1983 Australian Drivers' Championship
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The 1983 Australian Drivers' Championship was a CAMS sanctioned motor racing title open to drivers of Australian Formula 1 racing cars. The winner of the title, which was the 27th Australian Drivers' Championship, was awarded the 1983 CAMS Gold Star.
Italian born, Melbourne based driver Alfredo Costanzo won his fourth straight CAMS Gold Star driving his Tiga FA81 Ford. John Smith finished second in his Ralt RT4, including being the first Australian driver home in the final round of the championship, the Australian Grand Prix held at Melbourne's Calder Park. Port Macquarie privateer Andrew Miedecke drove his RT4 to 3rd in the championship despite only deciding to race after watching Costanzo win the first round of the series in Adelaide on television.
Calendar
The championship was contested over a six-round series with each round held as a single race.
| Round | Event | Circuit | Location / state | Date | Winner | Car | Team |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Cheviot Challenge | Adelaide International Raceway | Virginia, South Australia | 10 July | Alfredo Costanzo | Tiga FA81 Ford | Porsche Cars Australia |
| 2 | Lakeside | Brisbane, Queensland | 23 July | Andrew Miedecke | Ralt RT4 Ford | Andrew Miedecke | |
| 3 | Oran Park | Sydney, New South Wales | 21 August | Alfredo Costanzo | Tiga FA81 Ford | Porsche Cars Australia | |
| 4 | Sandown Park | Melbourne, Victoria | 11 September | Alfredo Costanzo | Tiga FA81 Ford | Porsche Cars Australia | |
| 5 | Melbourne Clutch and Brake Service Trophy | Winton | Benalla, Victoria | 16 October | Alfredo Costanzo | Tiga FA81 Ford | Porsche Cars Australia |
| 6 | Australian Grand Prix | Calder Park | Melbourne, Victoria | 13 November | John Smith* | Ralt RT4 Ford | John Smith |
- Brazilian Roberto Moreno (Ralt RT4 Ford) won the Australian Grand Prix though he was ineligible for championship points. John Smith was the highest place domestic competitor (2nd) thus earning the maximum championship points for the round.
Points system
Championship points were awarded on a 9-6-4-3-2-1 basis to the top six eligible finishers at each round. Non-resident drivers and drivers of Australian Formula 2 cars (who competed in some rounds by invitation) were not eligible to score points.
Results
| Position | Driver | No. | Car | Entrant | Ade. | Lak. | Ora. | San. | Win. | Cal. | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Alfredo Costanzo | 1 | Tiga FA81 Ford | Porsche Cars Australia | 9 | 6 | 9 | 9 | 9 | - | 42 |
| 2 | John Smith | 71 | Ralt RT4 Ford | John Smith | 6 | - | 4 | - | 6 | 9 | 25 |
| 3 | Andrew Miedecke | 2 | Ralt RT4 Ford | A. Miedecke | - | 9 | 6 | 4 | 3 | - | 22 |
| 4 | Paul Radisich | 9 | Ralt RT4 Ford | Watson Motor Racing Pty Ltd | 4 | - | 3 | 3 | 4 | 3 | 17 |
| 5 | Peter Macrow | 25 | Cheetah Mk 8 Ford | Peter Macrow | 1 | 4 | - | 2 | 2 | 2 | 11 |
| 6 | John Bowe | 4 | Ralt RT4 Ford | Chris Leach Racing | - | - | - | 6 | - | - | 6 |
| = | Alan Jones | 27 | Ralt RT4 Ford | Goold Motorsport | - | - | - | - | - | 6 | 6 |
| 8 | Peter Williamson | 7 | Toleman TG860 Toyota | Peter Williamson | 2 | 3 | - | - | - | - | 5 |
| 9 | Charlie O'Brien | 3 | Ralt RT4 Ford | C. O'Brien | - | - | - | - | - | 4 | 4 |
| 10 | Lucio Cesario | 17 & 16 | Ralt RT4 Ford | Lucio Cesario | 3 | - | - | - | - | - | 3 |
| = | Doug MacArthur | 12 | Ralt RT4 Ford | D. M. MacArthur | - | - | 2 | 1 | - | - | 3 |
| 12 | Terry Hook | 15 | Kaditcha AF1 Ford | - | 2 | - | - | - | - | 2 | |
| = | Brian Sampson | 78 | Cheetah Mk 8 Ford | Speco Motor Improvements | - | - | 1 | - | 1 | - | 2 |
| 14 | David Oxton | 14 | Ralt RT4 Ford | Re-Car Racing | - | - | - | - | - | 1 | 1 |
Further reading
- The Official 50 - Race History of the Australian Grand Prix, 1986