1966 Australian Touring Car Championship

1966 Australian Touring Car Championship
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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. Ian Geoghegan, driving a Ford Mustang, claimed his second title and the first of four consecutive titles that he would achieve in Mustangs.[2]

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.[2]

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.[2]

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.[2]

Results

Class winners are indicated by bold text.

Pos. Class No. Driver Entrant Car Laps Time/Retired Grid
1 Over 3000cc 1 Australia Ian Geoghegan Total Team Ford Mustang 20 54:30.2 1
2 Over 3000cc 3 Australia Norm Beechey1 Neptune Racing Team Chevrolet Chevy II Nova 20 +32.8 2
3 1501–2000cc 12 Australia Kevin Bartlett Mildren Racing Alfa Romeo GTA 20 +2:19.8 3
4 1101–1500cc 76 Australia John Harvey R.C. Phillips Sports Car World Austin Cooper S 19 +1 lap 4
5 1101–1500cc 99 Australia Phil Barnes Vaughan & Lane Morris Cooper S 19 +1 lap 6
6 0–1100cc 15 Australia John French J. French Morris Cooper S 18 +2 laps 8
7 1501–2000cc 71 Australia Bill Brown Scuderia Veloce Volvo 122S 18 +2 laps 10
8 1101–1500cc 13 Australia Bob Holden B.M.C. Australia Pty Ltd Morris Cooper S 17 +3 laps 14
9 1101–1500cc 38 Australia Don Holland Don Holland Motors Morris Cooper S 17 +3 laps 15
10 1101–1500cc 42 Australia A. Patterson A.R. Patterson Ford Cortina Mark I GT 17 +3 laps 19
11 1101–1500cc 75 Australia Peter Mander Marque Motors Morris Cooper S 17 +3 laps 16
12 1101–1500cc 64 Australia David Frazer Renno Motors Renault R8 Gordini 16 +4 laps
13 2001–3000cc 23 Australia John Hall H. Taylor Holden X2 16 +4 laps 21
14 2001–3000cc 82 Australia A. Barrow A. Barrow Holden FJ 16 +4 laps 25
15 0–1100cc 33 Australia John Prisk Varsity Auto Centre Morris Cooper 16 +4 laps
16 0–1100cc Australia Digby Cooke Marque Motors Morris Cooper 16 +4 laps
17 0–1100cc 54 Australia M. Schneider Marque Motors Morris Mini Deluxe 16 +4 laps
18 0–1100cc 43 Australia Ross Edgerton Ross Edgerton Renault R8 13 +7 laps
19 1101–1500cc 45 Australia G. MacDonald Esso Service Centre Waterloo Ford Cortina Mark I GT 7 +13 laps
Ret 1101–1500cc 100 Australia Charlie Smith C.G. Smith Morris Cooper S 17 9
Ret 0–1100cc Australia Bill Stanley Marque Motors Morris Cooper 16 24
Ret 2001–3000cc 119 Australia Warren Weldon Waggott Engineering Holden EH Special S4 15 Crankshaft 5
Ret 1101–1500cc 28 Australia Bruce Wright Peter Owen Racing Morris Cooper S 14 12
Ret 1101–1500cc 32 Australia R. Lindsay R. Lindsay Renault R8 Gordini 13 23
Ret 2001–3000cc 2 Australia Terry Allan Syndal Motors Holden EH Special S4 12 7
Ret 0–1100cc 66 Australia Bob Edgerton Bob Edgerton Morris Cooper S 7 20
Ret 2001–3000cc 53 Australia Malcolm Bailey M. Bailey Ford Zephyr 5
Ret 0–1100cc 11 Australia T. McGee Esso Service Centre Waterloo Morris Cooper 4
DNS Over 3000cc 4 Australia Norm Beechey1 Neptune Racing Team Ford Mustang Withdrew
DNS Over 3000cc 105 Australia Alton Boddenberg Advanx Gosford Motor Service Chrysler Valiant
DNS 2001–3000cc 55 Australia Don Smith Smiths Auto Accessories Holden EH Special S4 Accident
Sources:[2][3][4]

Notes:

Statistics

References

  1. ↑ Conditions for Australian Titles, 1966 CAMS Manual of Motor Sport, pages 70 to 73
  2. 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.
  3. ↑ 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.
  4. ↑ Howard, Graham (May 1966). "Geoghegan – The Greatest". Racing Car News. Chippendale, New South Wales: Publishers Photo Digest Pty Ltd. pp. 26–27.

External links

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