‘GELIGNITE’ Jack Murray will forever be one of the most fantastic characters from Australian motorsport history, with this tale of unscheduled nudity at the Australian Grand Prix one of his best!
Murray’s exploits from the circuits of Australia, plus backroads of the nation dating back to his rallying debut in 1928, made him an inaugural inductee into the Australian Motorsport Hall of Fame.
Perhaps one of his most significant achievements was winning the 1954 Redex with a clean sheet; however, he truly made the headlines with a shocking gorilla mask, plucked on at opportune times to cause maximum impact.
That nickname, Gelignite, came from his rallying days – Murray carried sticks of explosives to clear any obstacles on the course; however, surplus sticks were noted as being disposed of to maximise mayhem!
Murray was an all-round sportsman, a wrestling champ that nearly went to the 1936 Olympics, the pioneer of water skiing in Australia, a capable hunter, cyclist, footballer and more, including a driver in Grands Prix.
The 1954 Australian Grand Prix was contested on a rudimentary street course on the Gold Coast, looping through the rural backroads that now make up Southport, Bundall and Benowa.
The race was ultimately claimed by Lex Davison, the first of his four AGPs; however, he failed to lead the Monday morning news headlines.
While the early days of the nearby Surfers Paradise IndyCar race were often filled with off-track nudity, in the conservative 1950s, motorsport was far more couth.
Murray’s Cadillac-Allard burst a fuel pipe early in the race, which was perhaps rigged to an optimistic auxiliary tank system.
Subsequently, high-octane petrol was pumped into the cockpit, covering the driver and causing burns.
The car was the biggest in the race, with its 5,250cc powerplant capable of propelling the package to a top speed of 185km/h.
The Daily Telegraph from Monday, the 8th of November 1954, further detailed Murray’s misfortune and dance in the pits:
“When Murray stopped at the pit to have the fuel line repaired, he tore off his trousers, counting the marks about his burning skin.
“He thought he was still wearing his nylon underpants, but chemicals in the fuel had dissolved them.
“He did not know some women were nearby.
“Murray put on another pair of pants and resumed the race.”
He would recover from a spin (top pic); however, his AGP would later end in mechanical woes, all while wearing his second pair of pants!