1967 Australian Touring Car Championship
The 1967 Australian Touring Car Championship was a CAMS sanctioned national motor racing title open to Group C Improved Production Touring Cars.[1] It was contested over a single race, staged at the Lakeside Circuit in Queensland, Australia on 30 July 1967.[2] The title, which was the eighth Australian Touring Car Championship, was won by Ian Geoghegan, driving a Ford Mustang.[3]
Report
Qualifying consisted of three preliminary heats, based on engine capacity, with the fastest lap times from the heats setting the grid for the race. Norm Beechey qualified his Chevrolet Chevy II Nova on pole position, while Ian Geoghegan qualified second in his new Ford Mustang, which had only arrived at the circuit on the morning of the race. Greg Cusack qualified third in another Mustang ahead of the Morris Cooper Ss of Brian Foley and Peter Manton.[3]
Beechey took the lead at the start of the race ahead of Geoghegan, with Jim McKeown moving into third from sixth place on the grid. Bob Jane's Mustang became jammed in top gear on lap 2, forcing him to retire. Beechey set a new lap record of 1:04.3 as he continued to build his lead, despite a minor clutch problem which meant that he had to make clutchless shifts.[3]
By lap 35, Terry Allan and Paul Fahey had both retired and Foley had moved into third place, with Manton running five seconds behind. The complexion of the race changed on lap 40, when the left-rear tyre of Beechey's car blew and caused him to hit the fence. Geoghegan inherited the lead and held it for the final ten laps to secure his third Australian Touring Car Championship title. Foley and Manton finished in second and third, less than twenty seconds behind Geoghegan.[3]
Results
Class winners are indicated by bold text.
| Pos. | Class | No. | Driver | Entrant | Car | Laps | Time/Retired |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Over 3000cc | 1 | Ian Geoghegan | Mustang Team | Ford Mustang | 50 | 54:43.4 |
| 2 | 1101–1500cc | 8 | Brian Foley | Brian Foley Motors | Morris Cooper S | 50 | +12.0 |
| 3 | 1101–1500cc | 2 | Peter Manton | Tridents Racing Team | Morris Cooper S | 50 | +16.4 |
| 4 | 1501–2000cc | 5 | Kevin Bartlett | Mildren Racing Team | Alfa Romeo GTA | 50 | +52.7 |
| 5 | Over 3000cc | 7 | Greg Cusack | Mustang Team | Ford Mustang | 49 | +1 lap |
| 6 | 1501–2000cc | 3 | Jim McKeown | Tridents Racing Team | Ford Cortina Mark I Lotus | 49 | +1 lap |
| 7 | Over 3000cc | 10 | Rod Coppins | R. Coppins | Ford Mustang | 47 | +3 laps |
| 8 | 0–1100cc | 26 | John French | J. French | Morris Cooper S | 47 | +3 laps |
| 9 | 0–1100cc | 85 | John Humphrey | Austin Cooper S | 47 | +3 laps | |
| 10 | 35 | J. Rout | Morris Cooper S | 46 | +4 laps | ||
| 11 | 2001–3000cc | 58 | G. Clough | Holden EH | 43 | +7 laps | |
| 12 | 74 | M. McGregor | Morris Cooper S | 43 | +7 laps | ||
| Ret | 52 | Laurie Stewart | Morris Cooper S | 45 | |||
| Ret | Over 3000cc | 34 | Norm Beechey | Tridents Racing Team | Chevrolet Chevy II Nova | 39 | Accident |
| Ret | Over 3000cc | 11 | Paul Fahey | Ford Mustang | 31 | Fuel pump | |
| Ret | 1501–2000cc | 56 | Brian Michelmore | Ford Cortina Mark I Lotus | 28 | Gearbox | |
| Ret | 2001–3000cc | 48 | Evan Thomas | Holden EH | 20 | ||
| Ret | Over 3000cc | 19 | Terry Allan | Chevrolet Camaro | 17 | ||
| Ret | 2001–3000cc | 80 | John Reilly | Holden EH | 5 | ||
| Ret | Over 3000cc | 6 | Bob Jane | Ford Mustang | 2 | Gearbox | |
| Sources:[3][4] | |||||||
Statistics
References
- ^ Conditions for Australian Titles, 1967 CAMS Manual of Motor Sport, pages 69 to 71
- ^ Lakeside Program ATCC 30th July 1967
- ^ a b c d e f g h i 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. 70–75. ISBN 978-0-9805912-2-4.
- ^ White, Des (September 1967). "Third title for Ian Geoghegan". Racing Car News. Chippendale, New South Wales: Publishers Photo Digest Pty Ltd. pp. 26–27.
External links
- Alec Mildren film on the 1967 Australian Touring Car Championship