Alexander Nicholas Davison (12 February 1923 – 20 February 1965)[1] was a racing driver who won the Australian Grand Prix four times between 1954 and 1961 and won the Australian Drivers' Championship in 1957. He drove HWM-Jaguar, Ferrari, Aston Martin and Cooper-Climax grand prix cars.[2]

Lex Davison
NationalityAustralian
Born(1923-02-12)12 February 1923
Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
Died20 February 1965(1965-02-20) (aged 42)
Sandown Raceway, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
Related toDiana Davison (wife)
Jon Davison (son)
Richard Davison (son)
Alex Davison (grandson)
Will Davison (grandson)
James Davison (grandson)
Australian Drivers' Championship
Years active1957–64
TeamsEcurie Australie
Wins11
Best finish1st in 1957 Australian Drivers' Championship
Previous series
1964–65Tasman Series
Championship titles
1954
1957
1958
1961
1957
1955
1956
1957
Australian Grand Prix
Australian Grand Prix
Australian Grand Prix
Australian Grand Prix
Australian Drivers' Championship
Australian Hillclimb Championship
Australian Hillclimb Championship
Australian Hillclimb Championship

Davison won Class A of the 1960 Armstrong 500, forerunner of the Bathurst 1000, driving an NSU Prinz.

He competed at the 1961 24 Hours of Le Mans with Bib Stillwell in an Aston Martin DB4GT Zagato. Davison and Stillwell were invited to race for the Essex Racing Stable due to their involvement with Aston Martins in the Australian racing scene. Davison had finished second in the 1960 Australian Grand Prix and fourth in the Australian Gold Star Championship in an Aston Martin DBR4/300. Their Le Mans adventure ended prematurely when a blown head gasket saw them retire on lap 25.

Davison won the GT support race at the 1961 British Grand Prix at Aintree[3] driving an Aston Martin DB4 GT Zagato.[4] He finished sixth in the 1961 Guards Trophy driving an Aston Martin DBR4/300[5] and placed tenth in the Intercontinental Championship.

On 20 February 1965 Davison died in a crash during practice for the 1965 International 100[6] at Sandown International Raceway. While accelerating through the dog leg of the back straight in his 2.5L Brabham Climax he suffered a heart attack. The car left the road at over 160 km/h, hit a culvert, somersaulted and crashed through a horse railing fence. Davison sustained severe head injuries and was dead when officials reached him.

Davison was the husband of female racing driver Diana Davison and father of Australian racing drivers Jon Davison and Richard Davison and grandfather of Alex Davison, Will Davison and James Davison.

Drivers who win the Australian Grand Prix are awarded the Lex Davison Trophy, so named to honour Davison who was the first 4-time winner of the event (the only other 4-time winner is 7-time World Champion Michael Schumacher). This trophy, designed and made in Britain by Mr Rex Hays to the order of CAMS, incorporates a silver model of the Austin 7 driven to victory in the first Australian Grand Prix in 1928.[7]

Career results

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Lex Davison (HWM Jaguar) contesting the 1954 Australian Grand Prix
Season Series/Title Position Car Team
1955 Australian Hillclimb Championship 1st Cooper Mk. IV[8] Vincent
1956 Australian Hillclimb Championship 1st Cooper Mk. IV[8] Vincent
1957 Australian Hillclimb Championship 1st Cooper Mk. IV[8] Irving
1957 Australian Drivers' Championship 1st Ferrari 625 F1
1958 Australian Drivers' Championship 5th Ferrari 500
1960 Australian Drivers' Championship 4th Aston Martin DBR4
1961 Australian Drivers' Championship 2nd Aston Martin DBR4 & Cooper T51 Coventry Climax Ecurie Australie & BS Stillwell
1962 Australian Drivers' Championship 6th Cooper T53 Climax
1963 Australian Drivers' Championship 4th Cooper T62 Climax
1964 Tasman Series 13th Cooper T62 Climax Ecurie Australie
1964 Australian Drivers' Championship 2nd Cooper T62 Climax
Brabham BT4 Climax
Ecurie Australie

Notes

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  1. ^ Australian Dictionary of Biography Online Edition
  2. ^ Bill Pitt's website Archived 7 February 2008 at the Wayback Machine
  3. ^ Graham Howard, Lex Davison - Larger than Life, pages 149 & 150
  4. ^ Motor Sport Review, Sports Car World, October 1961, page 46
  5. ^ Guards Trophy 1961, www.the-fastlane.co.uk Retrieved 20 September 2021
  6. ^ 1965 Tasman Series Sandown International 100 Archived 22 October 2003 at archive.today
  7. ^ 2010 CAMS Manual of Motor Sport - Australian Grand Prix
  8. ^ a b c John B Blanden, Historic Racing Cars in Australia, 1979, pages 88–89
Sporting positions
Preceded by Winner of the Australian Grand Prix
1954
Succeeded by
Preceded by
Inaugural
Winner of the Australian Drivers' Championship
1957
Succeeded by
Preceded by Winner of the Australian Grand Prix
1957 (with Bill Patterson)
and 1958
Succeeded by
Preceded by Winner of the Australian Grand Prix
1961
Succeeded by