Australia’s 2023 Phillip Island Classic-‘Festival of Motorsport’ will host six spectacular Formula 1 Classic Cars from Europe
SHANNONS will be holding theor annual charity Parade Laps of the Phillip Island race circuit. Please email Belinda_Douglas@Shannons.com.au to submt your Expression of Interest.
The 2023 Phillip Island Classic – Festival of Motorsport will host a number of spectacular historic F1 cars from Europe along with nine international drivers competing at the Phillip Island Grand Prix Circuit on 10 – 12 March. Regarded as the largest historic motor race in the Southern Hemisphere, the Phillip Island Classic ‘Festival of Motor Sport’ is renowned for attracting some of the finest historic race cars in the world and this year will certainly not disappoint local and international fans.
The 1974 SurteesTS16/02 was designed and built by the legendary John Surtees, raced in Argentinian, British, South African, Spanish, Belgian, Swedish, Monaco and French Grand Prix’s over the 1974/ 1975 seasons. Now owned by Marc Devis a prolific-historic racer and a regular participant in the Master Racing Legends for 1966-1985 F1 cars, the Surtees TS16 car has continued to be raced in historic events in Britain and Europe. Drivers of the TS16/02 included Derek Bell, Jose Dolhem, Jean-Pierre Jabouille, Leo Kinnunen, Helmut Koinigg, Jochen Mass, Carlos Pace, Dieter Quester and John Watson. Carlos Pace placed the Surtees TS16 in the points once in 1974 but left the team in mid-season, John Watson finished well in three Non-Championship F1 races. Of particular Australian significance is the 1977 Shadow DN8 of James Constable, a Formula One car of the Shadow Team during the 1976, 1977 and 1978 Formula One season. Driven by 1980 World Champion Alan Jones, Jones finished in the points in Monaco and Belgium and won the 1977 Austrian Grand Prix. Jones finished third in Italy and fourth in Canada and Japan for 22 points and 7 th in the Drivers’ Championship standings that year. Drivers of the Shadow DN8 over this period also included Jean-Pierre Jarier, Alan Jones, Arturo Merzario, Jackie Oliver, Riccardo Patrese, Tom Pryce, Clay Regazzoni and Renzo Zorzi. Good placings saw the team placed 7 th on the 1977 Constructors Championship table.
Racing at Phillip Island will also be the Tyrrell 012 in the original Benetton sponsored livery as driven by Michele Alboreto in 1983. Designed by Maurice Phillippe and Brian Lisles the chassis was used by the factory team between the 1983 Dutch Grand Prix and the 1985 Australian Grand Prix. Now owned by Ian Simmonds in the UK, Chassis 012-1 is recorded as having contested nine Formula 1 World Championships over this period and has raced in the historic Masters in the UK and Europe over the last ten years. Drivers included Michele Alboreto, Stefan Bellof, Martin Brundle, Stefan Johansson, Danny Sullivan. The Ensign N179 of Paul Tattersall participated in 11 Formula One World Championship events during the 1979 season starting its career at the South African GP event. This was Baldwin’s last Ensign and was partly funded by Teddy Yip. who is well known for bringing Alan Jones into prominence. Its monocoque and rocker arm suspension were conventional however the radiators built into the scuttle and extending down to the cone proved ineffective and the car was rebuilt with conventional radiators in the side pods.
The Ensign Team had only limited sponsorship from Theodore Racing of Hong Kong for most of the season and raced under the team’s own Ensign logos until the last two races when sponsorship came from Rainbow Jeans of USA. The Ensign N179 had three drivers, over the 1979 season, Derek Daly, Patrick Gaillard and Marc Surer with Gaillard achieving its best result at the British Grand Prix with 13 th overall. Towards the end of the season the team was sponsored by Rainbow Jeans and after the USA Grand Prix the car remained in the USA until 1993 when it returned to the United Kingdom. Rebuilt in 2016/17 to the specifications and colour scheme in which it appeared in the Monaco Grand Prix, the car has raced regularly around the world in the FIA Masters F1 Championship.
The Lotus 81 of Steve Boultbee-Brooks was built around a basic sheet aluminium structure derived from the Lotus 80 and a mid-season replacement monocoque led to the Lotus 81B designation. Driver Elio de Angelis scored a second and third early in the season along with other encouraging performances. Other drivers during the season included subsequent World Champions Mario Andretti and Nigel Mansell. Former test driver Mansell was given a first GP drive in the first 81B in Austria and performed well despite considerable problems. The Lotus 81 continued racing over a number of years in different colours often racing without nose fins which made it look even more stubbie. The sixth international F1 car racing at Phillip Island is the Hesketh 308-1 of regular visitor James Hagan. This was the car that gave World Champion James Hunt, racing at Silverstone International Trophy in 1974, his first overall race victory in a Formula One car. The car made a total of 12 race starts, 9 of which were Grand Prix starts between James Hunt, Alan Jones and Harald Ertl between 1974 and 1975. Drivers included Guy Edwards, Harald Ertl, James Hunt, Alan Jones, Brett Lunger, Torsten Palm, Alex Ribeiro and Rolf Stommelen.
In 1975 the car was run in the ’B’ form appearing with both rubber cone suspension and normal coil springs. That year James Hunt won the Dutch Grand Prix, was second in three GPs and scored 28 of his 33 championship points. The six international cars will be competing against some of Australia’s top drivers including Guido Belgiorno-Nettis in the 1985 Ferrari 156/85, Ian Buddery in the 1986 March 86C, Ian Ross in the 1985 Lola THL1-F1 plus two other F1 cars not previously raced here, Formula 5000’s and Formula Holden’s in a grid of 40 cars.. With some of the largest crowds expected, the Phillip Island Classic–‘Festival of Motorsport’ will be held at the Phillip Island Grand Prix Circuit over the long weekend of 10 – 12 March 2023 with one, two and three day tickets available at the gate. ENDS 11 January 2023
For further Information: Ian Tate OAM Chairman VHRR Phillip Island Race Committee, President VHRR & Event Director Email: tatehistoricracing@gmail.com Mobile: 0458 882 304 Graeme McLean VHRR Organising Committee Email: graeme@mcleanassoc.com.au Mobile: 0438 806 090
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