George Hill won the AAA Championship San Diego Road Race in a Fiat. Hill covered the 183.4 miles in a time of 3 hours, 58 minutes and 12 seconds in taking the only AAA Championship win of his career. The race was 2 laps of a 91.7 mile loop of public roads.
"Babe" Stapp was declared winner of the accident shortened 100-mile AAA Pacific Coast championship race at Oakland Speedway (CA). The race, twice postponed because of rain, was halted after the second serious accident of the event. Ralph Hepburn, 3rd in AAA points in '31, and Bryan Salpaugh were badly injured in seperate accidents (note: both did race again). Earlier, Salpaugh had
set a new lap record of 35.31 (101.95 mph avg.) on the 1 mile high banked oiled dirt oval.
Bobby Allison won the Modified Stock Car race at the Hialeah Speedway, Miami, FL. Donnie Allison was second followed by Jackie Evans and Rags Carter. ( Click here for the race report. )
Gene Gurney won the BCRA Midget race at the Oakland Exposition Building, Oakland, CA.
Jim Clark won the Formula One season opening South African GP in a Lotus-Climax, in what would be the last championship F1 GP held on the East London circuit. Clark led from the pole, with defending World Champion John Surtees' Ferrari 29 seconds behind at the finish.
NASCAR's ban of the Hemi engine goes into effect, a major blow to Chrysler and several drivers, including Richard Petty and David Pearson. Two of NASCAR's greatest drivers, Petty and Pearson will sit out the majority of the season, not returning until July in race No. 34 of the 55-race season. Each will qualify for 14 races in 1965.
Henry Pens won the 50 lap USAC Midget race at the Cincinnati Gardens, Cincinnati, OH.
Jim Clark drove his Lotus-Ford to victory as the Formula One season opened with the South African Grand Prix on the Kyalami circuit. The win was the 25th of Clark's career, moving him past Juan Manuel Fangio to become, at the time, the winningest driver in F1 history. Sadly, it would be Clark's final championship F1 start as he died in a F2 crash before the next GP.
Chuck Gurney won the 25-lap Bay Cities Racing Assn. indoor midget feature at the Sonoma County Fairgrounds, Santa Rosa, CA. Tom Enea finished second followed by Hank Butcher, Ken Nichols and Bud Riebhoff.
David Ezell won the Bold City 100 Late Model Sportsman race at the Jacksonville Speedway, Jacksonville, FL.
Mauri Rose ... Died ... Rose won the INDY 500 three times; 1941, 1947 and 1948. He was inducted into the International Motorsports Hall of Fame in 1994, and Motorsports of Hall of Fame of America in 1996. Rose began his driving career at a Bridgeville, Pennsylvania, board track on July 4, 1927, before making his way to Indianapolis in 1932, where he would eventually drive the "Indy 500 15 times.
Danny Lasoski won the New Year's Day Sprint Car race at the Parramatta City Raceway in Sydney, Australia. Kerry Madsen was second and Kraig Kinser third.
Ryan Smith won the 40-lap winged Outlaw Modified Midget race and Dave Darland won the 60-lap Midget race capping the final night of the 13th annual "Rumble in Fort Wayne" at the Memorial Coliseum Expo Center, Fort Wayne, IN.
Blake Hahn won both the Outlaw Micro Sprint feature and the Wingless Micro Sprint feature in the 26th Annual Tulsa Shootout at the Quik Trip Center's Tulsa Expo Raceway, Tulsa, OK.
Johnny Herrera won the 25-lap Budweiser Roger McCluskey Classic Sprint Car feature at the USA Raceway in Tucon, AZ.
Dale Blaney won the 30-lap opening night Winter Heat Showdown Sprint Car feature at the Cocopah Speedway. Justin Henderson was second followed by Greg Hodnett, Roger Crockett, Bud Kaeding, Jason Solwold, Joey Saldana, Daryn Pittman, Kyle Larson and Terry McCarl .
Tyler Courtney won the Midget feature over Christopher Bell, Michael Pickens, Hayden Williams and Zach Daum at Huntly Speedway in Huntly, New Zealand.
Donny Schatz won the Sprint Car race over Logan Schuchart, Michael Gee, Peter Lack and Allan Woods at the Archerfield Speedway in Archerfield, Australia.
Rico Abreu won the 30-lap Sprint Car feature at the Bunbury Speedway in Western Australia. Luke Oldfield was second followed by Cory Eliason, Callum Williamson, Jamie Maiolo, Brock Zearfoss, James Inglis, Brad Maiolo, Dayne Kingshott and Kris Coyle.
ONE DAY
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