Doug Chivas

Doug Chivas (c.1922–2004) was an Australian rally and racing car driver. Chivas drove the first Lotus Mark 6 in Australia in the early 1950s winning many races.

Career

In the 1960s and 1970s he drove for some of the most important racing and rally teams in the country, including the Mitsubishi works rally team, Alec Mildren’s Alfa Romeo team, the Holden Dealer Team and the factory-supported Chrysler Series Production teams of the early 1970s.

Chivas won the 1967 Surfers Paradise Four Hour race with Kevin Bartlett in a Mildren team Alfa Romeo Giulia Super. He registered class wins at the Bathurst 500 in 1963, 1967 and 1968 and won a hard-fought final round of the Toby Lee Series in 1971 driving a Chrysler Valiant Charger E38.

In 1972 Chivas achieved the best result for the Chrysler team at Bathurst by finishing third outright and second in class in a Charger E49.

Chivas is best remembered however for a sensational second place at the 1973 Hardie-Ferodo 1000. While co-driving with Peter Brock in the Holden Dealer Team's leading LJ Torana GTR XU-1 the car ran out of fuel and had to be pushed by Chivas, unaided (as per the rules), along part of pit lane that went slightly uphill. The exhausted 50-year-old had to be supported by pit crew after the effort of pushing the car in the hot conditions (and being flung aside by an anxious Brock), but the time lost may have cost the Brock/Chivas Torana a Bathurst victory. Chivas was sent a message via his pit board to "GET MAX LAPS", but unfortunately went one lap too far and ran out of fuel at the Reid Park section of the 6.172 km (3.835 mi) Mount Panorama Circuit, though luckily from there most of the over 3 km back to the pits was downhill. According to popular theory, the car should have coasted into the pits without the need for Chivas to get out and push, but he tried to bump start the car just before he got to the pits hoping there was enough fuel left to re-start, though the car came to a stop about 20 metres short of the pit entry.[1]

Career Results

Complete Bathurst 500/1000 results
Year Team Co-Drivers Car Class Laps Pos. Class
Pos.
1963 Ken Wilkinson Morris Cooper B 125 6th 1st
1965 Phil Barnes Morris Cooper S C 10 DNF DNF
1966 Vern Potts Doug Chivas, Jr. Morris Cooper B 119 17th 2nd
1967 Alec Mildren Alfa Romeo Max Stewart Alfa Romeo 1600 GTV E 130 3rd 1st
1968 Alec Mildren Racing Pty Ltd Kevin Bartlett Alfa Romeo 1750 GTV E 129 4th 1st
1969 Alec Mildren Alfa Romeo John French Alfa Romeo 1750 GTV E 0 DNF DNF
1970 Geoghegan's Sporty Cars Graham Ryan Chrysler VG Valiant Pacer 2 Barrell C 129 4th 2nd
1971 Liverpool Chrysler Graham Moore Chrysler VH Valiant Charger R/T E38 D 124 19th 12th
1972 D Beck Damon Beck Chrysler VH Valiant Charger R/T E49 D 128 3rd 2nd
1973 Holden Dealer Team Peter Brock Holden LJ Torana GTR XU-1 D 163 2nd 2nd
1976 City Ford Lakis Manticas Ford Capri Mk.I 2001cc – 3000cc 3 DNF DNF
1977 Bill Patterson Racing Tony Roberts Holden LH Torana SL/R 5000 L34 3001cc – 6000cc 154 7th 6th
1978 Citizens Watches Australia Pty Ltd Gary Cooke Holden LX Torana SS A9X 4-Door A 158 4th 4th

References
  1. When Chivas Ran Out Of Fuel In Brock's XU-1

Further reading
  • Australia's Greatest Motor Race 1960-1999 (Chevron) © 2000
  • Australian Motor Racing Annual 1971
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