Lola T332 1979 Wanneroo Park Australian Grand Prix Winner - Classic Carlectables 1/18

The 1979 Australian Grand Prix was an open-wheel car race held at Wanneroo Raceway on March 11. The race, which was the first round of the 1979 Australian Drivers' Championship, was open to racing cars complying with Australian Formula 1(incorporating Formula 5000 and Formula Pacific). It was the 44th Australian Grand Prix and was the only Australian Grand Prix to be held at Wanneroo Raceway.

Johnnie Walker's F5000 Lola T332 Chevrolet 5.0L V8 qualified in 3rd position with a lap time of 53.00s. He was in good company with only Larry Perkins' Elfin MR8 (2nd place) and Alfredo Costanzo's Lola T430 (1st place) ahead of him on the grid by under one second collectively.

On race day, with the pace men being Larry Perkins and Alfredo Costanzo, Perkins got overly anxious off the start and put both he and Costanzo out in the first corner. From here on in Johnnie Walker led most of the way but had to pit to get rid of a dragging exhaust pipe and gave the lead to newcomer John Wright. Wright led until the last lap, when his failing oil pressure got too low and Walker then went through to win from John Bowe in an Elfin MR8 and Rob Butcher in a Lola T332.
Walker completed the 63 race laps in a time of 59m 09.72s at an average speed of 95.82 mph.

Johnnie Walker went on to win the 1979 Australian Driver's Championship and was awarded the 1979 CAMS Gold Star. It was a successful season, as also winning the Australian Grand Prix he became the fourth driver to date, to win both the Australian Grand Prix and the Australian Driver's Championships - Gold Star in the same year.

Features:
The front wheel rims on the Lola feature sanded racing slicks. Note the intricate paint finishes to replicate the racing rims.
The large side mounted radiators are finely crafted and feature an etch metal plate.
The cockpit dash features detailed instrumentation and the light weight racing seat is cut down to the bare essentials, leaving no room for comfort.
AThe V8s demand for air is fed by the air scoop on top of the engine cover. The engine cover is removable to display the engine.
With the engine cover removed the fine craftsmanship of the V8 can be appreciated along with the clamps on the velocity stacks.
The front wheels have working suspension with metal coil springs and fully functioning steering.
The rear suspension is accurately represented with metal coil springs and linkages. Note the size of the rear tyres.
The large rear wing, with amazing strut detail, helps keep the rear of the car held down on the racing circuit.