Dan Gurney, driving the fast but inconsistent BRM P48, en route to victory in the Light Car Club of Australia’s International Motor Race Meeting at the Ballarat Air Strip near Melbourne.
Photo: autopics.com.au
It’s the stuff of Hollywood. Likeable, luckless Jimmy Stewart type, after a series of DNFs and an horrific accident that very nearly cost him his life, is about to go out and win his first race, only to discover his car is missing!
With his racecar missing, Gurney confronts his teammate, an inveterate prankster who swears innocence. The crew is dumbfounded. Track officials begin a search. At last, the car is found where joyriders left it during the night—on the far side of the circuit, crashed into haybales.
The damage is minor and easily repaired. That afternoon, in searing midsummer heat, driving the woeful BRM P48, Dan Gurney wins his first Formula 1 race.
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