Cheetah Racing Cars
A Cheetah Mk 4 |
History
A Cheetah Mk 6 |
The first Cheetah was built for Shead's personal use in 1960. It was a 'Cooper Copy' built to race in Formula Junior. A second Cheetah was built in 1962 and third in 1963. A completely new design was commenced in 1970, after which a friend (Don Biggar )persuaded Shead to construct an additional car, Mk4H Hill-climb car v8 oldsmobile. By 1973 Shead gave up his usual job to design and build race cars full-time. The final car was produced in 1989, being a Mk9 for use in Formula Holden. Cars were constructed for Formula Junior, Formula Libre, Hillclimbing, Australian Formula 3 (AF3), Australian Formula 2 (AF2), Australian Formula 1 (AF1 or Formula Atlantic or Formula Pacific) and Formula Holden. Cheetah Race Cars dominanted Formula Three during the 1970s and in Australian Formula 2 they were the dominant manufacturer during the late 1970s and most of the 1980s. In Formula Holden, the sole Cheetah built for the category in 1989 was still competitive in the mid-1990s against far newer carbon fibre cars built by Ralt and Reynard.
A Cheetah Mk 8 |
Brian Shead also built one car that was not an open wheeler, being a Cheetah Clubman built for the Sports 1300 racing category. It was raced by Peter Jones, winning 132 races, including seven New South Wales titles and three Victorian titles.
Cheetah race cars are common sights at Australian historic race meetings, hill climbs, sprints and in Australian Formula 2 and Formula-R. In both Australian Formula 2 and Formula-R, Cheetah Mk7 and Mk8s which were built in the late 1970s and early 1980s are still winning races and championships against far newer carbon fibre tubbed Dallara and Reynard Motorsport cars.
Although Cheetahs are no longer manufactured, Shead is still actively involved with Cheetah race cars, supplying parts and advice to Cheetah owners.
A Cheetah Mk 8 |
Models
Name
|
Class
|
Comments
|
Mk 1
|
Formula Junior
|
Cooper
Copy
|
Mk 2
|
Formula
Junior
|
Major
revision of Mk 1
|
Mk 4H
|
Formula Libre
Hillclimb |
|
Mk 4A
|
Australian
Formula 3
|
|
Mk 4B
|
Australian
Formula 3
|
|
Mk 4
|
Australian
Formula 3
|
First
production chassis
|
Mk 4E
|
Australian Formula 2
|
|
Mk 5
|
Australian
Formula 3
|
|
Clubman
|
Sports
1300
|
Clubman
|
Mk 6
|
Australian Formula 2
Australian Formula 3 |
First
monocoque chassis.
|
Mk 6E
& Mk6GE
|
Australian Formula 2
|
Mk 6 cars
with ground effects revision
|
Mk 7
|
Australian Formula 2
|
First
ground effects car, inboard front springs
|
Mk 8
|
Australian Formula 2
Formula Mondial |
Full
ground effects, clean sheet design
|
Mk 9
|
Formula Holden
|
Last
Cheetah made, clean sheet design
|
Championships
Season
|
Driver
|
Car
|
Series / Championship
|
1970s
|
Brian Shead
|
Cheetah-Corolla
|
Multiple
Formula 3 State Titles
|
1970s
|
Brian Shead
|
Cheetah-Corolla
|
Four
Formula 3 Stillwell Series
|
1977
|
Ian Judd
|
Cheetah-Oldsmobile
|
Australian Hillclimb Championship
|
1979
|
Brian Shead
|
Cheetah
Mk6-Toyota Celica
|
Australian Formula 2
|
1979
|
Brian Shead
|
Cheetah
Mk6-Toyota Celica
|
Formula 2SM
(AF2 Series at Amaroo Park Raceway)
|
1980
|
Peter
Macrow
|
Cheetah
Mk7-Holden Gemini
|
Victorian
Formula 2
|
1981
|
Bob
Prendergast
|
Cheetah
Mk7-Volkswagen Golf
|
Victorian
Hillclimb Championship
|
1983
|
Peter
Beehag
|
Cheetah
Mk7-Volkswagen Golf
|
Victorian
Formula 2
|
1984
|
Peter
Glover
|
Cheetah
Mk7-Volkswagen Golf
|
Australian
Formula 2
|
1985
|
Peter
Glover
|
Cheetah
Mk8-Volkswagen Golf
|
Australian
Formula 2
|
1985
|
?
|
Cheetah
Mk7-Volkswagen Golf
|
Victorian
Formula 2
|
1985
|
Robert
Rumble
|
Cheetah
mk6 Renault
|
NSW
Hillclimb Championship
|
1986
|
Jon Crooke
|
Cheetah
Mk8-Volkswagen Golf
|
Australian Formula 2 Championship
|
1986
|
Derek
Pingel
|
Cheetah
Mk8-Volkswagen Golf
|
Queensland
Racing Car Championships
|
1986
|
Robert
Rumble
|
Cheetah
mk6 Renault
|
NSW
Hillclimb Championship
|
1987
|
Arthur
Abrahams
|
Cheetah
Mk8-Volkswagen Golf
|
Australian
Formula 2
|
1988
|
Rohan
Onslow
|
Cheetah
Mk8-Volkswagen Golf
|
Australian
Formula 2
|
1988
|
Rohan
Onslow
|
Cheetah
Mk8-Volkswagen Golf
|
Australian Drivers' Championship -
CAMS Gold Star
|
1993
|
Graham
Blee
|
Cheetah
Mk6GE
|
Champion
of Winton
|
1994
|
Craig Lowndes
|
Cheetah
Mk9-Holden
|
Australian
Silver Star
|
1997
|
Hugh
Gartley
|
Cheetah
Mk4 Toyota Corolla
|
Champion
of Winton, Formula Libre
|
1998
|
Bruce
Combe
|
Cheetah
Mk7 Toyota Celica
|
Australian
Hillclmb, Under 2 litre
|
2002
|
Brendon Cook
|
Cheetah
Mk7-Volkswagen Golf
|
Australian
Formula 2 Rookie of the Year
|
2004
|
Kevin
Lewis
|
Ransberg
Cheetah Volkswagen Golf
|
Australian
Formula 2
|
2006
|
Kevin
Lewis
|
Ransberg
Cheetah Volkswagen Golf
|
Australian
Formula 2
|
2006
|
Edward
Gavin
|
Cheetah
Mk8 Volkswagen Golf
|
Australian
Formula 2 Rookie of the Year
|
2007
|
Edward
Gavin
|
Cheetah
Mk8 Volkswagen Golf
|
Australian
Formula 2
|
Lap Records
Track
|
Distance
|
Class
|
Driver
|
Car
|
Year
|
Time
|
Symmons Plains
|
2.4 km
|
AF2
|
Jon Crooke
|
Cheetah
Mk8 - Judd Golf VW
|
9/3/1986
|
54.73s
|
Baskerville
|
2.01 km
|
AF2
|
Jon Crooke
|
Cheetah
Mk8 - Judd Golf VW
|
16/3/1986
|
50.24s
|
Surfers Paradise
|
3.2 km
|
AF2
|
Jon Crooke
|
Cheetah
Mk8 - Judd Golf VW
|
18/5/1986
|
1m07.3s
|
Oran Park
|
2.62 km
|
AF2
|
Jon Crooke
|
Cheetah
Mk8 - Judd Golf VW
|
8/6/1986
|
1m05.8s
|
Lakeside
|
2.4 km
|
AF2
|
Jon Crooke
/ Arthur
Abrahams
|
Cheetah
Mk8 - Judd Golf VW
|
15/6/1986
|
50.6s
|
Sandown
|
3.9 km
|
AF2
|
Arthur
Abrahams
|
Cheetah
Mk8 - Golf VW
|
14/9/1986
|
1m40.2s
|
Amaroo Park
|
1.946 km
|
AF2
|
Arthur
Abrahams
|
Cheetah
Mk8 - Golf VW
|
21/6/1987
|
46.52s
|
Winton Motor Raceway - Short Circuit
|
2.03 km
|
AF2
|
Arthur
Abrahams
|
Ransberg
Cheetah Mk8 - Golf VW
|
-/12/1988
|
56.9600s
|
Eastern Creek Raceway
|
3.93 km
|
AF2
|
Arthur
Abrahams
|
Ransberg
Cheetah - Golf VW
|
25/08/1991
|
1m29.3500s
|
Wakefield Park
|
2.2 km
|
AF2
|
Craig
Smith
|
Cheetah
Mk8 - Golf VW
|
16/09/2001
|
59.0361s
|
Adelaide International Raceway
|
2.41 km
|
AF2
|
Peter
Glover
|
Cheetah -
Golf VW
|
52.5
|
Last updated on 8 August 2014 at 10:30.
0 comments: