The 1931 Australian Grand Prix was a motor race held at the Phillip Island Circuit in Victoria, Australia on 23 March 1931.John B. Blanden, A History of Australian Grand Prix 1928–1939, pages 59–73 The race, which was the fourth Australian Grand Prix and the fourth to be held at Phillip Island, had 19 entries and 14 starters.The Official History of the Australian Grand Prix 80 Races 1927–2014, page 51 lists 13 competitors by name but does not mention Bill Lowe. Lowe is however mentioned as a retirement during the first lap of the race in the article in The Argus, Tuesday, 24 March 1931, page 8 It was organised by the Victorian Light Car Club.
The race was staged using a handicap format with the first car starting 35 minutes before the two "Scratch" cars. Prize money was paid for both handicap and overall results with the principle prize of £100 awarded to the fastest car to complete the distance.The Official 50-race history of the Australian Grand Prix, 1986, pages 44–50
Carl Junker was awarded the Grand Prix win,The Australian Grand Prix 1931 - Carl Junker Wins Race - Fastest and Record Time, The Car (magazine of the Victorian Light Car Club), April 15, 1931, pages Three to Seven having set the fastest time driving a Bugatti Type 39. The Handicap Section was won by Cyril Dickason, driving an Austin 7.
Classes
Car competed in four classes:Australian Grand Prix, West Australian, Thursday, 12 February 1931, page 4 A – 850cc B – 1100cc C – 1500cc D – 2000cc
Classification PosThe Official History of the Australian Grand Prix 80 Races 1927–2014, page 51 No. Class Driver Car Laps Time / Reason for ret. Handicap (mins) Handicap Pos. 1 16 C Carl Junker Bugatti Type 39 31 2h 54m 50s 10 2 2 1 A Cyril Dickason Austin 7 Ulster s/c 31 3h 02m 24s 30 1 3 12 C Harold Drake-Richmond Bugatti Type 37 31 3h 03m 19s 10 3 4 10 B Barney Dentry Riley Brooklands 31 3h 09m 39s 11 4 5 13 B Joan Richmond Riley Nine 31 3h 34m 00s 22 6 6 3 A Cec Warren Austin 7 Ulster 31 3h 35m 21s 35 5 Ret 15 C Hope Bartlett Bugatti Type 37A s/c 29 Engine Scratch Ret 19 D Les Jennings Morris Oxford 28 Connecting rodAustralian Grand Prix, Northern Argus, Friday, 10 April 1931, page 4 22 Ret 2 A Clarrie May Austin 7 s/c 18 30 Ret 4 A Ian Russell Morris Minor 15 Engine 32 Ret 20 D Jack Clements Bugatti Type 30 14 Crankshaft 9 Ret 18 D Jack Sidebottom Singer 12 24 Ret 14 C Arthur Terdich Bugatti Type 37A s/c 8 Connecting rod Scratch RetAustralian Grand Prix. The Argus, Tuesday, 24 March 1931, page 8 9 B Bill Lowe Lombard AL.3 s/cJohn B. Blanden, Historic Racing Cars in Australia, 1979, page 191 0 Gearbox 11 DNS 5 A Eric Armstrong Triumph s/c – 29 DNS 6 B Alan Chamberlain Chamberlain – 23
Notes Weather: Fine & mild Race time limit: 4¼ hours from the commencement of the race, i.e., from the first car to startJohn B. Blanden, A History of Australian Grand Prix 1928–1939, page 62 Fastest lap: Hope Bartlett – 4'45.00 (79.90 mph) Average speed of winning car: 69.87 mph
References
External links Australian Grand Prix, The Argus, Tuesday, 24 March 1931, page 8, trove.nla.gov.au Joan Richmond collection, collectionsearch.nma.gov.au, as archived at web.archive.org