1963 Australian Tourist Trophy

The 1963 Australian Tourist Trophy was a motor race staged at the Lowood circuit in Queensland, Australia on 9 June 1963.^[1] It was the seventh annual Australian Tourist Trophy race, and it was recognized by the Confederation of Australian Motor Sport as the Australian championship for sports cars.^[2] The race, which was organised by the Queensland Racing Drivers' Club,^[3] was won by Ian Geoghegan, driving a Lotus 23.^[1]

Layout of the Lowood Airfield Circuit (1946-1966)

Results

Ian Geoghegan won the race driving a Lotus 23 similar to the example pictured above

John Martin placed second in a Lola similar to the car pictured above.

Les Howard placed third driving a Lotus XI, an example of which is pictured above.

Bill Gates placed fifh in an Elfin Clubman similar to the above

Ron Thorp placed fifth driving an Aston Martin DB3S similar to the pictured car.

Position[3]	Driver[3]	No.[3]	Car[3]	Entrant[3]	Class pos.[3]	Class[3]	Laps[3]
1	Ian Geoghegan	5	Lotus 23	Total Racing Team	1	1100 to 2000 cc	27
2	John Martin	111[4]	Lola 1100[5]	Martin's Neutral Bay Motors	1	Up to 1100cc
3	Les Howard	75[4]	Lotus XI	Howard & Sons Racing Team	2	Up to 1100cc
4	Bill Gates		Elfin Clubman	GP Cars Racing Team [6]	2	1100 to 2000 cc
5	Ron Thorp	39	Aston Martin DB3S	Ron Thorp's Bargain Barn	1	Over 2000 cc
6[4]	Bill Weekes[4]		Elfin	GP Cars Racing Team [6]	3	Up to 1100cc
7[4]	P. Underwood		Holden Special	P. Underwood	2	Over 2000 cc
?	Ann Thompson	21	Lotus XV Ford	Mrs A. Thompson	4	Up to 1100cc
?	Les Weiley [7]		MGTC	Rawsthorne's Garage	3	1100 to 2000 cc
?	Adrian Yannuccelli		MGA	A. Yannuccelli	4	1100 to 2000 cc
?	Ted Laker		Lotus Super 7
?	Kinnane		Austin-Healey Sprite
?	Blair Salter		Elfin
?	Casey		MGA
?	Harding		Austin-Healey Sprite
?	B. Saba [6]		MGA	M. G. Car Club [6]
?	Williams		Peugeot
?	Tapsall	45	Elford
?	F. Brewer [6]		Simca Special	G. Bernhagen [6]
?	Austin		MGA
?	Doug Bright		MGTC
?	G. Hawley [6]		Austin-Healey Sprite	Geary's Sports Cars [6]
?	Brian Tebble		MGTD
?	York		Holden Special
DNF	John French	16 [5]	Turner	Alec Mildren		1100 to 2000 cc	24
DNF[4]	Tony Basile [6]		Porsche Carrera				23[4]
DNF[4]	Bev Fleming		Lotus XI				15[4]
DNF	Tom Sulman		Lotus XV	T. N. Sulman [6]		1100 to 2000 cc	11 [7]
DNF[4]	Turner		Centaur				6[4]
DNS [7]	David Leighton [7]		Triumph TR [7]				-
DNS	Denis Geary		Centaur Repco Holden	Geary's Sports Cars [6]			-
DNS[4]	Greg Cusack[4]	7[8]	Elfin Mallala[4]	Scuderia Veloce		1100 to 2000 cc	-

Race statistics

• Race distance: 27 laps – 80 miles^[1]
• Number of starters: 29 ^[3][7]
• Number of finishers: not yet ascertained
• Winner's race time: 55 minutes 23.0 seconds^[3]
• Fastest lap: 1 minute 57.5 seconds, Ian Geoghegan, (Lotus 23)^[3]

References

1. Speedster makes it 22 starts, 22 wins, The Courier Mail, Monday, 10 June 1963, page 19
2. Australian Tourist Trophy, Australian Motor Racing and Sporting Guide - Motor Manual's Year Book for 1967, page 85
3. Total team Lotus 23 wins the Aust. TT, Australian Motor Sports, August 1963, pages 28, 29, 30 & 40
4. Des White, Ian Geoghegan wins Australian Tourist Trophy, Lowood, Racing Car News, July 1963, pages 1 & 4
5. Sportlight, Modern Motor, August 1963, page 91
6. K. Shaw, 7th Australian Tourist Trophy To Geoghegan, Australian Autosportsman, August 1963, pages Thirty-seven & Thirty-eight
7. Ian Geoghegan Wins Australian TT - Lowood, Sports Car World, August 1963, pages 48 & 49
8. Lowood, 9 June 1963, mechanic Bruce Burr tends to Greg Cusack’s Elfin Mallala, aussieroadracing.homestead.com, as archived at web.archive.org