1972 Skipper Chrysler 6 Hour Le Mans

Summary

The 1972 Skipper Chrysler 6 Hour Le Mans was an endurance motor race[1] for Sports Open, Sports Closed, Improved Production Touring Cars & Series Production Touring Cars.[2] The event was staged by the W.A. Sporting Car Club at the Wanneroo Park Circuit in Western Australia on Sunday 4 June 1972.[3] It was the 18th and final 6 Hour Le Mans race to be held.[4]

Layout of the Wanneroo Park

Results edit

Position[2] Drivers[2] No.[1] Car[2] Entrant[1] Class[2] Class pos.[2] Laps[2]
1 Ray Thackwell, Jim Mullins 4 Porsche 911S Ray Thackwell Racing Sports Closed 1601-2500cc 1 295
2 Wayne Negus, Neville Grigsby   Holden Torana GTR-XU1   Series Production 3001-6000cc 1 279
3 Chris Royston, Colin Hall   Lotus 47 Shell Racing Sports Closed 1601-2500cc 2 270
4 Basil Ricciardello, Neville Cooper   Alfa Romeo GTA B Ricciardello Sports Closed 1301-1600cc 1 262
5 Felix Smetana, Tony McAlinden   Lotus Super 7   Sports Open 1301-1600cc 1 256
6 Barry Coleman, Lance Barrett   Bolwell Mk. 7   Sports Closed 2501-5000cc 1 254
7 Stuart Kostera, George Cole   Matich SR3   Sports Open 2501-3000cc 1 254
8 Bill Russell, John Hagarty   Datsun SR311   Sports Open 1601-2500cc 1 254
9 Gordon Leney, Dave Sullivan Jr.   Holden Torana GTR-XU1   Series Production 3001-6000cc 2 251
10 Graeme Ibbotson, Bob Creasy   Jomax Ford   Sports Open 1601-2500cc 2 250
11 Patrick Reed, Trevor Dunning   MGB   Sports Closed 1601-2500cc 3 237
12 C Garrett, Phil Davenport   MGB   Sports Open 1601-2500cc 3 234
13 G Moffat, G Appleby   MGB       234
14 Howie Sangster, Rick Lisle, Craig McAllister   Chrysler VH Valiant Charger   Series Production 3001-6000cc 3 233
15 Bill Downey, Noel Mitchell   Lotus Elan   Sports Open 1301-1600cc 2 229
16 Dave Cliffe, R Mouncey   Lotus Cortina   Improved Production 1301-1600cc 1 226
17 Jack Michael, David Jorritsma   Morris Cooper S   Series Production Up to 1300cc 1 224
18 Adrian Lewis, Elemer Vajda   Morris Cooper S   Series Production Up to 1300cc 2 224
19 Stratton Joel, John Farrell   Holden Torana GTR-XU1       220
20 Murray Thomas, Tim Garratt   Datsun - Healey   Sports Open 1301-1600cc 3 197
21 Alby Valikov, Doug Tyler   Honda S800   Sports Open Up to 1300cc 2 187
22 Ross Crump, L Derriman   Fiat   Sports Closed 1301-1600cc 2 ?
? Jack Kennedy, Terry Lyons   Morris Mini   Sports Open Up to 1300cc 1 ?
DNF Howie Sangster, Craig McAllister 1 McLaren LT170       194
DNF Ian Diffen, Ron Bairstow   Chrysler VH Valiant Charger       128
DNF Gordon Mitchell, Brian Cole   Austin-Healey Sprite       100
DNF John Haynes, Ray Tyler   Morgan V8 4.7       1
DNF Peter Doney,Paul Wilkins   Morris Cooper S       ?
DNF Brian Rhodes, Rod Collins   Chrysler VH Valiant Charger       ?
DNF Murray Charnley, Davis Hipperson   Lotus 23B       ?
DNF Leo Stubber, Bob Kingsbury   Porsche 911S       ?
DNF Bill Maddocks, Peter Green   Monaco GT Clubman       ?
DNF Bill Nitschke, Bill Lee   Holden LC Torana GTR-XU1[1]       ?
DNF Neville Cooper, Ray Johnson   Triumph Spitfire[1]       ?
DNF Michael Hector, John Farrell   Holden HQ Monaro       ?

Race statistics edit

  • Start: Le Mans-style[1]
  • Starters: 37[1]
  • Average speed of winning car: 73.79 mph[5]
  • Race record: Thackwell & Mullins set a new race record of 295 laps, breaking that set by Howie Sangster & Don O'Sullivan in the 1970 race by eight laps.[5]

References & notes edit

  1. ^ a b c d e f g John Crawford, Porsche 6-Hour Double, Racing Car News, July 1972, pages 58-61
  2. ^ a b c d e f g Western Australian Motor Race Results 1972 Archived 2011-03-04 at the Wayback Machine Retrieved on 31 July 2010
  3. ^ Cover, Official Programme, Wanneroo Park Circuit, Sunday, 4 June 1972.
  4. ^ Terry Walker, Around The Houses, The History of Motor Racing in Western Australia, 1980, page 59
  5. ^ a b Race Record to Porsche, The West Australian Monday June 5 1972, page 40
  • The Racing Car News race report states that there were 37 starters in the event with 21 finishers and 16 DNFs. The race results published at www.terrywalkersplace.com list 35 starters, 23 finishers and 12 DNFs.
  • The results at www.terrywalkersplace.com show the Kennedy / Lyons Mini as winning its class although its outright position is lower than that of the Valikov / Tyler Honda which is shown as 2nd in that class. The above results table reflects those published at www.terrywalkersplace.com.
  • Racing Car News lists Kostera / Cole, Russell / Hagarty and Coleman / Barrett as 6th, 7th and 8th respectively which differs from the results at www.terrywalkersplace.com