Two of the world’s most famous Grand Prix racing cars of all time will be
amongst nearly 1000 vintage, veteran and classic cars on display at Victoria’s
Mornington Racecourse as part of the Great Australian Rally on Sunday January
23.
The Repco Brabham BT19 designed, built and driven by Sir Jack Brabham to win his
third World Drivers’ Championship in 1966 and the original prototype ERA factory
Grand Prix car built in 1934, will be amongst more than 20 historic racing cars
the Victorian Historic Racing Register’s pavilion behind the racecourse
grandstand.
The display is a ‘Grand Prix-view’ of the annual Phillip Island Classic
presented by Shannons and Tattersalls from 26-28 February, when more than 400
vehicles from 1920s Bugattis to mid-1980s turbocharged Formula One cars will
turn out for Australia’s major annual historic race meeting.
The famous V8 Repco Brabham, known affectionately by Sir Jack as ‘the old nail’,
is the only car built and driven by the same person to win a Formula One World
Championship– a feat unlikely to be repeated. Moreover, it was more than a
one-hit wonder, as New Zealander Denny Hulme won the 1967 World Championship in
the same car with his team boss Sir Jack as runner-up.
The BT19, which has since been driven in demonstrations by John Surtees, Alan
Jones,Tim Schenken, John Bowe and John Harvey, is being lent for display by
Nigel Tate of ACL.
The famous ERA ‘R1A’ was the prototype and first ‘works’ ERA racing car and made
its debut at Brooklands in May 1934. It has since been driven by a who’s who of
famous drivers including its creator Raymond Mays, Dick Seaman, Reg Parnell and
Ron Flockhart.
Now owned by British enthusiast Dean Butler, the ERA is still in its original
1500cc configuration and is a regular competitor in historic races around the
world. It finished second in the 1999 ERA-only Grand Prix at Silverstone and
placed third in the pre-War Monaco race, both in the hands of Martin Walford who
is expected to race it in the Shannons Phillip Island Classic at Phillip Island.
Other historic racing cars in the VHRR display at Mornington Racecourse include
a racing 1978 Torana A9X, a superb supercharged 1927 straight eight cylinder
Bugatti Type 35C, a chain drive 1934 Frazer Nash, the 1957 Australian ‘Sabakat’
Lotus 12 and a beautiful 1939 MG TB.
The display in a picnic-style
atmosphere at Mornington opens to the public at 10.00am, following the arrival
of cars in the Great Australian Rally from four separate starting points -
Docklands, the Civic Centre at the City of Casey, Brandon Park Shopping Centre
and Dromana.
Entry to the racecourse on the Mornington-Tyabb Road is $10 for adults, $5 for
children, $7 for concession cardholders and $25 for a family pass. Proceeds from
the Rally are expected to raise more than $50,000 for the Peter MacCallum Cancer
Centre.
