Bill Patterson (racing driver)

Bill Patterson
Nationality	Australian
Born	30 August 1923
Died	10 January 2010 (aged 86) Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
Retired	1964
Australian Drivers' Championship
Years active	1957–63
Best finish	1st in 1961 Australian Drivers' Championship
Championship titles
1954 1957 1961	Australian Hillclimb Championship Australian Grand Prix Australian Drivers' Championship

Gerald William Riggall "Bill" Patterson (30 August 1923 – 10 January 2010) was an Australian motor racing driver, race team owner and businessman.

Patterson, son of Wimbledon champ Gerald Patterson, attended his father's school, Scotch College, Melbourne, from 1931 to 1934, and Geelong Grammar School from 1935 to 1941. He was one of a brace of new drivers that emerged after World War II, first appearing in the Australian Grand Prix in 1948 driving a stripped down MG TC. After improving the MG as far as he was able, he moved to a JAP powered Cooper Mk.V in 1953. Patterson used this to win his first national title, the 1954 Australian Hillclimb Championship.

In the scorching heat of a Western Australian summer in 1957, Patterson stepped into Lex Davison's Ferrari 625 F1 as a relief driver, working together in to defeat Stan Jones to win the 1957 Australian Grand Prix.^[1]

A succession of grand prix Coopers followed. The biggest year of Patterson's career was 1961. Victories at Mount Panorama, Lowood, Caversham and a second at Longford saw Patterson dominate the 1961 Australian Drivers' Championship, scoring 51 points to Lex Davison's 15 to win the Gold Star.^[2]

Patterson raced on for a few more years and took part in the inaugural Tasman Series in 1964, but after that Patterson stepped away from the sport as a driver, but stayed as an entrant, sponsor and team boss. Patterson Holden dealership Bill Patterson Motors supported several drivers over the following decades, open wheelers for the rest of the 1960s and on into the 1970s. In 1977 Patterson purchased touring car racing team, Team Brock which he ran for a year. Patterson's name continued to be seen in the sport into the 2000s in Speedway racing.

Patterson died at Sandringham on 10 January 2010 at the age of 86.^[3]

Career results

Season	Race / Series	Position	Car	Team
1956	Moomba TT	7th	MGA	Bill Patterson
1957	Australian Drivers' Championship	4th	Ferrari 625 F1 Cooper T39 Climax	Ecurie Australie W.Patterson
1959	Australian Drivers' Championship	4th	Cooper T43 Climax	Bill Patterson Motors P/L
1960	Australian Drivers' Championship	3rd	Cooper T51 Climax	Bill Patterson Motors P/L
1961	Australian Drivers' Championship	1st	Cooper T51 Climax	Bill Patterson Motors P/L
1962	Australian Drivers' Championship	3rd	Cooper T51 Climax	Bill Patterson Motors P/L
1963	Australian Drivers' Championship	6th	Cooper T51 Climax Cooper T53 Climax	Bill Patterson Motors P/L

References

1. Howard, Graham (1986). "1957". In Howard, Graham. The Official 50-race history of the Australian Grand Prix. Gordon, NSW: R & T Publishing. pp. 228–235. ISBN 0-9588464-0-5.
2. D. Shaw. "The Early CAMS Gold Star Series 1957-70: 1961". Archived from the original on 1 April 2012. Retrieved 20 January 2010.
3. "Vale - Gerald William "Bill" Patterson". cams.com.au. 14 January 2010. Archived from the original on 6 July 2011. Retrieved 20 January 2010.