co-driver format for Texas, USA race

[Carsandmotorracing]

Please no.

[rustyinsthoz]

Originally Posted by Oldtony

Pecky
Certainly Frank did a lot of races in open wheelers and sports cars but his "tin top" wins included 3 British Touring car championships (Falcon Sprint, Escort and Camaro), a second at Bathurst, The Australian Sports Sedan championship at a time when it was at least the equal in importance with the Touring cars, He also set up and drove for the BMW team in Australia, sorted and prepared the Tony Longhurst Bathurst Sierra.
About the only thing he did wrong was getting Paul Morris started in racing
Edit: The Sports Sedan was a Chev Corvair which was probably what you saw at the farm Blue, although he may have run a Camaro at some stage.

The Corvair didn't debut until 1976. well after the farm closed. Bluesports recollection of Frank racing the Camaro would be about right.

[NaBUru38]

I'd love a Nascar vs IndyCar vs ALMS vs Grand-Am drivers fight on V8s.

[Oran Park Forever]

Originally Posted by Axeman444

that's all well and good for teams that have 500 chassis sitting in their sheds like NASCAR teams do. Avoiding the BTCC at all costs would be good. The result would actually be carnage, a ruined championship tilt or 2, and a few very angry team owners...

So you're saying before the 'B-pillar, drive thru penalty' became standard issue, that every V8SC & ATCC race in history was a carnage fest? That's not how my VHS & DVD collection shows it!

Simple rule...."When in Rome!"
Otherwise the American fans won't return for a second look.

.

[mac]

Please no... Everyone says we have the best touring cars in the world - prove it on the international stage without a crashfest...

Or without the predictable co-drivers then main drivers "strategy" - boring.

[St00ge]

you put some yankie stars in guaranteed a crowd and tv audience over there... smart move to make it viable first time round..

[Axeman444]

Originally Posted by Oran Park Forever

So you're saying before the 'B-pillar, drive thru penalty' became standard issue, that every V8SC & ATCC race in history was a carnage fest? That's not how my VHS & DVD collection shows it!

Simple rule...."When in Rome!"
Otherwise the American fans won't return for a second look.

.

"Bump & Run" & "B-Pilar or drive thru" are 2 different things, anyone can do a bump and run to pass someone, it takes skill to pass without trading paint - or worse. If the current crop can't keep from turning each other around by having a 1mm overlap, then how will relaxing the rule help?

[bluesport]

Originally Posted by Oldtony

The Sports Sedan was a Chev Corvair which was probably what you saw at the farm Blue, although he may have run a Camaro at some stage.

Tony, I think it was a Camaro. Frank was racing in the UK at the time and he brought the car downunder. I did read later that it wasn't his current BTCC Camaro but rather his previous machine that he brought out of mothballs.

[one five five]

We may be talking about the wet race at the Farm in early-73 that featured on "Late Night Legends" a few years back. Gardner was racing his older Camaro, Moffat was in it in the Coke Mustang, John Harvey in the Jane XU1 Sports Sedan, Pete in the Super Falcon...

That car then, i think, was driven by Martin Thomas in that years British Saloon Car Championship, while Gardner stepped into his newer Camaro.


As for Gardner's career, to say he spent most of his time in open-wheelers is laughable

[bluesport]

Originally Posted by one five five

We may be talking about the wet race at the Farm in early-73 that featured on "Late Night Legends" a few years back. Gardner was racing his older Camaro, Moffat was in it in the Coke Mustang, John Harvey in the Jane XU1 Sports Sedan, Pete in the Super Falcon...

That car then, i think, was driven by Martin Thomas in that years British Saloon Car Championship, while Gardner stepped into his newer Camaro.


As for Gardner's career, to say he spent most of his time in open-wheelers is laughable

I think you've got it, that would be the meeting.

[Teretonga]

Originally Posted by peckstar

thats true, but frank spent most of his career as an open wheeler, so you can hardly claim him as one of the best tin top racers to come out of australia

Franks greatest success in the UK and Europe came late later in his career as a tin top driver rather than in single seaters where he was a fill in or drove for private more often than works teams.

[Paradise City]

Originally Posted by Average Punter

Please no.

One Almost Anything Goes Novelty Race a year is enough...

Once the American promoters get stuff like this into their heads, it's tough to extract it again.

It's a pity the France family choose DTM to 'Americanise' rather than V8's. You could then have drivers who understand the demands of the V8 discipline ready for an annual Australian-American clash -- perhaps as a non-championship cash bounty event.

[rustyfan]

Originally Posted by Oran Park Forever

I think that would be the best thing they can do! Only this time also grab drivers from Nascar (if they have a free weekend, or night race)........& relax the 'drive thru' penalties for bump & run. Result would be a spectacle the locals would go nuts for. Kinda like IROC on acid!

This, a hundred times this - if they were able to have NASCAR drivers join the fun it would in an instant guarantee increased interest. I know quite a few NASCAR drivers are quite interested in the V8 SuperCars as well - Dale Earnhardt Jr., for example, took a holiday trip to Australia and the V8 SuperCars event at Phillip Island in 2007.

As for turning into a crash fest, I wouldn't worry too much as the top Sprint Cup drivers these days are rather respectable road course drivers.

[bluesport]

Originally Posted by one five five

John Harvey in the Jane XU1 Sports Sedan

I remember the Torana that John Harvey was driving, I believe it had a 4.4 litre Repco V8..........I wonder what happened to it.

[Oran Park Forever]

Originally Posted by bluesport

I remember the Torana that John Harvey was driving, I believe it had a 4.4 litre Repco V8..........I wonder what happened to it.

The Torana is in the hands of Willie Van Wersch.....very much modified from the Jane/Harvey days. Ironically it was Frank Gardner who chopped it up & applied his own theories to chassis development when he drove briefly for Bob Jane's team.
Then numerous Sports Sedan drivers owned it with further mods made, so it's a 'long way from home' so to speak.

The engine is also privately owned somewhere & word is they won't part with it.

.