1956 Australian Tourist Trophy

The 1956 Australian Tourist Trophy was a 100-mile motor race for sports cars,[1] staged at the Albert Park Circuit in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia on 25 November 1956.[2] It was the first in a sequence of annual Australian Tourist Trophy races, each of these being recognised by the Confederation of Australian Motor Sport as the Australian Championship for sports cars.[3] The race was won by Stirling Moss driving a Maserati 300S.[4]

## Class Structure[edit]

Cars competed in five classes based on engine capacity:[1]

* Open[1]
* 2701 - 3000cc[1]
* 1501 - 2700cc[1]
* 1101 - 1500cc[1]
* Up to 1100cc[1]

Class awards were restricted to Australian residents only.[5]

## Results[edit]

Stirling Moss won the 1956 Australian Tourist Trophy driving a Maserati 300S similar to that pictured above Position[6] | Driver[6][7][1] | No.[6] | Car[6][1][7][8] | Entrant[1] | Class[1] | Class pos.[9][10] | Laps[9][10]

|
|
|
|
|
|
|

1  | Stirling Moss | 7  | Maserati 300S | Officine Alfieri Maserati | 2701 - 3000cc  | N/A  | 32
2  | Jean Behra | 6  | Maserati 300S | Officine Alfieri Maserati | 2701 - 3000cc  | N/A  | 32
3  | Ken Wharton | 10  | Ferrari 750 Monza | K Wharton  | 2701 - 3000cc  | N/A  | 31
4  | Bill Pitt | 2  | Jaguar D-Type | Mrs G Anderson  | Open  | 1  | 31
5  | Bib Stillwell | 5  | Jaguar D-Type | BS Stillwell  | Open  | 2  | 31
6  | Peter Whitehead | 8  | Ferrari 750 Monza | PN Whitehead  | 2701 - 3000cc  | N/A  | 31
7  | Lex Davison | 3  | HWM Jaguar | Ecurie Australie  | Open  | 3  | 29
8  | Ross Jensen  | 18  | Austin-Healey 100S | R Jensen  | 1501 - 2700cc  | N/A  | 29
9  | Tom Sulman  | 14  | Aston Martin DB3S | T Sulman  | 2701 - 3000cc  | 1  | 29
10  | Ron Phillips  | 20  | Austin-Healey 100S | JK & RK Phillips  | 1501 - 2700cc  | 1  | 28
11  | Jack Brabham | 35  | Cooper T39 Coventry Climax | Cooper Car Co Limited  | 1101 - 1500cc  | 1  | 28
12  | Paul England  | 25  | Ausca Sports  | PT England  | 1501 - 2700cc  | 2  | 28
13  | Derek Jolly  | 38  | Decca Mk 2 Special  | DE Jolly  | Up to 1100cc  | 1  | 27
14  | G Bailieu  | 26  | Triumph TR2 Special[9] | G Bailieu  | 1501 - 2700cc  | 3  | 27
15  | Colin Miller  | 19  | Austin-Healey 100 | CW Miller  | 1501 - 2700cc  | 4  | 27
16  | Doug Whiteford | 23  | Austin-Healey 100S | D Whiteford  | 1501 - 2700cc  | 5  | 27
17  | Ray Gibbs  | 17  | Austin-Healey 100 | RG Gibbs  | 1501 - 2700cc  | 6  | 27
18  | Keith Jones  | 16  | Ferrari 225 S | N Sacilotto  | 2701 - 3000cc  | 2  | 27
19  | LJ Taylor  | 43  | Austin-Healey 100 | LJ Taylor  | 1501 - 2700cc  | 7  | 26
20  | Barry Topen  | 34  | MG TF[9] | BD Topen  | 1101 - 1500cc  | 2  | 26
21  | HC Old  | 31  | Porsche | Monaro Motors  | 1101 - 1500 cc  | 3  | 26
22  | Sam Miller  | 22  | Austin-Healey 100S | SN Miller  | 1501 - 2700cc  | 8  | 25
23  | Ralph Snodgrass  | 4  | Allard J2 | RW Snodgrass  | Open  | 4  | 25
24  | Jim Gullan  | 39  | MG K3 s/c  | J Gullan  | Up to 1100cc  | 2  | 24
25  | AC Newman  | 33  | MG | AC Newman  | 1101 - 1500 cc  | 4  | 21
DNF[7] | Doug Chivas  | 37  | Lotus Mk.6 Coventry Climax | DG Chivas  | Up to 1100cc  |  | 24
DNF[7] | John Aldis[11] | 1  | Cooper T33 Jaguar | JA Aldis  | Open  |  | 19
DNF[7] | Stan Coffey  | 9  | Ferrari 750A | Dowidat Spanner Distributors  | 2701 - 3000cc  |  | 20
DNF[7] | Bill Coad  | 24  | Vauxhall Special  | WF Coad  | 1501 - 2700cc  |  | 16
DNF[7] | WJ Clemens  | 41  | Austin-Healey 100 | WJ Clemens  | 1501 - 2700cc  |  | 8
DNF[7] | NF Price  | 42  | Austin-Healey 100 | NF Price  | 1501 - 2700cc  |  | 7
DNF[7] | AS Baker  | 27  | Triumph TR2 | AS Baker  | 1501 - 2700cc  |  | 7
DNF  | Otto Stone  | 30  | Porsche | N McK. Hamilton  | 1101 - 1500 cc  |  | 1
DNF[7] | Bill Patterson  | 36  | Cooper Type 39 Coventry Climax | Bill Patterson Motors P/L  | 1101 - 1500cc  |  | 1

### Notes[edit]

* Race distance: 32 laps - 100 miles[1]
* Starters: 34[7]
* Winner's race time: 1h 3m 24.2s (94.6 mph)[9]
* Fastest lap: Stirling Moss - 1:55.8 (97.15 mph) Sports car lap record[9]
* First Australian driver: Bill Pitt[5]
* Joseph Lucas Trophy (for driver of the first British car): Bill Pitt[9]

## Notes & references[edit]

1. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l Australian Tourist Trophy (Entry list), First Day Programme, Australian Tourist Trophy (1956), page 47
2. ^ "RACE FANS SEE DRIVER HURT IN CRASH". The Argus (Melbourne). Victoria, Australia. 26 November 1956. p. 5. Retrieved 22 May 2017 - via National Library of Australia.
3. ^ National Titles, 1961 CAMS Manual of Motor Sport, page 53
4. ^ Athol Yeomans, Moss in walkover win, Behra second, Wheels (magazine), January 1957, pages 60 & 61.
5. ^ a b First Day's Race Results, Second Day Programme, Australian Grand Prix (1956), page 11
6. ^ a b c d Results - 1956 Australian Tourist Trophy, ("Reproduced from the actual lap charts of the 1956 Albert Park event: Competitors are listed in finishing order"), Commemorative Programme, Historic Demonstration, Fosters Australian Grand Prix 2006, page 13
7. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k Barry Green, Glory Days - Albert Park 1953-58, pages 68 to 74
8. ^ John B Blanden, Historic Racing Cars in Australia, 1979
9. ^ a b c d e f g Australian Tourist Trophy, Australian Motor Sports, January 1957, pages 18 to 20
10. ^ a b Australian Tourist Trophy 1956 Official Results. 1956.
11. ^ Aldis is listed in the Official Programme, the Commemorative Programme and in Green's Glory Days. The Wheels magazine report says the car was driver by John Grey and Blanden says Alan Gray

## External links[edit]

* Image of Stirling Moss (Maserati 300S) at the 1956 Australian Tourist Trophy, www.motorsportarchive.com