John French (racing driver)

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John French (born 28 November 1930) is an Australian retired racing driver.

Contents

French was born in Millaa Millaa, Queensland, [1] and his long career lasted from the 1960s to the early 1980s. He won the 1962 Australian GT Championship driving a Centaur-Waggott and in 1969 French paired with Allan Moffat to win the Sandown Three Hour race in a Ford Falcon GTHO Phase I. French was well known multi-franchise car dealer selling BMC vehicles, Alfa Romeo, Renault, Peugeot and Subaru in Brisbane. Many of the marques he sold featured prominently in his professional racing career.

Nationally however he is best remembered as Dick Johnson's co-driver to win the crash-shortened 1981 Bathurst 1000 (French was driving the #17 Ford XD Falcon when the race was stopped, but wasn't one of the cars in the accident). [2] He regularly drove the works Ford Falcon GTHO's alongside Allan Moffat, and also drove Moffat's and Ian Geoghegan's Improved Production Ford Falcon GTHOs in the Australian Touring Car Championship rounds when Moffat and Geoghegan were driving their Mustangs.

Career results

SeasonSeriesPositionCarEntrant
1962 Australian GT Championship 1stCentaur Waggott GP Cars Racing Team
1964 Australian Touring Car Championship 8th Morris Cooper S Peter Uscinski P/L
1966 Australian Touring Car Championship 6th Morris Cooper S J. French
1967 Australian Touring Car Championship 8th Morris Cooper S J. French
1969 Australian Touring Car Championship 10th Alfa Romeo 1750 GTV Alec Mildren Racing
1970 Australian Touring Car Championship 12th Morris Cooper S British Leyland Racing Team
1971 Australian Touring Car Championship 6th Ford XY Falcon GTHO Phase III Allan Moffat Racing
Geoghegans Sporty Cars
1972 South Pacific Touring Series 10th Ford Falcon GTHO Ford Motor Company of Australia Ltd.
1972 Australian Touring Car Championship 23rd Ford XY Falcon GTHO Phase III Bryan Byrt Ford
1974 Australian Touring Car Championship 10th Alfa Romeo 2000 GTV
1975 Australian Touring Car Championship 9th Alfa Romeo 2000 GTV Alfa Romeo Dealers Aust.
1980 Australian Touring Car Championship 24th Alfa Romeo 2000 GTV
1982 Australian Endurance Championship NC Ford XE Falcon Palmer Tube Mills
1983 Australian Endurance Championship NC Nissan Bluebird Turbo Nissan Motor Co. Australia P/L
1984 Australian Endurance Championship NC Ford XE Falcon Palmer Tube Mills
1985 Australian Endurance Championship NC Holden VK Commodore Alf Grant
1986 Australian Endurance Championship NC Holden VK Commodore SS Group A Dulux Auto Colour
1987 World Touring Car Championship NC Mitsubishi Starion Turbo Ralliart Australia

Complete World Touring Car Championship results

(key) (Races in bold indicate pole position) (Races in italics indicate fastest lap)

YearTeamCar1234567891011DCPoints
1987 Flag of Australia (converted).svg Ralliart Australia Mitsubishi Starion Turbo MNZ JAR DIJ NUR SPA BNO SIL BAT
DND*
CLD WEL FJI NC0

* French was listed as a driver in the #16 Ralliart Australia Starion, though he did not drive in the race.

Complete Phillip Island/Bathurst 500/1000 results

YearTeamCo-driversCarClassLapsOverall
position
Class
position
1960 Flag of Australia (converted).svg Australian Motor Industries Flag of Australia (converted).svg Norm Beechey Standard Vanguard D1625th2nd
1964 Flag of Australia (converted).svg Ron Hodgson Motors Pty Ltd Flag of Australia (converted).svg Ron Hodgson Ford Cortina Mk.I GT C1275th4th
1965 Flag of Australia (converted).svg BMC Flag of Australia (converted).svg John Harvey Morris Cooper S C24DNFDNF
1966 Flag of Australia (converted).svg BMC Australia Flag of Australia (converted).svg Steve Harvey Morris Cooper S C1278th8th
1967 Flag of Australia (converted).svg BMC Works Team Flag of Finland.svg Timo Mäkinen Morris Cooper S C1277th3rd
1968 Flag of Australia (converted).svg Alec Mildren (Qld) Flag of Australia (converted).svg Frank Gardner Alfa Romeo 1750 GTV EDSQDSQ
1969 Flag of Australia (converted).svg Alec Mildren Alfa Romeo Flag of Australia (converted).svg Doug Chivas Alfa Romeo 1750 GTV E0DNFDNF
1971 Flag of Australia (converted).svg Ford Motor Co of Australia Ford XY Falcon GT-HO Phase III E1295th4th
1972 Flag of Australia (converted).svg Bryan Byrt Ford Pty Ltd Ford XY Falcon GT-HO Phase III D1292nd1st
1973 Flag of Australia (converted).svg Bryan Byrt Ford Flag of Australia (converted).svg Bob Skelton Ford XA Falcon GT Hardtop D91DNFDNF
1974 Flag of Australia (converted).svg John French Pty Ltd Flag of Australia (converted).svg Dick Johnson Alfa Romeo 2000 GTV 1301 – 2000cc71DNFDNF
1978 Flag of Australia (converted).svg Bryan Byrt Ford Flag of Australia (converted).svg Warwick Brown Ford XC Falcon GS500 Hardtop A57DNFDNF
1979 Flag of Australia (converted).svg Thompson Ford Flag of Australia (converted).svg Colin Bond Ford XC Falcon GS500 Hardtop A23DNFDNF
1980 Flag of Australia (converted).svg Palmer Tube Mills Flag of Australia (converted).svg Dick Johnson Ford XD Falcon 3001-6000cc17DNFDNF
1981 Flag of Australia (converted).svg Palmer Tube Mills Flag of Australia (converted).svg Dick Johnson Ford XD Falcon 8 Cylinder & Over1201st1st
1982 Flag of Australia (converted).svg Palmer Tube Mills Flag of Australia (converted).svg Dick Johnson Ford XE Falcon A160DSQDSQ
1983 Flag of Australia (converted).svg Nissan Motor Co. Australia P/L Flag of Australia (converted).svg Fred Gibson Nissan Bluebird Turbo A13422nd20th
1984 Flag of Australia (converted).svg Palmer Tube Mills Flag of Australia (converted).svg Dick Johnson Ford XE Falcon Group C107DNFDNF
Flag of Australia (converted).svg Dick Johnson Ford Mustang GT Group A-DNSDNS
1985 Flag of Australia (converted).svg Alf Grant Flag of Australia (converted).svg Alf Grant Holden VK Commodore C0DNFDNF
1986 Flag of Australia (converted).svg Dulux Auto Colour Flag of Australia (converted).svg Alf Grant Holden VK Commodore SS Group A C11DNFDNF
1987 Flag of Australia (converted).svg Ralliart Australia Flag of Australia (converted).svg Gary Scott
Flag of Japan (1870-1999).svg Akihiko Nakaya
Mitsubishi Starion Turbo 11545th
(DND)*
4th
(DND)*

* In 1987 French was listed to drive and qualified the #16 Ralliart Starion, but never got to drive in the race

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References

  1. Tuckey, Bill, ed. (1984). "James Hardie 1000". 4. BFT Publishing Group Pty Ltd: 335. ISSN   0811-546X.{{cite journal}}: Cite journal requires |journal= (help)
  2. "James Hardie 1000 Mount Panorama, Bathurst 4th October, 1981". Unique Cars and Parts. Retrieved 17 January 2010.
Sporting positions
Preceded by Winner of the Sandown 500
1969
(with Allan Moffat)
Succeeded by
Preceded by Winner of the Bathurst 1000
1981
(with Dick Johnson)
Succeeded by