Lex Davison


Alexander Nicholas Davison 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.
Davison won Class A of the 1960 Armstrong 500, forerunner of the Bathurst 1000, driving an NSU Prinz.
In 1961 he won the Aintree Grand Prix, finished third in the British Empire Trophy and placed tenth in the Intercontinental Championship - his only point being a sixth in the Guards Trophy, all whilst racing an Aston Martin.
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. Unfortunately their Le Mans adventure ended prematurely when a blown head gasket saw them retire on lap 25.
On 20 February 1965 Davison died in a crash during practice for the 1965 International 100 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. 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.

Career results

SeasonSeries/TitlePositionCarTeam
1955Australian Hillclimb Championship1stCooper Mk. IV Vincent
1956Australian Hillclimb Championship1stCooper Mk. IV Vincent
1957Australian Hillclimb Championship1stCooper Mk. IV Irving
1957Australian Drivers' Championship1stFerrari 625 F1
1958Australian Drivers' Championship5thFerrari 500
1960Australian Drivers' Championship4thAston Martin DBR4
1961Australian Drivers' Championship2ndAston Martin DBR4 & Cooper T51 Coventry ClimaxEcurie Australie & BS Stillwell
1962Australian Drivers' Championship6thCooper T53 Climax
1963Australian Drivers' Championship4thCooper T62 Climax
1964Tasman Series13thCooper T62 ClimaxEcurie Australie
1964Australian Drivers' Championship2ndCooper T62 Climax
Brabham BT4 Climax		Ecurie Australie