The 1968 Australian Touring Car Championship was a CAMS sanctioned Australian motor racing title open to Group C Improved Production Touring Cars. [1] It was contested over a single race staged at the Warwick Farm circuit in New South Wales, Australia on 8 September 1968. The title, which was the ninth Australian Touring Car Championship, was won by Ian Geoghegan driving a Ford Mustang. It was the final Australian Touring Car Championship held as a single race, with the title being contested over a series of races from 1969 onwards. [2]
Ian Geoghegan qualified on pole position, half a second faster than Norm Beechey who was now driving a Chevrolet Camaro SS. Bob Jane was third on the grid, with Jim McKeown and Peter Manton rounding out the top five. Geoghegan won the start and took the lead into the first corner ahead of Beechey and Jane, with the latter two almost touching halfway through the first lap. McKeown retired on lap 3 with a broken rear axle. Ian Dawson spun on the following lap while Nick Petrilli lost a wheel; a lap later Rod Coppins slowed with a loose exhaust. [2]
Jane's engine blew on lap 9, leaving Beechey as the sole challenger to Geoghegan. Fred Gibson's pit crew displayed a sign reading 'Jane in' to inform him of Jane's retirement, but Gibson misread the sign. He slowed on the following lap and pitted, losing six positions in the process. Beechey retired on lap 12 with mechanical problems, while Foley followed suit on the next lap. This left Geoghegan with a lead of twenty seconds over Paul Fahey and Manton. [2]
Fahey retired on lap 22, while Gibson had been making his way back through the field. Manton ran into problems on lap 28, allowing the Porsche 911 of Alan Hamilton into second and the Morris Cooper S of Darrell King into third. King attempted to close the gap to Hamilton, but collided with Graham Ryan and backed off to settle for third place. However, on the final lap, Hamilton went off the circuit and damaged a rear guard, folding it onto the tyre. King went through into second and finished over ninety seconds behind race winner Geoghegan, while Hamilton brought his car home with a blown tyre for third. [2]
Class winners are indicated by bold text.
Pos. | Class | No. | Driver | Entrant | Car | Laps | Time/Retired |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | Over 3000cc | 1 | Ian Geoghegan | The Mustang Team | Ford Mustang | 34 | 59:06.8 |
2 | 1101–1500cc | 26 | Darrell King | D. King | Morris Cooper S | 34 | +1:31.0 |
3 | 1501–2000cc | 19 | Alan Hamilton | Porsche Distributors (Aust./N.Z.) Pty Ltd | Porsche 911 | 34 | +2:07.0 |
4 | Over 3000cc | 2 | Fred Gibson | N.E. Allen Competition Pty Ltd | Ford Mustang | 33 | +1 lap |
5 | Up to 1100cc | 9 | Laurie Stewart | Brian Foley Motors | Morris Cooper S | 33 | +1 lap |
6 | Up to 1100cc | 30 | John Millyard | Martinz Place | Morris Cooper S | 33 | +1 lap |
7 | 1101–1500cc | 12 | Peter Manton | Peter Manton Racing | Morris Cooper S | 33 | +1 lap |
8 | 1101–1500cc | 32 | Graeme Spence | K. Townsend | Austin Cooper S | 33 | +1 lap |
9 | Up to 1100cc | 29 | John Humphrey | Humphreys Golden Fleece Service Station | Austin Cooper S | 33 | +1 lap |
10 | Over 3000cc | 17 | Bryan Thomson | Bryan Thomson Racing | Ford Mustang | 32 | +2 laps |
11 | Up to 1100cc | 37 | Richard Thurston | A.M.I. Racing Team | Toyota Corolla | 31 | +3 laps |
12 | 2001–3000cc | 23 | Herb Taylor | H.E. Taylor | Holden EH | 28 | +6 laps |
13 | 2001–3000cc | 24 | Graham Ryan | Graham Ryan Auto Repairs | Holden EH | 28 | +6 laps |
Ret | Over 3000cc | 35 | Ian Dawson | I.W. (Red) Dawson | Ford Mustang | 23 | Tyres |
Ret | Over 3000cc | 6 | Paul Fahey | P.B. Fahey | Ford Mustang | 21 | Gearbox |
Ret | 1101–1500cc | 11 | Phil Barnes | Phil Barnes Motor Service | Morris Cooper S | 19 | |
Ret | 1101–1500cc | 28 | Fred Seery | F.R. Seery | Morris Cooper S | 15 | |
Ret | 1101–1500cc | 8 | Brian Foley | Brian Foley Motors Pty Ltd | Morris Cooper S | 12 | Mechanical |
Ret | 1501–2000cc | 16 | Chris Brauer | C.D. Brauer | Ford Cortina Mark I Lotus | 12 | Steering |
Ret | Over 3000cc | 4 | Norm Beechey | Norm Beechey | Chevrolet Camaro SS | 11 | Mechanical |
Ret | 1101–1500cc | 20 | Don Holland | Don Holland Motors | Morris Cooper S | 8 | |
Ret | Over 3000cc | 3 | Bob Jane | Bob Jane's Autoland | Ford Mustang | 8 | Camshaft |
Ret | 1101–1500cc | 33 | Barrie Broomhall | Barrie Broomhall Motors | Morris Cooper S | 6 | |
Ret | Over 3000cc | 10 | Rod Coppins | R. Coppins | Ford Mustang | 6 | Exhaust |
Ret | 1101–1500cc | 27 | Bruce Jones | Bruce A. Jones | Morris Cooper S | 4 | |
Ret | 2001–3000cc | 21 | Nick Petrilli | N. Petrilli | Holden EH | 3 | Wheel |
Ret | 1501–2000cc | 7 | Jim McKeown | Jim McKeown Motors | Ford Cortina Mark II Lotus | 2 | Axle |
Ret | 1101–1500cc | 38 | Howie Sangster | H.G. Sangster | Morris Cooper S | 1 | |
Ret | 2001–3000cc | 22 | Martin Chenery | M.R. Chenery | Holden EH | 0 | |
Ret | Up to 1100cc | 36 | Bob Morris | Bill Buckle Autos | Toyota Corolla | 0 | |
Sources: [2] [3] [4] | |||||||
The Australian Touring Car Championship (ATCC) is a touring car racing award held in Australia since 1960. The series itself is no longer contested, but the title lives on, with the winner of the Repco Supercars Championship awarded the trophy and title of Australian Touring Car Champion.
Allan George MoffatOBE is a Canadian-born Australian racing driver known for his four championships in the Australian Touring Car Championship, six wins in the Sandown 500 and his four wins in the Bathurst 500/1000. Moffat was inducted into the V8 Supercars Hall of Fame in 1999.
The 1969 Australian Touring Car Championship was a CAMS-sanctioned Australian motor racing title open to Group C Improved Production Touring Cars and Group E Series Production Touring Cars. The championship, which began at Calder Raceway on 23 March and ended at Symmons Plains Raceway on 16 November, was contested over a five heat series. It was the tenth running of the Australian Touring Car Championship and the first to be contested over a series of heats rather than as a single race.
The 1970 Australian Touring Car Championship was a CAMS-sanctioned motor racing title for drivers of Group C Improved Production Touring Cars and Group E Series Production Touring Cars. The title, which was the 11th Australian Touring Car Championship, began at Calder Park Raceway on 22 March 1970 and ended at Symmons Plains Raceway on 15 November after seven heats.
The 1971 Australian Touring Car Championship was a CAMS-sanctioned motor racing title for drivers of Group C Improved Production Touring Cars and Group E Series Production Touring Cars. The title, which was the 12th running of the Australian Touring Car Championship, began at Symmons Plains Raceway on 1 March 1971 and ended at Oran Park Raceway on 8 August after seven heats.
Ian Anthony "Pete" Geoghegan, was an Australian race car driver, known for a quick wit and natural driving skills. Sometimes referred to as "Pete" Geoghegan, he was one of the iconic characters of the 1960s and 1970s Australian motor racing scene. His older brother Leo was also an accomplished driver and the brothers often shared a car in endurance events.
The Ford works team was the unofficial name for an Australian motor racing team which was supported by the Ford Motor Company of Australia. The team was formed in 1962 and was disbanded when Ford Australia withdrew from motor racing at the end of 1973. Drivers for the works team included Allan Moffat, Fred Gibson, Harry Firth, Bob Jane, Barry Seton, Bruce McPhee, John French, Ian Geoghegan and his brother Leo Geoghegan. Ford Australia also supported a factory rally team in Australia from 1977 to 1980.
The 1973 Hardie-Ferodo 1000 was the 14th running of the Bathurst 1000 touring car race. This was the first race to be held under the new metric
The 1969 Hardie-Ferodo 500 was the tenth running of the Bathurst 500 production car race. It was held on 5 October 1969 at the Mount Panorama Circuit just outside Bathurst in New South Wales, Australia. Cars competed in five classes based on purchase price of the vehicle.
The 1967 Gallaher 500 was a motor race for Production Saloon Cars held at the Mount Panorama Circuit just outside Bathurst in New South Wales, Australia on 1 October 1967. The race, which was the eighth running of the Phillip Island 500/Bathurst 500, was organised by the Australian Racing Drivers Club Ltd and promoted by Gallaher International (Aust) Ltd.
The 1961 Australian Touring Car Championship was a CAMS sanctioned Australian motor racing title for drivers of Appendix J Touring Cars. The championship, which was contested over a single, 50 mile (82 km) race at the Lowood Airfield Circuit in Queensland on 3 September 1961, was the second Australian Touring Car Championship. The race, which was promoted by the Queensland Racing Drivers' Club, was won by Bill Pitt, driving a Jaguar Mark 1 3.4.
The 1964 Australian Touring Car Championship was a CAMS sanctioned national motor racing title for drivers of Appendix J Touring Cars and Group E Series Production Touring Cars. The championship, which was the fifth Australian Touring Car Championship, was contested over a single race staged at the Lakeside International Raceway in Queensland, Australia, on 26 July 1964. The race was won by Ian Geoghegan, the first of his five Australian Touring Car Championship titles. Geoghegan drove a Ford Cortina GT in what was the first Australian Touring Car Championship victory for a Ford driver and the first time that a Jaguar driver did not win the title.
Norman Edward Beechey is a retired Australian race car driver, who was given the nickname "Stormin Norman" by his fans. To some, he was the closest thing Holden had to a star racing driver, before Peter Brock. Beechey competed in the Australian Touring Car Championship from 1963 to 1972 winning the title in 1965 driving a Ford Mustang and in 1970 at the wheel of a Holden Monaro. Along the way, he achieved seven round wins, and one pole position. His championship win in 1970 was the first victory by a Holden driver in the Australian Touring Car Championship.
The 1965 Australian Touring Car Championship was a CAMS sanctioned motor racing title open to Group C Improved Production Touring Cars. It was contested over a single 40-lap race staged at Sandown Raceway in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia on 11 April 1965. It was the sixth Australian Touring Car Championship title to be awarded and the first to be contested by cars complying with Group C regulations.
The 1966 Australian Touring Car Championship was a CAMS sanctioned Australian motor racing title open to Group C Improved Production Touring Cars. It was contested over a single 20-lap race staged at the Mount Panorama Circuit near Bathurst in New South Wales, Australia on Easter Monday, 11 April 1966, and was the seventh running of the Australian Touring Car Championship. The race was sponsored by the Neptune Oil Company, Sydney.
The 1962 Australian Touring Car Championship was a CAMS sanctioned Australian motor racing title for Appendix J Touring Cars. It was contested as a single race, staged at the Longford Circuit, in Tasmania, Australia, on 3 March 1962. The title, which was the third Australian Touring Car Championship, was won by Bob Jane, driving a Jaguar Mark 2 3.8.
The 1963 Australian Touring Car Championship was a CAMS sanctioned motor racing title for drivers of Appendix J Touring Cars. It was contested over a single 25 lap, 50 mile (80 km) race at the Mallala Race Circuit in South Australia on 15 April 1963 and was the fourth running of the Australian Touring Car Championship. The race was won by Bob Jane, driving a Jaguar Mark 2 4.1.
The 1967 Australian Touring Car Championship was a CAMS sanctioned national motor racing title open to Group C Improved Production Touring Cars. It was contested over a single race, staged at the Lakeside Circuit in Queensland, Australia on 30 July 1967. The title, which was the eighth Australian Touring Car Championship, was won by Ian Geoghegan, driving a Ford Mustang.
The 1972 Australian Touring Car Championship was a CAMS sanctioned national motor racing title open to Group C Improved Production Touring Cars and Group E Series Production Touring Cars. The championship, which was the 13th running of the Australian Touring Car Championship, began at Symmons Plains and ended at Oran Park after eight rounds.
James Walter McKeown was an Australian racing driver who competed in the Australian Touring Car Championship from 1964 to 1972, with a best finish of 2nd in the 1970 ATCC. McKeown was part of the successful Neptune Racing Team alongside Norm Beechey and Peter Manton. The team later became known as the Shell Racing Team and consisted of McKeown in a Porsche 911S, Beechey in a Holden Monaro GTS350 and Manton in a Morris Cooper S.