1939 Australian Grand Prix

The 1939 Australian Grand Prix was a motor race held on the Lobethal Circuit in South Australia, Australia on 2 January 1939. The race was staged over 17 laps of the 14 kilometre circuit, the longest ever used for the Grand Prix, for a race distance of 241 kilometres. The Grand Prix meeting was organised by Lobethal Carnivals Ltd. and the Sporting Car Club of South Australia.[1]

1939 Australian Grand Prix
Formula Libre handicap race
Race details
Date	2 January 1939
Location	Lobethal, South Australia
Course	Temporary road circuit
Course length	13.8 km (8.6 mi)
Distance	17 laps, 241.35 km (150 mi)
Weather	Sunny & hot
Fastest lap
Driver	Alf Barrett	Alfa Romeo
Time	5:40
Podium
First	Allan Tomlinson	MG
Second	Bob Lea-Wright	Terraplane Special
Third	Jack Phillips	Ford Special

The race was the eleventh Australian Grand Prix and the second since the 1938 revival of the event. The Lobethal Circuit comprised three country roads in a roughly triangular formation, passing through the town of Lobethal and the nearby village of Charleston. The advantage of using these country roads was that, for the first time, the Grand Prix was held on a bitumen sealed surface instead of on dirt roads. The race utilised a handicap start with the slowest cars starting first and the fastest cars last, the winner being the first to complete the stipulated number of laps.[2] Trophies were awarded for the first three places with prize money paid to the first seven finishers.[1] Prize money and a trophy were also awarded for Fastest Time.[2]

The race was won by relatively unknown Western Australian racer Allan Tomlinson driving a supercharged MG T. Bob Lea-Wright's Terraplane Special finished in second position ahead of Jack Phillips' Ford Special. The winning car's average speed was the fastest of any Australian Grand Prix prior to 1956,[3] with Tomlinson averaging 84.00 mph.[4] The fastest actual time over the race distance was recorded by Jack Saywell driving an Alfa Romeo.

The entry of J O'Dea crashed at the Gumeracha turn late in the race and driver Vern Leech was killed almost instantaneously.[5]

Later in 1939, Australia would declare war on the AXIS powers. As World War II enveloped Australia, motor racing wound down and would not resume until the mid-1940s. The Australian Grand Prix itself would be revived in 1947.

Classification

This plaque, which commemorates the running of the 1939 Australian Grand Prix, is the situated in the main street of Lobethal

Race winner Allan Tomlinson (MG TA) contesting the 1939 Australian Grand Prix

Jack Saywell (Alfa Romeo P3) placed sixth and completed the event in the fastest actual time

Results as follows.[3]

Pos	No.	Driver	Car / Engine	Entrant [6]	Handicap [6]	Laps	Time
1	12	Allan Tomlinson	MG TA / MG s/c 1.3L	AG Tomlinson	11m 30s	17	2h 00m 27s
2	19	Bob Lea-Wright	Terraplane Special / Terraplane	RA Lea-Wright	17m 00s	17	2h 02m 31s
3	15	Jack Phillips	Ford Special / Ford 3.6L	JK Phillips	12m 45s	17	2h 02m 46s
4	3	John Snow	Delahaye 135 3.6L	JF Snow	4m 15s	17	2h 04m 11s
5	17	Les Burrows	Hudson Special / Hudson	L Burrows	12m 45s	17	2h 04m 38s
6	1	Jack Saywell	Alfa Romeo P3 / Alfa Romeo 2.9L	J Saywell	Scratch	17	2h 06m 48s
7	6	John Crouch	Alfa Romeo 8C 2300 Le Mans / Alfa Romeo s/c 2.4L	JF Crouch	5m 00s	17	2h 08m 33s
8	2	Alf Barrett	Alfa Romeo 8C 2300 / Alfa Romeo s/c 2.4L	AI Barrett	2m 50s	17	2h 09m 11s
9	20	Raymond Curlewis [7]	MG TB / MG 1.3L	RF Curlewis	21m 00s	17	2h 09m 57s
Ret	23	Robert Manser [7] Lyster Jackson [6]	MG N / MG 1.3L	RW Manser	21m 00s	14
Ret	26 [6]	Vern Leech [3]	MG P / MG 0.8L	J O'Dea	21m 00s	14
Ret	24	Russell Bowes [7]	MG N / MG 1.3L	RN Bowes	21m 00s	10
Ret	25	Jim Boughton	Morgan 4/4 / Coventry Climax 1.1L	JS Boughton	21m 00s	10
Ret	13	Tim Joshua	Frazer Nash / Meadows 1.5L	CM Joshua	11m 30s	7
Ret	31	J Wilson	MG L / MG 1.1L	JW Wilson	21m 00s	7
Ret	16	Clifford Downing [6] Alan Sinclair [6]	Riley Brooklands / 1.5L	CRE Downing	12m 45s	5
Ret	4	Frank Kleinig	Kleinig-Hudson 8 Special / Hudson 4.2L	F Kleinig	4m 15s	3
DNS	7	Alan Sinclair	Sunbeam Special	AG Sinclair	8m 30s	-
DNS	10	Colin Dunne	MG K3 / MG s/c 1.1L	CA Dunne	10m 00s	-
DNS	11	Jim Gullan	Ballot	J Gullan	10m 00s	-
DNS	21	John Summers	MG N / MG 1.3L	JF Summers	21m 00s	-

Notes

• Fastest time: Jack Saywell:[8] 1:45.48 [6]
• Fastest race lap: Alf Barrett: 5:40s: 93.52 mph [6]
• Raymond Curlewis was entered to drive an MG N Type in the Grand Prix but, having suffered a rollover in a supporting race, competed in the Grand Prix in an MG TB.[7]

References

1. Programme, Australian Grand Prix Meeting, Lobethal, South Australia, Monday, 2 January 1939
2. Tony Parkinson, Legend of Lobethal: The Story of One of Australia's Greatest Racing Circuits, Vintage Motorsport Carnivals Proprietary Limited, 2008, page 29
3. Bell, Ray (1986). "1939". In Howard, Graham (ed.). The Official 50-race history of the Australian Grand Prix. Gordon, NSW: R & T Publishing. pp. 104–115. ISBN 0-9588464-0-5.
4. Australian Grand Prix Winners, Sandown, Australian Grand Prix Programme, 9 February 1964, page 23
5. "GRAND PRIX TRAGEDY". The West Australian. 55 (16, 383). Western Australia. 3 January 1939. p. 9. Retrieved 22 May 2017 – via National Library of Australia.
6. John B Blanden, The 1939 Australian Grand Prix, A History of Australian Grand Prix 1928-1939, pages 169 to 185
7. PRE-WAR MG ARCHIVES REGISTER, prewar.mgcc.info, as archived at web.archive.org
8. THRILLS AT CORNERS IN LOBETHAL CAR RACES, The Advertiser (Adelaide), 3 January 1939, page 4, as archived at nla.gov.au

External links

• "CAR RACES AT LOBETHAL TODAY". The Advertiser (Adelaide). South Australia. 2 January 1939. p. 10 – via National Library of Australia.
• Racing History Of Lobethal - 2008 Documentary (including 1939 Australian Grand Prix footage), vimeo.com