1979 Australian Touring Car Championship
The 1979 Australian Touring Car Championship was a CAMS sanctioned Australian motor racing title open to Group C Touring Cars.[1] It began at Symmons Plains and ended at Adelaide International Raceway after eight rounds.[2] The title, which was the 20th Australian Touring Car Championship,[3] was won by Bob Morris driving a Holden Torana.[2]
1979 was the first time since the ATCC went to a championship series in 1969 rather than the single race it had been previously that a single make and model car had won all rounds of the championship with all 8 rounds being won by the Holden LX Torana SS A9X Hatchback. Including the current season (2016), such a single car domination has only happened once since in the series, that being when the Ford Sierra RS500 won all rounds of the 1988 championship.
Calendar[]
The 1979 Australian Touring Car Championship was contested over an eight-round series.[4]
Rd.[2] | Race title | Circuit[2] | City / state | Date[2] | Winning driver[2] | Car | Team |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | Symmons Plains | Symmons Plains | Launceston, Tasmania | 4 March | John Harvey | Holden LX Torana SS 5000 A9X | Marlboro Holden Dealer Team |
2 | Calder | Calder Park Raceway | Melbourne, Victoria | 18 March | Peter Brock | Holden LX Torana SS 5000 A9X | Marlboro Holden Dealer Team |
3 | Oran Park | Oran Park | Sydney, New South Wales | 25 March | Bob Morris | Holden LX Torana SS 5000 A9X | Ron Hodgson Channel 7 Racing |
4 | Sandown | Sandown Park | Melbourne, Victoria | 7 April | Bob Morris | Holden LX Torana SS 5000 A9X | Ron Hodgson Channel 7 Racing |
5 | Wanneroo | Wanneroo Park | Perth, Western Australia | 6 May | Peter Brock | Holden LX Torana SS 5000 A9X | Marlboro Holden Dealer Team |
6 | Surfers Paradise | Surfers Paradise | Surfers Paradise, Queensland | 20 May | Peter Brock | Holden LX Torana SS 5000 A9X | Marlboro Holden Dealer Team |
7 | Lakeside | Lakeside | Brisbane, Queensland | 22 June | Bob Morris | Holden LX Torana SS 5000 A9X | Ron Hodgson Channel 7 Racing |
8 | The Breville Trophy[5] | Adelaide International Raceway | Adelaide, South Australia | 28 July | Bob Morris | Holden LX Torana SS 5000 A9X | Ron Hodgson Channel 7 Racing |
- Round 3 of the championship at Oran Park featured two separate races, the first for Under 3 litre cars and the second for Over 3 litre cars.[6]
Teams and drivers[]
The following teams and drivers competed in the 1979 Australian Touring Car Championship.
Team | Car | No | Driver |
---|---|---|---|
King George Tavern | Holden LX Torana SS 5000 A9X | 2 | Fred Gibson |
Marlboro Holden Dealer Team | Holden LX Torana SS 5000 A9X | 4 | |
05 | Peter Brock | ||
76 | John Harvey | ||
Craven Mild Racing | Holden LX Torana SS 5000 A9X | 6 | Allan Grice |
Ron Hodgson Channel 7 Racing | Holden LX Torana SS 5000 A9X | 7 | Bob Morris |
Citizen Watches | Holden LX Torana SL/R 5000 A9X[7] | 11 | |
Pioneer Car Stereo | Ford XB Falcon GT Hardtop | 12 | |
Cadbury-Schweppes | Holden LX Torana SS 5000 A9X | 15 | Peter Janson |
Bryan Byrt Ford | Ford XC Falcon Cobra[8] | 17 | Dick Johnson |
Brian Wood Ford Pty Ltd | Ford XC Falcon | 18 | Murray Carter |
Ford XC Falcon | 66 | ||
Ford Escort RS2000 | 69 | ||
Gown-Hindaugh Roadways Racing |
Holden LX Torana SS 5000 A9X | 20 | |
Holden LX Torana SL/R 5000 A9X[9] | 21 | Charlie O'Brien | |
Colin Hall | Holden LX Torana SS 5000 A9X | 21 | |
Tim Slako | Holden LX Torana SS 5000 A9X | 22 | |
Warren Cullen | Holden LX Torana SS 5000 A9X | 23 | |
Alan Browne | Holden LX Torana SL/R 5000 A9X | 24 | |
Allan Moffat Racing | Ford XC Falcon Cobra[10] | 25 | Allan Moffat |
Marshall Brewer | Holden LX Torana SS 5000 A9X | 27 | |
Ron Wanless | Ford XC Falcon Cobra[11] | 27 | |
Ray Allford | Ford XC Falcon Cobra | 28 | |
Rod Donovan | Ford XC Falcon | 28 | |
Garry Willmington | Ford XC Falcon | 29 | |
Bill O'Brien | Ford XC Falcon | 30 | Bill O'Brien |
Greater Pacific Finance | Holden LX Torana SS 5000 A9X | 33 | Garry Rogers |
Bill Evans | Ford Escort | 36 | |
Scotty Taylor Holden | 37 | Alan Taylor | |
Greg Smelt | 38 | ||
Terry Shiel | Mazda RX-3 | 39 | |
Ross Burbidge | Mazda RX-3 | 40 | |
Larry Kogge | Mazda RX-3 | 41 | |
Geoff Leeds | Ford Capri V6 | 43 | |
Alan Bryant | Mazda RX-3 | 45 | Alan Bryant |
Ray Farrar | Ford Capri V6 | 46 | |
Barry Jones | Mazda RX-3 | 47 | |
K.Kemp | Mazda RX-3 | 48 | |
Capri Components | Ford Capri Mk I[12] | 50 | Lawrie Nelson |
Terry Daly | Ford Capri V6 | 51 | Terry Daly |
Masterton Homes | Ford Capri V6 | 52 | |
Ray Cutchie | Ford Capri Mk I[13] | 53 | |
Roger Cartwright | Ford Escort RS2000 Mk 1[13] | 54 | |
Craig Volkers | Ford Capri V6 | 55 | |
Martin Power | Triumph Dolomite Sprint | 56 | |
David Cannon | Ford Escort RS2000 | 58 | |
T.Homeyer | Ford Capri V6 | 59 | |
Peter Kuebler | Alfa Romeo 2000 GTV | 62 | |
Ian Chilman | Mazda RX-3 | 62 | |
Ray Gulson | Alfa Romeo 2000 GTV | 64 | |
Graeme Hooley | Holden LX Torana SS 5000 A9X | 71 | |
John Gates | Mazda RX-3 | 72 | |
Brian Hall | Toyota Celica | 74 | Brian Hall |
David Bail | Ford Escort RS2000 | 75 | David Bail |
Peter Williamson P/L | Toyota Celica | 77 | |
John Faulkner | Ford Capri V6 | 79 | John Faulkner |
Ric Rossiter | 87 | ||
Ray Kaleda | Holden LX Torana SS 5000 A9X | 97 | |
Bob Shepherd | 99 |
Classes[]
For championship points allocation purposes, cars competed in two displacement classes:[1]
Points system[]
Championship points were awarded on a 9,6,4,3,2,1 basis to the first six placegetters in each class and on a 4,3,2,1 basis to the first four placegetters irrespective of class[1] (at each round). Only the best seven results counted towards the total[6] (for each driver).
Championship results[]
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|
- Drivers marked with a * competed in the under 3000 cc class.
References[]
- ^ a b c d e Conditions for Australian Titles, 1979 CAMS Manual of Motor Sport, pp. 96–97.
- ^ a b c d e f Australian Touring Car Championship, Australian Motor Racing Yearbook 1979/80, pp. 68–87.
- ^ Records, Titles & Awards, 2002 CAMS Manual of Motor Sport, pp. 14-17.
- ^ 2005 V8 Supercars TV Guide, p. 73.
- ^ The Breville Trophy, Official Souvenir Programme, Adelaide International Raceway, 29 July 1979, pp. 44–45.
- ^ a b c d e Graham Howard, Stewart Wilson, David Greenhalgh, Privateer pips them, The official history – Australian Touring Car Championship – 50 Years, pp. 190–199.
- ^ Australian Motor Racing Yearbook 1979/80, p. 74.
- ^ Australian Motor Racing Yearbook 1979/80, p. 81.
- ^ Australian Motor Racing Yearbook 1979/80, p. 80.
- ^ Australian Motor Racing Yearbook 1979/80, p. 68.
- ^ Australian Motor Racing Yearbook 1979/80, p. 83.
- ^ Australian Motor Racing Yearbook 1979/80, p. 75.
- ^ a b Australian Motor Racing Yearbook 1979/80, p. 85.
- Australian Touring Car Championship seasons
- 1979 in Australian motorsport