Bill Pitt (racing driver)
Encyclopedia
William Pitt is a former Australian racing driver and motor racing official.
For most of his racing career Pitt was associated with Jaguar
s, racing XK120
and D-Type
sports cars, a Mark VIII
rally car and Mark I
touring cars with the assistance of Queensland's Jaguar agents Cyril and Geordie Anderson of Westco Motors.
Pitt first became involved in racing as an official at the 1948 Australian Grand Prix
, but gradually moved into racing. By the mid-50s he was a front running sports car driver. Pitt co-drove a XK120
to a four lap victory in what for 48 years was Australia's only 24 hour motor race, the 1954 Mount Druitt 24 Hours Road Race
, driving with Geordie Anderson and Charles Swinburne.
In 1956 Pitt, Swinburne and Anderson purchased a D-Type Jaguar which was heavily crashed at its first race at the 1956 Australian Toursit Trophy. The D-Type was rebuilt and with Pitt driving, became the dominant feature of Australian Sports Car racing.
Frequently, because of his domination of sports car racing, Pitt raced the D-Type against Grand Prix type machinery in search of competition, finishing in the top three of Australian Drivers' Championship
events.
The D-Type was sold in 1958 and Pitt and Anderson next invested in a Mark 1 Saloon to race in the growing touring car racing. After finishing second behind David McKay in 1960, Pitt became the first Queenslander to win the Australian Touring Car Championship
, achieving the victory at his home circuit, Lowood
in 1961
.
Pitt retired from racing in 1963 but continued in his role as a Queensland representative of the National Control Council of the Confederation of Australian Motor Sport
until 1964.
For most of his racing career Pitt was associated with Jaguar
Jaguar (car)
Jaguar Cars Ltd, known simply as Jaguar , is a British luxury car manufacturer, headquartered in Whitley, Coventry, England. It is part of the Jaguar Land Rover business, a subsidiary of the Indian company Tata Motors....
s, racing XK120
Jaguar XK120
The Jaguar XK120 is a sports car which was manufactured by Jaguar between 1948 and 1954. It was Jaguar's first sports car since the SS 100, which ceased production in 1940.-History:...
and D-Type
Jaguar D-type
The Jaguar D-Type, like its predecessor the C-Type, was a factory-built race car. Although it shared the basic straight-6 XK engine design with the C-Type, the majority of the car was radically different...
sports cars, a Mark VIII
Jaguar Mark VIII
The Jaguar Mark VIII is a large four-door sports sedan introduced by the Jaguar company of Coventry at the 1956 London Motor Show.-The body:The car shared its wheelbase with its predecessor, the Jaguar Mark VII, which outwardly it closely resembled. However, the interior fittings were more...
rally car and Mark I
Jaguar Mark 1
The Jaguar Mark 1 was a saloon car produced by Jaguar between 1955 and 1959. Referred to in contemporary company documentation as the Jaguar 2.4-litre and Jaguar 3.4-litre, the word "Saloon" was often added. The designation "Mark 1" was included retrospectively upon its replacement by the Mark 2...
touring cars with the assistance of Queensland's Jaguar agents Cyril and Geordie Anderson of Westco Motors.
Pitt first became involved in racing as an official at the 1948 Australian Grand Prix
1948 Australian Grand Prix
The 1948 Australian Grand Prix was a motor race held on the runways and service roads of the Royal Australian Air Force base at Point Cook just outside of Melbourne in Victoria on Australia Day...
, but gradually moved into racing. By the mid-50s he was a front running sports car driver. Pitt co-drove a XK120
Jaguar XK120
The Jaguar XK120 is a sports car which was manufactured by Jaguar between 1948 and 1954. It was Jaguar's first sports car since the SS 100, which ceased production in 1940.-History:...
to a four lap victory in what for 48 years was Australia's only 24 hour motor race, the 1954 Mount Druitt 24 Hours Road Race
1954 Mount Druitt 24 Hours Road Race
The 1954 Mount Druitt 24 Hours Road Race was an endurance race for production cars staged at the Mount Druitt circuit in New South Wales, Australia on 31 January and 1 February 1954....
, driving with Geordie Anderson and Charles Swinburne.
In 1956 Pitt, Swinburne and Anderson purchased a D-Type Jaguar which was heavily crashed at its first race at the 1956 Australian Toursit Trophy. The D-Type was rebuilt and with Pitt driving, became the dominant feature of Australian Sports Car racing.
Frequently, because of his domination of sports car racing, Pitt raced the D-Type against Grand Prix type machinery in search of competition, finishing in the top three of Australian Drivers' Championship
Australian Drivers' Championship
The Australian Drivers' Championship is a motor racing championship which has been contested annually since 1957 by drivers of cars complying with Australia's premier open-wheeler racing category as determined by the Confederation of Australian Motor Sport. Since 2005 this category has been Formula...
events.
The D-Type was sold in 1958 and Pitt and Anderson next invested in a Mark 1 Saloon to race in the growing touring car racing. After finishing second behind David McKay in 1960, Pitt became the first Queenslander to win the Australian Touring Car Championship
Australian Touring Car Championship
The Australian Touring Car Championship is a touring car racing award held in Australia since 1960. The series itself is no longer contested, but the title lives on, with the winner of the V8 Supercar Championship Series awarded the trophy and title of Australian Touring Car Champion.-History:The...
, achieving the victory at his home circuit, Lowood
Lowood circuit
The Lowood Airfield Circuit was a motor racing venue in Queensland, Australia which was used from 1946 to 1966. It was located at a former wartime airfield site at Mount Tarampa, near Lowood, 72 km west of the state capital Brisbane...
in 1961
1961 Australian Touring Car Championship
The 1961 Australian Touring Car Championship was a CAMS sanctioned motor racing title for drivers of Appendix J Touring Cars. The championship, which was contested over a single 72 mile race staged at the Lowood circuit in Queensland on 3 September 1961, was the second running of the Australian...
.
Pitt retired from racing in 1963 but continued in his role as a Queensland representative of the National Control Council of the Confederation of Australian Motor Sport
Confederation of Australian Motor Sport
The Confederation of Australian Motor Sport , has been the governing body of Australian motorsport since 1953. It is affiliated with the Federation Internationale de l'Automobile ....
until 1964.