# 1981 Australian Formula 2 Championship

The 1981 Australian Formula 2 Championship was an Australian motor racing competition open to Australian Formula 2 racing cars. It was the 14th Australian Formula 2 Championship to be awarded by the Confederation of Australian Motor Sport.
The title was won by John Smith driving a Ralt RT1 Ford.

## Calendar

The championship was contested over a six-round series.
| Rd | Name | Circuit | Date | Winning driver | Car |
| 1 | | Winton | 1 March | John Smith | Ralt RT1 Ford |
| 2 | | Oran Park | 3 May | John Smith | Ralt RT1 Ford |
| 3 | | Amaroo Park | 24 May | John Smith | Ralt RT1 Ford |
| 4 | | Sandown Park | 5 July | Russell Norden | Arbyen 793 Volkswagen |
| 5 | | Adelaide International Raceway | 25 October | Lucio Cesario | Ralt RT3 Volkswagen |
| 6 | EON FM Trophy | Calder | 8 November | Lucio Cesario | Ralt RT3 Volkswagen |
All rounds were staged over two heats except for the final round at Calder, which was contested as a single race.

## Points system

Championship points were awarded on a 9-6-4-3-2-1 basis for the first six positions at each round.
Where a round was contested over two heats, points were allocated on a 20-16-13-11-10-9-8-7-6-5-4-3-2-1 basis for the first 14 positions in each heat and then aggregated for each driver to determine the first six positions for the round.

## Results

| Position | Driver | No. | Car | Entrant | Win | Ora | Ama | San | Ade | Cal | Total |
| 1 | John Smith | 71 | Ralt RT1 Ford | Ralt Australia | 9 | 9 | 9 | 4 | - | - | 31 |
| 2 | Richard Davison | 1 | Hardman JH1 Ford | Paragon Shoes Pty Ltd | 1 | 6 | 6 | - | - | 6 | 19 |
| = | Peter Macrow | 25 | Cheetah Mk 7 Isuzu | Peter Macrow | 2 | - | 4 | 3 | 6 | 4 | 19 |
| 4 | Lucio Cesario | 16 | Ralt RT3 Volkswagen | Formula 1 Automotive | - | - | - | - | 9 | 9 | 18 |
| 5 | Bob Prendegast | 40 | Cheetah Mk 7 Volkswagen | Rugolo Motor Body Works | 6 | - | 2 | 6 | 3 | - | 17 |
| 6 | Russell Norden | 5 | Arbyen 793 Volkswagen | Bonds Coats Patons Ltd | 3 | - | - | 9 | 4 | - | 16 |
| 7 | Graham Watson | 9 | Ralt RT3 Volkswagen | Ralt Australia | - | 4 | 3 | - | - | - | 7 |
| = | Bob Power | 79 | Kaditcha A80B Ford | Bob Power | 4 | 1 | - | - | 2 | - | 7 |
| 9 | John Bowe | 33 | Elfin GE Two-25 Volkswagen | Chris Leach Racing | - | 3 | 1 | - | - | - | 4 |
| 10 | Peter Glover | 13 | Cheetah Mk 7 Isuzu | Peter Glover | - | - | - | - | - | 3 | 3 |
| = | Hugh Gartley | 92 | Cheetah Mk 7 Toyota | Hugh Gartley | - | - | - | - | 1 | 2 | 3 |
| 12 | Andrew Newton | 7 | Hardman JH1 Ford | Clive Millis Motors | - | - | - | 2 | - | - | 2 |
| = | Chris Hocking | 74 | Cheetah Mk 7 Volkswagen | Chris Hocking | - | 2 | - | - | - | - | 2 |
| 14 | Grahame Blee | 2 | Cheetah Mk 6 GE Ford | Grahame Blee | - | - | - | 1 | - | - | 1 |
| = | Peter Hopwood | 22 | Cheetah Mk 6 Ford | John Thompson Sports Cars | - | - | - | - | - | 1 | 1 |

## Notes & references

* 1 2 3 1981 CAMS Manual of Motor Sport, Conditions for Australian Titles, pages 91-93
* ↑ 2002 Manual of Motor Sport, Confederation of Australian Motor Sport Ltd, Records Titles and Awards, page 14-6
* 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 Australian Motor Racing Yearbook, 1981/82, Australian Formula 2 Championship, pages 150-163
* 1 2 3 Racing Car News, December 1981, page 10
* 1 2 3 Official Programme, Winton, Sunday, 1 March 1981
* 1 2 3 Souvenir Programme, Adelaide International Raceway, Sunday, 25 October 1981
* 1 2 Racing Car News, January 1982, page 40
* ↑ Glover is shown in Australian Motor Racing Yearbook 1981/82 as placing fourth at Calder but he is not shown in the Points Score Table in the same publication.
* ↑ Glover is not shown in the Points Score Table in Australian Motor Racing Yearbook 1981/82 but is shown in the Final Pointscore listing in Racing Car News, December 1981, page 10 as having scored 3 points.