Bathurst 1000: Alex Davison preview

LEX DAVISON OUT TO ADD TO FAMILY LEGEND AT BATHURST

A victory in the Supercheap Auto Bathurst 1000 this weekend will give IRWIN Racing's Alex Davison a unique position in Australian sport.

Never before have two members from the same family won a Bathurst 1000 and an Australian Grand Prix title. John Goss is the only individual driver to take a Bathurst victory (1974 and '85) and Australian Grand Prix title (1976 - Sandown).

Along with his brother and fellow V8 Supercar driver, Will, a victory to either driver is sure to add to the legacy of their late grandfather Lex who scored four Australian Grand Prix titles, including 1958 at Mount Panorama. On that day Lex Davison's Ferrari beat home the likes of Stan Jones, Alec Mildren, Len Lukey and Bill Patterson.

Known as Australia's first true motor sports hero, Lex Davison won the Australian Grand Prix in 1954 (Southport Qld), '57 (Caversham WA), '58 (Bathurst NSW) and '61 (Mallala SA). Only Michael Schumacher can claim to have won the same number of Australian Grand Prix titles with victories in 2000, '01, '02 and '04 all at Albert Park in Melbourne.

Lex Davison died in a practice crash at the 1965 International 100 at Sandown International Raceway in Melbourne.

This weekend Alex Davison will be aboard the Stone Brothers Racing prepared IRWIN/SP Tools Racing Ford Falcon with Shane van Gisbergen. The experience of the three-time V8 Supercar Champions and 1998 Bathurst winners is sure to give the 29-year-old his best chance since his debut at Mount Panorama in 2004.

Ahead of this weekend's 'Great Race' Alex and Will Davison visited the Bathurst Light Car Club's Lex Davison Gate at the top-end of Conrod Straight. Also in hand was the 1958 Australian Grand Prix trophy.

Known as the home of Australia's 'Great Race' the Mount Panorama Circuit's was opened on 17 March 1938. Just one month later it hosted its first race, the Australian Tourist Trophy including the Australian Grand Prix which was won by Peter Whitehead. The track would host the Australian Grand Prix again in 1947 (Bill Murray the winner), '53 (Doug Whiteford the victor) and the final time was Lex Davison's win in '58. Since 1963 the circuit has been known as the home of Australia's premier Touring Car race, firstly as a 500-mile event, then since 1974 as a 1000km race.

What Alex Davison had to say:

"It continues to amaze me how fortunate I am to be the grandson of such a motor sports legend. The opportunity to put my name alongside his at this great circuit is certainly something that has a lot of significance to our family and plenty of other motor sports enthusiasts. I have driven a Formula Ford around Mount Panorama, but it would have been a totally different ball game in an open-wheeler of that era. It is a great circuit no matter what type of car you drive it in, but the drivers of that era were certainly brave! Racing today is different to then, but at the same time they had different challenges; and that is what makes looking back at different stages of racing so interesting. Winning at Mount Panorama is never easy. If Will or I could do it, then it certainly would make another great chapter in our family's racing history."

-credit: irwin racing