John French (racing driver)

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John French (born 28 November 1930) is an Australian retired racing driver.

French was born in Millaa Millaa, Queensland,^[1] and his long career lasted from the 1960s to the early 1980s. He won the 1962 Australian GT Championship driving a Centaur-Waggott and in 1969 French paired with Allan Moffat to win the Sandown Three Hour race in a Ford Falcon GTHO Phase I. French was well known multi-franchise car dealer selling BMC vehicles, Alfa Romeo, Renault, Peugeot and Subaru in Brisbane. Many of the marques he sold featured prominently in his professional racing career.

Nationally however he is best remembered as Dick Johnson's co-driver to win the crash-shortened 1981 Bathurst 1000 (French was driving the #17 Ford XD Falcon when the race was stopped, but wasn't one of the cars in the accident).^[2] He regularly drove the works Ford Falcon GTHO's alongside Allan Moffat, and also drove Moffat's and Ian Geoghegan's Improved Production Ford Falcon GTHOs in the Australian Touring Car Championship rounds when Moffat and Geoghegan were driving their Mustangs.

Gallery[]

• 

  The Centaur Waggott with which French won the 1962 Australian GT Championship

• 

  Alfa Romeo GTA at Lakeside 1971, 18 April 1971

• 

  Morris Mini Cooper S at Lakeside, 16 May 1971

• 

  John French in Ian Geoghegan's Improved Production Ford Falcon GTHO at Lakeside, 25 July 1971

• 

  Ford Falcon GTHO Phase III at Surfers Paradise International Raceway, 6 February 1972

• 

  Bryan Byrt Ford sponsored Ford Falcon GTHO Phase III at Lakeside, 10 October 1972

Career results[]

Complete World Touring Car Championship results[]

(key) (Races in bold indicate pole position) (Races in italics indicate fastest lap)

Year	Team	Car	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	11	DC	Points
1987	Ralliart Australia	Mitsubishi Starion Turbo	MNZ	JAR	DIJ	NUR	SPA	BNO	SIL	BAT DND*	CLD	WEL	FJI	NC	0

* French was listed as a driver in the #16 Ralliart Australia Starion, though he did not drive in the race.

Complete Phillip Island/Bathurst 500/1000 results[]

Year	Team	Co-drivers	Car	Class	Laps	Overall position	Class position
1960	Australian Motor Industries	Norm Beechey	Standard Vanguard	D	162	5th	2nd
1964	Ron Hodgson Motors Pty Ltd		Ford Cortina Mk.I GT	C	127	5th	4th
1965	BMC	John Harvey	Morris Cooper S	C	24	DNF	DNF
1966	BMC Australia		Morris Cooper S	C	127	8th	8th
1967	BMC Works Team	Timo Mäkinen	Morris Cooper S	C	127	7th	3rd
1968	Alec Mildren (Qld)	Frank Gardner	Alfa Romeo 1750 GTV	E		DSQ	DSQ
1969	Alec Mildren Alfa Romeo	Doug Chivas	Alfa Romeo 1750 GTV	E	0	DNF	DNF
1971	Ford Motor Co of Australia		Ford XY Falcon GT-HO Phase III	E	129	5th	4th
1972	Bryan Byrt Ford Pty Ltd		Ford XY Falcon GT-HO Phase III	D	129	2nd	1st
1973	Bryan Byrt Ford		Ford XA Falcon GT Hardtop	D	91	DNF	DNF
1974	John French Pty Ltd	Dick Johnson	Alfa Romeo 2000 GTV	1301 – 2000cc	71	DNF	DNF
1978	Bryan Byrt Ford	Warwick Brown	Ford XC Falcon GS500 Hardtop	A	57	DNF	DNF
1979	Thompson Ford	Colin Bond	Ford XC Falcon GS500 Hardtop	A	23	DNF	DNF
1980	Palmer Tube Mills	Dick Johnson	Ford XD Falcon	3001-6000cc	17	DNF	DNF
1981	Palmer Tube Mills	Dick Johnson	Ford XD Falcon	8 Cylinder & Over	120	1st	1st
1982	Palmer Tube Mills	Dick Johnson	Ford XE Falcon	A	160	DSQ	DSQ
1983	Nissan Motor Co. Australia P/L	Fred Gibson	Nissan Bluebird Turbo	A	134	22nd	20th
1984	Palmer Tube Mills	Dick Johnson	Ford XE Falcon	Group C	107	DNF	DNF
		Dick Johnson	Ford Mustang GT	Group A	-	DNS	DNS
1985	Alf Grant		Holden VK Commodore	C	0	DNF	DNF
1986	Dulux Auto Colour		Holden VK Commodore SS Group A	C	11	DNF	DNF
1987	Ralliart Australia	Akihiko Nakaya	Mitsubishi Starion Turbo	1	154	5th (DND)*	4th (DND)*

* In 1987 French was listed to drive and qualified the #16 Ralliart Starion, but never got to drive in the race

References[]