# 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 organised by the Phillip Island Auto Racing Club, was the fourteenth Australian Tourist Trophy. It also carried the Endeavour Cup title.
The race was won by Stuart Kostera of Western Australia, driving an Elfin MS7.

## Results

| Position | Driver | No. | Car | Entrant | Laps |
| 1 | Stuart Kostera | 131 | Elfin MS7 Repco Holden | Kostera Racing | 30 |
| 2 | Barry Singleton | 61 | 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 Clubman | Geoff Walker | 27 |
| 6 | Tony Rees | 78 | Farrell Clubman | AG Rees | 26 |
| 7 | Dale Kendall | 56 | Arbyen WDC1 | Dale Kendall | 24 |
| DNF | Jim Phillips | 3 | Rennmax Repco | Shell Sport | |
| DNF | Eric Boord | 19 | Boral Ford | Shell Sport | |
| DNF | John White | 18 | Bolwell | John White | |
| DNF | Murray Wilson | 35 | Clubman | M Wilson | |
| DNF | Greg Doidge | 31 | Elfin 360 Repco | GSD Sheetmetal | 18 |
| DNF | Ken Walters | 49 | Gissing Holden | Ken Walters | |
| DNF | Paul Gibson | 11 | Rennmax Repco | Shell Sport | |
| DNF | Geoff Watson | 21 | Watson Corolla | Geoff Watson | |
| 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 | Tom Crozier | 58 | Farrell | T Crozier | |
| DNF | Max Scorer | 7 | Scorer Sprite | Max Scorer | |
| DNF | Kevin Norden | 12 | Speco Elfin | Kevin Norden | 1 |
| DNF | Ian Burrell | 17 | Rennmax Oldsmobile | Keith Beard | 0 |
| DNF | Vic Butler | 34 | Lotus 23B | VA Butler | 0 |
| DNS | Dennis Hogan | 37 | Triton Mk2 | Dennis Hogan | |
| DNS | John Allison | 71 | Allison | | |
| DNS | Graham Docker | 36 | Bolwell | Graham Docker | |
| DNS | Bernard Bignell | 8 | Lotus 23B | Bernard Bignell | |
| 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 | |
| DNS | David Phillips | 15 | Lotus 23 | David K Phillips | |
| DNS | Warwick De Rose | 24 | Elfin 300 | Warwick De Rose | |
| DNS | G. Stoll | 38 | FM Corolla | G Stoll | |
| DNS | Chris Hocking | 74 | Gordon C2 | Motorfast Datsun | |
Key:
* 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: 23
* 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
* 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 Official Souvenir Programme, Phillip Island Auto Racing Club Limited, Sunday 21 November (&) Sunday 28 November 1976
* ↑ 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 Phillip Island Auto Racing Club, Road Racing Classic Part 1, Sunday November 21, 1975, Provisional Results
* 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 Kostera buys the favourite, Racing Car News, January 1977, pages 30 to 33
* ↑ 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
* ↑ Official Souvenir Programme shows Singleton as No. 6. PIARC Results show No. 61
* ↑ Titles Decided, Australian Auto Action, Thursday, 25 November 1976, page 1
* ↑ GP Datsun in Racing Car News "Grid Line-up". Clubman in Official Souvenir Programme.
* ↑ A.G. Rees in PIARC Results. Tony Rees in Official Souvenir Programme
* ↑ Jim Shepherd, A History of Australian Motor Sport, 1980, page 183
* ↑ Arbyen in Official Souvenir Programme & PIARC Results. WDC1 in Racing Car News "Grid Line-up".
* 1 2 The PIARC Results indicate that Phillips and Boord were running at the end of the race but were not classified as finishers as they had not completed sufficient laps, the minimum requirement being 22.
* 1 2 3 4 5 6 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
* 1 2 PIARC Results show Fastest Lap as N/T. This has been taken to indicate that no time was recorded due to the car failing to complete a lap. This is supported by the race report in Racing Car News.
* 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 Competitor is listed in Australian Tourist Trophy "Grid Line-up", Racing Car News, January 1977, page 33 but not in Phillip Island Auto Racing Club, Road Racing Classic Part 1, Sunday November 21, 1975, Provisional Results
* ↑ Warwick De Rose is listed in an Elfin 300 in the Official Souvenir Programme. The Racing Car News Report has him in a Pegasus.
* 1 2 G. Stolle (Gordon) in "Grid Line-up", Racing Car News. G Stoll (FM Corolla) in Official Souvenir Programme