1982 Australian Drivers' Championship


The 1982 Australian Drivers' Championship was a CAMS sanctioned Australian motor racing title open to racing cars complying with Australian Formula 1. It was the 26th Australian Drivers' Championship. The title winner, Alfredo Costanzo was awarded the 1982 CAMS "Gold Star".

Schedule

The championship was contested over an eight round series.
RoundNameCircuitDateFormatWinnerCar
1 Oran Park25 AprilTwo heatsJohn SmithRalt RT4 Ford
2 Adelaide International Raceway4 JulyTwo heatsAndrew MiedeckeRalt RT4/81 Ford
3 Wanneroo Park11 JulyTwo heatsJohn BoweRalt RT4/81 Ford
4 Lakeside25 JulyTwo heatsCharlie O'BrienRalt RT4/82 Ford
5 Calder Raceway1 AugustTwo heatsAlfredo CostanzoTiga FA81 Ford
6 Sandown Park12 SeptemberOne raceJohn BoweRalt RT4/81 Ford
7 Winton24 OctoberTwo heatsAlfredo CostanzoTiga FA81 Ford
8National Panasonic Australian Grand PrixMelbourne International Raceway7 NovemberOne raceAlfredo Costanzo*Tiga FA81 Ford

Championship points were awarded at each round on a 9-6-4-3-2-1 basis to the first six finishers in round. Points were allotted only to Australian license holders, in their order of finishing, irrespectively of their actual position. The best seven rounds results were counted for each driver.

Where rounds were conducted over more than one heat, points were allocated on a 20-16-13-11-10-9-8-7-6-5-4-3-2-1 basis for the first 14 places in each heat and then aggregated for each driver to determine the actual round placings. Where more than one driver earned the same number of points the relevant round placing was awarded to the driver who was placed higher in the last heat.

Championship results

Note: At the Australian Grand Prix, fifth placed Alfredo Costanzo was the highest placed driver eligible for the championship and thus was awarded the maximum championship points for the round.

Championship name

The conditions for the 1982 championship were published by CAMS under the name "Australian Formula 1 Championship". Australian Motor Racing Year 1982/83 uses both "Australian Drivers Championship" and "Australian Formula One Championship" in its review of the series. CAMS uses "Australian Drivers' Championship" in its historical records and that has been followed here.