1960 Armstrong 500
The 1960 Armstrong 500 was an endurance motor race for Australian made or assembled standard production sedans. The event was held at the Phillip Island Grand Prix Circuit in Victoria on 20 November 1960 over a distance of 167 laps x 3.0 miles = 501 miles.
This was the first event held in the history of the race later to become known as the Bathurst 1000, the race that would come to dominate Australian motor racing.
Jim Thompson, managing director of shock absorber manufacturer Armstrong York Engineering, was encouraged by his PR man Ron Thonemann to increase its business with major carmakers (particularly Ford and Holden) by sponsoring a race.
Outright controversy
Officially only class placings were awarded. In later years as the fame of the Bathurst 1000 grew, outright placings, particularly the outright winner, became more widely recognised. John Roxburgh and Frank Coad have been widely acclaimed as the outright winners of the event, and have been recognised in CAMS motorsport manual in more recent times. This has been the source of some controversy as claims the winners of class C, Geoff Russell, David Anderson and Tony Loxton covered the race distance in a faster time. The source of the discrepancy arises from the starting procedure which saw the classes released at thirty-second intervals, with the Class D Roxburgh/Coad Vauxhall starting the race thirty seconds before the Class C Russell/Anderson/Loxton Peugeot. With surviving records not sufficiently accurate to say whether the Peugeot was closer than thirty seconds behind the Vauxhall at the finish, the issue has petered out over time.
Class structure
Class A
Class A was for cars with an engine capacity of 750cc or less. The class featured Fiat 600, Lloyd Alexander, NSU Prinz and Renault 750
Class B
Class B was for cars with an engine capacity of between 751cc and 1300cc. The class featured Ford Anglia, Renault Dauphine, Simca Aronde, Triumph Herald and Volkswagen Beetle
Class C
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/2/24/1960_Austin_Lancer_Series_II.jpg/220px-1960_Austin_Lancer_Series_II.jpg)
Class C was for cars with an engine capacity of between 1301cc and 2000cc. The class featured Austin Lancer, Hillman Minx, Morris Major, Peugeot 403 and Singer Gazelle.
Class D
Class D was for cars with an engine capacity between 2001cc and 3500cc. The class featured Ford Falcon, Humber Super Snipe, Mercedes-Benz 220SE, Standard Vanguard, Vauxhall Cresta.
Class E
Class E was for cars with an engine capacity over 3500cc. There was only one entry in the class, a Ford Customline.
Results
Class results were as follows:
Pos. | No. | Entrant | Drivers | Car | Laps |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Class A | |||||
1 | 1 | Continental & General Distributors | Doug Whiteford Lex Davison |
NSU Prinz | 155 |
2 | 2 | Continental & General Distributors | Bruce Walton Paul England |
NSU Prinz | 151 |
3 | 3 | Continental & General Distributors | Hoot Gibson J Gorman |
NSU Prinz | 150 |
4 | 10 | Bill March John Connolly |
Renault 750 | 145 | |
5 | 15 | Wal Gillespie Lou Sinclair |
Fiat 600 | 138 | |
6 | 4 [1] | Finlay Motors | Kevin Lott G Petty |
Lloyd Alexander | 135 |
7 | 16 | Torino Motors | Brian Pyers Frank Elkins |
Fiat 600 | 135 |
8 | 5 | Finlay Motors | Graham Levingston Peter Candy |
Lloyd Alexander | 134 |
9 | 7 | Finlay Motors | R Slaney G White |
Lloyd Alexander | 132 |
10 | 8 | Les Park J Fleming |
Renault 750 | ||
DNF | 9 | Rex Emmett A Hawkins |
Renault 750 | ||
DNF | 6 | Finlay Motors | Tony Thieler Frank Kilfoyle |
Lloyd Alexander | |
Class B | |||||
1 | 24 | Melody Motors | Murray Galt Bill Murray |
Simca Aronde | 164 |
2 | 23 | Eiffel Tower | Jack Nougher Lionel Marsh |
Simca Aronde | 161 |
3 | 22 | B.J. Autos | Bob Brown Michael Lempriere |
Simca Aronde | 161 |
4 | 27 | Australian Motor Industries | Jack Maurer Ern Abbott |
Triumph Herald | 158 |
5 | 20 | Rex Orman Max McPherson |
Volkswagen | 158 | |
6 | 18 | David McKay Greg Cusack |
Volkswagen | 158 | |
7 | 19 | Arthur Wylie Ken Wylie |
Volkswagen | 157 | |
8 | 29 | Bill Nolder John Ampt |
Ford Anglia | 156 | |
9 | 14 | J Leighton Alan Ling |
Renault Dauphine | 154 | |
10 | 12 | Des West Ian Geoghegan |
Renault Dauphine | 152 | |
11 | 11 | Bill Pitt Leo Geoghegan |
Renault Dauphine | 151 | |
DNF | 17 | Eddie Perkins George Reynolds |
Volkswagen | ||
DNF | 26 | Australian Motor Industries | Graham Hoinville Austin Miller |
Triumph Herald | |
DNF | 25 | Ray Christie George Hughes |
Simca Aronde | ||
DNF | 21 | Jack Murray W Murison |
Simca Aronde | ||
Class C | |||||
1 | 34 | Continental & General Distributors | Geoff Russell David Anderson Tony Loxton |
Peugeot 403 | 167 |
2 | 41 | B.M.C. | Peter Manton Barry Topen |
Morris Major | 164 |
3 | 38 | B.M.C. | George Spanos Leo Taylor |
Austin Lancer | 161 |
4 | 35 | Continental & General Distributors | Bob Holden Ken Brigden |
Peugeot 403 | 160 |
5 | 42 | B.M.C. | Brian Muir Jim Smith |
Morris Major | 160 |
6 | 43 | B.M.C. | Rod Murphy John Callaway |
Morris Major | 159 |
7 | 45 | Rootes Australia | Harry Firth John Reaburn |
Singer Gazelle | 159 |
8 | 36 | Continental & General Distributors | Ron Lilley Jim Gullan |
Peugeot 403 | 157 |
9 | 39 | B.M.C. | Brian Foley Alan Edney |
Austin Lancer | 155 |
DNF | 44 | Rootes Australia | Bill Clemens Don Dunoon |
Hillman Minx | |
DNF | 40 | B.M.C. | Barry Gurdon Clyde Miller |
Austin Lancer | |
Class D | |||||
1 | 37 | S. A. Cheney | John Roxburgh Frank Coad |
Vauxhall Cresta | 167 |
2 | 28 | Australian Motor Industries | Norm Beechey John French |
Standard Vanguard | 162 |
3 | 30 | Autoland | Bob Jane Lou Molina |
Ford XK Falcon | 161 |
DNF | 46 | Rootes Australia | Bill Graetz Fred Sutherland |
Humber Super Snipe | |
DNF | 47 | Gavin Youl John Youl |
Mercedes-Benz 220SE | ||
DNF | 31 | Ron Phillips Ern Seeliger |
Ford XK Falcon | ||
Class E | |||||
1 | 32 | Sabina Motors | Ray Gibbs Murray Carter |
Ford Customline | 154 |
Statistics
- Fastest Lap - #47 Youl/Youl - 2:41 - Laps 15, 45 & 62 [2]
- Race Time - 8:20:45
References
- ^ [1] Autopics.com.au photo of car retrieved on 20 May 2020
- ^ Armstrong 500 20 November, 1960 - www.nmrm.com.au via web.archive.org Retrieved on 23 October 2013
- A History of Australian Motor Sport, © 1980
- Australian Motor Sport, Dec 1960 - Jan 1961
- Tuckey, Bill (1981). "1960: It seemed like a good idea at the time...". Australia's Greatest Motor Race The Complete History. Sydney: Lansdowne Press. pp. 66–73.
- Australia's Greatest Motor Race, 1960–1989
- The Age, Monday, 21 Nov 1960
- The Book Of Australian Motor Racing, © 1964
- Greenhalgh, David; Thomas B. Floyd; Bill Tuckey (2000). "1960 It seemed like a good idea at the time...". Australia's Greatest Motor Race 1960-1999 The first 40 years. Hornsby: Chevron Publishing Group Pty Limited. pp. 96–101 & 451. ISBN 1-875221-12-3.