Jason Bargwanna
| Jason Bargwanna | |
|---|---|
| Nationality |
 Australian |
| Supercars Record | |
| Series championships | 0 |
| Races | 172 |
| Race wins | 4 |
| Podium finishes | 13 |
| Pole positions | 3 |
Jason Bargwanna (born 26 April 1972 in Sydney) is an ex Australian motor racing driver. Best known as a Supercars Championship competitor, Bargwanna raced in the series for 15 years, the pinnacle of which was winning, with Garth Tander, the 2000 Bathurst 1000 in a Garry Rogers Motorsport prepared Holden Commodore. Bargwanna is currently the Driving Standards Observer for the Supercars Championship, taking this position in February 2014[1] and on the Karting Australia Events and Sporting Committee.[2]
Career history
Bargwanna commenced his racing career in the late 1980s, initially competing in the Formula Vee category. He made his Bathurst 1000 début while still a teenager in 1990, however a lack of funding limited his motor sport participation for the next few seasons and he pursued a career in the financial sector.
His career finally started to move forward in 1995, racing in the Australian Formula Ford Championship. He impressed in his seven-year-old Reynard, racing against younger drivers with the latest cars from Van Diemen and Swift and against drivers of the caliber of Jason Bright and Mark Webber. His 1995 showing allowed him to attract the budget to run a campaign with late model equipment in 1996 and he finished second in the championship to Van Diemen's factory supported driver, David Besnard. He also represented Australia in the EFDA Nations Cup in both 1995 and 1996. A move to Formula Holden resulted in second place in the 1997 Australian Drivers' Championship with SH Racing.
V8 Supercars
As a member of the Holden "Young Lions" V8 Supercar program in 1997, he surprised many by taking provisional pole position in the #97 Holden Commodore at the Bathurst 1000 Classic only to damage the car beyond repair in a race day warm up accident. His career further advanced in 1998 with a move full-time to Garry Rogers Motorsport, where he stayed for five years. Bargwanna is possibly best known for winning the 2000 Bathurst 1000 with Garth Tander for that team.
In 2003, Bargwanna switched to Ford and drove for Larkham Motor Sport from 2003 to 2005. In 2006, Larkham Motor Sport merged with WPS Racing, the team folding immediately prior to the 2008 season and leaving Bargwanna without a full-time drive. He did however co-drove a Holden Commodore for Rod Nash Racing alongside Tony D'Alberto in the 2008 Phillip Island 500 and the Bathurst 1000 endurance races .
Bargwanna joined Tasman Motorsport for 2009 and, following the closure of that team at the end of the season,[3] he joined Kelly Racing for 2010.[4] He was also voted in the top 50 all time Australian Touring car drivers in 2010.[5] On 27 January 2011, it was announced that he would drive the second Brad Jones Racing Commodore alongside his junior open-wheel rival, Jason Bright.[6]
New Zealand V8
In late 2011, Bargwanna left the V8 Supercars Australia and joined the New Zealand V8. He resulted runner-up in the 2011/12 season behind Angus Fogg, collecting a round win and podiums in the six rounds driving a Tulloch Ford Falcon. The team switched to a Holden Commodore for the 2013 season. The driver won 9 out of 15 races and got the TLX title.
Personal life
Bargwanna is married to former Peter Brock employee Deborah, has two children Ben and Jake, and lives in Warragul, Victoria. His father, Harry Bargwanna, himself an Australian champion racing driver, owns and operates a mechanical repair shop in the Southern Sydney suburb of Engadine. His uncle Alf (Harry's twin brother) and cousin Scott are also national level race drivers. Bargwanna attended Heathcote High School in Sydney.
Career results
Complete Bathurst 1000 results
| Year | No. | Team | Car | Co-driver | Position | Laps |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990 | 43 | Brian Callaghan, Jr. | Holden VL Commodore | Brian Callaghan, Jr. John Gerwald |
21st | 143 |
| 1992 | 71 | Toyota Team Australia | Toyota Corolla FX-GT | Scott Bargwanna |
22nd | 126 |
| 1997 | 97 | Holden Young Lions | Holden VS Commodore | Mark Noske |
DNS | 0 |
| 1998 | 35 | Garry Rogers Motorsport | Holden VS Commodore |  Jim Richards |
3rd | 161 |
| 1999 | 34 | Garry Rogers Motorsport | Holden VT Commodore | Garth Tander |
DNF | 41 |
| 2000 | 34 | Garry Rogers Motorsport | Holden VT Commodore | Garth Tander |
1st | 161 |
| 2001 | 34 | Garry Rogers Motorsport | Holden VX Commodore | Garth Tander |
6th | 161 |
| 2002 | 34 | Garry Rogers Motorsport | Holden VX Commodore | Garth Tander |
DNF | 51 |
| 2003 | 10 | Larkham Motor Sport | Ford BA Falcon | Mark Larkham |
DNF | 118 |
| 2004 | 10 | Larkham Motor Sport | Ford BA Falcon | Mark Winterbottom |
5th | 161 |
| 2005 | 20 | Larkham Motor Sport | Ford BA Falcon | Mark Winterbottom |
DNF | 122 |
| 2006 | 10 | WPS Racing | Ford BA Falcon | Craig Baird |
10th | 161 |
| 2007 | 8 | WPS Racing | Ford BF Falcon |  Max Wilson |
7th | 161 |
| 2008 | 55 | Rod Nash Racing | Holden VE Commodore | Tony D'Alberto |
DNF | 159 |
| 2009 | 3 | Tasman Motorsport | Holden VE Commodore | Mark Noske |
6th | 161 |
| 2010 | 11 | Kelly Racing | Holden VE Commodore | Glenn Seton |
DNF | 132 |
| 2011 | 14 | Brad Jones Racing | Holden VE Commodore | Shane Price |
23rd | 158 |
* Events highlighted in green denote designated co-driver role
References
- ↑ "Old Favourite New Driving Standards Observer". The Official Website of V8 Supercars Australia. 6 February 2014. Retrieved 2015-05-02.
- ↑ http://www.karting.net.au/karting-australia/officials-committees KARTING AUSTRALIA OFFICIALS & COMMITTEES.
- ↑ "Tasman Quits V8 Racing". Tasman / Sprint Gas Racing. 20 November 2009. Retrieved 2009-11-21.
- ↑ http://www.motorsport.com/#/all/news/jason-bargwanna-gets-seat-team-with-kelly-racing/?v=2&s=1&q=Jason%2BBargwanna&i=98 Motorsport.com Retrieved 24 June 2011
- ↑ http://www.motorsport.com/#/all/news/kelly-racing-drivers-honoured-in-top-50-list/?v=2&s=1&q=Jason%2BBargwanna&i=20 Motorsport.com Retrieved 24 June 2011
- ↑ "Bargwanna Joins BJR". The Official Website of V8 Supercars Australia. 27 January 2011. Retrieved 2011-01-27.
External links
| Sporting positions | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by Steven Richards Greg Murphy |
Winner of the Bathurst 1000 2000 (with Garth Tander) |
Succeeded by Mark Skaife Tony Longhurst |