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Doug Chivas

From Quire, the open reference·Australian racing driver·2 min read

Douglas Gordon Chivas (c.1922–2004) was an Australian rally and racing car driver. Chivas drove the first Lotus Mark 6 in Australia in the early 1950s winning many races.

Career#edit

In the 1960s and 1970s, Chivas drove for some of the most important racing and rally teams in the country, including the Mitsubishi works rally team, Alec Mildren's Alfa Romeo team, the Holden Dealer Team and the factory-supported Chrysler Series Production teams of the early 1970s.

Chivas won the 1967 Surfers Paradise Four Hour race with Kevin Bartlett in a Mildren team Alfa Romeo Giulia Super. He registered class wins at the Bathurst 500 in 1963, 1967 and 1968 and won a hard-fought final round of the Toby Lee Series in 1971 driving a Chrysler Valiant Charger E38.

In 1972, Chivas achieved the best result for the Chrysler team at Bathurst by finishing third outright and second in class in a Charger E49.

Chivas is best remembered however for a sensational second place at the 1973 Hardie-Ferodo 1000. While co-driving with Peter Brock in the Holden Dealer Team's leading LJ Torana GTR XU-1 the car ran out of fuel and had to be pushed by Chivas, unaided (as per the rules), along part of pit lane that went slightly uphill. The exhausted 51-year-old had to be supported by pit crew after the effort of pushing the car in the hot conditions (and being flung aside by an anxious Brock), but the time lost may have cost the Brock/Chivas Torana a Bathurst victory. Chivas had been sent a message via his pit board to "GET MAX LAPS", but went one lap too far and ran out of fuel at the Reid Park section of the 6.172 km (3.835 mi) Mount Panorama Circuit, though luckily from there most of the over 3 km back to the pits was downhill. According to popular theory, the car should have coasted into the pits without the need for Chivas to get out and push, but he tried to bump start the car just before he got to the pits hoping there was enough fuel left to re-start; the car came to a stop about 20 metres short of the pit entry.[1]

Career results#edit

Complete Bathurst 500/1000 results#edit

YearTeamCo-driversCarClassLapsPos.Class
pos.
1963Ken WilkinsonMorris CooperB1256th1st
1965Phil BarnesMorris Cooper SC10DNFDNF
1966Vern PottsDoug Chivas, Jr.Morris CooperB11917th2nd
1967Alec Mildren Alfa RomeoMax StewartAlfa Romeo 1600 GTVE1303rd1st
1968Alec Mildren Racing Pty LtdKevin BartlettAlfa Romeo 1750 GTVE1294th1st
1969Alec Mildren Alfa RomeoJohn FrenchAlfa Romeo 1750 GTVE0DNFDNF
1970Geoghegan's Sporty CarsGraham RyanChrysler VG Valiant Pacer 2-BarrelC1294th2nd
1971Liverpool ChryslerGraham MooreChrysler VH Valiant Charger R/T E38D12419th12th
1972D BeckDamon BeckChrysler VH Valiant Charger R/T E49D1283rd2nd
1973Holden Dealer TeamPeter BrockHolden LJ Torana GTR XU-1D1632nd2nd
1976City FordLakis ManticasFord Capri Mk.I2001cc – 3000cc3DNFDNF
1977Bill Patterson RacingTony RobertsHolden LH Torana SL/R 5000 L343001cc – 6000cc1547th6th
1978Citizen Watches Australia Pty LtdGary CookeHolden LX Torana SS A9X 4-DoorA1584th4th

References#edit

  1. ^ When Chivas Ran Out Of Fuel In Brock's XU-1

Further reading#edit

  • Australia's Greatest Motor Race 1960-1999 (Chevron) © 2000
  • Australian Motor Racing Annual 1971
Categories 1922 births2004 deathsAustralian rally driversAustralian Touring Car Championship drivers

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