MotorSport Legends Issue 30

MOFFAT’S MONZA BACK ON TRACK $8.95

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MotorSport Legends MotorSport Legends FALCON

HELL

Dick Johnson’s horrifying trip through the Bathurst trees

ISSUE #30

CLASS WARFARE HOW TOYOTA’S SMALL CARS TOOK ON THE AUSSIE TOURING CAR ESTABLISHMENT MSL30 p01 Cover.indd 1

BRE The birth of an American racing icon 4/11/2015 6:22 pm

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MSL30 p02 Morgan IFC AD.indd 1

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Contents ISSUE #30

NEWS 6

MOFFAT’S MONZA ROCKS MONTEREY

THE EMPIRE STRIKES BACK

Allan Moffat’s magnificent Chevy Monza, once missing in action has reappeared in the USA.

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Ford re-enacts one of the great automotive public relations coups of all times.

BEHIND THE WHEEL

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Like the original, MINI’s new John Cooper Works model is equally at home on the road and track.

WEBB OF INTRIGUE

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Mick Webb pays tribute to a great mate.

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OH WHAT A FEELING

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Fifty years after conception, we look back at the achievements of the mighty AMI Racing Team.

DAMON HILL

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On the 20th anniversary of Melbourne’s AGP, we speak to Albert Park’s first winner, Damon Hill.

HARDIE’S HEROES

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SHEPPARD’S PIE

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Sheppo returns with more insights from his racing endevours during the ‘70s.

Dick Johnson, Kevin Bartlett and Andrew Harris relive the drama that unfolded after Dick’s Falcon crashed during the 1983 top ten shootout.

FROM BEHIND THE ARMCO

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PETER BROCK PART 3

Stonie remembers the jubilation South Australian’s felt when they secured our first fair dinkum F1 GP.

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The conclusion to our three part series looks at how Peter Brock put Datsun on the map in the USA. MOTORSPORT LEGENDS

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pole position

BIG BANG THEORY

EDITOR Darren House EMAIL

darren@motorsportlegends.com.au

THE SAYING ‘THE BIGGER THEY ARE, THE HARDER THEY FALL’ IS OFTEN APPROPRIATE AT BATHURST

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in the V8 Supercar era, including Jason Bargwanna (HYL) during the morning warm up in 1997, Wayne Gardner (SBR) in practice 2002, and Warren Luff (HRT) in practice, 2014.

In this edition we look back at Dick Johnson’s 1983 crash and the drama that subsequently unfolded to get the Queenslander and co-driver, Kevin Bartlett, back into the race.

I don’t recall if Hardie’s Heroes was broadcast live on TV, but those of us in the press room watched the massive crash occur in real time. Given that it was a shoot-out lap, all eyes were firmly focussed on the TV screens, and our collective roar when Dick glanced the wall, quickly turned to silence as the big Ford careered off the road and into the trees.

Those watching became even more concerned when almost immediately the screen turned to black as the Falcon ploughed through the television cables and the picture was lost.

WRITERS Mark Fogarty, Glenis Lindley, Mick Webb, Grant Nicholas, John Sheppard, Paul Marinelli, Brian Zana

We soon learned that Dick was OK, and our concern then turned to the fact that the race would be robbed of a major attraction.

Of course Dick and KB did start the race after a marathon Saturday night effort, though few outside of DJR gave the car much chance of being competitive. Dick still has a vivid memory of the incident and we hope you enjoy how the major players – Dick, Kevin Bartlett and Andrew Harris – saw it all unfold.

– Darren

PHOTOGRAPHERS Autopics.com.au, Glenis Lindley, John Doig (Torque Photos), Ian D Smith, Brian Zana PUBLISHER Allan Edwards Pole Position Productions PO Box 225 Keilor Victoria 3036 Phone: (03) 9372 9125 Fax: (03) 8080 6473 EMAIL

admin@motorsportlegends.com.au WEBSITE

www.motorsportlegends.com.au ADVERTISING Jennifer Gamble Advertising Manager Phone: 0431 451 470

FROM THE PUBLISHER

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he world of publishing is changing at a rapid rate and Raamen Pty Ltd and Pole Position Productions have some exciting plans for the future, but you will have to stay tuned to hear more about them in early 2016.

However, one of these developments will affect the way you get your hands on Motorsport Legends magazine in the future. From next issue, Motorsport Legends magazine will be included with our sister publication V8X Supercar Magazine – this will make one super motor racing magazine!

Motorsport Legends’ subscribers will be the first notified of future changes as soon as we are ready to fully unveil our plans.

In the meantime, we hope you enjoy issue #30 of Motorsport Legends, and your free backcopy of V8X Supercar Magazine.

Thank you for your continued support,

– Allan Edwards, Publisher

EMAIL

jennifer@motorsportlegends.com.au DISTRIBUTOR Network Services Material in Motorsport Legends is protected by copyright laws and may not be reporoduced in any format.

Motorsport Legends will consider unsolicited articles and pictures; however, no responsibility will be taken for their return. While all efforts are taken to verify information in Motorsport Legends is factual, no responsibility will be taken for any material which is later found to be false or misleading. The opinions of the contributors are not always those of the publishers.

BROTHER IN ARMS

Phil Brock’s multifarious career

MOTORSPORT LEGENDS #29

ot that we needed it, but Chaz Moster’s massive crash in qualifying for this year’s Bathurst 1000, serves as a reminder of the massive penalty the track willingly awards to drivers who make the smallest of errors, or in many cases, simply suffer pure bad luck.

Worse still is when an incident puts a team out of the event as the race begins, or while in its infancy.

The first high-profile incident I became aware of, as a very young fan, was Colin Bond’s (HDT) roll over on just lap 3 of the 1972 Bathurst 500. The second was Jack Brabham’s start-line incident four years later.

I attended my first Bathurst in 1979 and the early-event incidents soon came thick and fast, including Dick Johnson’s rock incident in 1980, his Hardie’s Heroes mishap in 1983, and the start-line collision of Tom Walkinshaw in 1984.

There’s been quite a few more

GRAPHIC DESIGN Neville Wilkinson

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MOPAR

Greg Crick’s super quick V8 Charger

MUSCLE MUSTANG MUSING

Ford’s wild Mustang designs that never carried the Mustang galloping pony badge

ISSUE #29

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MOTORSPORT LEGENDS

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Didn’t get our previous issue? Go to www. motorsportlegends.com.au for details on how to subscribe or to order a back issue.

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BASKERVILLE

BASKS IN GLORY BASKERVILLE RACEWAY, LOCATED JUST 20 MINUTES FROM HOBART, IS THE LONGEST CONTINUOUSLY RUNNING MOTOR RACING CIRCUIT IN AUSTRALIA. THE OCTOBER HISTORIC MEETING HAS GROWN TO THE EXTENT THAT IT IS NOW TASMANIA’S BIGGEST CIRCUIT RACING EVENT OUTSIDE OF THE V8 SUPERCAR MEETING AT SYMMONS PLAINS, AND IS A KEY TO SUPPORTING THE EFFORTS OF THE BASKERVILLE FOUNDATION. THE FOUNDATION AIMS TO RAISE SUFFICIENT FUNDS TO RE-SURFACE THE TRACK AND IMPROVE AMENITIES TO ENSURE BASKERVILLE’S LONG TERM FUTURE. Words BRUCE THOMAS

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he 2015 meeting was by far the most successful to date.

With more than 200 entries across 11 class categories and 46 races, a record crowd gathered to see some highly entertaining historic racing. Entrants (and spectators) came from Western Australia, Northern Territory, Queensland, NSW and Victoria.

The journey across Bass Strait was made easy by the Spirit of Tasmania, a main event sponsor. Several competitors drove their race cars on to the Spirit on club permits – the noise inside the hull must have been impressive!

Glen Seton, driving the Peter Sportelli owned ex-Bryan Thompson Camaro, did battle with local Camaro driver, Darren Pearce. The two Camaros were a stirring sight with Pearce, showing tremendous car control, emerging victorious.

Evergreen, Rusty French, brought his Touring Car Masters Porsche to race in

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Above; The Muscle Car Cup. Photo: Stuart Edwards Right; Bill Trengrove Andrew Glidden James Wilson duel up the hill in front of a packed spectator hill. Photo by Stuart Edwards

the Muscle Car Cup category against a strong field of local race cars. Kim Barwick, in his Nascar-engined VK Commodore, was the class of the field but the Toranas of Andrew Webster, Jarrod House and Adam Williams stole the show with a three abreast dice in the final race of

the day that took everyone’s breath away.

Also on hand were some exotic cars, supported by Dutton Garage, including

Kieran Patel’s 1983 Le Mans class winning Porsche 930, the one-of-a-kind FVA powered De Tomaso F2, which was run in period by Frank Williams,

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Left: Kieran Patel, DeTomaso F2.

Photo: Bruce Thomas.

Below left: Darren Clark’s RX7 during the Historic Rallycross demonstration.

Photo: Angryman Photography.

Below: Bob Sellers 54 and Tony Dykes 34 do battle in the Chute. Photo: Angryman Photography.

Main: Mt Wellington provides a scenic backdrop to a group of EHs led by Ian Glover.

Photo: Angryman Photography.

and the ex-Roger Penske Lola T192 (unfortunately a drive-line issue prevented any competition laps during the weekend).

Recently retired racer, Greg Crick, was re-united with his very first race car, a 48/215 Holden, and showed all his skill by lapping competitively and consistently in Regularity Sedans.

A huge Group N Under 3 Litre field of 25 cars provided some entertaining racing.

Local driver Lachlan Thomas took overall honours, his maiden win, in his fast 1300 Escort. Hobart driver Rodney Creed in his PRB Clubman performed solidly all weekend to take out honours in Group S.

Noel Clark achieved a clean sweep of the openwheel events in his Elfin 700. Phillip Harris’ Brabham BT23 and Paul Hamilton’s Elfin 600 classic F2 cars provided a stirring site as they circulated in close company. Open wheel and invited sports cars were the Sunday grid walk feature, which was very popular with

the crowd.

The meeting is run as a 2+4 format and a record entry of 42 motor bikes provided some close and entertaining racing. A Rallycross demonstration was held on Saturday night as a pre-cursor to an expanded competition in 2016. A strong crowd remained for the twilight demonstration

led in spectacular fashion by former Australian Rally Champion Simon Evans.

Planning has started for the 2016 event. Information on Baskerville Historics is available via the Facebook page ‘Baskerville Historics’ or via the Hobart Sporting Car Club web site http://www.hobartsportingcarclub.org/

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THE EMPIRE STRIKES BACK

FORD HAS RE-CREATED THE TIME IT AND THE MANAGEMENT OF THE EMPIRE STATE BUILDING IN NEW YORK, COLLABORATED TO DISPLAY A NEW MUSTANG CONVERTIBLE ON THE WORLD’S HIGHEST OBSERVATION DECK.

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n 1965, the Ford Mustang was the talk of the USA. The first calendar year of production saw sales of more than 400,000 units, well in excess of the 100,000 units projected in the original business plan, making it the fastest-selling new car of all time.

Today, with instantaneous multimedia communication around the world via the Internet and social media, generating marketing buzz is a huge industry. In 1965, it was a bit more challenging.

Robert Leury, vice president and general manager of the Empire State Building, saw the Mustang sales figures and thought he’d love to gain a slice of that frenzy. In the fall of 1965, Leury invited Ford division merchandising manager, William Benton, in for a meeting to discuss how to pull off a headline-grabbing spectacle.

After the meeting, Benton returned to Dearborn, Michigan, and formed a tidy team of eight with one goal: Put a 1966 Mustang on the 86th floor observation deck of the world’s tallest, most iconic building. The challenges were significant.

Due to the building’s stupendous spire and sloping upper architecture, it was determined that lowering a complete car onto the observation deck via helicopter was just too complex and dangerous, so another approach had to be developed.

This is where Ford engineers set to work. The crew took a trip to New York, measuring tapes in hand, carefully noting the dimensions of the building’s doorways, halls, rooms and elevators.

After some back-of-the-napkin calcu-

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lations the plan was set: Slice a perfectly good ‘66 Mustang convertible into pieces, stuff it into the passenger elevator, and then put it back together at the top.

The trick was to split the car and put it back together in such a way that it wasn’t apparent as anything but a production vehicle – no cuts to the sheet metal, no trick hinges or fake fibreglass panels. Everything had to appear to be stock Mustang.

Back in Dearborn, the team went

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to work. In order to fit the 15-footlong Mustang into the seven-foot-tall elevators, they decided to cut the body of a white convertible into four main

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TOWER OF POWER 3

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sections: windshield, front end, centre body and rear end.

The front seats, centre console and doors were temporarily removed to simplify access. Next, the engine, transmission and driveshaft were removed. At this point, they could do the dirty work and cut the floor pan out – the rear slice was done right at the rocker panel below the trailing edge of the door, while the front followed the seam at the bottom of the leading edge of the door. The final cut was at the base of the windshield frame.

Now it needed to be put it back together.

A series of brackets was designed and fabricated so the pieces of the car could slide together and be bolted in place, once again rigid enough to act as a display car.

To make the job of moving the heavy pieces around manageable, a rolling dolly was built to guide the front and rear halves into and out of the elevators. The team made three practice runs up similar

1. The components of the 2015 Mustang that was displayed on the Empire State Building observation deck, April 16-17, 2014.

2. 2015 Mustang convertible assembled on the 86th floor observation deck of the Empire State Building in New York.

3. Dressed in spotless white coveralls, a team of automotive ‘surgeons’ unloads a brand-new 1966 Ford Mustang convertible on 33rd Street in Manhattan alongside the world’s tallest building.

4. Preliminary steps in preparing the car for major surgery. The team removes seats and console from the car and sorts smaller parts on sheets of plastic foam.

5. The operation to tear down a Mustang into four major sections and many smaller pieces enters a critical stage. The team separates two sections by unfastening clamps and sliding pipe rails apart on both sides of the car. The job proceeded so smoothly it was completed in about an hour.

6. Four members of the crew

elevators at the Ford headquarters in Dearborn and everything checked out.

The only thing left was to set a date.

At 10:30pm on October 20, 1965, the crew, decked out in crisp white overalls, met at the base of the 1,472-foot-tall Empire State Building, unloaded the car and disassembled it in front of astonished onlookers. Everything was progressing as planned and they started moving parts up the elevator.

Despite all the upfront planning, the front section was found to be exactly one-quarter inch-too tall for the elevator door; the steering wheel was in the way.

After some careful jostling, it was slipped through the doorway.

Once at observation deck level, the team rolled the sections out through the 32-inch-wide door and reassembled the Mustang in gusting 40mph winds by 4:30am – just in time for a short break, before news helicopters gathered to begin

relax after completing the first stage of their operation.

7. Removed from the operating arena on 33rd Street, the front third of the disjointed Mustang is tucked into an elevator to be whisked to the 86th floor observation area. The front and rear sections of the car were wheeled into the lobby in rickshaw fashion. The sections and all the other pieces were carefully assembled and joined together again in a reverse operation on the 86th floor, more than 1,000 feet above the street.

8. Once again restored to robust health and with the hazards of Operation Mustang safely concluded, the 1966 convertible is perched on a corner of the 86th floor parapet. The car was later moved inside the building to the observation deck where it was on public display to be viewed by thousands of visitors to the famed landmark until the next spring. It was the first car to be put on the observation deck and the biggest and heaviest object ever on display there.

photographing the car from above.

By 11am, photographers had gotten their fill and the car was taken apart once again and reassembled in the observation floor’s inner room, where it greeted an estimated 14,000 visitors that first day and countless more for many months to come.

This sort of high-profile marketing no doubt played a part in getting people into showrooms that year. In 1966, Ford sold an incredible 607,568 Mustangs – the most ever in a single year. By March 1966, an unbelievable 1 million cars had been sold since launch – just about the same time the little white Mustang convertible on top of the Empire State Building was about to retire from the highest showroom in the world.

As the world honoured 50 years of Ford Mustang, Ford decided to celebrate by putting a 2015 Mustang convertible back on top of one of the most iconic buildings.

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PAGES OF ICONIC PHOTOS & LEGENDARY MOMENTS!

Celebrating 50 Years of The Great Race Large commemorative hardcover (285x225mm) Driver proďŹ les & comprehensive results Foreword by racing legend Dick Johnson

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ONLY $35 WITH FREE P&H

t Digital version now available for $24.95 (online orders only) Order now at V8X.com.au or call (03) 9372 9125 MSL30 p10 Bathurst Book AD.indd 1

4/11/2015 4:29 pm

news AUTOPICS’ MAGNIFICENT DVD OF THE GREAT RACE A MUST FOR ALL BATHURST FANS - EVERY CAR FROM 1970 TO 1979!

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ustralia’s premier photographic library of historic motorsport, Autopics, has released a two-hour slideshow DVD of every car that started the Bathurst 500/1000 in the ’70s, along with most cars that practiced and didn’t start the race.

The DVD has more than 2000 screen-size images of 660 different cars, together with a

description of each car and the driver, and is ideal to view on either your TV or computer.

Many of the images are previously unpublished and show all angles of the car where possible, along with candid pit and spectator shots.

The DVD is great value at only $30. For more info contact David at Autopics.com. au info@autopics. com.au – 0407869680

MOTORSPORT LEGENDS

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NEW MINI JCW IS BIG ON FUN Words DARREN HOUSE

NEW LEVELS OF PERFORMANCE AND HANDLING MAKE THE NEW MINI JOHN COOPER WORKS MODEL MORE TRACKWORTHY THAT EVER.

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eading Victorian prestige dealership, Mini Garage Melbourne/BMW Melbourne, recently invited a number of valued customers to a special Phillip Island track day to celebrate the launch of the new MINI John Cooper Works (JCW).

Phillip Island was the ideal venue for the new launch – the new JCW is the most powerful MINI ever made and equally suited to road or circuit usage.

The high performance hatchback features a substantial increase in specification over its predecessor, combining enhanced performance with a compelling value proposition.

Starting from $47,400 with manual transmission (cheaper than the previous generation), the car features a newly developed engine and brake system, optimised suspension and aero kit, a new exhaust system, new design features, increased safety, and more 12

high-end options.

The list of standard equipment includes more driver assistance systems, including head-up display with enhanced JCW specific content (gear indicator, rev display and shift lights), 18-inch JCW Cup two-tone light alloy wheels, JCW sports seats, LED headlights with LED daytime running lights and DAB+ digital radio tuner.

Powering the new JCW is a 2.0 litre, four-cylinder Twin Power Turbo engine gener-

ating 170kW of power and 320Nm of torque. Weighing 1200kg, the JCW accelerates from 0-100km/h in 6.3 sec.

Much of that increased performance is a consequence of integrating the turbo into the exhaust manifold, creating a more direct path for the charge and all but eliminating turbo lag. Usable torque is available from 1850rpm, resulting in a consistent torque band and instant power when exiting corners.

It gets even better, as fuel

consumption is down 20 per cent due to the more flexible power delivery.

There’s a choice of six-speed manual or six-speed Steptronic (automatic) transmission. MINI says the auto transmission is lighter than eight-speed transmissions and dual clutch units, but gear changes are just as quick. For those who are yet to perfect heel and toe downshifting with manual gearboxes, simply depress the clutch pedal and the engine will automatically spin up to

MOTORSPORT LEGENDS

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match the revs.

The brakes are just as impressive; MINI teamed with Brembo to develop brakes that not only provide excellent decelerating from high speed, but also remain consistent in performance during prolonged track usage.

Dynamic damper control

allows drivers to tune the suspension to suit any application, while a new steering system known as Servotronic – first seen on BMW’s M3 – varies the amount of steering input required depending on driving conditions.

Handling is further enhanced with proactive

BORN TO RUN The Mini has a rich history of in Australian motorsport – here are some of the car’s more memorable moments.

The 1966 Bathurst 500 winning Cooper S of Bob Holden and Rauno Aaltonen.

2. The winning Ferrari 250 LM of Sir Jackie Stewart/Andy Buchanan passes the Charlie Smith/Barry (Bo) Seton Mini Moke during the 1966 Rothmans 12 Hour Sports Car Race at Surfers Paradise.

performance control. The electronic differential monitors and distributes power to the front wheels while DSC applies the brakes as required to make sure the car is pushed or pulled in and out of a corner.

A new rear spoiler and diffuser ensures the JCW

is more stable at speed and predictable during cornering.

The result is a car that feels light but controllable under heavy braking, and can even be oversteered through race track corners if desired. www.minigaragemelbourne.com.au www.bmwmelbourne.com.aU

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David Bye (34) and Ron Granger (50) chasing another Mini at Oran Park in 1965.

4. Sporting some interesting aerodynamic aids, Paul Gulson’s Mini enters Oran Park’s front straight during 1972.

5. Mini’s often fought above their engine capacity. Here Len McIntosh leads a Holden EH, Mini Clubman and Torana at Oran Park in 1976.

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webb of intrigue VALE BILL PYE

BILL PYE WALKED IN TO MICK WEBB’S WORKSHOP AS A PROSPECTIVE CUSTOMER AND LEFT AS A FIRM FRIEND. MICK PAYS TRIBUTE TO THE TCM COMPETITOR WHO TRAGICALLY PASSED AWAY IN AN AIRCRAFT ACCIDENT IN AUGUST.

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was very fortunate to meet Bill when he was thinking about buying Tony Hunter’s black, 1969 Camaro that had been running in the TCM series for a couple of years. Jim Richards and John Bowe had both driven it, and it was a very successful car. Bill looked at it and said, “Yep, we’ll give it a run”.

Tony told him that I had built and maintained the Camaro’s engine and Bill asked me if I would continue to do so. In fact, I then began to look after, and prepare, the entire car and I also supplied the crew. That was the start of a fantastic relationship, which grew into a bloody good friendship.

Bill was a very good driver – a fact backed by JR (Jim Richards). We had some fantastic races and we achieved some great results with the car, a fine testament to Bill’s talent given he didn’t spend much time in the seat. Being a very successful farmer, Bill didn’t do a lot of testing. We usually finished in around fourth or fifth position, but if Bill had been able to get his bum in the car more often, I am sure he could have run at the pointy end of the field.

We knew the old Camaro had been in a few crashes

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A COUPLE OF YEARS AGO HE SPOTTED THE EX-DICK JOHNSON MUSTANG FOR SALE. THE FIRST TIME WE RACED THE MUSTANG WE BLITZED THEM

and we decided to build a new ’69 Camaro. Everything on that car was new, and it was a fantastic package, but it didn’t remain in pristine condition for very long. Bill was the innocent party in an accident during the car’s debut meeting at Clipsal, which virtually wrecked our brand new car.

Bill was disgusted and wanted to burn the Chevy on the spot, and then drive over it with his tractor. We eventually calmed him down and repaired the car, and it has been very successful since. Bill was getting faster with every session and he was looking at spending more time testing, which would have made him and the car more competitive.

Wanting to get involved in a few long-term investments, Bill decided to expand

his stable. A couple of years ago he spotted the ex-Dick Johnson Mustang for sale.

The first time we raced the Mustang we blitzed them, we fixed everybody up at Sydney Motorsport Park and it continued to be a very competitive car.

Bill loved driving the Mustang, he thought it was probably the best handling car he had ever driven. He kept saying we have to get the Camaro handling as well as the Mustang. That was a work in progress.

Bill always spoke very

highly of his son, Sandy, and he was waiting for the time he could put Sandy in the Mustang. He was really looking forward to that.

This year Bill also bought one of Glenn Seton’s little Sierras, which is in my workshop now – and we began a full restoration on the car. Bill wanted it pristine because the car hasn’t been used much since 1993. We were getting the car ready for Bill for next season, and he was to run alongside Sandy in the Mustang.

Naturally, working together

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Mick Webb is a championship-winning, race engineer and engine builder who has worked with Jim Richards, Allan Moffat, Peter Brock, Frank Gardner and the Stillwell Racing Team. He currently works with Jim Richards and Bill Pye in the Touring Car Masters series.

with him so much, I came to greatly value my friendship with Bill. He was a ripper bloke and I loved working with him. When I attended Bill’s funeral, I was bowled over by the extraordinary number of people who felt the same way.

I spoke to Bill’s wife, Margie,

and their children, Sandy and Georgia, and was amazed at their strength during such a tragic time. Margie, Sandy and Georgia were also staunch supporters of Bill’s farming and motor racing careers.

I also spoke to some of Bill’s workers - Timmy Barret, Fox, Rick and Marcus, who all said

he was a fantastic boss. I was so proud to be among such a great group of people.

RIP mate – you will be sorely missed.

– Webby

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sheppard’s pie

LIVING IN THE ’70s SHEPPO CONTINUES HIS APPRAISAL OF DRIVERS WITH WHOM HE HAS WORKED AND REVEALS HOW HE CAME TO RUN THE MARLBORO HOLDEN DEALER TEAM.

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aving left John Pollard off my list of drivers, I thought it only fair to start this column with him. I reckon he wasn’t all that well known to the masses but he had a long and varied career over a large assortment of cars.

My involvement with John started in the early ’70s when he ran a Toyota Corolla. John came to me at Monaro Motors in South Melbourne and asked me to “point him the right direction”. This covered most of the things that go to making a good driver – even to seating position at the wheel. I can neither confirm nor deny this, but John is adamant that what we did for him cut four seconds off his lap time at Calder!

From there, we went through cars from Torana, Camaro and Porsche 935, with him running in the leading bunch. John’s Torana was the first to use our wet sump, which showed the factory cars that you could make them work if you knew what you were doing! He is having problems with his health at the moment and we wish him a speedy recovery!

I wonder how much input drivers have these days using the ‘seat of their pants’ versus electronic monitoring of what 16

Bob Jane lamented the changes made to his legendary Torana Sports Sedan.

the car is doing. When I first got to use data acquisition in the Volvos, the Swedish engineers told me we had a head problem – with one of our drivers, you guess which one!

The above is not what I started thinking about, but it did raise an interesting insight into what you had to rely on in the past.

One day at Warwick Farm, we were running the Brabham BT36 Waggott and saw that it was ‘hanging the arse out’ coming onto Pit Straight, so we called ‘Harv’ in and, without consulting the driver, Pat Purcell and I adjusted the suspension settings. After a couple of laps, ‘Harv’ came in and demanded that we put the suspension back to where it was, as the car was understeering and dangerous. We

Sheppo says taking over the HDT “Seemed like a good idea at the time...”

refused, so he went to Bob Jane, who said that we had to do what the driver wanted! My response was, “even when it’s a second and a half slower?”

I’ll leave it to you to figure out what we did…

A question came up on Facebook recently relating to the Bob Jane Repco Torana and why the Repco engine was

removed and a Chevy fitted in its place. That was done on Frank Gardner’s watch and the car was faster with all the things Frank did. However, Bob drove the car one day and said, “What have you done to my lovely little car?”

I went to have a look at the Torana, as it is today, with a view to buying it and was

MOTORSPORT LEGENDS

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John Sheppard is a former team manager and race engineer who led the Bob Jane Racing Team, Holden Dealer Team and Volvo Dealer Team.

we all needed to do our job well and an expectation that we would get paid!

Once considered an openwheeler driver, John Bowe proved his tin-top credentials with Sheppo’s Volvo Dealer Team.

John Pollard’s Camaro leads Jim Richards’ Mustang at Calder Raceway.

told that the owner had knocked back $300K for the car! Believe it or not, I walked away. Interestingly enough, John Pollard is making a replica of it, complete with a 4.4-litre Repco engine.

Getting back to my list of drivers, John Bowe is full of praise for the efforts of other drivers, well most of ‘em, anyway! I guess you could understand that he didn’t think much of one of his team mates from 1986, and I guess it’s fair to say that neither did I! On the other hand, he was genuinely pleased that after being recommended by him, Alfie Costanzo was within a couple of tenths of

his times at Bathurst! I think he opened a few eyes at Wanneroo when he put the Volvo on pole position in his first outing in the car. Until then, I think John may have been seen as an open-wheeler driver. These days, he seems to drive pretty much anything with a wheel on each corner and is competitive in all of ‘em.

The editor sent me a few ‘thought bubbles’ about things that may interest readers and one of them was, “why did I want to run the HDT?”.

The short answer was that it seemed like a good idea at the time! However, when I re-opened Monaro Motors in

South Melbourne, it got to be a ‘drop-off point’ for race teams when Holden ‘wasn’t involved in motor racing’. I got to know quite a few of the senior management and was asked to fix a lot of things that couldn’t be handled in the plant.

They would often drop in to check on progress when we built the ‘Craven Mild Monaro’. Then Monaro Motors was asked to upgrade all the SL/R 5000 rear ends to A9X specs, so GMH was aware of the capabilities of our little outfit, and our standards of presentation.

We also had our own engine dyno and quite a few of the trinkets necessary to run a factory race team. It was a bit of a revelation to me how long it took them to make up their minds and when they finally did, we didn’t have a lot of time to prepare the cars, move to North Melbourne and set up a new race headquarters.

I’m not all that sure who said what to who, but my taking the job almost seemed to happen by itself, with no written agreement, just an unspoken understanding that

Apparently the previous management wasn’t happy with how GMH interacted, but from my point of view, they did pretty much anything we asked for and we sourced all of our own parts through normal channels. I didn’t even go to the production line and sort through stock to get the best bits. The people within GMH who helped us also helped any other team that asked.

One thing I do know is that it didn’t take too long for most of the Directors to be regular visitors to race meetings!

The other relationship, which was ‘interesting’, was with the drivers. From the outset, I made it clear that ‘working hours’ were 8am to 5pm and if they wanted to have long chats with the staff, we were available at morning tea time, lunch time and after work, which went over like passing wind in a submarine!

However, talking all day and working all night seemed a bit strange to me.

Also, John Bagshaw was insistent that Peter had to be at work early each morning and “put in his hours” to the boss. I wasn’t too popular for making this happen but Peter always did what was required of him on and off the race track, and while we may not have been ‘first best friends’ during that time, we had a strong respect for each other and after we went our separate ways, we became more ‘friends’.

– Sheppo MOTORSPORT LEGENDS

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from behind the armco

ADELAIDE ALIVE

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f you lived in Adelaide when the city scored a round of the World Formula One Championship you’d thought you had died and gone to heaven.

To Melbournians, the thought of piddling, sleepy hollow Adelaide clinching a deal with Bernie Ecclestone to bring a real GP to Australia was worse than Adelaide joining the AFL. Since Alan Jones won the 1980 World Championship, Melbourne – and in particular, Bob Jane – were determined to have a Grand Prix on their patch.

Jane started off bringing AJ out to Calder with his championship winning Williams FW07 for a make-believe AGP in November 1980, along with Bruno Giacomelli in a flat-12 Alfa and Didier Pironi, who drove an MR8 Elfin.

This followed in 1981 to ’84 with Niki Lauda, Keke Rosberg, Nelson Piquet, Jacques Laffite and others driving F2-ish type cars – at great expense to Uncle Bob – to encourage the Victorian government to pay Bernie $US5M to bring F1 to Calder.

The Light Car Club got some money from Victorian Premier, John Cain, to bring Le Mans type cars to Sandown

AUSTRALIAN’S GOT THEIR FIRST TASTE OF WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP GRAND PRIX RACING WHEN SLEEPY ADELAIDE WON THE RIGHT TO HOLD ‘FAIR-DINKUM FORMULA ONE’ IN 1985.

but when the Premier got to the track he realised… “These aren’t F1 cars!”

South Australian Premier, John Bannon, in conjunction with Adelaide tyre dealer, Bill O’Gorman, decided to bring a GP to Adelaide (1986) for the one-hundred and fiftieth State birthday celebrations.

The bid succeeded, with Bannon clinching the deal with Eccelestone for $US3 million per year.

The only hic-cup was Eccelstone wanted Adelaide to take the Grand Prix a year earlier.

They had had 11 months to build a track, with FIA catch fencing and crash barriers for the streets of Adelaide.

Bernie thought nobody knew where Adelaide was

and nobody would come, so Bannon negotiated half the local advertising money and all the gate takings! What was Bernard thinking?

When Bernie walked into the Adelaide Grand Prix circuit for the first time he spied the white tents on top of the grand stands and asked, “What are those?”

“Corporate boxes,” replied the Premier and Mr E knew he had been out smarted.

The other great attraction of the first two AGP’s in Adelaide was we got to see Alan Jones drive in both events. At the first 1985 AGP, director Mal Hemmerling was summoned

by Eccelstone to stand with him in pit lane to watch Jones drive his Beatrice Lola onto

the circuit for the first AGP. In 1986 the big shock was Melbourne Brewer, CUB, scored the AGP naming rights with their Fosters brand. Fear and loathing swept Adelaide that the Mexicans (Victorians) South of the border were trying to pinch their GP. Of course, Melbourne did get the AGP in 1996 but not the deal Adelaide and Bannon had for 11 years. John is now on the board of SACA in Adelaide and when recently asked about his association with Eccelstone, said he often gets a call from Bernie.

At a dinner hosted by BMW Australia, Saturday, November 2, 1985 at the Adelaide Bowling Club centred inside the street circuit, Bernie gave a speech that completely showed how astonished he was with the new grand prix venue.

“Grand Prix racing is changed forever and will now have to come up to the standard Adelaide has shown here.”

– Stonie John Stoneham (pen-name ‘Stonie’) was editorial cartoonist with Chequered Flag and Auto Action magazines for four decades, Political cartoonist with Adelaide’s daily newspaper, The News 1984-1991.

He is currently Unique Cars’ resident cartoonist. He was discovered by Mark Fogarty in 1974.

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H H H H H H H H H H H H H H H H H H H H H H H H H

MOFFAT’S MONZA ROCKS MONTEREY Words/Photos BRIAN ZANA

STROLLING THROUGH THE LAGUNA SECA PITS AT THIS YEAR’S MONTEREY HISTORIC RACES, OUR US CORRESPONDENT BRIAN ZANA DISCOVERED A US-MADE CAR WITH A RICH AUSTRALIAN HISTORY

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n auto racing there are few events that match that of the annual Rolex Monterey Historic Races at Mazda Speedway, Laguna Seca. This event attracts some of the most famous and well-documented vintage race cars from around the world and this year I was fortunate enough to attend the weeks’ events.

As I walked through the paddock area admiring the amazing diversity of cars, such as the 1980 Ferrari 512BBLM, the 1955 Jaguar D-type and the 1977 Elfin MR8 Formula 5000, I noticed an unusual car.

As I got closer I realised it was a 1974 Chevrolet Monza. Well, I knew I had to speak to the owner and find out the story on this vintage Chevy race car.

I knocked on the trailer and out came Stephen Sorenson, the car’s owner.

We had a brief discussion about the 20

car as he was heading out for his groups’ practice/qualifying run of the morning. We agreed to meet up later in the day to sit down and discuss his car, and its history in length.

As the day wore on I made contact with Steve numerous times but he was always a bit too busy to sit down with me. This was due to having some shift linkage issues with his newly restored Monza.

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H H H H H H H H H H H H H H H H H H H H H H H H H

CHEVROLET WAS TRYING TO COMPETE WITH THE SMALLER IMPORT CARS OF THE EARLY ‘70S AND THEY DEVELOPED THE MONZA TO DO SO. AS WITH MANY CAR COMPANIES, THEY FELT THAT IF THE CARS WON ON SUNDAY THEY WOULD SELL ON MONDAY.

Above: Happy Birthday USA – New owner Stephen Sorenson has refinished the Monza in the stars and stripes livery that Moffat used to celebrate America’s bi-centenary.

Left: Later in the car’s career, Moffat employed a Zakspeedinspired paint design similar to that used on his Falcon, Right: Moffat leads the Ian Geoghegan’s Monaro at Amaroo Park.

You see, the car had only been completed mechanically in May and then torn apart to be media blasted and painted in the original DeKon paint scheme for this event. The next morning I caught up with

Steve and after a bit of a search we found a relatively quiet place to have our talk.

Steve is a wealth of information when it comes to Chevy Monzas in general, not to mention his specific Monza. Steve

began by telling me how these little vehicles became race cars.

Engineer Lee Dykstra and driver Horst Kwech left Ford racing and developed a race team called DeKon, which was a MOTORSPORT LEGENDS

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H H H H H H H H H H H H H H H H H H H H H H H H H

Above left: Moffat chats to former HDT boss, Harry Firth in 1980. Above: The Rolex Monterey meeting was the car’s first official outing after two prior test sessions at the same track. Below right: Sorenson plans to fit the small block Chev with period correct mechanical fuel injection. Below right: The hardest part of the rebuild was recreating the body panels from scratch, using photos as reference.

mix of their two names, but also stood for design and construction. The first car that DeKon raced was a Ford Falcon, with all the racing bits you would expect from a factory team.

After just a short time, Ford pulled the project and funding from the DeKon racing team. Well, Chevrolet saw this as a chance to help the sales of their Chevy Monza.

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At that time Chevrolet was trying to compete with the smaller import cars of the early ’70s and they developed the Monza to do so. As with many car companies, they felt that if the cars won on Sunday they would sell on Monday.

Chevy decided to build 13 of these race Monzas and DeKon was a large part of their development. These cars didn’t use the stock frames as many of their

competitors did, these Monzas used the first computer-designed frames ever produced by Chevrolet. This made the cars lighter without sacrificing strength.

Some of the other custom parts made for the cars included the front and rear hubs, which sported a four-bolt pattern instead of the more common five-bolt pattern, the upper and lower ‘A’ arms, and the watts link.

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H H H H H H H H H H H H H H H H H H H H H H H H H

THESE CARS DIDN’T USE THE STOCK FRAMES AS MANY OF THEIR COMPETITORS DID, THESE MONZAS USED THE FIRST COMPUTER-DESIGNED FRAMES EVER PRODUCED

BY CHEVROLET.

Above: To a legion of loyal Ford fans, Moffat’s decision to drive a GM product bordered on treachery. Right: Moffat with yet another trophy, this time at Warwick Farm in 1973.

Below: Sorenson’s Monza was in good company at the legendary Rolex Monterey Historic meeting.

Once the cars were finished, DeKon took the serial #1005 Monza to the track. Their last race with the car was in December of 1975 at the Daytona Speedway. For this race they hired Australian champion driver Allan Moffat.

During this race Moffat hit speeds of 205mph on the banking of the Daytona Speedway.

After the race Moffat bought the car

from DeKon and immediately shipped it to New Zealand for a race the following week. It cost Moffat $10,000 to ship the car over for this race, which was quite a sum of money in 1975.

Moffat raced the car for the remainder of 1975 and in 1976 he shipped the car to Australia where he raced it in the 1976 Sports Sedan Championship, winning the title.

This made it the only one of the 13 Monzas to win a championship. Allan raced the car in many different paint schemes into the 1980s and then retired the car.

It was taken apart in 1984 to be restored but instead was sold to Toby Bean in the United States. Toby never got a chance to restore it and sold it to the founder of Historic Sportscar Racing, MOTORSPORT LEGENDS

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H H H H H H H H H H H H H H H H H H H H H H H H H

Above left: Moffat leads the Torana of Garry Rogers, the BMW turbo of Allan Grice and the Alfetta/Chev of Tony Edmondson at Amaroo Park. Above right: The Monza’s cockpit is all business.

When new owner, Steven Sorenson (pictured right), received the ex-Allan Moffat Monza it was nothing but “a tube frame and many boxes of parts”.

Steve Simpson. Steve was apparently so busy with HSR that he didn’t restore the Chevy either, and sold it to the current owner, Stephen Sorenson in 2005.

Steve told me that when he received the car it was nothing but a tube frame and many boxes of parts.

“It wouldn’t have been such a hardship to restore the car but there were parts

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in the boxes that didn’t belong to the Monza!”, he said.

Steve didn’t get around to restoring the car until this past year. I asked him what the hardest part of the restoration was and he replied, “Fabricating the interior and exterior panels”. He and his team at Centripetal Motorsports used old photos to correctly recreate these

panels from scratch.

After getting the Monza back together, Steve and his team took it to the Mazda Speedway, Laguna Seca in May of this year to test the car. The car completed its first laps on a track in more than 31 years with flying colours.

The Monza returned to Laguna Seca for another set of test runs in June. After the

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H H H H H H H H H H H H H H H H H H H H H H H H H

“IT WOULDN’T HAVE BEEN SUCH A HARDSHIP TO RESTORE THE CAR BUT THERE WERE PARTS IN THE BOXES THAT DIDN’T BELONG TO THE MONZA!” testing was complete, Steve took the car back to his shop and tore it apart so they could media blast everything and repaint it back to its original paint scheme for the upcoming Rolex Monterey Historic races.

During the weeks’ races, Steve continued to have issues with the previously-mentioned shift linkage, but this didn’t dampen his excitement for

driving the car. He, like most vintage race drivers, just loves to get the car on the track and have others enjoy seeing them as they were once raced.

In speaking with Steve about his plans for the car, he told me he intends on putting a mechanical fuel injection system on the car as that was how it was race in the ’70s. He added the original

fuel injection was lost in a fire during a race in 1977 when Moffat was racing the car.

I asked him if he had thought about taking the Monza to Australia to race it and he said he wants to attend the vintage auto race at Phillip Island in the near future, knowing the car will be more recognised in Australia.

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HRT

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FIRST

B AT H U R S T

1990 –

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V

T

VICTORY

-

25

– 2015

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YEARS

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OH WHAT A FEELING!

Words BRIAN REED Photos WWW.AUTOPICS.COM.AU

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MOTORSPORT LEGENDS

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n 1815, two hundred years ago, the Governor of New South Wales, Governor Lachlan Macquarie, raised the Union Jack on the banks of the Macquarie River and proclaimed ‘town’ status on Bathurst.

One hundred and fifty years later, the AMI Racing Team came into existence and was to have a significant association with Australia’s oldest inland colonial settlement – or at least a certain mountain nearby.

The Australian Motor Industries story dates back to the 1920s when the company started

TOYOTA HAS A PROUD LOCAL RACING HISTORY, WHICH BEGAN WITH THE AMI RACING TEAM. THIS YEAR MARKS THE FIFTIETH ANNIVERSARY OF THE EXTRAORDINARILY SUCCESSFUL RACING OUTFIT. assembling motor vehicles from overseas.

By the 1950s it was building Standard 10s, Vanguards, Triumphs (Mayflowers and Heralds), as well as Mercedes trucks and buses and the American Motors Ramblers and Studebakers. Not the most desirable package, and by the early 1960s AMI’s sales had slumped to just one per cent of the local market share. (Walking through an AMI warehouse a few years later, race team manager, Berg Rydberg, pointed to hundreds of crates containing ‘knock down’ Triumph Heralds and declared in one day production had gone up 100 per cent - they had assembled two cars instead on one!).

Bankruptcy was looming and the doors were about to close.

At the eleventh hour, almost miraculously, two significant events occurred.

Firstly, AMI took over Toyota passenger car sales from sister company, Thiess, and secondly, a new boss appeared on the scene. Ken Hougham was a no nonsense operator, a troubleshooter, and what’s more, he loved motor sport.

The first Toyota Corona was a ‘lemon’ when released in Japan. There was also a lingering post-war resentment towards the Japanese, and products from Japan were considered inferior. But by 1965, as far as the Toyota Corona was concerned, all problems had been well and truly sorted.

The first RT40 Coronas arrived in Australia only 90 days after being released in Japan, and it soon became evident that they could at least match all other 1.5-litre competitors on the local scene.

Hougham, the new managing director, believed in the slogan ‘Win on Sunday, sell on Monday’, and was keen to show the motoring public the stamina of the Corona. And so the AMI Racing Team was formed, consisting of Ern Abbott, Bill Buckle, Des Kelly, Neil McKay, Brian Reed and Brian Sampson.

A team of mechanics and pit crew was selected from the apprentices who had to prove their worth and qualify for a place, and the three red Coronas were prepared at the factory and tested at Calder Raceway. In the weekends leading up to the big one in October, pit stops were rehearsed and refined at Port Melbourne, and the cars were then driven to Bathurst, loaded up with tyres, spares and tools, ready for the 1965 Armstrong 500.

Sixty cars faced the starter and the three Coronas were up against three Morris Coopers, Isuzu Bellett, Renault R8 and a Ford-backed two-door Cortina in Class B (for cars costing 921 to 1,020 pounds).

“There was much rejoicing in Port Melbourne when Coronas were placed second, third and fourth in their class”, said AMI’s Norm Iddles. “It wasn’t the fastest on the track, but we could advertise that three Coronas had started the race and three had finished - and we hadn’t lifted a bonnet”, he added.

The second placed Corona completed 118 laps and finished less than one minute behind the class winning Ford Cortina. It was clocked at 170km/h down Conrod Straight, and returned 15mpg for the 500-mile race. Toyota had proven its

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worth and Sunday Telegraph motoring writer, David McKay, described the team effort as “a fine demonstration of reliability”.

AMI’s goal was achieved, and Ken Hougham’s foresight was rewarded when Toyota sales reached 11,792 that same year. The company’s market share had jumped to 3.7 per cent.

In addition to the three works Coronas, AMI also entered a Triumph 2000 in the Bathurst classic. Because of the class structure based on price, the Max Stewart/Bob Young Triumph was in Class D and finished an impressive fourth behind a trio of Cortina GT 500s. The class winning GT500, driven by Barry ‘Bo’ Seton and Midge Bosworth, was outright winner of the race.

The following month, AMI Racing Team entered a Triumph 2000 in the 1965 6-Hour International Saloon Car Race at Sandown. Driven by Max Stewart and Brian Reed, the Triumph came home seventh in Class C and

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The start, Bathurst 1965.

The AMI Triumph 2000 leads a pack of Mini Coopers and Ford Cortinas.

Below right: The Brian Sampson/Ern Abbott Corona charging hard during the 1965 Gallaher 500..

Below left: Sampson again, this time teamed with Dick Thurston in a Triumph 2000, leading the Osborne/ Burns, Ford Zephyr MK 2 during the 1964 Sandown 6-Hour International.

Below: The Jack Maurer/ Ern Abbott Triumph Herald during the Armstrong 500 Phillip Island 1960.

twenty-second outright, in spite of suffering rocker gear woes.

The AMI Racing Team continued to be a serious force at Mt Panorama until the early ‘70s, and raced a variety of its products, including Corollas, Celicas and a 1900 Hardtop Corona.

In addition, the company continued

to campaign the Triumph 2000, and raced a stove-hot Spitfire in marque sports car events.

Drivers were Brian Sampson and Brian Reed and amongst its many successes

AMI’S GOAL WAS ACHIEVED, AND KEN HOUGHAM’S FORESIGHT WAS REWARDED WHEN TOYOTA SALES REACHED 11,792 THAT SAME YEAR.

MOTORSPORT LEGENDS

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was victory against class opposition (Lotus Elan, Jaguar E-type, ‘big’ Healey and others) at Warwick Farm in 1966, setting a new lap record on the way.

The Spitfire was largely built and maintained by a group of AMI apprentices – a wonderful learning experience - and another tribute to the foresight of MD Ken Hougham and his AMI management.

Several of the works drivers went on to achieve class wins at Bathurst and two, Brian Sampson and Bob Morris, were rewarded with outright victory. Sampson partnered Peter Brock in 1975 to win in a Torana SLR prepared by another former AMI works driver, Bruce Hindhaugh, and the following year Morris and British saloon car ace John Fitzpatrick were first home in a their Torana L34.

Max Stewart (the Jolly Green Giant) twice won the Australian Formula 2 championship (1969 and ’70) and twice the 1.5 litre championship (1976 and ’68). He was also a dual winner

Above left: The Bill Buckle and Neil McKay Toyota Corona negotiates Skyline during the 1965 Bathurst 500.

Below left: Open-wheeler star Max Stewart and Bob Young shared a Triumph 2000 in the 1965 Bathurst 500.

Below right: The Toyota Corona of Brian Reed and Des Kelly charges up Bathurst’s pit straight during The Great Race of 1965.

Below: Dick Thurston steers his Toyota Corolla onto Calder Raceway’s main straight in 1969.

of Australia’s highest award – the CAMS Gold Star, taking the Australian Drivers Championship in 1971 and again in 1974.

Regardless of the outcome, AMI always

PERSONALLY ENGRAVED PEWTER MUGS WERE PRESENTED TO THE DRIVERS AND ANY PRIZE MONEY WAS DOUBLED BY THE COMPANY AND DIVIDED EQUALLY AMONGST THE SIX DRIVERS.

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celebrated the Bathurst classic with a post race social function at its Port Melbourne base. Personally engraved pewter mugs were presented to the drivers and any prize money was doubled by the company and divided equally amongst the six drivers.

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Above right: Toyota Coronas on the grid for the Gallaher 500 at Bathurst, 1966.

Below right: The Bill Buckle/A. Mottram, Toyota Crown heads down The Dipper during the same event.

Far right: Endurance race refuelling has come a long way – here the AMI team replenishes the Barry Ferguson/Brian Sampson Toyota Corolla during the 1968 Hardie Ferodo 500.

Bottom: The Barry Ferguson/Brian Sampson Corolla during the 1967 Gallaher 500 at Bathurst.

GO TELL IT ON THE MOUNTAIN

B

athurst presented a much tougher assignment for the AMI Racing Team in 1966. The class structure had changed so that Class B now included the race proven Morris Cooper.

No surprise that the Mini Coopers scored a trifecta, but in fourth place came the leading Corona. As in 1965, three Coronas were entered and three finished – fourth, seventh and ninth in a Class B field of 15 starters.

The AMI Racing Team Triumph again had Stewart and Young behind the wheel and it finished a creditable third in class behind two V8 Valiants.

By 1967 the Toyota Corolla had arrived on the scene and contested Class A in the Gallaher 500 for cars costing

up to $1800. The AMI Racing Team consisted of three Corollas, while Bob Young and Bob Sorrenson campaigned a Triumph 2000.

The Corollas competed against arch enemy Datsun, which entered two 1100s and a pair of 1300s. Also in the class were two Hillman GTs and a Holden Torana.

It was a red hot battle for line honours, with the Barry Ferguson/Brian Sampson Corolla just getting home ahead of the Datsun 1000 of Doug Whiteford and John Roxburgh. The other two Corollas were next, narrowly in front of the second works Datsun 1000. However, the class win to the AMI Corolla was short lived when all three cars were disqualified at post race scrutiny for

mechanical irregularities, handing the win to Whiteford and Roxburgh.

Later, the Corolla, driven

by Dick Thurston and Bill Buckle, was reinstated in second place.

The AMI Triumph 2000 struggled home in ninth place in Class D – again the class that produced the outright

race winner (Harry Firth and Fred Gibson in a Falcon GT).

There were no such embarrassments in 1968 when the trio of AMI Racing Team Corollas blitzed Class A, finishing first, second and sixth. A privately entered Corolla came home seventh in a fine display of Toyota reliability.

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There was always a great sense of camaraderie.

After coming first across the line in 1967, the winning Class A Corolla and the other two works cars were duly disqualified at post race scrutiny for mechanical irregularities. (The second placed Corolla of Dick Thurston and Bill Buckle was later reinstated). At the follow up party the Australian team members were able to laugh off the outcome, saying the Japanese engineers must have measured the carburetor jets with a piece of bamboo.

The Japanese engineers were not amused and were still suffering humiliation.

After a considerable absence, Toyota returned to motor sport with the TRD Corolla under team manager and former Bathurst competitor, Tony Niovanni. The new outfit picked up where the AMI Racing Team left off and Toyota’s fine legacy continued in Australian touring car racing.

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Top left: The Carol Corness/Gloria Taylor Escort 1300 leads the Brian Sampson/Dick Thurston Corolla 1200 in the 1970 Bathurst 500.

Below left: Sampson charges up the hill in the same event.

Below right: The Class A winning Corolla 1100 of Brian Sampson and Bob Morris, Bathurst 1969.

Bottom: The John Faulkner/Peter Mckay Corolla in the 1989 Bathurst 500.

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ON TOP OF THE HILL

THE AUSTRALIAN GRAND PRIX CELEBRATES ITS 20TH ANNIVERSARY OF BEING HELD AT MELBOURNE’S ALBERT PARK AS A ROUND OF THE WORLD FORMULA ONE CHAMPIONSHIP

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he winner of the 1996 race, Damon Hill, recently discussed his memories of the event, and the highlights of his career.

“It holds very good memories for me and it’s such a good city and good culture in Australia, and always very positive people who are up for a bit of fun and up for a bit of sport as well,” Damon told Motorsport Legends magazine.

He compares the lakeside circuit to Montreal in Canada.

“It’s good, it has unique features,” Damon explained. “I think it compares probably with Canada... it’s a street track but flat and there’s a lot of braking into corners and carrying speed and traction.

“It becomes quite a good little racetrack actually, it’s not a Spa, it’s not a Suzuka, it’s not one of those, you know, massively challenging circuits with hugely fast corners, it’s more technical than that, but it’s still a great racetrack.”

Spectators at the inaugural Formula One Grand Prix in Melbourne didn’t have to wait long for some serious action, with Martin Brundle’s Jordan flying through the air on the opening lap after a huge crash.

“That was a massive accident and he was very fortunate to

36

Left: Graham Hill chats with Sir Jackie Stewart while (at right) son Damon Hill does likewise at the 2014 Australian Grand Prix.

walk away from that. I mean these things happen all over the world – they don’t just happen at Melbourne – it’s one of the hazards of motor racing,” Damon told Melbourne radio station 3AW. While most of the Australian public were keen to witness Formula One at Albert Park, there were some who saw F1 as wanted as a bulldog at a cat show.

“Most of the fans were very welcoming. I remember there were a few protestors because they were going to cut down some trees and make way for the track. Nobody wants to be the bad guys and we were very keen that F1 came with a good spirit and didn’t want to upset anyone,” Damon said.

The 1996 world champion is still a regular visitor to the Australian Grand Prix as a part of his television commentary

duties.

“Its another way of looking at the sport. It’s a way of enjoying the sport and helping other people understand what its like to be on the inside,” he said.

Damon is confident that Formula One will be visiting Melbourne for many more years to come.

“It’s an amazing achievement in Formula One anywhere to survive as an event for 20 years. The contracts are pretty sought after and you have to pay a lot of money to get F1 so you have to make it work.

I remember Ron Walker was very, very keen to make this race happen,” he told 3AW. While winning the Australian Grand Prix in 1996 on his way to his world championship in the Williams was a fond memory for Damon, he also rates giving Jordan Grand Prix its first ever victory (1998 Belgian Grand

Prix at Spa) highly on his list of career achievements.

“Something I’m proud of is that a lot of teams I went to I actually improved the performance of the team... I’ve nearly always taken a team forward.

Williams may be the exception [laughs] but I did do something for Williams!”

The Australian Grand Prix doesn’t hold all good memories for Damon, as in Adelaide in 1994 a crash with Michael Schumacher cost the Briton the World Championship, but Damon is happy to let bygones be bygones.

“It’s so long ago I don’t care anymore, you know, it’s not important, it’s all part of my career history and sports history and you move along. You don’t keep looking back and there’s nothing you can do about what happened... you only get a sore neck looking backwards.”

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Damon is often asked if having a famous father (two-time World Champion, Graham Hill) was a help or a hindrance to his own Formula One career.

“I never know how to answer that question, you know it is what it is,” he explains.

“We all get a bit of help along the way with some set of circumstances and sometimes

we get a little bit of weight to deal with, it’s just different.

“I can’t compare what it would be like to someone who hasn’t had a dad in racing, so I can’t really answer the question.

“I’m very proud that I also won a World Championship and my dad would have loved to have seen that. So yes, it’s something I’m proud of – to carry on the Hill name.”

Since Hill has hung up his helmet, the technical regulations have taken an interesting twist with a move towards hybrid engines. Damon is not convinced the change is a good thing for the sport of Formula One, but understands it is a necessary evil.

“Well, it’s a huge technical challenge and a very expensive

one; it presents all sorts of difficulties for the engineers and the drivers,” he said.

“I’m not sure if it benefits the sport so much because I think the drivers are so preoccupied with setting up these power units that I’m sure a lot of their driving is compromised by the difficulties with the car and the way it works.

But one day we’ll probably all be driving hybrid cars; complicated cars with very complex power trains and computerized systems. It’s already here, this is the future and these guys are test pilots for us all.”

To join Damon and the rest of the F1 fraternity celebrating the 20th anniversary of the Australian Grand Prix at Albert Park in March 2016, secure your tickets by visiting www. grandprix.com.au

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I

t was an incident the likes of which we’d never seen before. In a few brief seconds, the Bathurst 1000 had lost one of its leading contenders, and Ford it’s only serious chance of winning the big event and race day hadn’t even dawned.

The moment came as Ford hero, Dick Johnson, exited Forrest Elbow during the Hardies Heroes Top 10 qualifying run, an event that pitches ego, money and prestige against self-preservation and the obvious need to have your car in one piece and able to contest the following

38

day’s 1000km enduro.

Long-time friend and sponsor, Ross Palmer (Palmer Tube Mills owner), had helped fund Johnson’s new-look, ‘fearsome-looking, frog-green’ XE Falcon, following its former blue ‘Red Roo’ branding. With new co-driver, Kevin Bartlett, they hoped to topple Holden rival, Peter Brock. Even though the year hadn’t begun well, following rule changes allowing bigger wheels, flares, rear spoiler (and other items), Johnson was confident about Bathurst and felt he had “a pretty good shot” at taking pole position.

“It was the early days of the XE and we were still on a bit of a learning curve because it had a different rear suspension and bigger wheels, and it really did make a difference to that particular vehicle,” said Dick. “The XE ended up being a bloody good car and it was a pity we couldn’t run it for a couple more years because we really got our heads around it.”

Dick’s shoot out lap began impressively with the popular Ford hero determined to post the fastest time. Johnson was absolutely flying as he tore up Mountain Straight, slicing through The Cutting

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HARDIE’S HEROES DICK JOHNSON’S RACING CAREER WAS NEVER EASY BUT THE TOUGH QUEENSLANDER IS NOTHING IF NOT A FIGHTER. NOTHING DEMONSTRATED THE DJR ‘NEVER-SAY-DIE’ ATTITUDE BETTER THAN ITS RESPONSE TO DICK’S HORRIFIC 1983 BATHURST QUALIFYING CRASH.

Words GLENIS LINDLEY/DARREN HOUSE Photos AUTOPICS.COM.AU/ GLENIS LINDLEY

and thundering along the top. After cresting Skyline, accompanied by a roar of support from his loyal followers, Dick headed into the Dipper where he lifted a wheel enthusiastically.

“I was having a good old go,” he remembered. “I knew at the time (the lap) was going be half alright - you can always tell by the punters, they are the ones who give you the indication, because driving across the top of the mountain – although you are pretty focussed and you don’t see a lot of things, especially in those days when it was Ford and Holden

“IT WAS ABOUT THEN THAT I THOUGHT, ‘OH SHIT, I COULD BE IN TROUBLE HERE’. I JUST SHUT MY EYES BUT I CAN REMEMBER CLOBBERING A COUPLE OF TREES. I HELD ON TO THAT STEERING WHEEL LIKE YOU WOULDN’T BELIEVE!” and nothing else - the punters used to go ballistic. When you saw all of the Holden guys with their thumbs down, you knew you were in front of whoever had posted the best time up until that point.”

He was on the limit as he approached Forrest Elbow, the left-hander leading onto Conrod Straight, when disaster struck.

“The car wasn’t exactly perfect, I had a bit of understeer in it but there was

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no backing off,” explained Johnson.

“I thought ‘I’ll be OK’, so I kept on the throttle, but it understeered a bit too much.

“It gripped the wall at the rear end of the car and I still had my boot into it because you clip things all the time when you’re having a go,” explained Dick. “The trouble was, at the end of the wall, there was a big bunch of bloody tyres for all the ‘Noddies’ when they come up the other way every other day of the year, and they protruded out some way past the wall.

The car slid along the wall for a bit and then it grabbed hold of the front wheel and broke a steering arm. It was about then that I thought, ‘Oh shit, I could be in trouble here’.”

The driver became a helpless passenger as the ‘mean green machine’ careered off the circuit, down the bank and through the trees, coming to rest a sad, crumpled mass of steel, surrounded by broken bush and undergrowth. The silence that descended on the mountain and in the pits conveyed some of the dread surrounding that crash.

Johnson remembers the horrifying moment when his car left the road.

“I shut my eyes but I can remember clobbering a couple of trees. A lot of blokes stick their hands on the front of

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their face and all that crap, but man, I f**king held on to that steering wheel like you wouldn’t believe! I remember hanging on like hell. Obviously I put on the brake, but that didn’t help much.

“When the car finally stopped I couldn’t get out through the driver’s door so I climbed over all this (Channel

7) camera gear and got out the passenger side, and wandered up to the bank.”

Miraculously, the dazed driver crawled from the wreckage, suffering only a slight cut above his eye, a sore neck, a slight headache and some memory loss.

“Once I got out of the car, I can’t remember another thing until I was

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AN OFFICER AND A GENTLEMAN

A

ndrew Harris is a man with an interesting career - a Captain in the Special Air Service, property developer, parachute centre operator, stuntman, and Mike Walsh Show reporter.

In 1983, he had his first drive at Bathurst, though his entry into motorsport was by most unconventional means.

“Alan Jones and I grew up together in East Ivanhoe, Melbourne. I was asked to interview him by Channel 9 after he won his F1 world title.

“Then I was asked by the Walsh Show if I would race at Bathurst for the show.

As a reporter I did the adventure, not just reported on it, so I raced a Saab for a year in 1982. Then Alan sold me the car that crashed in practice with Bob Morris that year. It was a Falcon XE and built by George Shepherd, who had begun working for Dick (Johnson) in 1983.

“I was aged 33 with no former racing experience, so I was a true Rookie. I did about five races in ’83 and did fairly well. I knew I needed a very experienced co-driver so I called Gary Cooke, who helped prepare the car and did a lot of training with me.

“Considering how low the budget was, only $5,000 for the weekend, my first Bathurst experience was fantastic. We wanted to have as many tyres for the race as possible, so we were happy with qualifying 30th on the grid. Gary was confident we would do well on new tyres, plus the car was well built and strong.”

Then came Dick’s qualifying crash.

“After seeing how visibly upset Dick’s wife Jill was in the pits after the crash, I thought to myself, their life was racing, mine wasn’t, so I said he could race my car.

“Ross and Kevin came to see me. Ross insisted, if they used my car he would find me another replacement. So he spoke to Barry Lawrence who then decided not to race his Commodore and lease or sell it (I was never told which) to Ross.

“Deals were offered in ‘the excitement of the moment’, but some things didn’t all turn out the way they should have.

However, after much wheeling and dealing the following occurred - Kevin tested our Falcon, and Gary test-drove Barry’s car on Saturday afternoon. Tim Schenken (Race Director) agreed we could swap cars, Dick could start 10th and we could start 30th.

I was also given permission to do three laps in the Commodore before the race on Sunday.

“Dick didn’t get involved in the deal as he was badly shaken up after his massive crash. I remember nobody on either team slept much as the excitement in the paddock that night was electric!

“Gary at first wasn’t too happy with my offer as it was going to be a big letdown for

him and the team. But after we drove the Commodore he felt happier.

“So yes, it was interesting to do my first Bathurst that way and I really enjoyed the challenge. Winning ‘Rookie of the Year’ award was beyond my wildest dream – considering I had never even driven a Commodore before. I owe so much to Gary.”

Harris /Cooke in the ex-Bayside Spares Commodore, finished 10th: Lawrence/ Russell didn’t get to drive, but the Commodore was returned to Lawrence.

“The actual terms and conditions remain somewhat of a mystery (or a secret), but my car was eventually

returned to me and is now owned painted the way it raced - by a private collector in Melbourne, “ added Harris.

One thing Harris insisted on correcting was the name for his replacement car.

“I dubbed it a ‘Commoford’, but the other camp referred to it as the ‘Fordore’ and the media ran with that.

“I got special permission from one of our sponsors – Jeffersons, a Ford dealer in Bendigo, to put his name on the (rival manufacturer) car, and had a 5.8 badge made overnight. As this got Ford and all the sponsors huge publicity, they were very happy, and it made a great report for the Walsh Show.

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walking up the back of the pits after I got a lift back. Maybe that’s because – and I have only found out since – that ‘Brocky’ stopped and picked me up,” he quipped.

Apart from flag and fire marshals, Peter Brock (then on his shootout warm-up lap) was first on the scene and gave Dick a lift back to the pits. “It was very gracious of him,” Dick added.

While not knowing the exact reason for the incident, Dick believes a combination of factors conspired to send the big green Ford into the wall.

“We probably missed the car set up a bit. We didn’t have the luxury of (electronic) data and all that sort of stuff back then, it was all very agricultural.

(But) to be quite honest, I couldn’t tell you why it was understeering. I tipped the car into the corner and the thing turned, and then it started understeering. I could drive around the understeer but I think what accentuated it, and I didn’t allow enough for it, is once you go over the centre of the road it goes off-camber and that is when it really took off.”

MSL30 p38-45 DJR.indd 5

“I SAID TO JILL, IF WE CONTINUE RACING YOU’LL LIVE WITH THE HAPPIEST BLOKE IN THE WORLD, OTHERWISE WE’LL RUN THE SERVO AND I’LL BE THE MOST MISERABLE PRICK YOU’VE EVER MET” Though many man hours and a significant amount of money had tragically been lost, typically Dick was more concerned for his co-driver than himself.

“I just felt sorry for KB (Kevin Bartlett), the poor bugger. He was pretty cool over the whole situation, but I was disappointed he never got an opportunity to have a good run at Bathurst because the original car was certainly capable of winning that race, had I not screwed up in qualifying.”

But while the dust had literally settled, the drama was far from over as the team immediately hatched a plan to get Johnson and Bartlett back into the race.

Ross Palmer began hasty negotiations to obtain a suitable car from those on

offer - a Mazda, (“Not a rice-burner,” declared Dick), a Commodore or a Falcon.

“I couldn’t just walk away and not start the race. We had to do something,” explained Dick. “When you are in a situation like that, and when so many people depend on you, you’ve just got to do everything you possibly can to give them the value that they entrust in you. (So) Ross bought a car off another competitor and we started building Greens Tuff #2.”

Fellow XE Falcon competitor, Andrew Harris (co-driving with Gary Cooke), offered Dick his car, while Palmer, keen that such generosity would not go unrewarded, obtained the Barry Lawrence/Geoff Russell VH Commodore

4/11/2015 7:47 pm

for Harris and Cooke to drive.

Team members began preparing for what would be an all-night ordeal, converting and repainting cars, while young TAFE apprentices readied themselves for their super-human, marathon effort under the guidance of (the late) Tony Warrener.

The priority was to convert Andrew Harris’s Bendigo/Nine Ford to a replacement for Johnson’s similar model, and transform the Bayside Commodore for Harris to race – all overnight!

This seemingly impossible task eventuated because of unbelievable teamwork, magical mechanical skills and co-operation from all concerned – from sponsors, scrutineers, signwriters and officials, to fellow competitors and CIG (who supplied much of the equipment necessary to perform this miracle).

Moral support, along with offers of spare parts, decals, signs etc. were offered from an amazing number of teams and drivers (Brock, Jim Richards and Allan Grice, to name a few).

Word constraints limit a bolt-by-bolt description, but the engine and other essential running gear, all part of a gigantic jigsaw, were relocated in the new ‘Kermit’ before spray painting began.

The ex-Lawrence Commodore was repainted in Harris’s colours, complete with 5.8-litre badging.

The magnitude of the effort became abundantly clear on race morning as the new Greens-Tuf Falcon’s paint had not yet dried.

“Channel 7 commentator, Evan Green, lent on the car, to have a bit of an interview with me, through the driver’s window and his beautiful red Channel 7 sports jacket ended up with an imprint of the Greens-Tuf Falcon on it. If they could find that jacket today it’d be worth a couple of bucks I reckon,” said Dick.

True to his word, Dick came under starter’s orders (sitting in tenth grid position after gaining the other team’s approval), unconcerned that he was behind the wheel of a car he had never driven.

“When you look at it from the driver’s point of view, it was a piece of road and

Top: Johnson’s wrecked Greens-Tuf Ford is returned to the paddock. Middle left: The Lawrence/Russell Commodore in its original livery. Above left: In the TAFE reair team bunker, work continues on converting the Harris/Cooke Falcon to Greens-Tuf Mark 2. Above right: Johnson in happier times earlier in the weekend.

you do the best you can with what you’ve got. It never fazed me at all whether it suited our car or not, it didn’t worry me.

You just drive it by the seat of your pants and how it feels, and for that car I had to adjust myself.”

Not surprisingly, Johnson described the hastily-prepared Ford as “a bit of a dog”.

“In saying that we didn’t have a lot of time to try to sort out a few of the problems it had. We put our own engine in and everything but we never had any practice laps in the car to set the

suspension and all the sort of stuff that you need to make the car work properly.

These cars were all built differently in a lot of ways - who builds the roll cage, and how the roll cage is structured in the car, makes a big difference to how the car handles.

“We had particular suspension settings that certainly would have suited our original vehicle, but this car had a completely different roll cage, which probably made the chassis a little bit stiffer. “(So) the car wasn’t as fast as it could MOTORSPORT LEGENDS

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have been but I just had to improvise and drive to the conditions and the way the car was set up at that point in time.”

Unfortunately, the effort came to a premature ending when the Falcon retired on lap 61, due to an issue Dick said, “Was such a minor thing, it was ridiculous.

“For some reason, whoever did the wiring on that vehicle had a fuse in the wire that goes to the alternator and because the fuse had blown the alternator wasn’t charging the battery, so the battery kept going flat.

“The gearbox oil temperature went up because we had to shut the (cooler) pumps off and all that sort of thing.

All-in-all, it was something that very easily could have been fixed had we recognised what the problem was.”

After Bathurst, Johnson’s crashed body shell (referred to as Greens-Stuffed) ended up being crushed at Rocklea (Brisbane).

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“Ross Palmer was in the steel industry, so we took it to Sims Metal. They had introduced the very first metal crushing machine in Queensland that chopped car bodies up into small pieces for recycling and the XE was the very first car to go through it,” said Dick. “We took all the bits out of there and made them into paper weights, and quite a number of them.

We’ve got a couple here at the workshop.”

Despite the Hardies Heroes mishap, Dick doesn’t regret ‘having a go’ in the one-lap qualifier.

“I don’t think you drive much differently to how you do in the whole race.

It’s just a matter of staying within your comfort zone and looking after the car at the same time.

“These days the top ten shootout is only worth kudos – ‘one grand’ is no big deal in the whole scheme of things – but back then, money meant everything – $10,000 was a lot of money and I missed $10,000 by one spot quite a few times.”

Not surprisingly, Dick said the crash did not affect the manner in which he approached subsequent top ten shootouts.

“Oh shit no! I always believed in myself and our ability to come up with a car that was competitive enough to do the job,” he said.

Never having the luxury of a large budget, the tough 1983 season took its toll on Johnson mentally and by year’s end he considered giving racing away.

“Financially, things got pretty tough and I said to my wife (Jill) we have got the service station there, we can continue on with that, we can make a really good living and I can hang my bloody hat up, or we can do everything possible to continue motor racing and try to fund it somehow. I said if we do that you’ll live with the happiest bloke in the world, otherwise we’ll run the servo and I’ll be the most miserable prick you’ve ever met.

She chose the former.”

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ON THE MONEY

F

ormer open-wheel champion and Bathurst winner, Kevin Bartlett, was in his first co-driver stint with Dick Johnson after his famous Camaro days, and was also anticipating a good result that year.

“I was fairly confident that race preparations had proceeded quite well, without too many hiccups in the lead up. The car speed was right there from the start of practice, and the balance and power felt to be on the money.

“I didn’t do a great number of (practice) laps and really felt they were not a priority, having tested the car before, and knowing Bathurst so well. Bedding brakes, checking fuel consumption etc, were the main aims, so my laps were kept to a minimum,” explained ‘KB’.

Bartlett, who was in the pits watching the TV monitor when the ‘Green Machine’ speared off the track at Forrest’s Elbow, tells his story.

“This could be nasty,” he thought. “It put a flutter in one’s demeanour, but my first action was to seek out Jill and reassure her that the car was well built and the integrity of the chassis would withstand much worse than what we saw on the screen.

“There was big relief when officials quickly let us know

that Dick was out of the car and swearing!”

Bartlett initially expected that to be the end of Bathurst that year, but with the news that they would be driving a replacement Ford, came renewed hope and enthusiasm.

“It was a Ford, the logical thing to try so the many sponsors wouldn’t be let down through lack of effort to

make the event.

“It was a very selfless act on Andrew’s part to do such a thing (offer his car to Dick). As has been said many times, the car was lacking speed, compared to Dick’s original Falcon. But it was what it was, and with further time, I’m sure it could have been improved,” added Bartlett.

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Mr.

VERSATILErt 3

Words DARREN HOUSE Photos PETER BROCK COLLECTION

IN THE CONCLUSION TO OUR THREE-PART PETER BROCK STORY, THE US MOTORSPORT LEGEND TELLS HOW HIS RELATIONSHIP WITH SHELBY CAME TO AN ABRUPT END, AND THE PART HE PLAYED IN TURNING STRUGGLING BRAND DATSUN (NISSAN ) INTO A US POWERHOUSE.

Pa

HOW DID YOUR HINO DEAL COME ABOUT?

I was still at Shelbys. Don Nichols, who was the guy behind the Shadow Can Am cars, had been working for the American military in Japan, and he wanted to build a NASCAR super speedway over there.

He’d always stop by Shelby’s on his trips between Japan and Daytona.

Don had often asked me to design some cars for him and I said, “Great, let’s get some money and do it,” but he didn’t have the money at that time.

We kept talking while he was working on his Japanese NASCAR deal, but he could never raise the money. Don had an American friend over there who was making a living teaching English and working in Japanese movies. This guy was also racing cars for a very small company called Hino and Don said to him, “Why don’t you get Pete to hot rod that thing for you?” and that is how I got together with Bob Dunham.

He brought over a funny little 900cc car, built under license from Renault, and I modified the engine using all the usual California ‘hot rod’ tricks. We ran it, with Bob driving, that first year in a local club racing circuit in California (This was before the American SCCA club allowed sedans). Bob then went back to Japan and I continued to run the car against Minis, Cortinas, Saabs, and whatever else showed up. It was never really a frontrunner but we could hold our own and that intrigued the factory. Hino then 46

Peter Brocks innovative ‘full-width brake duct’ shown fitted to Jim Morton’s Datsun 2000 Sports.

sent me a telegram, when I was in Italy working for Shelby at DeTomaso’s, asking if I would come to Japan to test their latest design.

The 1300 Contessa was a beautiful little car, very high quality. They sent me a couple of them to California and we made it fast enough to win the opening race at Times-Mirror Grand Prix at Riverside. There were more than 100,000 people there that weekend, so this was a big deal (that Hino had won at Riverside!). That really lit the fuse because the Japanese got pretty excited about selling their cars in the United States and we formulated a plan to bring Hino to America.

DID THAT LEAD TO THE FORMATION OF BROCK RACING ENTERPRISES (BRE)?

Yes, when Ford came into Shelby’s with the GT40 program, (the Cobras were actually competitors to Ford at that time), Shelby said to me, “we don’t need you anymore because Ford has their own designers and engineers - everything you have done with the Cobras is of no value to us (because part of the Ford contract was to kill off the Cobra program), so there is no point in you continuing to

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Peter Brock put Datsun on the map in the US after forming an alliance with Datsun president, Yutaka Katayama.

work for us”. Toyota, seeing my success with the Hinos, had asked “would you help us?” and it was a no-brainer, I just opened my own shop, BRE. At that point it looked like I was going to get the Toyota contract to run their 2000GTs (but) Shelby had just lost his contract with Ford and snaked it away from me. He knew he was screwing me over but he was a big enough name where he could do it. That wasn’t unusual… he did it to a lot of people. He became a

cantankerous guy in his old age. After a few years with Ford he’d lost a lot of that ‘Good Ol’ Boy’ stuff that we really enjoyed at the beginning.

He surrounded himself with a bunch of corporate ‘yes men’ and consequently he lost a lot of the great talent, like Phil Remington, that had made him successful.

Shelby himself knew very little about automobiles but he was a great organiser and he had a great ability to convince people with money to back whatever

he wanted to do. He was what we call a ‘rainmaker’ – a guy who could generate a lot of money – that was his real talent.

Shelby got that Toyota contract so I offered my services to Datsun USA (Nissan) and ended up competing headto-head with Shelby and of course we blew his doors off, which was pretty satisfying.

Toyota ‘lost face’ and quit racing for ten years. Those were the golden era days of American club racing. It was a lot of fun and there was a lot of competition, MOTORSPORT LEGENDS

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including very heavily sponsored Porsche and Triumph factory teams that ran on both the west coast and east coast. With Datsun and Toyota in the game there was actually more money going into ‘amateur’ SCCA club racing at the ‘production car’ level at that time, because modified racing, like the coming Can Am and Trans Am series, hadn’t yet really become a big deal.

But our success with the Datsun 240zs (two SCCA National C Production Championships in a row) essentially pushed our main competition out of production car racing. Porsche went heavily into modified racing. Datsun management in Japan had no corporate interest in that type of racing, so I could only watch as the opportunity passed me by. Porsche started immediately on their 917 program to win Cam Am. Triumph didn’t get the idea (big modifieds) either and they eventually went broke. I got interested in ultralight flight (Hang Gliders) and formed a new company, UP… Ultralite Products. We ended up winning the World’s Cross-Country Championships for six straight years in California’s Owens valley, but that’s a whole ‘nother story!

48

HOW WAS YOUR RELATIONSHIP WITH SHELBY AFTER HE TOOK THE TOYOTA DEAL?

WERE YOU CONCERNED HINO MAY TREAT YOU THE SAME WAY AS TOYOTA DID?

In the beginning we were pretty good friends because I was sort of his protégé.

I’d always tried to tell him straight about doing stuff but he wouldn’t always listen.

Later something I’d recommended would happen and I’d say “see, if you had done that it would have been the right thing”.

He would say, “God damn it Brock, you think you know everything” and I would reply, “Well I often do” (laughs). He wasn’t easy to work for but we got along pretty well until he got the Ford contract.

Later, when Ford quit racing, we didn’t speak after he started doing me in on the contracts for the big stuff, like Toyota.

We became more than competitors, we became pretty much corporate enemies because it was pretty serious money.

Hino had treated me really well, everything they said they were going to do they did, they were a very honourable group to work with and pretty much gave me free reign to do whatever I wanted.

They were very successful with our program but then they were suddenly taken over by Toyota. I didn’t know anything about the cultural differences in Japan but I soon learned. Hinos were built up in the Northern area of Japan with a strong Samurai culture, where honour is everything. Toyotas are built in the southern Kansai district and down there everything is strictly business.

Toyota management evidently didn’t think anything of signing a contract with me and then breaking it and signing up with Shelby. It was strictly business.

They don’t have a litigious society over there, but if I’d have been really smart at that time and gotten a top attorney here in the US and sued them for it, I probably could have made a lot of money. But I am not interested in spending my time and a lot of money arguing about money.

It was simply a lesson

MOTORSPORT LEGENDS

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The BRE Datsun racing colours became one of the most famous in motor racing.

learned. If you are going to deal with people from the Kansai district you had better make sure that you’re working with people you can trust.

WHERE DID NISSAN FIT INTO THAT DIFFERING CUILTURE?

I found them very nice to work with, primarily because I ended up working with a fine gentleman by the name of Mr (Yutaka) Katayama (Mr K), who had been a rebel within Nissan. They had sent him to the United States to get rid of him because he had very ‘western’ ways of thinking and doing business.

When I offered my services and team to race against Shelby and Toyota the mid management people I talked to at Datsun USA simply didn’t understand why racing was important to sales in the US. At that time I didn’t know that Mr K (the President of Datsun USA) was an enthusiast and hadn’t had a chance to speak with him. I had been turned down

by everybody within Datsun USA. They just said “no” with no real reason, other than they just didn’t know what to do with this kid who was telling them he could build a good racing car from their current model. They simply didn’t have any confidence or belief in their own cars.

They didn’t have anybody in the company who knew anything about racing and they were totally against the whole idea. In the end I made some contacts with pro racing people in Japan and got them to send me a couple of Datsun 2000 roadsters to start with. Those were the cars we used to beat Shelby!

When somebody finally came in and showed Datsun how to go racing and their cars were suddenly successful, these same people who had said “no”, thought they might as well take advantage of the situation and I was introduced to Mr Katayama. The world changed overnight.

He was an enthusiast and a very honourable, straight guy.

My whole relationship with Mr Katayama was basically on a handshake – it was just a friendship deal between two guys that understood the value of compe-

“SHELBY GOT THAT TOYOTA CONTRACT SO I OFFERED MY SERVICES TO DATSUN USA (NISSAN) AND ENDED UP COMPETING HEADTO-HEAD WITH SHELBY AND OF COURSE WE BLEW HIS DOORS OFF, WHICH WAS PRETTY SATISFYING” tition. If I needed something I could pick up the phone – he was the President of the company – and he’d say “fine, I’ll call downstairs and get it done”. Having that ability to talk to the man at the top was great.

The Nissan factory had given me those first two cars (Datsun 2000 roadsters) and enough money to get started – it was nothing for them to spend that kind of money. The program became very successful and made Mr Katayama look very good, even though the initial recommendation to go with BRE had come from my old contacts at Hino.

One of the most interesting things that came out of the Datsun program with BRE was my invention of the air-dam.

Under the existing SCCA competition regulations was a specific rule that essentially stated, that unless a specific item or component was allowed it could not be used on a production car. We were having cooling problems with the 2000 as the engine was making more power than the cooling system was capable of BRE fielded a team of four Datsuns in the 1969 NORRA Mexico 1000.

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Right: Peter Brock with a Hino Contessa.

Below left: BRE brought a level of professionalism that many competitors found difficult to emulate.

Below middle: Frank Monise after winning the 1969 Pacific Coast Championship.

Below right: BRE’s Datsun 510s have inspired the creation of model cars and modern day replicas.

Bottom: Brock and Jim Morton pose with BRE team members.

handling. My friend Ritchie Ginther had been testing with Ferrari and discovered, almost by accident, the advantages of rear spoilers and front air dams. I knew very little about aero at that time but was fascinated by what he told me. I realized that an air-dam could improve aero at high speed, but that wasn’t what interested me most. It was the potential of creating more positive pressure at the front of the car and negative pressure behind the air dam, which would tend to ‘suck’ more cooling air through the radiator!

I looked the rules over very carefully and noted that ‘brake scoops’ were a permitted modification. I designed the first air-dam to ever be used on a production car to solve my cooling problem (see photo). By widening and connecting the ‘brake scoops’ across the entire front of the car I could circumvent the rule against unlisted modifications.

I then took the car to the first SCCA race of the season and their technical inspection committee, along with a formal Protest Form. I literally protested my own car to see if my invention would pass the scrutineers’ test for ‘brake scoops’. They looked at my device very carefully and had to agree that it indeed conformed to the allowable rule of ‘brake scoops’ and so permitted the device. I’m 50

sure they thought I was nuts because it looked like it would create more frontal area and slow the car. Little did they know! We solved the cooling problem and immediately started winning races. We took the Pacific Coast Championship in our first year with Datsun USA, defeating Shelby’s Toyota 2000 team in the process.

When Mr Katayama first came to the United States, in terms of sales of import cars, Datsun (Nissan) was seventh in overall sales – at the bottom of the pecking order. When we finished up with Mr K, just before he retired, (after winning the 2.5 Trans Am championships with the 510s) they were the number one selling import car in the United States! Not necessarily because of racing but because of the way Mr Katayama built the company. I’m sure our success with BRE helped but it was really good to be associated with such a great organization.

Some of Nissan’s top management in Japan, the people who had originally sent Mr Katayama to the United States, resented him internally and they couldn’t wait until he was 65 to force

him out of the company. Incredibly he’d built Datsun USA into the largest Nissan distributorship in the world!

As soon as this opposing regime took over, they reversed everything he’d recommended and screwed up their designs. The American market and the company almost went broke. Toyota had wisely taken on many Americans in US management and did incredibly well, becoming the top selling brand in America. It was an interesting lesson.

Nissan under control of Renault, who had purchased a large percentage of the company after Mr. K retired, helped restructure the company and today it is doing quite well.

For more information on Peter Brock and BRE visit www.bre2.net

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