1959 World Sportscar Championship
1959 World Sportscar Championship season | |||
Previous: | 1958 | Next: | 1960 |
The 1959 World Sportscar Championship season was the seventh season of the FIA World Sportscar Championship. It was a series for sportscars that ran in many worldwide endurance events. It ran from 21 March 1959 to 5 September 1959, and comprised five races, following the 1000 km Buenos Aires being removed from the calendar, although the race did return in 1960.
Season
![](../I/m/1957AstonMartinDBR1.jpg)
The championship still comprised five qualifying rounds, but what rounds they were; the 12 Hours of Sebring, the Targa Florio, the Nürburgring 1000 km, the 24 Hours of Le Mans, and the RAC Tourist Trophy.[1]
In Florida, the Scuderia Ferrari won at Sebring, while the little Porsche 718 RSK dominated the Targa Florio.[2] Back in England, David Brown of Aston Martin had initially ruled against a World Championship challenge, on financial grounds. But, Stirling Moss wangled one DBR1/300 works car to win the Nürburgring 1000 km,[3] with Jack Fairman. At Le Mans, the Astons of Roy Salvadori/Carroll Shelby and Maurice Trintignant/Paul Frère finished one-two! [4] So David Brown’s company simply had to field a full three-car team in what had become the title-deciding race, the RAC Tourist Trophy, which despite setting fire to their race leading car during a schedule refuelling stop, the sister car of Shelby/Fairman/Moss took victory and saw Aston Martin become the first British manufacturer even to win the FIA World Sportscar Championship.[5]
Season results
Results
Date | Round | Event | Circuit or Location | Winning driver | Winning team | Winning car | Results |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
21/03 | Rd. 1 | ![]() |
Sebring International Raceway | ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() |
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Results |
24/05 | Rd. 2 | ![]() |
Circuito Piccolo delle Madonie | ![]() ![]() |
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Results |
07/06 | Rd.3 | ![]() |
Nürburgring | ![]() ![]() |
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Results |
20-21/06 | Rd.4 | ![]() |
Circuit de la Sarthe | ![]() ![]() |
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Results |
05/09 | Rd.5 | ![]() |
Goodwood Circuit | ![]() ![]() ![]() |
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Results |
Championship
Note:
- Only the top five positions are included in this set of standings.
- Championship points were awarded for the first six places in each race in the order of 8-6-4-3-2-1.
- Manufacturers were awarded points only for their highest finishing car with no points awarded for positions filled by additional cars.
- Only the best 3 results out of the 5 races could be retained by each manufacturer. Points earned but not counted towards the championship totals are listed within brackets in the above table.
Pos | Manufacturer | Rd 1 | Rd 2 | Rd 3 | Rd 4 | Rd 5 | Total |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | ![]() |
8 | 8 | 8 | 24 | ||
2† | ![]() |
8 | 6 | 4 | (4) | 18 (22) | |
3† | ![]() |
4 | 8 | (3) | 6 | 18 (21) | |
4 | ![]() |
2 | 2 | ||||
5= | ![]() |
1 | 1 | ||||
5= | ![]() |
1 | 1 |
† - Ferrari declared second due to having the same number of wins, one, and second places, one, as Porsche but having two 3rd place finishes to Porsche's one.
The cars
The following models contributed to the net championship point scores of their respective manufacturers.
- Aston Martin DBR1/300
- Ferrari 250 TR 59 & Ferrari 250 GT LWB Coupe
- Porsche 718 RSK
- Maserati A6GCS/53
- Alfa Romeo Giuletta Sprint Veloce Zagato
- Lola-Climax Mk.1
References
- ↑ http://www.racingsportscars.com/championship/World%20Championship.html
- ↑ http://www.targaflorio.info/43.htm
- ↑ Stirling Moss, “Stirling Moss: All My Races" (Haynes Publishing, ISBN 978-1 84425 700 3, 2009)
- ↑ http://www.sportscardigest.com/carroll-shelby-looks-back-at-1959-le-mans-victory/
- ↑ Peter Swinger, “Motor Racing Circuits in England" (Ian Allan Publishing, ISBN 978 0 7110 3104 3, 2005)
External links
- 1959 World Sportscar Championship race results, www.classicscars.com
- 1959 World Sportscar Championship points table, www.classicscars.com