Alexander Nicholas Davison (12 February 1923 – 20 February 1965)[1] was a racing driver who won the Australian Grand Prix four times between 1954 and 1961 and won the Australian Drivers' Championship in 1957. He drove HWM-Jaguar, Ferrari, Aston Martin and Cooper-Climax grand prix cars.[2]
| Lex Davison | |
|---|---|
| Nationality | Australian |
| Born | 12 February 1923 Melbourne, Victoria, Australia |
| Died | 20 February 1965 (aged 42) Sandown Raceway, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia |
| Related to | Diana Davison (wife) Jon Davison (son) Richard Davison (son) Alex Davison (grandson) Will Davison (grandson) James Davison (grandson) |
| Australian Drivers' Championship | |
| Years active | 1957–64 |
| Teams | Ecurie Australie |
| Wins | 11 |
| Best finish | 1st in 1957 Australian Drivers' Championship |
| Previous series | |
| 1964–65 | Tasman Series |
| Championship titles | |
| 1954 1957 1958 1961 1957 1955 1956 1957 | Australian Grand Prix Australian Grand Prix Australian Grand Prix Australian Grand Prix Australian Drivers' Championship Australian Hillclimb Championship Australian Hillclimb Championship Australian Hillclimb Championship |
Davison won Class A of the 1960 Armstrong 500, forerunner of the Bathurst 1000, driving an NSU Prinz.
He competed at the 1961 24 Hours of Le Mans with Bib Stillwell in an Aston Martin DB4GT Zagato. Davison and Stillwell were invited to race for the Essex Racing Stable due to their involvement with Aston Martins in the Australian racing scene. Davison had finished second in the 1960 Australian Grand Prix and fourth in the Australian Gold Star Championship in an Aston Martin DBR4/300. Their Le Mans adventure ended prematurely when a blown head gasket saw them retire on lap 25.
Davison won the GT support race at the 1961 British Grand Prix at Aintree[3] driving an Aston Martin DB4 GT Zagato.[4] He finished sixth in the 1961 Guards Trophy driving an Aston Martin DBR4/300[5] and placed tenth in the Intercontinental Championship.
On 20 February 1965 Davison died in a crash during practice for the 1965 International 100[6] at Sandown International Raceway. While accelerating through the dog leg of the back straight in his 2.5L Brabham Climax he suffered a heart attack. The car left the road at over 160 km/h, hit a culvert, somersaulted and crashed through a horse railing fence. Davison sustained severe head injuries and was dead when officials reached him.
Davison was the husband of female racing driver Diana Davison and father of Australian racing drivers Jon Davison and Richard Davison and grandfather of Alex Davison, Will Davison and James Davison.
Drivers who win the Australian Grand Prix are awarded the Lex Davison Trophy, so named to honour Davison who was the first 4-time winner of the event (the only other 4-time winner is 7-time World Champion Michael Schumacher). This trophy, designed and made in Britain by Mr Rex Hays to the order of CAMS, incorporates a silver model of the Austin 7 driven to victory in the first Australian Grand Prix in 1928.[7]
Career results
edit
| Season | Series/Title | Position | Car | Team |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1955 | Australian Hillclimb Championship | 1st | Cooper Mk. IV[8] Vincent | |
| 1956 | Australian Hillclimb Championship | 1st | Cooper Mk. IV[8] Vincent | |
| 1957 | Australian Hillclimb Championship | 1st | Cooper Mk. IV[8] Irving | |
| 1957 | Australian Drivers' Championship | 1st | Ferrari 625 F1 | |
| 1958 | Australian Drivers' Championship | 5th | Ferrari 500 | |
| 1960 | Australian Drivers' Championship | 4th | Aston Martin DBR4 | |
| 1961 | Australian Drivers' Championship | 2nd | Aston Martin DBR4 & Cooper T51 Coventry Climax | Ecurie Australie & BS Stillwell |
| 1962 | Australian Drivers' Championship | 6th | Cooper T53 Climax | |
| 1963 | Australian Drivers' Championship | 4th | Cooper T62 Climax | |
| 1964 | Tasman Series | 13th | Cooper T62 Climax | Ecurie Australie |
| 1964 | Australian Drivers' Championship | 2nd | Cooper T62 Climax Brabham BT4 Climax |
Ecurie Australie |
Notes
edit- ^ Australian Dictionary of Biography Online Edition
- ^ Bill Pitt's website Archived 7 February 2008 at the Wayback Machine
- ^ Graham Howard, Lex Davison - Larger than Life, pages 149 & 150
- ^ Motor Sport Review, Sports Car World, October 1961, page 46
- ^ Guards Trophy 1961, www.the-fastlane.co.uk Retrieved 20 September 2021
- ^ 1965 Tasman Series Sandown International 100 Archived 22 October 2003 at archive.today
- ^ 2010 CAMS Manual of Motor Sport - Australian Grand Prix
- ^ a b c John B Blanden, Historic Racing Cars in Australia, 1979, pages 88–89