1968 Australian Touring Car Championship

The 1968 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 race staged at the Warwick Farm circuit in New South Wales, Australia on 8 September 1968. The title, which was the ninth Australian Touring Car Championship, was won by Ian Geoghegan driving a Ford Mustang. It was the final Australian Touring Car Championship held as a single race, with the title being contested over a series of races from 1969 onwards.[2]

1968 Australian Touring Car Championship
Previous: 1967 Next: 1969

Report

Ian Geoghegan qualified on pole position, half a second faster than Norm Beechey who was now driving a Chevrolet Camaro SS. Bob Jane was third on the grid, with Jim McKeown and Peter Manton rounding out the top five. Geoghegan won the start and took the lead into the first corner ahead of Beechey and Jane, with the latter two almost touching halfway through the first lap. McKeown retired on lap 3 with a broken rear axle. Ian Dawson spun on the following lap while Nick Petrilli lost a wheel; a lap later Rod Coppins slowed with a loose exhaust.[2]

Jane's engine blew on lap 9, leaving Beechey as the sole challenger to Geoghegan. Fred Gibson's pit crew displayed a sign reading 'Jane in' to inform him of Jane's retirement, but Gibson misread the sign. He slowed on the following lap and pitted, losing six positions in the process. Beechey retired on lap 12 with mechanical problems, while Foley followed suit on the next lap. This left Geoghegan with a lead of twenty seconds over Paul Fahey and Manton.[2]

Fahey retired on lap 22, while Gibson had been making his way back through the field. Manton ran into problems on lap 28, allowing the Porsche 911 of Alan Hamilton into second and the Morris Cooper S of Darrell King into third. King attempted to close the gap to Hamilton, but collided with Graham Ryan and backed off to settle for third place. However, on the final lap, Hamilton went off the circuit and damaged a rear guard, folding it onto the tyre. King went through into second and finished over ninety seconds behind race winner Geoghegan, while Hamilton brought his car home with a blown tyre for third.[2]

Results
The Ford Mustang with which Ian Geoghegan won the championship. The car is pictured in 2013 in different specification.

Class winners are indicated by bold text.

Pos. Class No. Driver Entrant Car Laps Time/Retired
1 Over 3000cc 1 Ian Geoghegan The Mustang Team Ford Mustang 34 59:06.8
2 1101–1500cc 26 Darrell King D. King Morris Cooper S 34 +1:31.0
3 1501–2000cc 19 Alan Hamilton Porsche Distributors (Aust./N.Z.) Pty Ltd Porsche 911 34 +2:07.0
4 Over 3000cc 2 Fred Gibson N.E. Allen Competition Pty Ltd Ford Mustang 33 +1 lap
5 Up to 1100cc 9 Laurie Stewart Brian Foley Motors Morris Cooper S 33 +1 lap
6 Up to 1100cc 30 John Millyard Martinz Place Morris Cooper S 33 +1 lap
7 1101–1500cc 12 Peter Manton Peter Manton Racing Morris Cooper S 33 +1 lap
8 1101–1500cc 32 Graeme Spence K. Townsend Austin Cooper S 33 +1 lap
9 Up to 1100cc 29 John Humphrey Humphreys Golden Fleece Service Station Austin Cooper S 33 +1 lap
10 Over 3000cc 17 Bryan Thomson Bryan Thomson Racing Ford Mustang 32 +2 laps
11 Up to 1100cc 37 Richard Thurston A.M.I. Racing Team Toyota Corolla 31 +3 laps
12 2001–3000cc 23 Herb Taylor H.E. Taylor Holden EH 28 +6 laps
13 2001–3000cc 24 Graham Ryan Graham Ryan Auto Repairs Holden EH 28 +6 laps
Ret Over 3000cc 35 Ian Dawson I.W. (Red) Dawson Ford Mustang 23 Tyres
Ret Over 3000cc 6 Paul Fahey P.B. Fahey Ford Mustang 21 Gearbox
Ret 1101–1500cc 11 Phil Barnes Phil Barnes Motor Service Morris Cooper S 19
Ret 1101–1500cc 28 Fred Seery F.R. Seery Morris Cooper S 15
Ret 1101–1500cc 8 Brian Foley Brian Foley Motors Pty Ltd Morris Cooper S 12 Mechanical
Ret 1501–2000cc 16 Chris Brauer C.D. Brauer Ford Cortina Mark I Lotus 12 Steering
Ret Over 3000cc 4 Norm Beechey Norm Beechey Chevrolet Camaro SS 11 Mechanical
Ret 1101–1500cc 20 Don Holland Don Holland Motors Morris Cooper S 8
Ret Over 3000cc 3 Bob Jane Bob Jane's Autoland Ford Mustang 8 Camshaft
Ret 1101–1500cc 33 Barrie Broomhall Barrie Broomhall Motors Morris Cooper S 6
Ret Over 3000cc 10 Rod Coppins R. Coppins Ford Mustang 6 Exhaust
Ret 1101–1500cc 27 Bruce Jones Bruce A. Jones Morris Cooper S 4
Ret 2001–3000cc 21 Nick Petrilli N. Petrilli Holden EH 3 Wheel
Ret 1501–2000cc 7 Jim McKeown Jim McKeown Motors Ford Cortina Mark II Lotus 2 Axle
Ret 1101–1500cc 38 Howie Sangster H.G. Sangster Morris Cooper S 1
Ret 2001–3000cc 22 Martin Chenery M.R. Chenery Holden EH 0
Ret Up to 1100cc 36 Bob Morris Bill Buckle Autos Toyota Corolla 0
Sources:[2][3][4]

Statistics
  • Pole position: Ian Geoghegan, 1:42.8[5]
  • Fastest lap: Ian Geoghegan, 1:43.0[2]
  • Race distance: 34 laps, 123.08 km[2]
  • Average speed: 124.93 km/h[2]
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References
  1. Conditions for Australian Titles, 1968 CAMS Manual of Motor Sport, pages 70-73.
  2. 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. 76–81. ISBN 978-0-9805912-2-4.
  3. "Event 6, The 1968 Australian Touring Car Championship". Warwick Farm, 1968 Australian Touring Car Championship Official Programme. 8 September 1968. pp. 30–31.
  4. Floyd, Thomas (November 1968). "Geoghegan Holds Title". Sports Car World. pp. 16–28.
  5. Cooke, Barry (November 1968). "Touring Car Title - sound and fury". Modern Motor. pp. 57, 104.
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