The following is an edited article from the July 1966 edition of Australian Auto Sportsman on the first race meeting at Surfers Paradise Raceway.
A numerically average, but none the less a disappointing crowd of some 5,000 witnessed the first open race meeting at the new Surfers Paradise International Motor Circuit at Queensland’s sunny Gold Coast on Sunday May 22, following a practice session on the previous day when all the local and interstate drivers found themselves in all sorts of trouble learning this new and rather difficult 2 mile track.
For a flat area, the track has been laid in such a manner as to test even the most experienced of drivers. From the start at the tower, the cars have about 400 yards of Rothman’s straight before negotiating a testing right hand sweeping corner under the Dunlop bridge, the short Streets straight leads into a 270 degree Lukey corner followed by a straight and a left hander into Ansett straight. The Lucas hairpin is next followed by a very difficult “S” section under Repco Hill. A short straight is followed by Castrol corner which leads back on to Rothman’s straight.
Johnny Harvey took the honours with the fastest practice lap outright whilst the lone stars, Ian Goeghegan in touring cars and Frank Matich in sports cars recorded fastest practice laps in each category respectively. Harvey’s lap time of 1min 16.8sec was almost two seconds better than Greg Cusack could manage in the Lotus 2.4 ex Jim Clark.
Don Holland heads a tight packed bunch in race two.
A full grid of 25 cars including 11 Green and White Morris Cooper S’s (when will all this nonsense stop) faced the starter for the first race on the new track. From flag fall it was Foley all the way in his 1275 S scorching away from French’s 1098 version. Fastest lap for Foley was the fifth and final lap at 1min 31.2 sec. French’s time for this lap was 1:39.9, a new class record as was Foley’s. Race incidents included a minor brush with the armco at Luckey corner by Vern Hamilton in a 998 Cooper. On the second lap the S’s claimed their first victim when Graham Littlemore received a nudge which sent him into the infield where the front was slightly modified. Still, it was Foley all the way from French with the hot Cortina 1500 third. The production Coopers of Don Holland and Bob Holden in the BMC car filled the next two places.
The feature event was the 20 lap Queensland Series Production Touring Car Championship. Kevin Bartlett guided the Mildren GTA Alfa into first place but there was a tremendous duel for third between Don Holland, Brian Foley and Bob Holden in the Mini Coopers. Holland in the lighter English Cooper S led this trio most of the 20 laps. Foley and Holden were both driving official BMC entries and in a fine display of team tactics, harried Holland through every corner. Often there was less than two car lengths separating the three Coopers as Foley and Holden tried in vain to pass, often one on either side of Holland. Holland was the faster out of the corners and maintained the lead until Castrol corner on the last lap, when he was “lent” on by Holden and both Holden and Foley shot past to take the flag in that order.
Morris Cooper S’s filled most of the remaining placings down to eighth place.
March 2001