1988 Australian Drivers' Championship

The 1988 Australian Drivers' Championship was a CAMS sanctioned national motor racing title[1] which was awarded to the winner of the 1988 Australian Formula 2 Championship. The winning driver received the 1988 CAMS Gold Star[1] and is recognised by CAMS as the winner of both the 43rd Australian Drivers' Championship and the 21st Australian Formula 2 Championship.[1] 1988 was the second and last year in which the Australian Drivers' Championship was contested by Australian Formula 2 cars, this being an interim arrangement between the demise of Formula Mondial in Australia at the end of 1986[2] and the introduction of Formula Holden in 1989.[3]

1988 Australian Drivers' Championship
Previous: 1987 Next: 1989

New South Wales driver Rohan Onslow won the first of his two Australian Drivers' Championships and his only Australian Formula 2 Championship driving a Cheetah Mk.8 Volkswagen and a Ralt RT30 Volkswagen. Queensland driver Derek Pingel (Ralt RT30 Volkswagen) finished second with Barry Ward (Ralt RT30 Volkswagen) placed third. Onslow and Neil Israel (Magnum 863 Volkswagen) each attained two round wins with single victories scored by Pingel, Ward and factory Nissan Touring Car driver Glenn Seton, who drove a Nissan Pulsar powered Ralt RT4 in two rounds of the championship. Seton's win at Adelaide International Raceway would be the only win for a car powered by an engine other than a Volkswagen Golf unit during the two years in which Australian Formula 2 cars contested the Australian Drivers' Championship.

Race calendar

The championship was contested over a seven-round series with one race per round.[4]

Round[4] Circuit[4] State Date[4] Winning driver[4] Winning car[4]
1 Calder Park Victoria 26 March Neil Israel Magnum 863 Volkswagen
2 Amaroo Park New South Wales 27 March Barry Ward Ralt RT30 Volkswagen
3 Oran Park New South Wales 17 April Neil Israel Magnum 863 Volkswagen
4 Adelaide International Raceway South Australia 1 May Glenn Seton Ralt RT4 Nissan
5 Mallala Motor Sport Park South Australia 5 June Rohan Onslow Cheetah Mk.8 Volkswagen
6 Lakeside Queensland 24 July Derek Pingel Ralt RT30 Volkswagen
7 Sandown Park Victoria 11 September Rohan Onslow Ralt RT30/85 Volkswagen

Points system

Championship points were awarded on a 30-27-24-21-19-17-15-14-13-12-11-10-9-8-7-6-5-4-3-2 basis for the first twenty places at each round.[5] Only the best six results from the seven rounds could be retained by each driver.[3]

Championship results
Position[6] Driver[6] No.[7] Car[4] Entrant[7] Cal[6] Ama[6] Ora[6] Ade[6] Mal[6] Lak[6] San[6] Total[6]
1 Rohan Onslow 7 Cheetah Mk.8 Volkswagen &
Ralt RT30/85 Volkswagen		 RJ MacArthur Onslow 27 - 27 27 30 27 30 168
2 Derek Pingel 8 Ralt RT30 Volkswagen Ralt Australia Pty Ltd - 27 24 24 - 30 21 126
3 Barry Ward 4 Ralt RT30 Volkswagen Barry Ward 19 30 21 - - - 24 94
4 Graham Blee 2 Cheetah Mk.6 Volkswagen Graham Blee 14 15 (12) 17 13 14 14 87
5 Graeme Smith 27 Cheetah Mk.8 Volkswagen Graeme Smith 24 19 - - 12 17 17 89
6 Neil Israel 44 Magnum 863 Volkswagen Magnum Racing Australia 30 - 30 - 27 - - 87
7 Rod Moody 18[8] Cheetah Mk.6 Toyota Rod Moody[8] 11 13 - - 19 19 15 77
8 Wayne Ford 31 Ralt RT3 Ford Wayne Ford - - 13 19 24 - 9 65
9 Arthur Abrahams 1 Cheetah Mk.8 Volkswagen New Racing Corporation 21 21 - - - - - 42
10 Ron Barnacle 5 Wren Volkswagen David Green 9 - - 21 - - 11 41
11 Tony Rees 79 Ralt RT3 Volkswagen AG Rees - 14 14 - - - 12 40
12 Bap Romano 35[3] Elfin 852 Volkswagen   15 24 - - - - - 39
13 Barry Johnson 74[8] Cheetah Mk.8 Volkswagen Barry Johnson[8] - - 17 - 17 - - 34
14 Brian Sampson 78 Cheetah Mk.6 Toyota Brian Sampson 10 - 15 - - - 5 30
= Glenn Seton 53 Ralt RT4 Nissan Dave Thompson - - - 30 - - - 30
16 Mike Drewer 45 Cheetah Mk.7 Volkswagen Mike Drewer - - - 15 14 - - 29
17 Roger Martin   Cheetah Mk.8 Volkswagen   - - - - - - 27 27
18 Noel Orphan   Elfin 700 Ford   - - - - - 24 - 24
19 Bronte Rundle 29 Kaditcha Alfa Romeo Bronte Rundle 8 - - - 15 - - 23
20 Dean Hosking 25 Arbyen Volkswagen The Volkshop - - - - 21 - - 21
= Rolf Vine   March 77B Volkswagen   - - - - - 21 - 21
22 Ian Richards 22 Richards 201C Volkswagen Ian Richards - - 19 - - - - 19
= Carl Gibson   Elfin 792 Volkswagen   - - - - - - 19 19
24 John Wise   Cheetah Mk.7 Volkswagen   17 - - - - - - 17
= David Goode   Elfin 700 Ford   - 17 - - - - - 17
26 Kees Koppenol   Elfin 700 Ford   - - - - - 15 - 15
27 Shane Flynn 17[3] Kaditcha Volkswagen   13 - - - - - - 13
= David Robinson   Cheetah Mk.6 Toyota   - - - - - 13 - 13
= Adrian Martin   Ralt RT1 Ford   - - - - - - 13 13
30 Ray Cutchie   Ralt RT4 Ford   12 - - - - - - 12
31 Peter Jones 65[8] Cheetah Mk.8 Volkswagen Peter Jones[8] - - - - 11 - - 11
32 Ian Caldwell 6 Cheetah Mk.6 Mitsubishi Ian Caldwell - - - - 10 - - 10
= Sam Astuti 12[8] Cheetah Mk.6 Ford Sam Astuti[8] - - - - - - 10 10
34 Ray Colenso 76[8] Cheetah Mk.7 Volkswagen Ray Colenso[8] - - - - - - 8 8
35 Peter Clark   Magnum 823 Volkswagen   - - - - - - 7 7
36 Ian Carrig   CRD 852   - - - - - - 6 6

Championship name

Whilst the 1988 Australian Formula 2 Championship winner was awarded the CAMS Gold Star, it was not certain at the time that the winner would be officially recognised as the 1988 Australian Champion Driver.[9] Subsequently however, the Confederation of Australian Motor Sport listed Onslow as the winner of both the 1988 Australian Formula 2 Championship and the 1988 Australian Drivers' Championship.[1]

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References
  1. Records Titles & Awards, 2002 CAMS Manual of Motor Sport, pages 14-4 to 14-6
  2. 1988 Australian Formula 2 Championship, Program, Mallala Motor Sport Park, Sunday 5 June 1988, page 5
  3. Barry Catford, The Australian Formula 2 Gold Star Championship, Australian Motor Racing Year 1988/89, pages 181 to 197
  4. 1988 Championship Results, Australian Formula 2 Championship/CAMS Gold Star, Australian Motor Racing Year 1988/89, page 317
  5. Conditions for Australian Titles, 1988 CAMS Manual of Motor Sport, pages 74 & 75
  6. Points shown in the "Championship results" table have been calculated by applying the points system for the Australian Formula 2 Championship (as published in the 1988 CAMS Manual of Motor Sport) to the round placings (as published on page 317 of Australian Motor Racing Year 1988/89). The top ten championship positions shown match those published in the top ten championship table on page 182 of Australian Motor Racing Year 1988/89
  7. Entry list, Event 6, Australian Formula 2 Championship – For the CAMS Gold Star, Official Programme, Adelaide International Raceway, 1 May 1988, page 25
  8. Entry list, Australian Formula 2 Championship, Round 5, Program, Mallala Motor Sport Park, Sunday 5 June 1988, page 15
  9. Barry Catford, Australian Formula 2 Championship, Australian Motor Racing Year 1988/89, page 181
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