The 1976 New Zealand Grand Prix was a motor race held at Pukekohe Park Raceway on 4 January 1976. The race, which had 12 starters,[1] was the opening round of the 1976 Peter Stuyvesant Series.[1]
| 1976 New Zealand Grand Prix | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| 22nd New Zealand Grand Prix | |||
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| Race details | |||
| Date | 4 January 1976 | ||
| 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 | Lola-Chevrolet | ||
| Time | 1:00.9 | ||
| Fastest lap | |||
| Driver |
 Graeme Lawrence | Lola-Chevrolet | |
| Time | 1:01.4 | ||
| Podium | |||
| First | Lola-Chevrolet | ||
| Second |
| Lola-Chevrolet | |
| Third | Lola-Chevrolet | ||
It was the 22nd New Zealand Grand Prix, and the first time the race was not run with the Tasman Series since 1964. New Zealander Ken Smith won his first New Zealand Grand Prix in his Lola T332 and thereby became the first New Zealander to win the race since Chris Amon back in 1969. The rest of the podium was completed by Australians Bruce Allison and Kevin Bartlett.
Classification edit
| Pos | No. | Driver | Team | Car | Laps | Time |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 11 | Ken Smith
|
La Valise Travel | Lola T332 / Chevrolet 4995cc V8 | 58 | 1hr 1min 42.5sec |
| 2 | 62 |  Bruce Allison
|
Hobby & Toyland Racing | Lola T332 / Chevrolet 4995cc V8 | 58 | + 19.5 s |
| 3 | 5 | Kevin Bartlett
|
Lola T400 / Chevrolet 4995cc V8 | 57 | + 1 Lap | |
| 4 | 1 |  Brian Redman
|
Fred Opert Racing | Chevron B29 / BMW 2000cc 4cyl | 57 | + 1 Lap |
| 5 | 19 | Jim Murdoch
|
Begg & Allen Ltd. | Begg 018 / Chevrolet 4995cc V8 | 56 | + 2 Laps |
| 6 | 2 | Paul Bernasconi
|
Sharp Calculators | Lola T400 / Chevrolet 4995cc V8 | 55 | + 3 Laps |
| 7 | 12 | Baron Robertson
|
Robertson Racing | Elfin MR5 / Repco 4994cc V8 | 48 | + 10 Laps |
| 8 | 9 | John McCormack
|
Ansett Airlines | Elfin MR6 / Repco 4994cc V8 | 48 | + 10 Laps |
| 9 | 4 | John Edmonds
|
Elfin MR5 / Repco 4994cc V8 | 48 | + 10 Laps | |
| 10 | 10 | Robbie Booth
|
Michigan Motors Ltd | Elfin MR5 / Repco 4994cc V8 | 43 | + 15 Laps |
| Ret | 14 | Graeme Lawrence
|
Wix Filters | Lola T332 / Chevrolet 4995cc V8 | 29 | Engine |
| Ret | 6 | Max Stewart
|
Sharp Calculators | Lola T400 / Chevrolet 4995cc V8 | 29 | Oil Loss |
| DNQ | 20 | Ross Calgher
|
Calgher Motor Racing | McLaren M4A / Cosworth 1840cc 4cyl | Did not qualify | |
| DNQ | 16 | Peter Hughes
|
Trans World Airlines | Brabham BT29 / Fiat 1600cc 4cyl | Did not qualify | |
| DNA | 67 | Graham Baker
|
Begg FM5 / Chevrolet 4995cc V8 | Did Not Attend | ||
| DNA | 17 | Gary Love
|
Begg FM4 / Chevrolet 4995cc V8 | Did Not Attend | ||
| Source(s): [2][3] | ||||||
References edit
- ^ a b Australian Competition Yearbook, 1977 Edition, pages 94–97
- ^ "1976 Round 1 Pukekohe". sergent.com.au. Retrieved 29 October 2015.
- ^ "New Zealand Grand Prix – Pukekohe, 4 Jan 1976". oldracingcars.com. Retrieved 29 October 2015.