The 1962 Australian Grand Prix was a motor race for Formula Libre cars,The Australian Grand Prix, CAMS Manual of Motor Sport, 1962 Edition, page 66 held at the Caversham circuit in Western Australia, Australia on 18 November 1962. It was the twenty seventh Australian Grand Prix and the sixth and final race in the 1962 Australian Drivers' Championship. The Grand Prix meeting was organised by the Western Australian Sporting Car Club Inc.Supplementary Regulations, Australian International Grand Prix, November 17th-18th, Caversham, Western Australia
Held at the former United States Navy air base in still remote Western Australia, the race had just ten starters, seven of which had made the long journey across the Nullarbor Plain from the eastern states, and three of which were local entries. It was the third of only four Australian Grands Prix to be contested in Western Australia with the next held in 1979.
Bruce McLaren won his first Australian Grand Prix, beginning a new era for the race in which the results would be dominated by professional drivers and teams rather than the gentleman amateurs who had won most of the post-war AGP races. It also began an AGP rivalry between the two senior drivers from the region, McLaren and Jack Brabham who were already long-time rivals in Formula One racing.
Race classification
Results as follows.
Pos No.Official Souvenir Programme, Australian International Grand Prix, Caversham, 17-18 Nov, '62 Driver Entrant Car Laps Time 1 47 Bruce McLaren Bruce McLaren Cooper T62 / Coventry Climax FPF 2.7L 60 1h 21m 58.4s 2 5 John Youl Scuderia Veloce Cooper T55 / Coventry Climax FPF 2.5L 60 1h 22m 40.0s 3 6 Bib Stillwell B. S. Stillwell Cooper T55 / Coventry Climax FPF 2.5L 60 1h 22m 44.7s 4 9Patterson is listed in the Official Programme as No 3. The Official 50-race history of the Australian Grand Prix page 284 states that he raced with No. 9 Bill Patterson Bill Patterson Motors Cooper T51 / Coventry Climax FPF 2.5L 57 5 7 Arnold Glass Capitol Motors BRM P48 / Buick 3.9L 55 6 14 Syd Negus S. A. Negus Cooper T20 / Repco-Holden 2.3L 47 7 2 Ted Edwards1962 Gold Star, members.optusnet.com.au/dandsshaw, as archived at web.archive.org on 28 September 2012 E. D. Edwards T.S. Special / GMC 4.5L 47 8 4 Lex Davison Ecurie Australie Cooper T53 / Coventry Climax FPF 2.7L 46 9 26 Jeff Dunkerton Reimann Motors Lotus Super 7 / Ford 1.5 46 Ret 1 Jack Brabham Ecurie Vitesse Repco Brabham BT41962 Non-World Championship Grands Prix, www.silhouet.com Retrieved 28 August 2012 / Coventry Climax FPF 2.5L 50 Accident DNSAustralian Grand Prix, Caversham, 18 Nov 1962, www.oldracingcars.com Retrieved 26 September 2014 10 Ron DowneyRe driver of Car No. 10 - Programme has R.E. Downey, oldracingcars.com has Ron Downey, dandsshaw has Ron Downey, Around the Houses has Bill Bowney Sporting Cars Ferrari 166 F2 / Chevrolet 4.6L - EngineBill Downey ex Cobden Ferrari Corvette Caversham AGP practice 1962. Blew the engine so did not race, www.oldracephotos.com Retrieved 2 April 2021 DNS 12 Ron McCormack Ron McCormack Maybach 3 / Chevrolet 4.6L - DNS 15 Jack Ayers Superior Cars Alta F2 / Holden 2.4L - DNS 17 Dave Gordon Dave Sullivan Motors DJ Special / Holden 2.5L - DNS 11 Wally Higgs W. Higgs Peugeot Special / Peugeot 1.1L - Engine DNS 18 Don Willisonoldracingcars.com lists the driver of car No. 18 as Dan Willison. The Official Programme shows both driver and entrant of car No. 18 as Don Willison. Don Willison HRD Special / Vincent 1.0L -
Additional awards 1st Australian resident driver: John Youl 1st Western Australian resident driver: Syd Negus
Notes Pole Position: Bruce McLaren - 1:19.6 Winner's average speed: 145.49 km/h Fastest Lap: Jack Brabham, 1:20.0s, 92.65 mph, 149.1 km/hThe official history of the Australian Grand Prix - 80 races, page 209
References
Further reading Terry Walker, 1962: Caversham, Around the Houses - The History of Motor Racing in Australia, 1980, pages 16 & 17
External links Footage from the 1962 Australian Grand Prix held in Caversham, WA., www.abc.net.au