TOURING CAR MASTERS

[disco man]

This has to be the best tintop racing in the country. How cool to see the muscle cars from the 60s and 70s tearing up the track. I wish i was around when these cars were racing. To the members on the forum that were you lucky bastards!!!. Watching Jim richards and John bowe still going at it you'd think they just stepped out of V8 supercars. The amount of different cars is awesome Camaro, Mustang, Torana, XA superbird, Valiant charger, strangely no Monaro's. Also the different size engines is also very cool everything from the small flat 6 in the Porche to the 351 in the XB hardtops. When the V8 supercars roll into Townsville i hope these classic cars are with them.:)

[Hoges]

In the early days of the Bathurst "500" (miles that is!) the blokes actually took sandwiches with them ... some entries...a lot actually, had drum brakes on the rear because the car had to be "homologated" i.e. manufacturers had to produce a set quota (can't remember the figure but it was over 50 possibly even 100 ) for retail sale with the same specifications. Even tyres were road going tyres! Mini cooper S, Cortina GT 1600 cc engine with a close ratio Lotus gearbox, EH Holden Special (S4) with a 4 sp gearbox and front disc brakes (big innovation!), Alfa Romeo Veloce GT, Toyota corolla, Datsun 1600... you name it, they were all running together while competing in different classes. (IIRC based on engine displacement).
Hence the expression, "Raced on Sunday, sold on Monday!" Oh yes, and the tyre of choice was a Michelin XAS ...a radial ply tyre no less!

EDIT: I could go on but it's time already for my afternoon nap...

[gossamer]

Before my time as well but wasn't their a pair of brothers that raced a GTHO in dinner suits?
edit found it
Leo and Ian Geoghan drove their ford Cortina in the 1965 Armstrong 500 at Bathurst while wearing business suits as part of a sponsorship deal with a Sydney clothing store.

[VladTepes]

Ah the old Lotus Cortina with that green flash down the side ! The sound of that straight cut gearbox... ohhh yeah baby !!!!

https://www.aulro.com/afvb/



This guy has a pet one (albeit not original) to race...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SXiyYYLGm1k

[Hoges]

Note important safety measure to minimise chances of glass getting onto the track in event of a minor shunt: insulating tape on headlights!;) no roll cage, some had a "racing harness" which was essentially a V-tether bolted to the rear parcel shelf (as one does with a baby seat), came over each shoulder and looped over the lap belt. No head rests. Seat belts were often an optional extra in the early 60s ...they weren't compulsory until about 1970....

[disco man]

[QUOTE=VladTepes;2120613]Ah the old Lotus Cortina with that green flash down the side ! The sound of that straight cut gearbox... ohhh yeah baby !!!!

https://www.aulro.com/afvb/



awesome little jigger very cool. were these the ones prepared by harry firth?

[Redback]

Here ya go, classic giant killer:burnrubber:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ymg0jurkxn8

[Bundalene]

Those were the days, sitting on the mound at Creek Corner, Warwick Farm watching the likes of Bob Jane, the Geoghegan's Colin Bond, KB, .........


Or at Amaroo and later on at Oran Park

i can see them now;);) We rarely missed a race in those days.



Erich

[disco man]

Those were the days, sitting on the mound at Creek Corner, Warwick Farm watching the likes of Bob Jane, the Geoghegan's Colin Bond, KB, .........


Or at Amaroo and later on at Oran Park

i can see them now;);) We rarely missed a race in those days.



Erich

You lucky bugger. Legendary names racing legendary cars best i can do is watch old black and white footage. The old man would tell me about the racing at Lakeside and the cars little Mini's and cortina's having a go against the big V8's and sometimes even winning guess that's where my love of motorsport comes from.

[Kev the Fridgy]

[QUOTE=VladTepes;2120613]Ah the old Lotus Cortina with that green flash down the side ! The sound of that straight cut gearbox... ohhh yeah baby !!!!

http://www.ballaratfestivalofmotoring.com.au/media/637400/lotus%20cortina%20brands%20hatch%20.jpg



awesome little jigger very cool. were these the ones prepared by harry firth?



My second car was a GT500 Cortina, 1500cc Harry Firth engine single down draft webber close ratio G/box, A Framed rear end adjustable shocks.... so miss that car, my first car was a factory 4 door GT, in black:twisted:...... truth be known and just for a bit of trivia, one Mr Craig Lowndes owns a 2 door Mk 1 GT

[disco man]

They had a Chevy Monza racing yesterday I have never seen one of these in my life didn't even know the were sold in Australia. Along with the XA superbird looks like it needs more R&D time. Would love to see the charger a bit further up on the time sheets.The 265 Hemi is a bloody good donk so with a few modern suspention upgrades and decent tyres and brakes it should be a good thing but i guess with any form of motorsport it comes to budget. The likes of Bowe and Richards enjoy a much better budget than any one else down pit lane.

[SuperMono]

The TCM class isn't really for classic/historic cars as such.
A lot of modern hardware underneath those 'old' shapes.
Best to look at them as cars 'in the style' of days gone by.

But yes, good racing and mix of front runners in all sorts of things.
The rules include ballast for success, so the more you win the more you weigh.

Regarding the Monza, I don't believe you have to have a local racing history to be allowed in TCM.
However here are my two favorite 'local' Monzas.

Moffat.
https://www.aulro.com/afvb/images/imported/2014/04/1105.jpg

Jane.
https://www.aulro.com/afvb/images/imported/2014/04/1106.jpg