1976 Australian Tourist Trophy
# 1976 Australian Tourist Trophy

The 1976 Australian Tourist Trophy was a motor race staged at the Phillip Island circuit in Victoria, Australia on 21 November 1976. It was open to Group A Sports Cars and was recognized by the Confederation of Australian Motor Sport as an Australian national title. The race, which was the fourteenth Australian Tourist Trophy, was won by Stuart Kostera of Western Australia, driving an Elfin MS7.

## Results

| Position | Driver | No. | Car | Entrant | Laps |
| - | - | - | - | - | - |
| 1 | Stuart Kostera | 13 | Elfin MS7 Repco Holden | Kostera Racing | 30 |
| 2 | Barry Singleton | 6 | McLaren M8 Chevrolet | Barry Singleton Motors | 30 |
| 3 | Alan Hamilton | 9 | Porsche 934 | Jag Porsche Team | 30 |
| 4 | Rusty French | 6 | de Tomaso Pantera | Holley Performance | 29 |
| 5 | Geoff Walker | 70 | GP Datsun | Geoff Walker | 27 |
| 6 | Tony Rees | 78 | Farrell Clubman | AG Rees | 26 |
| 7 | Dale Kendall | 56 | WDC1 | Dale Kendall | 24 |
| NC | Jim Phillips | 3 | Rennmax Repco | Shell Sport | |
| NC | Eric Boord | 19 | Boral Ford | Shell Sport | |
| DNF | Dennis Hogan | 37 | Triton Mk2 | Dennis Hogan | |
| DNF | Max Scorer | 7 | Scorer Sprite | Max Scorer | |
| DNF | Murray Wilson | 35 | Clubman | M Wilson | |
| DNF | Tom Crozier | 58 | Farrell | T Crozier | |
| DNF | David Phillips | 15 | Lotus 23 | David K Phillips | |
| DNF | Warwick De Rose | 21 | Pegasus | Warwick De Rose | |
| DNF | G Stoll | 38 | Gordon | G Stoll | |
| DNF | Chris Hocking | 74 | Gordon C2 | Motorfast Datsun | |
| DNF | John White | 18 | Bolwell | John White | |
| DNF | Greg Doidge | 31 | Elfin 360 Repco | GSD Sheetmetal | 18 |
| DNF | Paul Gibson | 11 | Rennmax | Shell Sport | |
| DNF | Ken Walters | 49 | Gissing Holden | Ken Walters | |
| DNF | Ross Wemyss | 4 | Farrell | Ross Wemyss | |
| DNF | Peter Jones | 68 | Cheetah | Motor Improvements Team Toyota | |
| DNF | Andrew Newton | 59 | Hossack 3 | Paul Newton | |
| DNF | Geoff Watson | 21 | Watson Corolla | Geoff Watson | |
| DNF | Kevin Norden | 12 | Elfin | Kevin Norden | 1 |
| DNF | Vic Butler | 34 | Lotus 23B | VA Butler | 1 |
| DNF | Ian Burrell | 17 | Rennmax Oldsmobile | Keith Beard | 1 |
| DNS | John Allison | 71 | Allison | | |
| DNS | Bernard Bignell | 8 | Lotus 23B | Bernard Bignell | |
| DNS | Graham Docker | 36 | Bolwell | Graham Docker | |
| DNS | Col Trengrove | 46 | ASP 340D | Trengrove Racing Cars | |
| DNS | Paul Trevethan | 20 | MGB GT V8 | Broadwalk Racing Cars | |
| DNS | Leigh Gribble | 82 | Grimas | Leigh Gribble | |
| DNS | Alan Newton | 54 | R&T Chevrolet | Alan Newton | |

Key:

* NC = Not classified
* DNF = Did not finish
* DNS = Did not start

### Race statistics

* Race distance: 30 laps, 88.2 miles, 141.9 km
* Pole position: Jim Phillips, 1:48.6
* Number of starters: 28
* Number of classified finishers: 7
* Race time of winning car: 57:37.9
* Fastest lap: Jim Phillips, 1:48.8

## References and notes

* 1 2 Sports Cars, Evan Green, Evan Green’s World of Motor Sport, 1977, page 28
* 1 2 Australian Title Conditions, 1976 CAMS Manual of Motor Sport, page 84
* ↑ Australian Titles, 2002 CAMS Manual of Motor Sport, page 14-5
* ↑ Series to Crawford, The Age, Monday, 22 November 1976, page 26
* 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 Kostera buys the favourite, Racing Car News, January 1977, pages 30 to 33
* ↑ Australian Auto Action, Thursday, 25 November 1976, page 10, shows "....nine cars being counted as finishers, two of these completing too few laps to be classified"
* 1 2 3 4 Official Souvenir Programme, Phillip Island Auto Racing Club Limited, Sunday 21 November (&) Sunday 28 November 1976
* ↑ Titles Decided, Australian Auto Action, Thursday, 25 November 1976, page 1, lists Kostera's car as an Elfin MS7 Repco. Graham Howard in his article "Elfins: the beautiful cars that keep winning" in Australian Motor Racing Yearbook 1982/83 pages 46 to 58, states that the one-off Elfin MS7 was powered by a Repco Holden engine
* ↑ Titles Decided, Australian Auto Action, Thursday, 25 November 1976, page 1
* ↑ Jim Shepherd, A History of Australian Motor Sport, 1980, page 183
* 1 2 3 4 5 1976 Australian Tourist Trophy - W.A. Victory!, Australian Auto Action, Thursday, 25 November 1976, page 10
* ↑ A Win to the West, Chequered Flag, January 1977, page 42
* ↑ The Grid Line-up, as published in Racing Car News, January 1977, page 33, shows 35 cars including seven which are listed as DNS (Did Not Start).
