John McCormack (racing driver)

John McCormack is a former Australian racing driver. Originally from Tasmania, McCormack became one of the leading Formula 5000 racers in Australia during the 1970s.

McCormack won the Australian Drivers' Championship three times, driving an Elfin MR5 Repco Holden in 1973, an Elfin MR6 Repco Holden in 1975 and a McLaren M23-Leyland in 1977. He also won consecutive New Zealand Grand Prix in 1973 and 1974. McCormack was competitive in the Tasman Series and Australian Grand Prix his best results being second in both events. Most of McCormack's major wins were under the banner of the Ansett Team Elfin.

As well as open-wheelers McCormack drove sports sedans, winning the 1974 Toby Lee Sports Sedan Series driving his highly modified Charger-Repco V8 which underneath the Charger shell had specifications virtually identical to those of his Formula 5000 car.

In 1979 McCormack was one of the first drivers to race a Chevrolet Camaro (filling in for fellow F5000 racer Kevin Bartlett who was nursing a broken leg) at the Hardie-Ferodo 1000 at Bathurst. After numerous problems with the big Chev during practice, McCormack and co-driver Bob Forbes started 60th (out of 63), and were a DNF after just 62 laps when the 350ci V8 failed.

Career results

John McCormack in an Elfin MR5 at the Surfers Paradise round of the 1972 Australian Drivers' Championship
John McCormack placed 4th in the 1980 Australian Sports Sedan Championship driving this Jaguar XJ-S (pictured in 2013 in its 1980 livery)
Season Series Position Car Entrant / Team
1966 Australian Drivers' Championship 10th Repco Brabham BT4 Coventry Climax J McCormack
1967 Australian Drivers' Championship 9th Repco Brabham BT4 Coventry Climax John McCormack
1970 Australian Drivers' Championship 7th Elfin 600C Coventry Climax John McCormack
1971 Australian Drivers' Championship 4th Elfin MR5 Repco-Holden Ansett Team Elfin
1972 Tasman Series 11th Elfin MR5 Repco-Holden Ansett Team Elfin
1972 Australian Drivers' Championship 3rd Elfin MR5 Repco-Holden Ansett Team Elfin
1973 Tasman Series 2nd Elfin MR5 Repco-Holden Ansett Team Elfin
1973 Australian Drivers' Championship 1st Elfin MR5 Repco-Holden Ansett Team Elfin
1974 Tasman Series 4th Elfin MR5 Repco-Holden
Elfin ML6 Leyland
Ansett Team Elfin
1974 Australian Drivers' Championship 5th Elfin ML6 Leyland
Elfin MR5 Repco-Holden
Ansett Team Elfin
1974 Toby Lee Sports Sedan Series 1st Chrysler VJ Valiant Charger-Repco Holden V8 Ansett Team
1975 Tasman Series 4th Elfin MR6 Repco-Holden Ansett Team Elfin
1975 Australian Drivers' Championship 1st Elfin MR6 Repco-Holden Ansett Team Elfin
1976 Australian Drivers' Championship 3rd McLaren M23-Leyland Budget
1977 Rothmans International Series 9th McLaren M23-Leyland Budget Rent-A-Car System
1977 Australian Drivers' Championship 1st McLaren M23-Leyland Budget
1979 Rothmans International Series 9th McLaren M23 Leyland McCormack Uniparts Team
1980 Australian Sports Sedan Championship 4th Jaguar XJ-S McCormack - Unipart Racing

References

Sporting positions
Preceded by
Frank Matich
Winner of the Australian Drivers' Championship
1973
Succeeded by
Max Stewart
Preceded by
Frank Gardner
Winner of the New Zealand Grand Prix
1973 and 1974
Succeeded by
Warwick Brown
Preceded by
Max Stewart
Winner of the Australian Drivers' Championship
1975
Succeeded by
John Leffler
Preceded by
John Leffler
Winner of the Australian Drivers' Championship
1977
Succeeded by
Graham McRae


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