refused to allow the position to worry him, and was reluctant to indicate that he would refuse to start. Piers Courage was enthusiastic and impatient, waiting to get going. Frank Gardner, John Harvey, Pedro Rodriguez and Dickie Attwood all appeared to want to race. Gardner wanted a decision made quickly, but he was reluctant to force his colleagues and friends onto the circuit against their will.
The BRM drivers were conscious of their obligations to the promoters, with whom they had signed contracts, and to the public. When asked for his decision, Pedro Rodriguez said he would go along with the majority decision.
Chris Amon and Jim Clark were the most involved. Clark led the Tasman Championship, and only Amon could out-point him by winning the race. Presumably if the race had not been run, the championship would have been awarded to Clark, so by initiating the move for cancellation and by voting not to run, Amon was conceding the championship.
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After another hour of disorganised conversation, . Jim Clark was asked to be the spokesman in asking for a cancellation. He was reluctant to accept this position, pointing out that in view of his lead in the points score it would be embarrassing for him to ask for a cancellation. Chris Amon would not accept the position so Graham Hill, without gaining any real consensus of opinion, led the drivers to ask the stewards to cancel the race. The BRM team manager, Tim Parnell, was most concerned about his team’s responsibility to the promoters, and he asked his drivers, Rodriguez and Attwood to keep this in mind. At this stage, Denny Hulme decided that, if the race was run, it would finish too late for him to make his flight out of Tasmania, so he bid his fellows farewell and departed.
By this stage the rain had reduced to a slight drizzle. The wind was still strong, and very cold. The vantage points and open stands around the circuit were almost deserted, as most spectators had left or sought the shelter of their cars during their three-hour wait. The stewards were quite firm in their decision that there was to be a race, so the drivers returned to their very damp cars to get on with the job of being racing drivers.
PRACTICE
The Lotus Fords proved well suited to the fast straights at Longford during Friday’s practice. The immense and reliable power which the 2.5-litre Ford motors were giving took Clark to an officially-timed 180 m.p.h. on Mountford Straight. Jim doubted this, saying the mid 170s was more believable. The Lotus’s, running in the same form as they had on Sandown, took the fastest times of the day. Clark’s 2m 12.8s. was quickest, being an average of 122 m.p.h.
Clark was the only one to get inside Brabham’s lap record of 2m 13.3s. He was followed by team mate Hill with 2m 13.6s., Amon’s Ferrari 2m 13.8s and Frank Gardner’s Brabham-Alfa Romeo 2m 18.6s.
After its fine showing at Sandown Park the Ferrari was again running in 4-valve form. The six-cylinder motor made the
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Ferrari quite competitive at Longford, but it once again showed signs of overheating problems during practice.
The Repco engined local vehicles were quicker than the overseas Ford FVA machines. Geoghegan’s Lotus 39 and Cusack’s Brabham BT23 had 2m 18.5s and 2m 20.5s respectively, ahead of Piers Courage and Denny Hulme with 2m 22.4s. and 2m 22.8s. Kevin Bartlett in his old, tired Brabham-Climax 4 was quicker than the BRMs. Bartlett went round in 2m 22.4s. while Rodriguez and Attwood took 2m 22.8s. and 2m 22.9s.
The main event on Saturday was the Examiner Scratch Race. The Repco motors of John Harvey and Greg Cusack were out of action, so they were non-starters.
As usual, Clark led from the line, followed by Hill, Amon, Gardner, Geoghegan and Attwood. Clark and Hill exchanged the lead a few times between themselves but Amon woke them up by taking them both on the straight on lap three. He led narrowly for two laps, but retired the Ferrari on lap four. The head sealing rings in the 4-valve V6 were leaking again, causing the motor to overheat. Amon elected to retire early before any damage was done, having established the car was fast and would need an overhaul during the Sunday lay-off.
Hill took the lead from Clark, who was followed closely by Frank Gardner. Leo Geoghegan held a steady fourth place ahead of Attwood, Bartlett and Rodriguez. It must be disheartening to the entire BRM organisation that Bartlett’s old 4-cylinder Climax vehicle can keep up with their new 2.5-litre V12 monocoques. In previous visits to Longford, Jackie Stewart has been able to annihilate the Climax powered opposition.
Pedro Rodriguez reduced BRM’s 2.5-litre problem on his fifth lap by blowing up his V12 approaching Mountford Corner. The BRM coasted to a stop, but Piers Courage arrived before the marshals had the oil flag out. He lost traction in Mountford and the McLaren slid gently off the road into a bank. Courage was unhurt but the nose of his car was slightly damaged so he did not continue.
Hill held his lead over Clark crossing the line 1.3 seconds ahead to take his first Lotus 49 victory. Third, fourth and fifth places were taken by Frank Gardner, Leo Geoghegan and Dick Attwood.
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The Lotus mechanics had a very easy Sunday, while there was much activity in the BRM and Ferrari camps. Tim Parnell’s men were busy getting the V8 BRM into race trim for Rodriguez and overhauling the sole remaining V12 for Attwood. Amon’s men spent all day giving the V6 an almost factory rebuild. The job was completed late in the evening but the team was up early on Monday to take the car to nearby Symmons Plains to check out their work.
Greg Cusack, having the Scuderia Veloce Brabham Repco back in operation, was at Longford early on Monday for the untimed practice session. He did a few laps checking the car generally for the race, which he had announced would be his last. The car sounded right as he accelerated past the pits and disappeared towards the Viaduct, but became airborne as it went over the crest. When it came down it was out of line and Cusack lost control. The car stewed and then tipped end for end, crashing down upside down with Cusack underneath. The officials very quickly doused the car with foam, and then helped Cusack out. He was rushed to hospital, where it was found he had sustained only superficial injuries. Fortunately damage to the car was also localised, but it was definitely a non-starter.
This incident and Hulme’s early departure reduced the field for the South Pacific Trophy to ten, including the Lotus 32 of Mel McEwin and the Brabham Climax of John McCormack.
The rain provided Firestone with the opportunity to try their new rain tyre. It was favoured by Clark, Hill, Amon and Gardner, the latter forsaking his more usual Goodyears because that company does not have a specific rain tyre. The older rain Firestones were supplied to John Harvey and Leo Geoghegan. Dunlop and Goodyear both did a little butchery for BRM. They removed the centre outer layer of rubber on their low profile tyres to improve drainage. Attwood used the Dunlops and Rodriguez the Goodyears.
Dunlop’s Cliff Hedford did a spot of perfect crystal ball gazing for Courage. He specified old high profile R7s for the McLaren’s relatively narrow rims. The tyres, 500 x 13 and 600 x 13 in 970 compound had the same rolling radius as the later, wider, low-profile tyres so the gearing was unaffected.
RACE
Unaffected by the rain, Clark made his normal start, leading Amon and Hill down towards the Viaduct. As they
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splashed through Longford, Clark led from Amon. Pedro Rodriguez had come from his fourth row grid position to take third from Hill, who headed Gardner and Courage.
Amon lost his chance of winning the Tasman Championship at Newry Corner. He locked wheels under braking and shot down the escape road, dropping to seventh before rejoining.
After one lap the order was Clark, Rodriguez, Gardner, Hill, Courage, Attwood, Amon, Harvey McCormack and McEwin. Clark’s lead was five seconds but he was 19 in front of Amon.
Courage started his move on the second lap, moving into fourth. Poor Graham Hill was having to cope with the hopeless adhesion of the wide Firestones and a miss firing Ford motor. He very quickly dropped to seventh place.
As Clark came down the straight on lap three. Rodriguez drove straight into his spray and appeared alongside as they entered the braking area. Jim won the braking duel, keeping Pedro on the outside, and staying in front through Mountford. While Pedro had been busy fighting for the lead, Courage had sneaked by Gardner and had caught the BRM. Piers braked far later than Pedro for Longford Corner, crossed the apex 10 m.p.h. faster and slipped into second.
Clark managed the unwieldy Lotus round the bottom of the circuit but it was the McLaren which made the first plume of spray on Mountford straight the fourth time. As Piers crossed the line in the lead, Clark was four seconds behind. Gardner got by Rodriguez and a lap later took second from Clark. The Lotus 49’s could almost be seen to yaw as they reached high speeds on the straights and Clark dropped behind Rodriguez on the sixth tour, while Hill was still behind Amon. Clark led Attwood out of Mountford Corner after seven laps, but his car began weaving as it reached 80 m.p.h. Attwood bravely gave the V12 BRM its head and plunged by.
Courage’s progress made a farce of the race. After eight laps he was 32 seconds ahead of Frank Gardner. The circuit had dried a little, allowing drivers to follow more closely. Behind Garner there was four seconds to Rodriguez, then four to Attwood, five to Clark, one to Amon and four more to Hill. Courage “sailed” on serenely out in front lapping regularly around 2 min 40sec. and consistently opening his lead.
The ignition in Hill’s Ford V8 dried out so Graham closed on Amon, and got by as they accelerated out of Newry Corner.
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Courage made his only blemish when he locked wheels going into Longford for the fourteenth time. The McLaren ran wide but the Dunlops stuck and Piers was away still 52 seconds in front. As Piers drove past the pits after 15 laps to take the chequered flag he was welcomed by an avenue of cold, wet fans who stood clapping on both sides of the road. His smile was almost too wide for the McLaren cockpit!
Almost one minute later Gardner appeared on Mountford Straight, leading Rodriguez by some 100 yards. Frank began to brake for Mountford Corner but Pedro who was one of the few drivers not wearing a visor, didn’t. Pedro steered blind through the wake of the Brabham Alfa, and found it by physical contact.
The Brabham slid off the circuit, but Gardner quickly recovered. Rodriquez braked as heavily as possible and stayed inside Gardner. The BRM began to slide outwards through the apex, but found the Brabham an excellent buffer. The impact stopped the sideways movement of the BRM, transferring it to the Brabham. Pedro was able to make a comfortable and quick, if unconventional exit from the corner while Gardner had to hesitate before getting straight and giving chase. Rodriguez had all the advantage he needed and won the sprint to the line by 0.6 seconds. Attwood drove into a very creditable fourth place while the now three times Tasman Champion filled fifth ahead of team-mate Hill.
Courage was presented with the South Pacific Trophy and was a very proud man, proud of his performance, his McLaren chassis, his Ford FVA motor and his fantastic Dunlop tyres.
Jim Clark was given his third Tasman cup, a reward which he and his Lotus Ford so richly deserved. It was truly Courage which won most handsomely, the first four places being taken by the four men who had their hearts in this race from the time the rain began to fall.
Webmasters Postscript : The lousy weather was the coup de grace for the spectacular Longford Circuit. The Race had always ran at a slight loss but on this occasion the rain and cold kept the usually substantial crowd away in droves. Financially further meetings were untenable and sadly Longford was allowed to pass into legend.