The 1972 Australian Grand Prix was a motor race for cars complying with the
Tasman Formula
Tasman most often refers to Abel Tasman (1603–1659), Dutch explorer.
Tasman may also refer to:
Animals and plants
* Tasman booby
* Tasman flax-lily
* Tasman parakeet (disambiguation)
* Tasman starling
* Tasman whale
People
* Tasman ( ...
, which admitted both
Formula 5000 and 2-litre racing cars. It was held at
Sandown International Raceway
Sandown International Raceway is a motor racing circuit in the suburb of Springvale in Melbourne, Victoria, approximately south east of the city centre. Sandown is considered a power circuit with its " drag strip" front and back straights be ...
,
Victoria,
Australia
Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a Sovereign state, sovereign country comprising the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous List of islands of Australia, sma ...
on 20 February 1972.
The race was the thirty seventh
Australian Grand Prix
The Australian Grand Prix is an annual motor racing event which is under contract to host Formula One until 2035. One of the oldest surviving motorsport competitions held in Australia, the Grand Prix has moved frequently with 23 different venu ...
and it was held only 3 months after the
1971 race. It was also round seven of the
1972 Tasman Series
The 1972 Tasman Series was a motor racing competition staged in New Zealand and Australia for racing cars complying with the Tasman Formula.''Programme of Events and Awards'', Official Programme, Adelaide International Raceway, Sunday 27 February ...
. The race had 19 starters.
Defending winner
Frank Matich started the race on pole in his
Repco Holden powered
Matich A50 which had won the 1971 race on debut.
New Zealand
New Zealand ( mi, Aotearoa ) is an island country in the southwestern Pacific Ocean. It consists of two main landmasses—the North Island () and the South Island ()—and over 700 smaller islands. It is the sixth-largest island count ...
's
Graham McRae
Graham McRae (5 March 1940 – 4 August 2021) was a racing driver from New Zealand. He achieved considerable success in Formula 5000 racing, winning the Tasman Series each year from 1971 to 1973, and also the 1972 L&M Continental 5000 Champio ...
started alongside Matich on the front row in his Leda GM1-
Chevrolet
Chevrolet ( ), colloquially referred to as Chevy and formally the Chevrolet Motor Division of General Motors Company, is an American automobile division of the American manufacturer General Motors (GM). Louis Chevrolet (1878–1941) and ous ...
.
Matich led from the start but was out after just 5 laps with a failed scavenge pump. McRae recorded the first of three AGP wins (all won at Sandown) by 3 seconds from the
Lola T300
The Lola T300 was an open-wheel formula race car, designed, developed and built by Lola Cars, for Formula 5000
Formula 5000 (or F5000) was an open wheel, single seater auto-racing formula that ran in different series in various regions aroun ...
-Chevrolet of
Frank Gardner who had qualified 3rd.
British International
driver
David Hobbs finished 3rd in his
McLaren M18/M22-Chevrolet after starting from 4th on the grid.
McRae's win gave him an unassailable points lead in the
1972 Tasman Series
The 1972 Tasman Series was a motor racing competition staged in New Zealand and Australia for racing cars complying with the Tasman Formula.''Programme of Events and Awards'', Official Programme, Adelaide International Raceway, Sunday 27 February ...
with one round remaining.
Classification
![McRae-Chevrolet GM1 - Flickr - exfordy](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/3/32/McRae-Chevrolet_GM1_-_Flickr_-_exfordy.jpg)
Results as follows:
Qualifying
Race
Notes
* Pole position:
Frank Matich – 1:01.3
* Fastest lap:
Graham McRae
Graham McRae (5 March 1940 – 4 August 2021) was a racing driver from New Zealand. He achieved considerable success in Formula 5000 racing, winning the Tasman Series each year from 1971 to 1973, and also the 1972 L&M Continental 5000 Champio ...
– 1:02.4
References
{{s-end
Grand Prix
Grand Prix ( , meaning ''Grand Prize''; plural Grands Prix), is a name sometimes used for competitions or sport events, alluding to the winner receiving a prize, trophy or honour
Grand Prix or grand prix may refer to:
Arts and entertainment ...
Australian Grand Prix
Motorsport at Sandown
Formula 5000 race reports
Tasman Series
Australian Grand Prix
The Australian Grand Prix is an annual motor racing event which is under contract to host Formula One until 2035. One of the oldest surviving motorsport competitions held in Australia, the Grand Prix has moved frequently with 23 different venu ...