1991 Australian Touring Car Championship

The 1991 Australian Touring Car Championship was a CAMS sanctioned motor racing title open to Group 3A Touring Cars.[1] The title, which was the 32nd Australian Touring Car Championship,[2] was contested over a nine-round series which began on 24 February 1991 at Sandown Raceway and ended on 11 August at Oran Park Raceway,[3] The series was promoted as the Shell Australian Touring Car Championship[4] and was won by Jim Richards driving a Nissan Skyline GT-R.

1991 Australian Touring Car Championship
Previous: 1990 Next: 1992

Teams and drivers
Series winner Jim Richards

The following teams and drivers competed in the 1991 Australian Touring Car Championship.

Team Car No Driver Rounds
Nissan Motor Sport Nissan Skyline R32 GT-R 1 Jim Richards All
2 Mark Skaife All
Lansvale Racing Team Holden VN Commodore SS Group A SV 3 Trevor Ashby 5-6, 9
Steve Reed 1, 4
Bob Forbes Racing Nissan Skyline R32 GT-R 4 Mark Gibbs 9
Holden VL Commodore SS Group A SV
Holden VN Commodore SS Group A SV		 21 1-2, 6, 8
Mobil 1 Racing Holden VN Commodore SS Group A SV 05 Peter Brock All
11 Larry Perkins All
Alf Grant Racing Nissan Skyline HR31 GTS-R 6 Tim Grant 4
Caltex CXT Racing Team Ford Sierra RS500 8 Colin Bond All
Bob Holden Motors Toyota Sprinter 13 Bob Holden 1, 4-6, 8
Toyota Corolla E80 75 Frank Binding 6
76 Mike Conway 6, 9
Warren Jonsson Holden VL Commodore SS Group A SV 14 Warren Jonsson 4, 8
Holden Racing Team Holden VN Commodore SS Group A SV 16 Win Percy 1-7, 9
Allan Grice 8
Shell Ultra-Hi Racing Ford Sierra RS500 17 Dick Johnson All
18 John Bowe All
Benson & Hedges Racing BMW M3 Evolution 20 Alan Jones All
25 Tony Longhurst All
Terry Finnigan Holden VL Commodore SS Group A SV
Holden VN Commodore SS Group A SV		 27 Terry Finnigan 1, 4-6, 8-9
Playscape Racing Ford Sierra RS500 28 Kevin Waldock 1-2, 4, 6
Wayne Park Holden VL Commodore SS Group A SV 29 Wayne Park 1
Peter Jackson Racing Ford Sierra RS500 30 Glenn Seton All
Toyota Team Australia Toyota Corolla FX-GT 31 John Faulkner
PACE Racing Holden VL Commodore SS Group A SV 32 Kevin Heffernan 4, 8
Pro-Duct Motorsport Holden VN Commodore SS Group A SV 33 Bob Pearson 1, 5-6
Brian Bolwell Ford Sierra RS500 43 Brian Bolwell 4
44 Mike Twigden 4
Peter Verheyen Toyota Sprinter 48 John Vernon 9
Peter Verheyen 5-8
M3 Motorsport BMW M3 52 John Cotter 6, 9
53 Peter Doulman 6, 9
David Sala Toyota Corolla E80 72 David Sala 1

Changes

With Australia in the middle of an economic downturn (the "Recession we had to have" according to Federal Treasurer Paul Keating), entry numbers were significantly down on 1990 at almost every round, with only eleven cars appearing at Wanneroo Raceway. Notable absentees included Allan Moffat Racing and Toyota Team Australia, while Peter Brock closed his Mobil 1 Racing team (effectively bringing to an end the old Holden Dealer Team which had been around since 1969) and took his Mobil sponsorship to Perkins Engineering, reuniting with his Bathurst 1000 winning co-driver of 1982, 1983 and 1984, Larry Perkins in a pair of new Holden VN Commodore SS Group A SV's.[5]

Tony Longhurst's Benson & Hedges Racing ditched their powerful but tyre shredding Ford Sierra RS500's and became Australia's factory BMW team, racing two former Schnitzer Motorsport BMW M3 Evolutions which included upgraded front and rear spoilers as well as an increase in engine size from 2.3 to 2.5L for the 4 cyl engine. The 200 cc larger engine in the M3 also saw power for the small car rise from around 300 hp (224 kW; 304 PS) to approximately 340 hp (254 kW; 345 PS). The cars were delivered to the team's Gold Coast base after the Wellington 500 in December 1990, though under the Group A rules as used by CAMS the cars did not have the ABS that they ran in the German DTM series. Team owners Longhurst and Frank Gardner had a previous association with BMW and the M3, Longhurst having raced a M3 for Gardner's factory backed JPS Team BMW in 1987, while the JPS team had used a variety of BMW's between 1981 and 1987.[6]

With the economic downturn making it unlikely Holden Special Vehicles would be able to sell the required 500 evolution VN Commodore SS Group A SV's to make it eligible for Group A competition (they ended up building only 320), CAMS gave dispensation for the model to race and thus the bigger budget Holden teams (HRT and Brock/Perkins) upgraded. Some of the privateers, notably the Lansvale Smash Repairs team and Terry Finnigan also upgraded to the VN, but most Holden privateers continued to race the previous VL model. The VN Commodore had been released back in August 1988, and would be superseded by the VP in October 1991.[6] The Commodore's did get other concessions from CAMS, including losing some 75 kg to bring the minimum weight of the car down to only 1250 kg and the homologation of a 6-speed gearbox in mid-year. The Mobil 1 and Holden Racing Team VN Commodores were producing approximately 520 hp (388 kW; 527 PS).

The Gibson Motorsport run Nissan Skyline R32 GT-R's were basically as they had finished 1990. The 4WD, twin-turbo cars nicknamed "Godzilla" were producing approximately 640 hp (477 kW; 649 PS), though CAMS made the cars carry an extra 15 kg to bring them to a total of 1360 kg, the heaviest car on the grid.

Although the Ford Sierra's had lost numbers with the Brock and Longhurst teams now driving Holden and BMW's respectively, the 4 cyl turbo Ford's were still one of the fastest cars on the grid. The leading Sierra's were producing approximately 540 hp (403 kW; 547 PS), and for 1991 CAMS reduced their minimum weight from 1990's 1185 kg to the cars original (1987) homologated weight of just 1100 kg. Like the Commodore's, the Sierra's would also benefit from a mid-season homologation of a 6-speed gearbox.[7]

Season review

The season was dominated by Nissan Motor Sport. The team's two drivers won seven of the nine rounds between them, with six of those victories being part of 1-2 finishes. Mark Skaife scored more championship points than any other driver, but with each driver having to drop their worst round (if they actually scored points in all nine rounds), Skaife lost ten points from his fourth at Round 8 at Lakeside, giving the title to his teammate and defending champion, Jim Richards who only scored in the first eight rounds after failing to finish the Grand Finale at Oran Park. This continued the New Zealand domination of the Championship in the Group A era, with New Zealand drivers having won five of the seven Australian Touring Car Championships held under those regulations (Richards in 1985, 1987, 1990 and 1991 with Robbie Francevic winning in 1986), the only Australian winner being 1988 and 1989 champion Dick Johnson.

Third place was claimed by Tony Longhurst who won two rounds, at Amaroo Park and Lakeside International Raceway in his Benson & Hedges BMW M3 Evolution. BMW's return with a top line team was underlined by teammate, 1980 Formula One World Drivers' Champion Alan Jones, finishing fourth in the points after finishing the championship strongly with consecutive second placings in the final two rounds. During the series, the BMW, which were the lightest outright cars (which helped their tyre wear and gave a braking advantage), became the only consistent challengers to the GT-Rs.

1991 also saw the return of Peter Brock to Holden for the first time since 1987. After racing BMW's in 1988 followed by two seasons running Andy Rouse sourced Ford Sierras which had seen Brock finish 3rd and 2nd in the championship, Brock teamed with former Holden Dealer Team co-driver/manager Larry Perkins in two Perkins Engineering built Holden VN Commodore SS Group A SV's, and while initially they were off the pace due to the lack of suitable Bridgestone tyres, this was rectified by halfway through the series and Brock in particular became a regular challenger with strong qualifying performances, though the heavy Commodore's still to be hard on tyres in the ATCC's sprint race format. Brock finished 6th in the championship while Perkins finished in 11th place. In a 2014 interview with Australian Muscle Car magazine, Perkins would claim that part of the contract with Brock and his main sponsor Mobil stated that in championship races, he was not allowed to finish ahead of Brock unless it was unavoidable.

Brock and Perkins were joined in the fight for Holden by Holden Racing Team manager Win Percy who also had a strong season in his VN Commodore. Percy's 4th place at Amaroo Park was the best finish for a Commodore through the series and he surprised everyone when he qualified second in rounds 2 and 3 at Symmons Plains and Wanneroo. Percy finished the series in 8th place, one place ahead of five time ATCC champion Dick Johnson who endured a miserable series in his Sierra, his best finish being 4th in the opening round at Sandown Raceway.

Results and Standings

Race Calendar

The 1991 Australian Touring Car Championship was contested over a nine-round series with one race per round.[3] Each round was of approximately 50 minutes duration.

Rd. Race Title Circuit City / State Date Winner Car Team Report
1 Sandown Sandown Raceway Melbourne, Victoria 22 - 24 Feb Jim Richards Nissan Skyline R32 GT-R Nissan Motor Sport
2 Symmons Plains Symmons Plains Raceway Launceston, Tasmania 8 - 10 Mar Jim Richards Nissan Skyline R32 GT-R Nissan Motor Sport
3 Wanneroo Wanneroo Raceway Perth, Western Australia 12 - 14 Apr Mark Skaife Nissan Skyline R32 GT-R Nissan Motor Sport
4 Lakeside Lakeside International Raceway Brisbane, Queensland 26 - 28 Apr Jim Richards Nissan Skyline R32 GT-R Nissan Motor Sport
5 Winton Winton Motor Raceway Benalla, Victoria 3–5 May Jim Richards Nissan Skyline R32 GT-R Nissan Motor Sport
6 Amaroo Amaroo Park Sydney, New South Wales 31 May - 2 Jun Tony Longhurst BMW M3 Evolution Benson & Hedges Racing
7 Mallala Mallala Motor Sport Park Mallala, South Australia 21 - 23 Jun Mark Skaife Nissan Skyline R32 GT-R Nissan Motor Sport
8 Lakeside Lakeside International Raceway Brisbane, Queensland 12 - 14 Jul Tony Longhurst BMW M3 Evolution Benson & Hedges Racing
9 Oran Park Oran Park Raceway Sydney, New South Wales 9 - 11 Aug Mark Skaife Nissan Skyline R32 GT-R Nissan Motor Sport

Drivers Championship

Championship points were awarded on a 20–15–12–10–8–6–4–3–2–1 basis for the top ten positions at each round.[8] Each driver was required to drop any points earned from the worst round result.[8]

Pos Driver Rd 1 Rd 2 Rd 3 Rd 4 Rd 5 Rd 6 Rd 7 Rd 8 Rd 9 Pts [9]
1 Jim Richards 1st 1st 2nd 1st 1st 2nd 2nd 3rd Ret 137
2 Mark Skaife 2nd 2nd 1st 2nd 2nd 3rd 1st (4th) 1st 132 (142)
3 Tony Longhurst (9th) 4th 3rd 3rd 4th 1st 3rd 1st 3rd 108 (110)
4 Alan Jones 6th 9th 5th 5th 5th 5th (10th) 2nd 2nd 70 (71)
5 Glenn Seton Ret 3rd 4th 4th 3rd 12th 5th 5th 4th 70
6 Peter Brock 7th 7th 9th 6th (9th) 6th 6th 6th 7th 38 (40)
7 John Bowe 3rd 11th 8th 10th 7th 4th 7th Ret Ret 34
8 Win Percy 5th Ret Ret 11th 6th 8th 4th 8th 30
9 Dick Johnson 4th 5th Ret 9th 11th 7th 8th Ret 11th 27
10 Colin Bond 11th 6th 6th 7th 8th 10th 9th 7th Ret 26
11 Larry Perkins 14th 8th 7th 8th 10th 9th 11th 12th 6th 19
12 Mark Gibbs 10th 12th Ret 10th 5th 10
13 Kevin Waldock 8th 10th 12th 13th 4
13 Terry Finnigan 12th 13th 13th 11th 9th 9th 4
15 Allan Grice 8th 3
16 John Cotter 16th 10th 1
Pos Driver Rd 1 Rd 2 Rd 3 Rd 4 Rd 5 Rd 6 Rd 7 Rd 8 Rd 9 Pts
ColourResult
GoldWinner
Silver2nd place
Bronze3rd place
GreenPoints finish
BlueNon-points finish
Non-classified finish (NC)
PurpleRetired (Ret)
RedDid not qualify (DNQ)
Did not pre-qualify (DNPQ)
BlackDisqualified (DSQ)
WhiteDid not start (DNS)
Withdrew (WD)
Race cancelled (C)
Blank Did not participate (DNP)
Excluded (EX)

Positions shown within brackets are those for which drivers were awarded points that were not counted towards championship totals.

gollark: Yes, I imagine you could introduce anomalous number theory.
gollark: You mean the "gamma function", then?
gollark: What if Euler's totient function?
gollark: What if matrix *addition*?
gollark: Deadline in 6 minutes.

See also

1991 Australian Touring Car season

References
  1. Conditions for Australian Racing Titles, 1991 CAMS Manual of Motor Sport, page 170
  2. Records, Titles and Awards, 2002 CAMS Manual of Motor Sport, page 14-7
  3. 1991/92 Australian Motor Racing Year, pages 295-296
  4. Official Programme, Shell Australian Touring Car Championship, Round 7, 23 June 1991, Mallala
  5. Hassall, David (2009). Brocky: Peter's Own Story A Life in Top Gear. Box Hill: Hassall Publishing. p. 161. ISBN 9780646525624.
  6. Normoyle, Steve (1992). The Great Race 11. Hornsby: Chevron Publishing. ISSN 1031-6124.
  7. 1991 ATCC Channel 7 Intro - Car Specs
  8. Nigel Greenway, The Point of It All, Commodore 25th Anniversary magazine, page 94
  9. Shell Australian Touring Car Championship magazine, Special 10th Anniversary Issue, page 93
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