Arthur Waite (racing driver)

Arthur Waite
Born	1894 Adelaide, South Australia
Died	1991
Australian Grand Prix
Years active	1928
Teams	A Waite
Best finish	1st in 1928 Australian Grand Prix
Championship titles
1928	Australian Grand Prix

Colonel Arthur Waite MC., OSt.J., DL., JP., (1894–1991) was an Australian racing driver.^[1]

Born in Adelaide, Arthur Waite served at Gallipoli and was later hospitalised where he met his later wife, Irene Austin, who was the daughter of Herbert Austin. After World War I Captain Waite joined his father-in-law's firm, the Austin Motor Company. While in the employ of Austin, Waite was sent back to Australia, where in Melbourne he established Austin Distributors. Prior to leaving for Australia he had established the firm's motor racing efforts, winning races himself at Brooklands and Monza.^[2]

While in Australia he sent for his Austin 7 racing car in order to compete in the race that later became known as the 1928 Australian Grand Prix. A different car was sent however, but despite it being a relatively standard sports model it was a supercharged for racing version of the Austin 7.^[3] Despite this, Waite won the Grand Prix (held at Phillip Island).^[4]

Waite won the 1928 100 Miles Road Race (later known as the 1928 Australian Grand Prix) driving an Austin 7

References

1. Waite Stamp - Austin 7 Club Inc.
2. Between the Wars Austin 50 Years of Progress
3. Bell, Ray (1986). "1928". The official 50-race history of the Australian Grand Prix. R&T Publishing. pp. 14–24. ISBN 0-9588464-0-5.
4. CAMS Manual on the Australian Grand Prix