1973 New Zealand Grand Prix
| 1973 New Zealand Grand Prix | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Race 1 of 7 in 1973 Tasman Series | |||
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| Race details | |||
| Date | 6 January 1973 | ||
| Location | Pukekohe Park Raceway, Pukekohe, New Zealand | ||
| Course | Permanent racing facility | ||
| Course length | 2.82 km (1.76 miles) | ||
| Distance | 58 laps, 164 km (102 miles) | ||
| Weather | Light Cloud | ||
| Pole position | |||
| Driver | Matich-Repco | ||
| Fastest lap | |||
| Driver |
 Graham McRae | McRae-Chevrolet | |
| Time | 1:07.7 | ||
| Podium | |||
| First | Elfin-Repco | ||
| Second |
| McRae-Chevrolet | |
| Third |
| Chevron-Chevrolet | |
The 1973 New Zealand Grand Prix was a race held at the Pukekohe Park Raceway on 6 January 1973. The race had 20 starters.
It was the 19th New Zealand Grand Prix, and doubled as the first round of the 1973 Tasman Series. Australian John McCormack won his first NZGP in his Elfin MR5 who finished ahead of Britons Allan Rollinson and Steve Thompson. The first New Zealand driver to finish was Graham McRae in the McRae GM1 who came in 4th place.
After the fatal accident of Bryan Faloon the previous year, two chicanes were added to circuit in a bid to slow the cars down. One was placed down the back straight and the other was just before the main straight. These chicanes were very artificial, with them being made up of concrete kerbing, railway sleepers and tractor tyres.
Classification[edit]
| Pos | No. | Driver | Team | Car | Laps | Time |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 29 |  John McCormack
|
Ansett Team Elfin | Elfin MR5 / Repco 4994cc V8 | 58 | 57min 16.5sec |
| 2 | 21 |  Alan Rollinson
|
McKechnie Racing Organisation | McRae GM1 / Chevrolet 4995cc V8 | 58 | + 0.6 s |
| 3 | 3 | Steve Thompson
|
Servis / Alan Brodie | Chevron B24 / Chevrolet 4995cc V8 | 57 | + 1 Lap |
| 4 | 22 | Graham McRae
|
Crown Lynn | McRae GM1 / Chevrolet 4995cc V8 | 56 | + 2 Laps |
| 5 | 89 | Garry Pedersen
|
Wright Machinery | Begg FM4 / Chevrolet 4995cc V8 | 56 | + 2 Laps |
| 6 | 11 | Ken Smith
|
Air New Zealand Motor Racing | March 722 / Cosworth 1930cc V8 | 52 | + 6 Laps |
| 7 | 15 |  Noritake Takahara
|
Takahara Racing Inc. | Brabham BT36 / Cosworth 1790cc V8 | 52 | + 6 Laps |
| 8 | 30 |  Dave McConnell
|
D.W.M. Racing Ltd. | Surtees TS15 / Hart 1975cc 4cyl | 52 | + 6 Laps |
| NC | 1 | Frank Matich
|
Frank Matich Racing Pty Ltd. | Matich A50 / Repco 4994cc V8 | 43 | Not Classified |
| Ret | 10 | Warwick Brown
|
Team Target | Lola T300 / Chevrolet 4995cc V8 | 54 | Out of Fuel |
| Ret | 34 |  Sam Posey
|
Champ Carr Inc. | Surtees TS11 / Chevrolet 4995cc V8 | 44 | Throttle |
| Ret | 12 | Baron Robertson
|
Robertson Racing | March 722 / Cosworth 1790cc V8 | 40 | Engine |
| Ret | 52 | Dexter Dunlop
|
Cameron Racing | McRae GM1 / Chevrolet 4995cc V8 | 40 | Flagged Off |
| Ret | 5 | Kevin Bartlett
|
Chesterfield Filter Racing | Lola T300 / Chevrolet 4995cc V8 | 17 | Overheating |
| Ret | 7 | Evan Noyes
|
Gemco Racing | McRae GM1 / Chevrolet 4995cc V8 | 15 | Fuel Injection |
| Ret | 36 | Kelvin Cameron
|
Cameron Motor Court | Brabham BT23C / Cosworth 1791cc 4cyl | 11 | Flywheel |
| Ret | 19 | David Oxton
|
G.N. Begg Engineering Co. Ltd. | Begg FM5 / Chevrolet 4995cc V8 | 5 | Accident |
| Ret | 6 | Max Stewart
|
Max Stewart Motors | Lola T330 / Chevrolet 4995cc V8 | 3 | Suspension |
| DNS | Frank Radisich
|
McLaren M10B / Repco 4994cc V8 | Did Not Start | |||
| Source(s):[1][2] | ||||||
References[edit]
- ^ "1973 Round 1 Pukekohe". sergent.com.au. Retrieved 28 October 2015.
- ^ "New Zealand Grand Prix – Pukekohe, 6 Jan 1973". oldracingcars.com. Retrieved 28 October 2015.