1966 Australian Touring Car Championship

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1966 Australian Touring Car Championship
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Layout of the Mount Panorama Circuit (1938-1986) Mount Panorama 1938-1986.png
Layout of the Mount Panorama Circuit (1938-1986)

The 1966 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 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. [2]

Contents

Ian Geoghegan, driving a Ford Mustang, claimed his second Australian Touring Car Championship title and the first of four consecutive titles that he would achieve in Mustangs. [3]

Race summary

Ian Geoghegan had upgraded to a Ford Mustang and took pole position ahead of Norm Beechey, who had qualified both his Mustang and his new Chevrolet Chevy II Nova. Despite lapping quicker in the Mustang, Beechey elected to race the more powerful Chevy II Nova. Don Smith had qualified sixth in his Holden EH S4, but was unable to start due to an accident in a preliminary race. [3]

Beechey led away from the start and gradually increased his lead during the first half of the 20-lap race, moving 9.6 seconds ahead of Geoghegan by the end of lap 8. Three cars had been retired at this point: T. McGee's Morris Cooper, Malcolm Bailey's Ford Zephyr and Bob Edgerton's Morris Cooper S. [3]

Geoghegan started to reduce the gap on lap 9 and caught Beechey on lap 13 before passing him on lap 14. Terry Allan retired from the race on lap 13 while fellow Holden runner Warren Weldon retired on lap 16 with a broken crankshaft. Beechey's pace dropped off for the remainder of the race, with reported clutch troubles, allowing Geoghegan to take an easy victory. Kevin Bartlett, driving an Alfa Romeo GTA, was the only other driver to finish on the lead lap, albeit nearly two minutes behind Beechey. John Harvey and Phil Barnes completed the top five, one lap down on the leaders. [3]

Results

Pos.ClassNo.DriverEntrant [2] CarLapsTime/RetiredGrid [4] [5]
1Over 3000cc1 Flag of Australia (converted).svg Ian Geoghegan Total Team Ford Mustang 2054:30.21
2Over 3000cc3 Flag of Australia (converted).svg Norm Beechey 1 Neptune Racing Team Chevrolet Chevy II Nova 20+32.83
31501–2000cc12 Flag of Australia (converted).svg Kevin Bartlett Alec Mildren Racing Pty Ltd Alfa Romeo GTA 20+2:19.84
41101–1500cc76 Flag of Australia (converted).svg John Harvey R.C. Phillips Sports Car World Austin Cooper S 19+1 lap5
51101–1500cc99 Flag of Australia (converted).svg Phil BarnesVaughan & Lane Morris Cooper S 19+1 lap8
60–1100cc15 Flag of Australia (converted).svg John French J. French Morris Cooper S 18+2 laps10
71501–2000cc71 Flag of Australia (converted).svg Bill Brown Scuderia Veloce Volvo 122S 18+2 laps13
81101–1500cc13 Flag of Australia (converted).svg Bob Holden B.M.C. (Australia) Pty Ltd Morris Cooper S 17+3 laps17
91101–1500cc38 Flag of Australia (converted).svg Don HollandDon Holland Motors Morris Cooper S 17+3 laps18
101101–1500cc42 Flag of Australia (converted).svg A. PattersonA.R. Patterson Ford Cortina Mark I GT 17+3 laps22
111101–1500cc75 Flag of Australia (converted).svg Peter ManderMarque Motors Morris Cooper S 17+3 laps19
121101–1500cc64 Flag of Australia (converted).svg David FrazerRenno Motors Renault R8 Gordini 16+4 laps ?
132001–3000cc23 Flag of Australia (converted).svg John HallH. Taylor Holden X2 16+4 laps24
142001–3000cc82 Flag of Australia (converted).svg A. BarrowA. Barrow Holden FJ 16+4 laps28
150–1100cc33 Flag of Australia (converted).svg John PriskVarsity Auto Centre Morris Cooper 16+4 laps25
160–1100cc84? [6] Flag of Australia (converted).svg Digby CookeMarque Motors Morris Cooper 16+4 laps ?
170–1100cc54 Flag of Australia (converted).svg M. SchneiderMarque Motors Morris Mini Deluxe 16+4 laps ?
180–1100cc43 Flag of Australia (converted).svg Ross EdgertonRoss Edgerton Renault R8 13+7 laps23
191101–1500cc45 Flag of Australia (converted).svg G. MacDonaldEsso Servicenter Ford Cortina Mark I GT 7+13 laps ?
Ret1101–1500cc100 Flag of Australia (converted).svg Charlie SmithC.G. Smith Morris Cooper S 1712
Ret0–1100cc84? [6] Flag of Australia (converted).svg Bill StanleyMarque Motors Morris Cooper 1627
Ret2001–3000cc119 Flag of Australia (converted).svg Warren Weldon Waggott Engineering Holden EH Special S4 15Crankshaft7
Ret1101–1500cc28 Flag of Australia (converted).svg Bruce WrightPeter Owen Racing Morris Cooper S 1415
Ret1101–1500cc32 Flag of Australia (converted).svg R. LindsayR. Lindsay Renault R8 Gordini 1326
Ret2001–3000cc2 Flag of Australia (converted).svg Terry AllanSyndal Motors Holden EH Special S4 12Clutch failure [4] 9
Ret0–1100cc66 Flag of Australia (converted).svg Bob EdgertonRobert Edgerton Morris Cooper S 7 ?
Ret2001–3000cc53 Flag of Australia (converted).svg Malcolm BaileyM. Bailey Ford Zephyr 5 ?
Ret0–1100cc11 Flag of Australia (converted).svg T. McGeeEsso Servicentre (Waterloo) Morris Cooper 4 ?
DNSOver 3000cc2 Flag of Australia (converted).svg Norm Beechey 1 Neptune Racing Team Ford Mustang -Withdrew(2)
DNS2001–3000cc55 Flag of Australia (converted).svg Don SmithSmith Auto Accessories Holden EH Special S4 -Accident in preliminary race [7] (6)
DNSOver 3000cc105 Flag of Australia (converted).svg Alton BoddenbergAdvanx (Gosford) Motor Service Chrysler Valiant -Clutch problems in preliminary race [7] (11)
Sources: [3] [4] [7]

Notes:

Statistics

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References

  1. Conditions for Australian Titles, 1966 CAMS Manual of Motor Sport, pages 70 to 73
  2. 1 2 Souvenir Programme, Bathurst National Open Meeting, 11 April 1966, page 35
  3. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 Greenhalgh, David; Howard, Graham; Wilson, Stewart (2011). The official history: Australian Touring Car Championship - 50 Years. St Leonards, New South Wales: Chevron Publishing Group. pp. 64–69. ISBN   978-0-9805912-2-4.
  4. 1 2 3 4 Medley, John (1997). Bathurst, Cradle of Australian Motor Racing. Wahroonga, New South Wales: Turton & Armstrong Pty Ltd. pp. 359–360. ISBN   978-0-9080317-0-2.
  5. The grid lineup shown on page 360 of John Medley's Bathurst, Cradle of Australian Motor Racing does not show names for all grid positions.
  6. 1 2 W Stanley and D Cooke are both listed to drive the No 84 Marque Motors Morris Cooper in the entry list for the ATCC race in the Souvenir Programme
  7. 1 2 3 Howard, Graham (May 1966). "Geoghegan – The Greatest". Racing Car News. Chippendale, New South Wales: Publishers Photo Digest Pty Ltd. pp. 26–27.