1963 Australian Grand Prix

The 1963 Australian Grand Prix was a motor race held at Warwick Farm Raceway in New South Wales, Australia on 10 February 1963. Open to Formula Libre cars,[2][3] it was the opening heat of the 1963 Australian Drivers' Championship. The race, which was the twenty eighth Australian Grand Prix, had 16 starters.

1963 Australian Grand Prix
Race 1 of 6 in 1963 Australian Drivers' Championship
Race details
Date	10 February 1963
Location	Warwick Farm Raceway, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia
Course	Permanent racing facility
Course length	3.621 km (2.25 miles)
Distance	45 laps, 162.945 km (101.25 miles)
Weather	Hot and sunny[1]
Pole position
Driver	Bruce McLaren	Cooper-Climax
Time	1'38.8
Fastest lap
Driver	John Surtees Jack Brabham	Lola-Climax Repco Brabham-Climax
Time	1'40.2
Podium
First	Jack Brabham	Repco Brabham-Climax
Second	John Surtees	Lola-Climax
Third	Bruce McLaren	Cooper-Climax

Jack Brabham won the race driving a Repco Brabham BT4, similar to the example pictured above

The race featured a strong representation of international competitors, with entries from Ecurie Vitesse for Jack Brabham, Bruce McLaren for himself, R.R.C. Walker Racing Team for Graham Hill and from the Bowmaker Racing Team for John Surtees, Tony Maggs and Jim Palmer. Jack Brabham won the race, his second Australian Grand Prix victory, after a battle with John Surtees. It was the first AGP victory by a driver in a self-developed car since Doug Whiteford won in his "Black Bess" Ford V8 Special in 1950.

Stirling Moss, who was recovering from a near-fatal crash at the Goodwood Circuit, was the special guest at the Grand Prix. Moss, who had driven a Maserati 250F to victory in the 1956 Australian Grand Prix at the Albert Park Grand Prix Circuit in Melbourne, also provided guest commentary for Australian television station the ABC alongside Doug Woodward, Bill Reynolds and pit reporter Norman May.