Dean Canto | |
---|---|
Nationality | Australian |
Born | Sydney, New South Wales | 24 September 1980
Racing licence | FIA Silver |
Supercars Championship career | |
Championships | 0 |
Races | 156 |
Wins | 2 |
Podiums | 5 |
Pole positions | 0 |
2019 position | 44th (326 pts) |
Dean Justin Canto (born 24 September 1980) is a multiple-championship winning Australian motor racing driver. Best noted as a Supercars driver, Canto was the inaugural winner of the second-tier V8 Supercar development series in 2000, and the first to become a multiple-champion five years later. Canto has been a regular in the main Supercars Championship for a variety of teams racing both full-time and as a part-time endurance race co-driver.
After winning a national and two state titles in kart racing, Canto graduated to the Australian GT Production Car Championship and finished the Championship in 11th overall, and second within Class B in which his Subaru Impreza WRX raced. He then backed up this performance with a victory in the 1998 Sandown 1 Hour driving a Maserati Ghibli co-driving with Alfredo Costanzo. [1] Another second in class placing followed in 1999 driving a Ford Mondeo in the Independents class of the Australian Super Touring Championship.
Later that year, Canto made his V8 Supercar début in the Shell Championship Series at Oran Park Raceway then went on to drive in the Queensland 500 and Bathurst Classic as well as racing his Mondeo at the Bathurst 1000.
In 2000, Canto won the inaugural Konica V8 Lites Series [1] driving a Ford EL Falcon under the banner of Dean Canto Racing. In 2001, Canto drove with Ford Tickford Racing at the Queensland 500 and Bathurst 1000. He achieved a ninth placing in the Queensland 500 and fifth with teammate Jim Richards in the Bathurst 1000. [1] Canto added another title with his victory in the Young Guns races at the Honda IndyCar Carnival, a one-make event for emerging young drivers in road specification Honda Integras.
In 2002, Canto became co-driver to Max Wilson at Briggs Motor Sport and in 2003, achieved a full-time drive with the same team. Canto was diagnosed with Alopecia Universalis, a very rare medical condition that causes rapid hair loss to the body. Medical advice reassured Canto that the condition would, in no way, affect his overall health. With concerns allayed, Canto then took the time to adjust to the condition, renew his confidence and focus, stronger than ever, on more driving success.[ citation needed ]
In the later half of the 2003 season, Canto pulled off a number of strong performances and top 10 finishes and was awarded the VIP Top Dog award, however it was not enough for Canto to keep his full-time drive. Canto was retained as the endurance race co-driver with team under its new ownership identity of Triple Eight Race Engineering for the 2004 season.
The following year Dick Johnson Racing appointed Canto to drive the Gatorz Racing Development Series Ford Falcon. The season proved a success. Canto won five of the seven rounds, qualified on pole position on six of seven occasions, won nine of the ten races where he started on the front row of the grid and won ten races in total. Canto's times were so fast that he could qualify in the Supercars Top 20 (even though the Development cars had a 100 kg lead weight disadvantage). He set new Development Series lap records at Adelaide and Wakefield Park and new qualifying lap records at the Clipsal 500 and Queensland rounds. At the season's conclusion he became the first driver ever to win two Development Series Championships. [2]
Canto proved once again his worth as an endurance driver teaming up with Glenn Seton at the endurance rounds in a DJR Falcon. The pair finished ninth at Bathurst even with an engine misfire.
Canto's performance in 2005 caught the attention of Garry Rogers Motorsport team Principal Garry Rogers. He asked Canto to fill the vacant seat of the #34 Valvoline Repco Cummins VZ Commodore for the Indy 300 and Tasmanian rounds of the V8 Supercar Championship Series. The car finished well and both team and driver realised that a longer-term relationship would be beneficial for team and driver. Canto signed a multi-year deal with GRM as the team's lead driver for their assault on the 2006 V8 Supercar Championship Series. [3]
The 2006 series saw Canto achieve his first win in the main category, the reverse grid race at Barbagallo Raceway. After a difficult 2007 season, Canto's GRM contract was cut leaving Canto without a full-time drive in 2008. [4] Canto returned to the Development series with Howard Racing but just missed out on his third title, finishing second to Steve Owen. [5]
Since then Canto has competed as an endurance co-driver with Ford Performance Racing under its numerous banners from 2008 to 2018. His time there included a 2nd place at the Bathurst 1000 in 2012, and a win at the Gold Coast 600 in 2014, both alongside long time teammate, David Reynolds.
In 2019, Canto competed in his 21st Bathurst 1000 alongside Macauley Jones at Brad Jones Racing. [6]
(key) (Races in bold indicate pole position) (Races in italics indicate fastest lap)
Year | Team | Car | Co-driver | Position | Laps |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
1999 | Graphic Skills Racing | Holden Commodore VS | Wayne Wakefield | DNF | 46 |
2000 | Dean Canto Racing | Ford Falcon AU | Ian Moncreiff | DNF | 56 |
2001 | Glenn Seton Racing | Ford Falcon AU | Jim Richards | 5th | 161 |
2002 | Briggs Motor Sport | Ford Falcon AU | Max Wilson | DNF | 108 |
2003 | Triple Eight Race Engineering | Ford Falcon BA | Matthew White | DNF | 147 |
2004 | Triple Eight Race Engineering | Ford Falcon BA | Yvan Muller | DNF | 138 |
2005 | Dick Johnson Racing | Ford Falcon BA | Glenn Seton | 9th | 158 |
2006 | Garry Rogers Motorsport | Holden Commodore VZ | Lee Holdsworth | 17th | 129 |
2007 | Garry Rogers Motorsport | Holden Commodore VE | Lee Holdsworth | DNF | 118 |
2008 | Ford Performance Racing | Ford Falcon BF | Luke Youlden | 7th | 161 |
2009 | Ford Performance Racing | Ford Falcon FG | Luke Youlden | DNF | 139 |
2010 | Rod Nash Racing | Ford Falcon FG | Paul Dumbrell | 14th | 161 |
2011 | Rod Nash Racing | Ford Falcon FG | Paul Dumbrell | DNF | 144 |
2012 | Rod Nash Racing | Ford Falcon FG | David Reynolds | 2nd | 161 |
2013 | Rod Nash Racing | Ford Falcon FG | David Reynolds | 9th | 161 |
2014 | Rod Nash Racing | Ford Falcon FG | David Reynolds | DNF | 117 |
2015 | Rod Nash Racing | Ford Falcon FG X | David Reynolds | 6th | 161 |
2016 | Prodrive Racing Australia | Ford Falcon FG X | Mark Winterbottom | DNF | 132 |
2017 | Prodrive Racing Australia | Ford Falcon FG X | Mark Winterbottom | DNF | 159 |
2018 | Tickford Racing | Ford Falcon FG X | Mark Winterbottom | 12th | 161 |
2019 | Tim Blanchard Racing | Holden Commodore ZB | Macauley Jones | 16th | 160 |
Cameron Eric "Conkers" McConville is an Australian racing driver and motorsport celebrity. While retired from full-time competition, McConville still races occasionally and is an in-demand endurance event co-driver. McConville spent 14 years as a professional driver, ten of those in the largest Australian domestic category, Supercars Championship. McConville has also written for several magazines and presented several television programs and up until the end of the 2009 season was the colour commentator for Network Ten's Australian coverage of Formula One. McConville announced his retirement from full-time racing for the end of the 2009 season. He is also rumoured to be The Stig in Top Gear Australia.
Walkinshaw Andretti United is an Australian motor racing team based in the Melbourne suburb of Clayton. The team, initially branded as the Holden Racing Team, used to field Holden Commodores in the Supercars Championship before making the switch to Ford Mustangs for the 2023 season. The two cars are currently driven by Ryan Wood and Chaz Mostert.
Russell Peter Ingall is a former full-time Australian V8 Supercar driver. He won his V8 Supercars title in 2005, and finished second in 1998, 1999, 2001 and 2004. Ingall has also won the Bathurst 1000, in 1995 and 1997. His particular driving style earned him the nickname "Enforcer".
Garth Dirk Tander is a multiple-championship winning Australian motor racing driver competing in the Virgin Australia Supercars Championship's Enduro Cup, co-driving for Grove Racing. He was the 2007 series champion for the HSV Dealer Team and is a five-time winner in Australia's most prestigious motor race, the Bathurst 1000.
Jamie David Whincup is an Australian professional racing driver competing in the Supercars Championship. He currently is team principal for Triple Eight Race Engineering. He has driven the No. 88 Holden ZB Commodore, won a record seven Supercars championship titles, four Bathurst 1000 victories, and a Bathurst 12 Hour victory. Whincup is the all-time record holder in the Supercars Championship for race wins, at 125 career wins. He is also the first driver to win the Jason Richards Memorial Trophy twice at Pukekohe Park Raceway in Auckland, New Zealand.
Paul Lakeland Dumbrell is an Australian business executive and retired racing driver.
Garry Rogers Motorsport is an Australian motor racing team. It is owned by retired racing driver Garry Rogers who began the team to further his own racing efforts. Based in Melbourne, originally out of a Nissan dealership owned by Rogers, the team has competed in a variety of touring car series in Australia ranging from relatively modest Nissan production cars to Chevrolet NASCAR race cars to building the GT specification Holden Monaro 427C. The team won the Bathurst 1000 in 2000 and also won both of the Bathurst 24 Hour races which were held in 2002 and 2003. In 2013 the team celebrated its 50th year in racing since Rogers made his debut.
Tickford Racing is an Australian motor racing team which competes in the Supercars Championship. The team currently campaigns two Ford Mustangs, with their current drivers being Cam Waters and Thomas Randle. Tickford Racing also competes in the Super2 Series with Brad Vaughan and Lochie Dalton.
Rod Nash Racing is a Supercars Championship racing entity, owned by Rod Nash. Nash co-owns Tickford Racing and since 2018, Rod Nash Racing has run under the Tickford name.
Jack Perkins is an Australian motor racing driver who competes in the Pirtek Enduro Cup. He currently co-drivers with James Courtney in the No. 7 Ford Mustang for Blanchard Racing Team. He is the son of retired Australian race driver and former team owner Larry Perkins, in whose team Perkins Engineering, he drove between 2006 and 2008. Initially competing as an endurance race only driver in 2006, in 2007 Perkins graduated to the full-time drive in the No. 11 Perkins Engineering car, the number made famous in Australian racing by his father.
Anthony Lawrence Longhurst is an Australian racing driver and former Australian Champion water skier. He is most noted for his career in the Australian Touring Car Championship and V8 Supercar series. Longhurst is a two-time winner of the Bathurst 1000, winning the event in 1988 with Tomas Mezera and in 2001 with Mark Skaife, and is one of only five drivers to win Bathurst in both a Ford and a Holden.
The 2008 V8 Supercar Championship Series was the tenth V8 Supercar Championship Series and the twelfth series in which V8 Supercars contested the premier Australian touring car title. The championship began on 21 February at the Clipsal 500 on the streets of Adelaide and concluded on 7 December at Oran Park Raceway. It consisted of 14 rounds covering all states and the Northern Territory of Australia as well as rounds in New Zealand and Bahrain.
Antonio Alvano "Tony" D'Alberto is an Australian professional racing driver. He currently drives the No.11 Ford Mustang GT for Dick Johnson Racing as a co-driver in the Bathurst 1000.
Timothy William John Blanchard is an Australian racing driver.
David Reynolds is an Australian professional racing driver. He currently drives in the Repco Supercars Championship for Team 18, racing the No. 20 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1. He won the 2017 Supercheap Auto Bathurst 1000 with co-driver Luke Youlden.
The 2010 V8 Supercar Championship Series was an FIA sanctioned international motor racing series for V8 Supercars. It was the twelfth V8 Supercar Championship Series and the fourteenth series in which V8 Supercars have contested the premier Australian touring car title. The championship began on 19 February in the Middle East at Abu Dhabi's Yas Marina Circuit and concluded on 5 December at the Homebush Street Circuit. These events were held in all states of Australia and in the Northern Territory as well as in the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain and New Zealand. The 51st Australian Touring Car Championship title was awarded to the winner of the Drivers Championship by the Confederation of Australian Motor Sport.
The 2010 Fujitsu V8 Supercars Series was an Australian motor racing competition for V8 Supercars. It was the eleventh running of the V8 Supercar Development series. The series supported the 2010 V8 Supercar Championship Series, beginning on 11 March at the Clipsal 500 and ending on 5 December at the Sydney 500 after seven rounds.
Luke Gerard Youlden is an Australian Supercars series racing driver. He is the son of two-time Australian Production Car champion Kent Youlden (dec). Youlden currently drives for Kelly Grove Racing as a co-driver alongside David Reynolds in the No. 26 Ford Mustang GT. Outside racing, Youlden works at a performance driving school with fellow Supercars racer Dean Canto. He co-drove to victory with David Reynolds in the 2017 Supercheap Auto Bathurst 1000.
The 2012 International V8 Supercar Championship was an FIA-sanctioned international motor racing series for V8 Supercars. It was the fourteenth running of the V8 Supercar Championship Series and the sixteenth series in which V8 Supercars have contested the premier Australian touring car title. The championship began on 1 March at the Clipsal 500 and concluded on 2 December at the Homebush Street Circuit. The 53rd Australian Touring Car Championship title was awarded to the winner of the Drivers' Championship by the Confederation of Australian Motor Sport.
Chaz Michael Mostert is an Australian professional racing driver competing in the Repco Supercars Championship. He currently drives the No. 25 Ford Mustang GT for Walkinshaw Andretti United. Mostert was the winner of the 2021 Bathurst 1000 with Lee Holdsworth and has also previously won the 2014 Bathurst 1000 with Paul Morris and the 2010 Australian Formula Ford Championship.