Allan Moffat
Encyclopedia
Allan George Moffat, OBE
(born 10 November 1939 in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, Canada
) is an Australia
n racing driver known for his four wins in the Australian Touring Car Championship
, six wins in the Sandown 500
and his four wins in the Bathurst 1000
. Moffat was inducted into the V8 Supercar Hall of Fame
in 1999.
for work and in the early 1960s embarked on his record-setting motor racing career. He started his racing career at the wheel of a Triumph TR3
.
(ATCC) in 1965
, driving a Lotus Cortina
. By 1969
he had become a regular competitor and his bright red Coca-Cola
-sponsored Ford Boss 302 Mustang
, which was supplied brand-new to Moffat from Ford's American 'in-house' race car fabrication and engineering facility "Kar Kraft", was unmistakable at circuits around Australia. With the help of Tom Hamilton, he would go on to win 101 touring car
races (from 151 starts) in this car between 1969 and 1972, yet his dream of winning the ATCC in the Mustang eluded him.
Although Moffat and a number of other drivers raced Mustangs for ATCC competition - the five ATCC titles from 1965 to 1969 were all won by Mustang drivers - this car, modified to CAMS Improved Production Touring Car regulations was ineligible for the Bathurst 500 (later Bathurst 1000
), which was restricted to standard production cars prior to 1973. Moffat therefore made his debut in that race in 1969
in a Ford works team
entered Ford Falcon XW GTHO
. He and co-driver Alan Hamilton finished fourth.
The following two years would see Moffat come into his own as one of Australia's most dominant race drivers, and the Falcon GTHO as an almost unbeatable car. For 1970, Ford Australia
had made significant improvements to the Falcon XW GTHO Phase II over the previous year's model and Moffat, racing without a co-driver, took the car to two crushing victories in both the 1970
and 1971
Bathurst races. In 1971 he became the first driver to lead the Bathurst 500 from start to finish while driving the famed Ford Falcon GTHO Phase III
when Ford unveiled plans for a "Phase IV" Falcon GTHO, even faster but more subtle than the Phase III which Moffat had taken to victory in 1971. The Australian press caught wind of these plans however and headlines across the country screamed, "160mph Supercars On Our Roads!" Facing pressure from the media and government not to produce this car, as entering it at Bathurst would also require at least 200 units to be sold at dealerships in Australia, Ford scrapped production of the Phase IV and forced Moffat and other Ford drivers to resort to year-old Phase III cars for Bathurst that year. Peter Brock
won the race that year for arch-rival manufacturer Holden
after wet weather and brake dramas hobbled the Fords. This race would be seen as the start of the Moffat-Brock rivalry that would dominate Australian touring car racing in the years to come.
. These mildly modified cars replaced both the existing highly modified Group C Improved Production Touring Cars (which had contested the ATCC since 1965) and the virtually standard Group E Series Production Touring Cars
(which had previously contested the Bathurst event). Ford, smarting from the Phase IV controversy the year before, withdrew their factory teams from competition at the end of 1973. This left Moffat and other Ford drivers to form their own privateer teams, despite the Factory team and Moffat being victorious in both the 1973 ATCC
- his first ever - and the 1973 Hardie-Ferodo 1000
(with co-driver Ian Geoghegan
). Moffat, Geoghegan and Ford have the distinction of being the first winners of the Bathurst race following its conversion from a 500-mile event to 1000 km.
Moffat struggled through the 1974 and 1975 seasons. He failed to finish Bathurst in those years, and was only moderately competitive in ATCC races. In 1975 he drove a BMW 3.0CSL
with Brian Redman
to win the 12 Hours of Sebring
.
Moffat returned to drive his XB Falcon GT Hardtop
full-time in the 1976 ATCC
and won his second title. This occurred despite the setback of a transporter fire which destroyed his race car with several rounds left to run, forcing Moffat to borrow a car from rival John Goss for two rounds. Moffat also won the inaugural Australian Sports Sedan Championship
that year, driving firstly a Chevrolet Monza
and later a Ford Capri RS3100
. He failed to finish Bathurst again in 1976
despite taking pole and leading comfortably with co-driver Vern Schuppan
.
Moffat re-established his dominance in 1977 with a two-car factory-supported team under the Moffat Ford Dealers Team banner. He won his second consecutive ATCC title in 1977
, backed up brilliantly by new team-mate Colin Bond
who had switched to Ford after driving the previous eight years for the Holden Dealer Team
. This was the third ATCC win of his career, but this performance was overshadowed by the victory for Moffat and Belgian co-driver Jacky Ickx
in the 1977 Hardie-Ferodo 1000
at Bathurst. By the mid-point of the race the Moffat/Ickx car and the Bond/Alan Hamilton car led the field by over two laps. Late in the race Moffat's car encountered serious brake problems due to Ickx's hard driving of what was to him an unfamiliar car and had to slow, allowing Bond to catch up for the cars to complete the final two laps of the race side-by-side and cross the finish line in tandem with Bond allowing Moffat to stay barely in front for a crushing 1-2 victory for Ford. This moment is remembered as one of the most famous in Australian motor sport history and still regarded by many as Ford's finest hour. The following year Moffat received an Order of the British Empire
in 1978 for exceptional services to motor sport.
Moffat was unable to repeat his 1977 successes over the following three years. Moffat and Bond split at the end of the 1978 season and Moffat retired from the 1978
, 1979
and 1980
Bathurst races (his last drive in an Australian Ford product) and did not win the ATCC title in those years as Holden began to gain a manufacturer's edge with their Torana A9X SS which was lighter and more nimble than the heavy Falcons.
In 1980 he competed in various cars and in various countries. He drove a Porsche 934
turbo to win the Australian Sports Car Championship
. He also drove at the 1980 24 Hours of Le Mans
, sharing a Porsche 935
turbo with Indycar legend Bobby Rahal
, where they were forced to withdraw whilst in fourth place. He also did a guest drive for the Holden Dealer Team taking third place in the 1980 Hang Ten 400
at Sandown driving a Holden Commodore. The event was marked by the fact that it was only the second time Moffat had raced a Holden and the first time that he was driving in the same team as his arch rival Peter Brock.
-sponsored Mazda RX-7
as both the ATCC and Bathurst began to exhibit a shift towards lighter touring cars with less raw power. Moffat drove the RX-7 to four consecutive top-six finishes at Bathurst between 1981 and 1984 including a second in 1983
and 3rd in 1984
, while winning his fourth and final ATCC title in 1983
. During this time Moffat drove his RX-7 to victories in the 1982
and 1984 Australian Endurance Championship
s.
Moffat also competed at the 24 Hours of Daytona
in an RX-7, taking a class win in 1982 with co-drivers Lee Mulle and Kathy Rude
. In 1982
he again competed at Le Mans in a factory RX-7-based sportscar, achieving a class win. In his bid to win the 1983 ATCC, Moffat had to turn down a factory drive for Mazda
at the 1983 24 Hours of Le Mans
as the final round of the ATCC was held the same weekend as the French classic. Moffat went into the ATCC race in second place behind the Nissan
of George Fury
and with the Nissan team not attending the meeting, Moffat needed to finish no lower than fifth to claim his fourth title. He eventually finished in third place to claim the ATCC by just six points.
In 1985 he took his own RX-7 that he campaigned previously in Australia to Daytona for the 24 Hour race, sharing the car with Australian drivers Gregg Hansford
, Kevin Bartlett
and Peter McLeod
. The car differed from its Australian configuration, a new rear wing was run on the car and 20kg of ballast was removed (bringing it to its actual homologated weight of 930kg). The engine was in fact the same one that had carried Moffat and Hansford to third place in the '84 James Hardie. Moffat qualified the car in 38th (12th in the GTO class) and eventually finished 24th and 7th in class, some 221 laps behind the race winners.
After sitting out the 1985 Australian season, Moffat returned to touring car racing for four more years (1986–1989). 1986 was notable in that Moffat had joined longtime rival and friend Peter Brock and the Holden Dealer Team. The pair were immediately successful, winning the 1986 Wellington 500
in the brand-new Holden Commodore VK Group A SS
. Moffat and Brock then went to Europe to tackle the FIA Touring Car Championship
(formerly the European Touring Car Championship) with two 5th placings at Donington
and Hockenheim
being their best on-track results. The HDT's two-car attack on the 1986 Spa 24 Hours
was considered a success in that they won the Kings Cup teams prize along with Allan Grice
's Commodore. Moffat, Brock and John Harvey finished the race itself in 22nd place after suffering two head gasket failures. The lead car finished four places behind the team's second car, which finished in 18th spot. The HDT's 1986 European campaign was to be a precursor to an all-out attack on the 1987 World Touring Car Championship.
The HDT then came home and Moffat partnered Brock in the 1986 Castrol 500
at Sandown Raceway
. Between them Moffat and Brock had won 14 of the previous 17 Sandown Enduro
's. Brock qualified the car on pole but tyre problems in the race meant only a 4th placed finish for the pair in their second ever Australian race together, the first being just a few weeks previous at the BP Plus 300 held at the Surfers Paradise International Raceway
. The HDT went to the 1986 James Hardie 1000
confident of victory and the Brock/Moffat partnership in car 05 were favored to win with the pair having won 12 of the previous 16 Bathurst 1000
's between them. Both drivers were in good form during practice posting times that would have individually got them into the top 10 with Brock only slightly quicker and posting overall 2nd best time behind the Commodore of Allan Grice. Then early in Friday's qualifying session Moffat, in what turned out to be his only serious crash at Bathurst, put the 05 Commodore into the wall at the top of the mountain. This unfortunately caused the car to miss the Hardies Heroes Top 10 run off the next day due to not being able to better its Thursday time which was only good for an 11th place start. The car was repaired 'better than new' by the TAFE apprentices according to the team with Brock recording a 2:18.80 lap in Saturday afternoon's practice. The race though only gave the Brock/Moffat team 5th place after they lost some 7 minutes in the pits bypassing a leaking oil cooler. Moffat himself was hampered by an injured wrist sustained in Friday's crash. While not showing any discomfort on RaceCam
, he was unable to push as hard as he would have liked although he lost no time to the leaders during his driving stints. Despite the loss of approximately 2 laps and with the engine close to overheating due to not running the oil cooler, Brock and Moffat ran hard and fast for the rest of the race and made up ground to be only 1 lap down on the winning Grice/Graeme Bailey
car at race end. The HDT's other car driven by John Harvey and Neal Lowe finished the race in 2nd place after a relatively trouble free run.
1987 started well with Brock and Moffat again winning the Wellington 500. Then the HDT as a factory team fell apart after Holden cut all official ties with Brock over his public launch of the VL Commodore based HDT Director. Moffat then quit the team and purchased the brand-new VL Commodore SS Group A
that Brock had intended to take to Europe to compete in the World Touring Car Championship. Moffat purchased the car through a middleman to avoid having his former employer knowing the true buyer. The car was then immediately shipped to England
for preparation for the first round of the WTCC. In the first round held at Monza
, Moffat and his co-driver, ex-HDT driver John Harvey, qualified the car in 9th place and took a surprise win as a result of the leading BMW M3's being disqualified for illegally using lightweight body parts. The Rothmans sponsored Commodore had actually finished 7th on the road at Monza. The car was then a DNF at the next two rounds at Jarama and Dijon
before Moffat and Harvey drove the Commodore to a sensational fourth place outright and a class win at the Spa 24-hour
race. This also proved to be the cars final race as Moffat, realising that to be competitive at Bathurst he would need a Ford Sierra RS500, completed a deal to lease the Andy Rouse
run Sierra for the Australian rounds of the championship which was backed by new major sponsor ANZ Bank. This deal also left co-driver Harvey without a drive for the rest of the year. The deal proved a disaster for Moffat as the car was retired at both the James Hardie 1000
and the Calder 500
before Moffat got his turn to race.
Moffat was keen to keep driving the Sierra in 1988
but after the failures of the Rouse cars in 1987 had decided not to continue using the British driver/engineer's machinery. Instead he managed to do something that very few had managed. He managed to get Swiss
touring car tuning ace Ruedi Eggenberger to build him a customer Sierra RS500 that was identical to the works Fords that the Eggenberger team was using in the re-named ETCC. The deal was rumored to have cost Moffat around A$
300,000. Moffat and former Mazda co-driver Gregg Hansford campaigned the car in the 1988 ATCC
in a low-key run while the team got to know the car. They then won the 1988 Enzed 500
at Sandown and almost pulled off an upset at the Tooheys 1000
at Bathurst where Eggenberger himself joined the team and along with his Ford Europe driver, German
Klaus Niedzwiedz
turned the car into one of the fastest on the track. The car ultimately was a DNF after head gasket failure on lap 129 of 161. This race was also significant in that it was the last time Moffat raced at Bathurst, though he did enter and qualify for the 1989 Tooheys 1000
but decided not to actually race.
Other than his four wins at Bathurst, Moffat also won the Sandown Endurance race six times, being the only driver to win it under three different national regulations, these being Series Production
(1969
, 1970
), Group C
(1974
, 1982
, 1983
) and Group A (1988
).
Moffat's last race and indeed last race win was in 1989 driving with Niedzwiedz. The pair drive Moffat's Sierra in the Fuji 500km race in Japan (again the car was race prepared personally by Eggenberger). He retired from competitive motor racing after the Fuji win keeping a promise he had made to himself and wife Pauline that he wouldn't race beyond his 50th birthday (the Fuji 500 was run 2 days after Moffat's 50th). He has since worked as a TV commentator and a spokesman for BMW and appears at various Ford club events across Australia.
. In a significant partnership, car builder Eggenberger and ace driver Niedzwiedz joined Moffat at Bathurst every year from 1988-1992 excluding the 1991
race when they were not available due to other commitments. The best result for the team during this period was Niedzwiedz's second place with Frank Biela
at the 1989 race. Neidzwiedz gave the Moffat-ANZ team pole position at the 1990 Tooheys 1000
while he had also won the Top 10 run-off in 1988 when race regulations meant that the run-off did not count for grid positions.
After the Sierra's were banned in their RS500 form at the end of 1992, Moffat decided to continue his long association with Ford and built a eye-catching Ford EB Falcon
painted black and bright green in the colours of team sponsor Cenovis for the 1993 Tooheys 1000
. The team's first Bathurst with a Falcon since 1980 did not turn out much better than their previous attempt. The car's V8 engine
was built by another longtime Moffat associate, Kar Kraft, in the USA (who had supplied Moffat with his Boss Mustang back in 1969) and was built with a Carburetor
instead of the fuel injection of the leading cars. Driven by Charlie O'Brien
and Andrew Miedecke, the car qualified 18th but retired with gearbox failure after completing just 41 of the races 161 laps. For the 1994 Tooheys 1000
, Moffat had his race engines supplied by Dick Johnson Racing
and the team, with drivers Miedecke and Englishman
Jeff Allam
were more competitive, qualifying 16th and finished a well-deserved 8th, only four laps behind the winning Falcon of Dick Johnson and John Bowe
.
The 1995 Tooheys 1000
saw the team struggle once more. Andrew Miedecke was again lead driver and qualified the aging EB Falcon in 16th place but co-driver Mark Noske
never got a drive with the car retiring on lap 16 with engine trouble. The 1996 AMP Bathurst 1000
was the last time that an Allan Moffat-built or driven (in this case just built) car raced at Bathurst. In what was also his last Bathrust race, Klaus Niedzwiedz returned to the team, where he joined Ken Douglas in a strong run to finish 10th after Niedzwiedz qualified the older and underpowered Falcon in 25th place.
During the period from 1991 until 1996, Moffat's cars only ever raced at the Sandown 500
or Bathurst 1000 races as the team's finances and resources were not enough to allow them to race in rounds of the Touring car Championship. Moffat himself also doubled as an expert commentator for Channel 7
during its motor sport telecasts during this time, including at Bathurst, where he had the dual role of commentator and race team manager.
Corporation offices in Melbourne
. He had been eligible for citizenship since the early 1970s but, in his own words, "one way or another I never followed it through." The citation itself was given by his old friend and sparring partner, Peter Brock.
Although Moffat has lived permanently in Australia for over 35 years, his broad Canadian accent has remained intact and continues to be his trademark. Moffat is a Director of the Australian Institute for Motor Sport Safety (AIMSS).
Moffat's two sons Andrew Moffat and James Moffat
have followed their father into motor racing.
Order of the British Empire
The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is an order of chivalry established on 4 June 1917 by George V of the United Kingdom. The Order comprises five classes in civil and military divisions...
(born 10 November 1939 in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, Canada
Saskatoon
Saskatoon is a city in central Saskatchewan, Canada, on the South Saskatchewan River. Residents of the city of Saskatoon are called Saskatonians. The city is surrounded by the Rural Municipality of Corman Park No. 344....
) is an Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
n racing driver known for his four wins in the Australian Touring Car Championship
Australian Touring Car Championship
The Australian Touring Car Championship is a touring car racing award held in Australia since 1960. The series itself is no longer contested, but the title lives on, with the winner of the V8 Supercar Championship Series awarded the trophy and title of Australian Touring Car Champion.-History:The...
, six wins in the Sandown 500
Sandown 500
The Sandown 500 is an endurance motor race staged at the Sandown Raceway, near Melbourne in Victoria, Australia between 1964 and 2011. It was typically held in September, the month before Australia’s premier endurance race, the Bathurst 1000. The “500” was not run in 1966, 1967, 1999, 2000, 2008,...
and his four wins in the Bathurst 1000
Bathurst 1000
The Bathurst 1000 is a touring car race held annually at Mount Panorama Circuit in Bathurst, New South Wales, Australia...
. Moffat was inducted into the V8 Supercar Hall of Fame
V8 Supercar Hall of Fame
The V8 Supercar Hall of Fame was instituted in 1999 with the first running of the V8 Supercars Championship Series, initially known as the Shell Championship Series. It was established to recognise the efforts of past champions and prominent figures within the sport. The initial inductees were...
in 1999.
Racing career
Born in Canada, Moffat moved to Australia as a college student with his parents in the early 1960s when his father was transferred to MelbourneMelbourne
Melbourne is the capital and most populous city in the state of Victoria, and the second most populous city in Australia. The Melbourne City Centre is the hub of the greater metropolitan area and the Census statistical division—of which "Melbourne" is the common name. As of June 2009, the greater...
for work and in the early 1960s embarked on his record-setting motor racing career. He started his racing career at the wheel of a Triumph TR3
Triumph TR3
The Triumph TR3 is a sports car which was produced between 1955 and 1962 by Standard-Triumph in the United Kingdom. The facelifted variant, unofficially known as the "TR3A", entered production in 1957 and the final version, unofficially the "TR3B", was produced in 1962.-TR3:Although the car was...
.
1965 to 1971
Moffat first entered the Australian Touring Car ChampionshipAustralian Touring Car Championship
The Australian Touring Car Championship is a touring car racing award held in Australia since 1960. The series itself is no longer contested, but the title lives on, with the winner of the V8 Supercar Championship Series awarded the trophy and title of Australian Touring Car Champion.-History:The...
(ATCC) in 1965
1965 Australian Touring Car Championship
The 1965 Australian Touring Car Championship was the first Australian Touring Car Championship to be contested under Group C regulations. The championship was contested over a single race staged at Sandown International Raceway. The championship was won by Norm Beechey driving a Ford Mustang, the...
, driving a Lotus Cortina
Lotus Cortina
The Lotus-Cortina is a high-performance car, which was produced in the United Kingdom from 1963 to 1970 by the Ford in collaboration with Lotus Cars. The original version, which was based on the Ford Cortina Mark 1, was promoted by Ford as the "Consul Cortina developed by Lotus", with "Consul"...
. By 1969
1969 Australian Touring Car Championship
The 1969 Australian Touring Car Championship was the 10th running of the Australian Touring Car Championship and the first to run over a series of races instead of a single race...
he had become a regular competitor and his bright red Coca-Cola
Coca-Cola
Coca-Cola is a carbonated soft drink sold in stores, restaurants, and vending machines in more than 200 countries. It is produced by The Coca-Cola Company of Atlanta, Georgia, and is often referred to simply as Coke...
-sponsored Ford Boss 302 Mustang
Boss 302 Mustang
The Boss 302 Mustang is a high performance variant of the Ford Mustang originally produced in 1969 and 1970, but revived in the 2012 model year. It was produced for the Trans Am racing series, while the Mustang Boss 429 which was produced the same years was built around a larger engine.-First...
, which was supplied brand-new to Moffat from Ford's American 'in-house' race car fabrication and engineering facility "Kar Kraft", was unmistakable at circuits around Australia. With the help of Tom Hamilton, he would go on to win 101 touring car
Touring car
A touring car, or tourer, is an open car seating five or more. Touring cars may have two or four doors. Often, the belt line is lowered in the front doors to give the car a more sportive character. They were often fitted with a folding roof and side curtains. Engines on early models were either in...
races (from 151 starts) in this car between 1969 and 1972, yet his dream of winning the ATCC in the Mustang eluded him.
Although Moffat and a number of other drivers raced Mustangs for ATCC competition - the five ATCC titles from 1965 to 1969 were all won by Mustang drivers - this car, modified to CAMS Improved Production Touring Car regulations was ineligible for the Bathurst 500 (later Bathurst 1000
Bathurst 1000
The Bathurst 1000 is a touring car race held annually at Mount Panorama Circuit in Bathurst, New South Wales, Australia...
), which was restricted to standard production cars prior to 1973. Moffat therefore made his debut in that race in 1969
1969 Hardie-Ferodo 500
The 1969 Hardie-Ferodo 500 was the tenth running of the Bathurst 500 production car race. It was held on 5 October 1969 at the Mount Panorama Circuit just outside Bathurst...
in a Ford works team
Ford Works Team (Australia)
The Ford Works Team was a former Australian motor racing team that was supported by the Ford Motor Company of Australia. The team was formed in 1962 and was wound up when Ford withdrew from motor racing at the end of 1973...
entered Ford Falcon XW GTHO
Ford XW Falcon
-Introduction:The XW Falcon was released in June 1969 replacing the XT Falcon. The XW was an extensive facelift of the XT, featuring a new grille and tail lights...
. He and co-driver Alan Hamilton finished fourth.
The following two years would see Moffat come into his own as one of Australia's most dominant race drivers, and the Falcon GTHO as an almost unbeatable car. For 1970, Ford Australia
Ford Australia
Ford Australia is the Australian subsidiary of Ford Motor Company and was founded in Geelong, Victoria, in 1925 as an outpost of Ford Motor Company of Canada, Limited. At that time, Ford Canada was a separate company from Ford USA...
had made significant improvements to the Falcon XW GTHO Phase II over the previous year's model and Moffat, racing without a co-driver, took the car to two crushing victories in both the 1970
1970 Hardie-Ferodo 500
The 1970 Hardie-Ferodo 500 was the twelfth running of the Bathurst 500 touring car race. It was held on 4 October 1970 at the Mount Panorama Circuit just outside Bathurst...
and 1971
1971 Hardie-Ferodo 500
The 1971 Hardie-Ferodo 500 was the 13th running of the Bathurst 500 production car race. It was held on 3 October 1971 at the Mount Panorama Circuit just outside Bathurst in New South Wales, Australia. The race was open to production vehicles competing in showroom condition with the field divided...
Bathurst races. In 1971 he became the first driver to lead the Bathurst 500 from start to finish while driving the famed Ford Falcon GTHO Phase III
1972
Moffat looked headed for an historic third straight Bathurst victory in 19721972 Hardie-Ferodo 500
The 1972 Hardie-Ferodo 500 was an endurance motor race open to Group E Series Production Touring Cars. The race was held on 1 October 1972 at the Mount Panorama Circuit just outside Bathurst in New South Wales, Australia...
when Ford unveiled plans for a "Phase IV" Falcon GTHO, even faster but more subtle than the Phase III which Moffat had taken to victory in 1971. The Australian press caught wind of these plans however and headlines across the country screamed, "160mph Supercars On Our Roads!" Facing pressure from the media and government not to produce this car, as entering it at Bathurst would also require at least 200 units to be sold at dealerships in Australia, Ford scrapped production of the Phase IV and forced Moffat and other Ford drivers to resort to year-old Phase III cars for Bathurst that year. Peter Brock
Peter Brock
Peter Geoffrey Brock, AM otherwise known as "Peter Perfect", "The King of the Mountain" or simply as "Brocky" was one of Australia's best-known and most successful motor racing drivers. Brock was most often associated with Holden for almost 40 years, although he raced vehicles of other...
won the race that year for arch-rival manufacturer Holden
Holden
GM Holden Ltd is an automaker that operates in Australia, based in Port Melbourne, Victoria. The company was founded in 1856 as a saddlery manufacturer. In 1908 it moved into the automotive field, before becoming a subsidiary of the U.S.-based General Motors in 1931...
after wet weather and brake dramas hobbled the Fords. This race would be seen as the start of the Moffat-Brock rivalry that would dominate Australian touring car racing in the years to come.
1973 to 1980
In 1973, both the ATCC and the Bathurst endurance race were open for the first time only to the newly introduced CAMS Group C Touring CarsGroup C (Australia)
In relation to Australian motorsport, Group C refers to either of two sets of regulations devised by the Confederation of Australian Motor Sport for use in Australian touring car racing from 1965 to 1984...
. These mildly modified cars replaced both the existing highly modified Group C Improved Production Touring Cars (which had contested the ATCC since 1965) and the virtually standard Group E Series Production Touring Cars
Group E Series Production Touring Cars
Group E Series Production Touring Cars was an Australian motor racing category for production based sedans competing with limited modifications. It was current from 1964 to 1972....
(which had previously contested the Bathurst event). Ford, smarting from the Phase IV controversy the year before, withdrew their factory teams from competition at the end of 1973. This left Moffat and other Ford drivers to form their own privateer teams, despite the Factory team and Moffat being victorious in both the 1973 ATCC
1973 Australian Touring Car Championship
The 1973 Australian Touring Car Championship was the 14th running of the Australian Touring Car Championship. It began at Symmons Plains on 5 March 1973 and ended at Warwick Farm after eight rounds. The series was won by Allan Moffat in a Ford Falcon GTHO Phase III.-Teams and drivers:The following...
- his first ever - and the 1973 Hardie-Ferodo 1000
1973 Hardie-Ferodo 1000
The 1973 Hardie-Ferodo 1000 was the 15th running of the Bathurst 1000 touring car race. The was the first race to be held under the new metricised distance of 1000 kilometres, rather than the 500 miles previously contested. It was held on 30 September 1973 at the Mount Panorama Circuit just outside...
(with co-driver Ian Geoghegan
Ian Geoghegan
Ian "Pete" Geoghegan, was an Australian race car driver, known for a quick wit and natural driving skills. Geoghegan was one of the iconic characters of the 1960s and 1970s Australian motor racing scene...
). Moffat, Geoghegan and Ford have the distinction of being the first winners of the Bathurst race following its conversion from a 500-mile event to 1000 km.
Moffat struggled through the 1974 and 1975 seasons. He failed to finish Bathurst in those years, and was only moderately competitive in ATCC races. In 1975 he drove a BMW 3.0CSL
BMW E9
-BMW 2.5CS:The last version of the E9 to be introduced was the 2.5CS in 1974. This was a response to the 1973 oil crisis, such that the buyer could choose the smaller, more economical engine. The engine, from the 2500 sedan, displaced and produced at 6000 revolutions per minute...
with Brian Redman
Brian Redman
Brian Herman Thomas Redman is a British racing driver from England....
to win the 12 Hours of Sebring
12 Hours of Sebring
The 12 Hours of Sebring is an annual motorsport endurance race for sports cars held at Sebring International Raceway, a former Army Air Force base in Sebring, Florida...
.
Moffat returned to drive his XB Falcon GT Hardtop
Ford XB Falcon
The Ford XB Falcon is a car which was produced by Ford Australia between 1973 and 1976 and was built exclusively in Australia. It bore minor cosmetic differences to the preceding model, the XA, aimed at giving the car a more muscular stance...
full-time in the 1976 ATCC
1976 Australian Touring Car Championship
The 1976 Australian Touring Car Championship was a series of motor races for Touring cars conforming to the Australia Group C touring car regulations. It was the 17th running of the Australian Touring Car Championship. It began at Symmons Plains Raceway on 29 February and ended at Phillip Island...
and won his second title. This occurred despite the setback of a transporter fire which destroyed his race car with several rounds left to run, forcing Moffat to borrow a car from rival John Goss for two rounds. Moffat also won the inaugural Australian Sports Sedan Championship
Australian Sports Sedan Championship
The Australian Sports Sedan Championship was a CAMS sanctioned national motor racing title for drivers of cars complying with Australian Sports Sedan regulations...
that year, driving firstly a Chevrolet Monza
Chevrolet Monza
The Chevrolet Monza is a subcompact, four-passenger automobile produced by the Chevrolet division of General Motors for the 1975–1980 model years. The Monza is based on the Chevrolet Vega, sharing its wheelbase, width and 140 CID inline-4 engine...
and later a Ford Capri RS3100
Ford Capri
Ford Capri was a name used by the Ford Motor Company for three different automobile models. The Ford Consul Capri coupé was produced by Ford of Britain between 1961 and 1964. The Ford Capri coupé was produced by Ford of Europe from 1969 to 1986...
. He failed to finish Bathurst again in 1976
1976 Hardie-Ferodo 1000
The 1976 Hardie-Ferodo 1000 was the 17th running of the Bathurst 1000 touring car race. It was held on 3 October 1976 at the Mount Panorama Circuit just outside Bathurst in New South Wales, Australia...
despite taking pole and leading comfortably with co-driver Vern Schuppan
Vern Schuppan
Vernon "Vern" Schuppan is a racing driver from Whyalla, South Australia. Schuppan drove in various categories, participating in Formula One, the Indianapolis 500 and most successfully in sports car racing.-Formula One:...
.
Moffat re-established his dominance in 1977 with a two-car factory-supported team under the Moffat Ford Dealers Team banner. He won his second consecutive ATCC title in 1977
1977 Australian Touring Car Championship
The 1977 Australian Touring Car Championship was a CAMS sanctioned motor racing championship open to Group C Touring Cars. It was the 18th running of the Australian Touring Car Championship and it began at Symmons Plains Raceway on 7 March and ended at the Phillip Island Grand Prix Circuit on 20...
, backed up brilliantly by new team-mate Colin Bond
Colin Bond
Colin John Bond is a retired Australian racing driver. Bond reached the highest levels in Australian motorsport in 1969 when he was recruited by Harry Firth to the newly formed Holden Dealer Team...
who had switched to Ford after driving the previous eight years for the Holden Dealer Team
Holden Dealer Team
The Holden Dealer Team was Holden’s semi-official racing team from 1969 until 1987, primarily contesting Australian Touring Car events but also rallying, rallycross and sports sedans during the 1970s...
. This was the third ATCC win of his career, but this performance was overshadowed by the victory for Moffat and Belgian co-driver Jacky Ickx
Jacky Ickx
Jacques Bernard "Jacky" Ickx is a Belgian former racing driver who achieved 25 podium finishes in Formula One and six wins in the 24 hours of Le Mans.- Racing career :...
in the 1977 Hardie-Ferodo 1000
1977 Hardie-Ferodo 1000
The 1977 Hardie-Ferodo 1000 was the 18th running of the Bathurst 1000 touring car race. It was held on 2 October 1977 at the Mount Panorama Circuit just outside Bathurst...
at Bathurst. By the mid-point of the race the Moffat/Ickx car and the Bond/Alan Hamilton car led the field by over two laps. Late in the race Moffat's car encountered serious brake problems due to Ickx's hard driving of what was to him an unfamiliar car and had to slow, allowing Bond to catch up for the cars to complete the final two laps of the race side-by-side and cross the finish line in tandem with Bond allowing Moffat to stay barely in front for a crushing 1-2 victory for Ford. This moment is remembered as one of the most famous in Australian motor sport history and still regarded by many as Ford's finest hour. The following year Moffat received an Order of the British Empire
Order of the British Empire
The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is an order of chivalry established on 4 June 1917 by George V of the United Kingdom. The Order comprises five classes in civil and military divisions...
in 1978 for exceptional services to motor sport.
Moffat was unable to repeat his 1977 successes over the following three years. Moffat and Bond split at the end of the 1978 season and Moffat retired from the 1978
1980 Hardie-Ferodo 1000
The 1980 Hardie-Ferodo 1000 was the 21st running of the Bathurst 1000 touring car race. It was held on 5 October 1980 at the Mount Panorama Circuit just outside Bathurst in New South Wales, Australia...
, 1979
1979 Hardie-Ferodo 1000
The 1979 Hardie-Ferodo 1000 was the 20th running of the Bathurst 1000 touring car race. It was held on September 30, 1979 at the Mount Panorama Circuit just outside Bathurst...
and 1980
1980 Hardie-Ferodo 1000
The 1980 Hardie-Ferodo 1000 was the 21st running of the Bathurst 1000 touring car race. It was held on 5 October 1980 at the Mount Panorama Circuit just outside Bathurst in New South Wales, Australia...
Bathurst races (his last drive in an Australian Ford product) and did not win the ATCC title in those years as Holden began to gain a manufacturer's edge with their Torana A9X SS which was lighter and more nimble than the heavy Falcons.
In 1980 he competed in various cars and in various countries. He drove a Porsche 934
Porsche 934
The Porsche 934 was a racing version of the Porsche 911 Turbo, prepared to FIA Group 4 rules, similar to the Porsche 935 which was prepared to FIA Group 5 rules.-History:...
turbo to win the Australian Sports Car Championship
Australian Sports Car Championship
The Australian Sports Car Championship was the CAMS sanctioned national title for Sports Car drivers in the years from 1969 to 1988. Each championship was contested over a series of races with the exception of the 1975 title, which was awarded on the results of a single race held at the Phillip...
. He also drove at the 1980 24 Hours of Le Mans
1980 24 Hours of Le Mans
The 1980 24 Hours of Le Mans was the 48th Grand Prix of Endurance, and took place on June 14 and 15 1980. It was the seventh round of the 1980 World Championship for Makes.-Pre-race:...
, sharing a Porsche 935
Porsche 935
The Porsche 935 was introduced in 1976, as the factory racing version of the Porsche 911 turbo prepared for FIA-Group 5 rules. It was an evolution of the Porsche Carrera RSR 2.1 turbo prototype which had scored 2nd overall in the 1974 24 Hours of Le Mans....
turbo with Indycar legend Bobby Rahal
Bobby Rahal
Robert "Bobby" Woodward Rahal is an American auto racing driver and team owner. As a driver, he won three championships and 24 races in the CART open-wheel series, including the 1986 Indianapolis 500...
, where they were forced to withdraw whilst in fourth place. He also did a guest drive for the Holden Dealer Team taking third place in the 1980 Hang Ten 400
1980 Hang Ten 400
The 1980 Hang Ten 400 was an endurance race for Group C Touring Cars. The event, which was Round 2 of the 1980 Australian Championship of Makes was staged on 14 September 1980 over 109 laps of the 3.1 km Sandown Park circuit in Victoria, Australia, a total distance of 337.9 km...
at Sandown driving a Holden Commodore. The event was marked by the fact that it was only the second time Moffat had raced a Holden and the first time that he was driving in the same team as his arch rival Peter Brock.
1981 and beyond
Much to the dismay of his mostly Ford-biased fans, Moffat left the "Blue Oval" brand in 1981 to drive a Peter StuyvesantImperial Tobacco
Imperial Tobacco is a global tobacco company headquartered in Bristol, United Kingdom. It is the world’s fourth-largest cigarette company measured by market share , and the world's largest producer of cigars, fine-cut tobacco and tobacco papers...
-sponsored Mazda RX-7
Mazda RX-7
Series 1 is commonly referred to as the "SA22C" from the first alphanumerics of the vehicle identification number. This series of RX-7 had exposed steel bumpers and a high-mounted indentation-located license plate, called by Werner Buhrer of Road & Track magazine a "Baroque depression."In 1980...
as both the ATCC and Bathurst began to exhibit a shift towards lighter touring cars with less raw power. Moffat drove the RX-7 to four consecutive top-six finishes at Bathurst between 1981 and 1984 including a second in 1983
1983 James Hardie 1000
The 1983 James Hardie 1000 was the 24th running of the Bathurst 1000 touring car race. It was an endurance race for Touring Cars complying with CAMS Group C regulations. It was held on October 2, 1983 at the Mount Panorama Circuit just outside Bathurst and was Round 4 of the 1983 Australian...
and 3rd in 1984
1984 James Hardie 1000
The 1984 James Hardie 1000 was the 25th running of the Bathurst 1000 touring car race. It was held on 30 September 1984 at the Mount Panorama Circuit just outside Bathurst in New South Wales, Australia and was Round 4 of the 1984 Australian Endurance Championship...
, while winning his fourth and final ATCC title in 1983
1983 Australian Touring Car Championship
The 1983 Australian Touring Car Championship was a CAMS sanctioned motor racing title for drivers of Group C Touring Cars. The title, which was the 24th Australian Touring Car Championship, was contested over a series which began on 6 February 1983 at Calder Park Raceway and ended on 19 June at...
. During this time Moffat drove his RX-7 to victories in the 1982
1982 Australian Endurance Championship
The 1982 Australian Endurance Championship was a CAMS sanctioned motor racing title for drivers of Group C Touring Cars.-Schedule:The championship was contested over a five round series run concurrently with the 1982 Australian Endurance Championship of Makes.*Round 1 : Perrier Gold Cup, Oran Park,...
and 1984 Australian Endurance Championship
1984 Australian Endurance Championship
The 1984 Australian Endurance Championship was a CAMS sanctioned motor racing competition open to Group C Touring Cars. The championship, which was the fourth Australian Endurance Championship, was contested over a five round series...
s.
Moffat also competed at the 24 Hours of Daytona
24 Hours of Daytona
The 24 Hours of Daytona, currently known as the Rolex 24 Daytona for sponsorship reasons, is a 24-hour sports car endurance race held annually at Daytona International Speedway in Daytona Beach, Florida. It is run on a combined road course, utilizing portions of the NASCAR tri-oval and an infield...
in an RX-7, taking a class win in 1982 with co-drivers Lee Mulle and Kathy Rude
Kathy Rude
Kathy Rude was an American sports car driver who was one of the first female drivers to attract international attention. Growing up in Victoria, Canada, she began competing as a teenager in karting events. By her early 20s, after competing in Formula Ford and Formula Atlantic, she attracted the...
. In 1982
1982 24 Hours of Le Mans
The 1982 24 Hours of Le Mans was the 50th Grand Prix of Endurance, and took place on June 19 and 20 1982. It was also the fourth round of the World Endurance Championship.-Race:For 1982, the new FIA Group C rules were in effect...
he again competed at Le Mans in a factory RX-7-based sportscar, achieving a class win. In his bid to win the 1983 ATCC, Moffat had to turn down a factory drive for Mazda
Mazdaspeed
Mazdaspeed is Mazda's in-house race and street car tuning arm. It began in 1968 as "Mazda Sports Corner", a tuning and racing operation run by Takayoshi Ohashi, who also ran Mazda's Tokyo distributor...
at the 1983 24 Hours of Le Mans
1983 24 Hours of Le Mans
The 1983 24 Hours of Le Mans was the 51st Grand Prix of Endurance, and took place on June 18 and 19 1983. It was also the fourth round of both the World Endurance Championship and European Endurance Championship. The win was fought right down to the line between the Rothmans Porsche 956s of Al...
as the final round of the ATCC was held the same weekend as the French classic. Moffat went into the ATCC race in second place behind the Nissan
Datsun Bluebird 910
The Datsun Bluebird 910 is an automobile which was produced by Nissan from 1979 to 1986.Nissan began realigning its export names with the home market with the 910 series in November 1979. The 'B' tags were dropped in favour of 'Bluebird', though the models were 'Datsun Bluebird' initially...
of George Fury
George Fury
George Fury is a retired Australian rally and racing car driver. For the majority of his career Fury was associated with Nissan, twice winning the Australian Rally Championship, and twice runner up in the Australian Touring Car Championship.-Rallying:Born in Hungary, Fury rose to prominence during...
and with the Nissan team not attending the meeting, Moffat needed to finish no lower than fifth to claim his fourth title. He eventually finished in third place to claim the ATCC by just six points.
In 1985 he took his own RX-7 that he campaigned previously in Australia to Daytona for the 24 Hour race, sharing the car with Australian drivers Gregg Hansford
Gregg Hansford
Gregg Hansford was an Australian motorcycle and touring car racer.-Racing career:Hansford began racing motorcycles in Australia, winning the 1973 500cc Unlimited title, as well as competing in the New Zealand Marlboro Series in 1975/76 and 1977/78 on Team Kawasaki 750s. He also won one leg of the...
, Kevin Bartlett
Kevin Bartlett (race driver)
Kevin Bartlett , often known by his nickname "KB", is an Australian former open wheel and touring car racing driver who won the CAMS Gold Star in 1968 and 1969, as well as the prestigious Bathurst 1000. Bartlett was named in Wheels magazine's annual yearbook in 2004 as one of Australia's 50...
and Peter McLeod
Peter McLeod
Peter Gerard McLeod , was an Australian racing driver, best known as co-winner of the 1987 James Hardie 1000 at Bathurst and for driving the distinctive yellow and black Slick 50 Mazda RX-7 Group C touring car during the early to mid 1980's.-Group C Touring Cars:McLeod began his racing career in...
. The car differed from its Australian configuration, a new rear wing was run on the car and 20kg of ballast was removed (bringing it to its actual homologated weight of 930kg). The engine was in fact the same one that had carried Moffat and Hansford to third place in the '84 James Hardie. Moffat qualified the car in 38th (12th in the GTO class) and eventually finished 24th and 7th in class, some 221 laps behind the race winners.
After sitting out the 1985 Australian season, Moffat returned to touring car racing for four more years (1986–1989). 1986 was notable in that Moffat had joined longtime rival and friend Peter Brock and the Holden Dealer Team. The pair were immediately successful, winning the 1986 Wellington 500
Wellington 500
The Wellington 500 was a street race for touring cars which took place at Wellington City in Wellington, New Zealand. The race was first proposed in 1984 and first took place a year later with a different layout from that to the original proposal....
in the brand-new Holden Commodore VK Group A SS
Holden VK Commodore
The Holden VK Commodore was introduced in 1984 and replaced the VH. It was the first Commodore to have plastic bumpers and introduced rear quarter windows for a six-window design as opposed to the four-window design on previous Commodore models...
. Moffat and Brock then went to Europe to tackle the FIA Touring Car Championship
European Touring Car Championship
The European Touring Car Championship was an international touring car racing series organised by the FIA. It had two incarnations, the first one between 1963 and 1988, and the second between 2000 and 2004...
(formerly the European Touring Car Championship) with two 5th placings at Donington
Donington Park
Donington Park is a motorsport circuit near Castle Donington in Leicestershire, England.Originally part of the Donington Hall estate, it was created as a racing circuit during the pre-war period when the German Silver Arrows were battling for the European Championship...
and Hockenheim
Hockenheimring
The Hockenheimring Baden-Württemberg is an automobile racing track situated near the town of Hockenheim in Baden-Württemberg, Germany, located on Bertha Benz Memorial Route. Amongst other motor racing events, it biennially hosts the Formula One German Grand Prix...
being their best on-track results. The HDT's two-car attack on the 1986 Spa 24 Hours
Spa 24 Hours
The Total 24 Hours of Spa is an endurance racing event held annually in Belgium at the Circuit de Spa-Francorchamps. Conceived by Jules de Their and Henri Langlois Van Ophem just one year after the first 24 Hours of Le Mans, the race was run under the auspices of the Royal Automobile Club Belgium...
was considered a success in that they won the Kings Cup teams prize along with Allan Grice
Allan Grice
Allan Maxwell Grice OAM , known to motor-racing fans as Gricey, is an Australian former racing driver and politician, most famous for twice winning the prestigious Bathurst 1000 , and as a privateer driver of a Holden in the Australian Touring Car Championship.Grice also had a successful second...
's Commodore. Moffat, Brock and John Harvey finished the race itself in 22nd place after suffering two head gasket failures. The lead car finished four places behind the team's second car, which finished in 18th spot. The HDT's 1986 European campaign was to be a precursor to an all-out attack on the 1987 World Touring Car Championship.
The HDT then came home and Moffat partnered Brock in the 1986 Castrol 500
1986 Castrol 500
The 1986 Castrol 500 was an endurance race for cars complying with CAMS Touring Car regulations, which were based on FIA Group A rules. The event was staged on 14 September 1986 over 129 laps of the 3.9 km Sandown circuit in Victoria, Australia, a total distance of 503 km...
at Sandown Raceway
Sandown Raceway
Sandown International Raceway is a motor racing circuit in Melbourne, Victoria, approximately south east of the city centre. It is considered a power circuit with its front straight being 899m long and back straight 910m long.-History:...
. Between them Moffat and Brock had won 14 of the previous 17 Sandown Enduro
Sandown 500
The Sandown 500 is an endurance motor race staged at the Sandown Raceway, near Melbourne in Victoria, Australia between 1964 and 2011. It was typically held in September, the month before Australia’s premier endurance race, the Bathurst 1000. The “500” was not run in 1966, 1967, 1999, 2000, 2008,...
's. Brock qualified the car on pole but tyre problems in the race meant only a 4th placed finish for the pair in their second ever Australian race together, the first being just a few weeks previous at the BP Plus 300 held at the Surfers Paradise International Raceway
Surfers Paradise International Raceway
Surfers Paradise International Raceway was a motor racing complex at Gold Coast, Queensland, Australia. The circuit was designed and built by Keith Williams, a motor racing enthusiast. It was located opposite the Surfers Paradise Ski Gardens at Carrara...
. The HDT went to the 1986 James Hardie 1000
1986 James Hardie 1000
The 1986 James Hardie 1000 was an endurance motor race held on 5 October 1986 at the Mount Panorama Circuit, just outside Bathurst in New South Wales, Australia...
confident of victory and the Brock/Moffat partnership in car 05 were favored to win with the pair having won 12 of the previous 16 Bathurst 1000
Bathurst 1000
The Bathurst 1000 is a touring car race held annually at Mount Panorama Circuit in Bathurst, New South Wales, Australia...
's between them. Both drivers were in good form during practice posting times that would have individually got them into the top 10 with Brock only slightly quicker and posting overall 2nd best time behind the Commodore of Allan Grice. Then early in Friday's qualifying session Moffat, in what turned out to be his only serious crash at Bathurst, put the 05 Commodore into the wall at the top of the mountain. This unfortunately caused the car to miss the Hardies Heroes Top 10 run off the next day due to not being able to better its Thursday time which was only good for an 11th place start. The car was repaired 'better than new' by the TAFE apprentices according to the team with Brock recording a 2:18.80 lap in Saturday afternoon's practice. The race though only gave the Brock/Moffat team 5th place after they lost some 7 minutes in the pits bypassing a leaking oil cooler. Moffat himself was hampered by an injured wrist sustained in Friday's crash. While not showing any discomfort on RaceCam
RaceCam
RaceCam is a video camera system used primarily in motor racing, which uses a network of car-mounted cameras, microwave radio transmitters, and relays from helicopters to send live images from inside a race car to both pit crews and television audiences....
, he was unable to push as hard as he would have liked although he lost no time to the leaders during his driving stints. Despite the loss of approximately 2 laps and with the engine close to overheating due to not running the oil cooler, Brock and Moffat ran hard and fast for the rest of the race and made up ground to be only 1 lap down on the winning Grice/Graeme Bailey
Graeme Bailey
Graeme Alfred Bailey , was an Australian racing driver, best known as co-winner of the 1986 Bathurst 1000....
car at race end. The HDT's other car driven by John Harvey and Neal Lowe finished the race in 2nd place after a relatively trouble free run.
1987 started well with Brock and Moffat again winning the Wellington 500. Then the HDT as a factory team fell apart after Holden cut all official ties with Brock over his public launch of the VL Commodore based HDT Director. Moffat then quit the team and purchased the brand-new VL Commodore SS Group A
Holden VL Commodore
The Holden VL Commodore and Calais were a range of mid-sized cars manufactured between 1986 and 1988 by the General Motors Australian arm, Holden...
that Brock had intended to take to Europe to compete in the World Touring Car Championship. Moffat purchased the car through a middleman to avoid having his former employer knowing the true buyer. The car was then immediately shipped to England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
for preparation for the first round of the WTCC. In the first round held at Monza
Monza
Monza is a city and comune on the river Lambro, a tributary of the Po, in the Lombardy region of Italy some 15 km north-northeast of Milan. It is the capital of the Province of Monza and Brianza. It is best known for its Grand Prix motor racing circuit, the Autodromo Nazionale Monza.On June...
, Moffat and his co-driver, ex-HDT driver John Harvey, qualified the car in 9th place and took a surprise win as a result of the leading BMW M3's being disqualified for illegally using lightweight body parts. The Rothmans sponsored Commodore had actually finished 7th on the road at Monza. The car was then a DNF at the next two rounds at Jarama and Dijon
Dijon-Prenois
Dijon-Prenois is a motor racing circuit located in Prenois, near Dijon, France. The undulating track is noted for its fast, sweeping bends....
before Moffat and Harvey drove the Commodore to a sensational fourth place outright and a class win at the Spa 24-hour
Spa 24 Hours
The Total 24 Hours of Spa is an endurance racing event held annually in Belgium at the Circuit de Spa-Francorchamps. Conceived by Jules de Their and Henri Langlois Van Ophem just one year after the first 24 Hours of Le Mans, the race was run under the auspices of the Royal Automobile Club Belgium...
race. This also proved to be the cars final race as Moffat, realising that to be competitive at Bathurst he would need a Ford Sierra RS500, completed a deal to lease the Andy Rouse
Andy Rouse
Andrew "Andy" Rouse is an English racing driver, most notably in the BTCC. He won the BTCC in 1975, 1983, 1984 and 1985....
run Sierra for the Australian rounds of the championship which was backed by new major sponsor ANZ Bank. This deal also left co-driver Harvey without a drive for the rest of the year. The deal proved a disaster for Moffat as the car was retired at both the James Hardie 1000
1987 James Hardie 1000
The 1987 James Hardie 1000 was the eighth round of the inaugural World Touring Car Championship, the first round to be held in the southern hemisphere. The race was held for cars eligible for Group A touring car regulations. It was the 25th anniversary of the original touring car endurance race...
and the Calder 500
1987 Bob Jane T-Marts 500
The 1987 Bob Jane T-Marts 500 was the ninth round of the 1987 World Touring Car Championship. The race, which was open to Group A Touring Cars, was held on 11 October 1987 at Calder Park Raceway in outer Melbourne, Victoria, Australia on the rarely used combined circuit which incorporated both...
before Moffat got his turn to race.
Moffat was keen to keep driving the Sierra in 1988
1988 Australian Touring Car season
The 1988 Australian Touring Car season was the 29th year of touring car racing in Australia since the first runnings of the Australian Touring Car Championship and the fore-runner of the present day Bathurst 1000, the Armstrong 500....
but after the failures of the Rouse cars in 1987 had decided not to continue using the British driver/engineer's machinery. Instead he managed to do something that very few had managed. He managed to get Swiss
Switzerland
Switzerland name of one of the Swiss cantons. ; ; ; or ), in its full name the Swiss Confederation , is a federal republic consisting of 26 cantons, with Bern as the seat of the federal authorities. The country is situated in Western Europe,Or Central Europe depending on the definition....
touring car tuning ace Ruedi Eggenberger to build him a customer Sierra RS500 that was identical to the works Fords that the Eggenberger team was using in the re-named ETCC. The deal was rumored to have cost Moffat around A$
Australian dollar
The Australian dollar is the currency of the Commonwealth of Australia, including Christmas Island, Cocos Islands, and Norfolk Island, as well as the independent Pacific Island states of Kiribati, Nauru and Tuvalu...
300,000. Moffat and former Mazda co-driver Gregg Hansford campaigned the car in the 1988 ATCC
1988 Australian Touring Car Championship
The 1988 Australian Touring Car Championship was a CAMS sanctioned motor racing title for drivers of Group 3A Touring Cars. It was the 29th running of the Australian Touring Car Championship. Promoted as the “1988 Shell Ultra Australian Touring Car Championship”, it began on 6 March at Calder Park...
in a low-key run while the team got to know the car. They then won the 1988 Enzed 500
1988 Enzed 500
The 1988 Enzed 500 was an endurance race for Group 3A Touring Cars. The event was held at the Sandown circuit in Victoria, Australia on 11 September 1988 over 129 laps of the 3.9 km circuit, a total distance of 503 km...
at Sandown and almost pulled off an upset at the Tooheys 1000
1988 Tooheys 1000
The 1988 Tooheys 1000 was the 29th running of the Bathurst 1000 touring car race. It was held on 2 October 1988 at the Mount Panorama Circuit just outside Bathurst...
at Bathurst where Eggenberger himself joined the team and along with his Ford Europe driver, German
Germans
The Germans are a Germanic ethnic group native to Central Europe. The English term Germans has referred to the German-speaking population of the Holy Roman Empire since the Late Middle Ages....
Klaus Niedzwiedz
Klaus Niedzwiedz
Klaus Niedzwiedz is a former professional race driver and motoring journalist.- Driver :His greatest success came in the 1980s, as a driver for Ford....
turned the car into one of the fastest on the track. The car ultimately was a DNF after head gasket failure on lap 129 of 161. This race was also significant in that it was the last time Moffat raced at Bathurst, though he did enter and qualify for the 1989 Tooheys 1000
1989 Tooheys 1000
The 1989 Tooheys 1000 was the 30th running of the Bathurst 1000 touring car race. It was held on 1 October 1989 at the Mount Panorama Circuit just outside Bathurst, Australia. The race was held for cars eligible under International Group A touring car regulations with three engine capacity...
but decided not to actually race.
Other than his four wins at Bathurst, Moffat also won the Sandown Endurance race six times, being the only driver to win it under three different national regulations, these being Series Production
Group E Series Production Touring Cars
Group E Series Production Touring Cars was an Australian motor racing category for production based sedans competing with limited modifications. It was current from 1964 to 1972....
(1969
1969 Datsun Three Hour
The 1969 Datsun Three Hour was an endurance race for production cars. The event was staged at the Sandown circuit in Victoria, Australia on 14 September 1969.- Results :* There were 42 starters in the event, 4 of which are not shown in the above table....
, 1970
1970 Sandown Three Hour 250
The 1970 Sandown Three Hour 250 was an Australian endurance motor race for Series Production Cars. The event was held on 13 September 1970 over 130 laps of the 1.9 mile Sandown Park circuit in Victoria, Australia, a total of 247 miles. There were 42 starters in the event.Canadian racer driver Allan...
), Group C
Group C (Australia)
In relation to Australian motorsport, Group C refers to either of two sets of regulations devised by the Confederation of Australian Motor Sport for use in Australian touring car racing from 1965 to 1984...
(1974
1974 Sandown 250
The 1974 Sandown 250 was an endurance race for Group C Touring Cars. Entries were divided into four classes:*Class A : Up to 1300 cc*Class B : 1301 - 2000 cc*Class C : 2001 - 3000 cc*Class D : Over 3000 cc...
, 1982
1982 Castrol 400
The 1982 Castrol 400 was an endurance race for Touring cars complying with CAMS Group C regulations. The event was held at the Sandown Raceway circuit in Victoria on 12 September 1982 over 109 laps, totalling 337.9 km....
, 1983
1983 Castrol 400
The 1983 Castrol 400 was an endurance race for Touring Cars complying with CAMS Group C regulations. The event was staged at the Sandown Park circuit in Victoria, Australia on 11 September 1983 over 129 laps of the 3.1 km circuit, totalling 399.9 km...
) and Group A (1988
1988 Enzed 500
The 1988 Enzed 500 was an endurance race for Group 3A Touring Cars. The event was held at the Sandown circuit in Victoria, Australia on 11 September 1988 over 129 laps of the 3.9 km circuit, a total distance of 503 km...
).
Moffat's last race and indeed last race win was in 1989 driving with Niedzwiedz. The pair drive Moffat's Sierra in the Fuji 500km race in Japan (again the car was race prepared personally by Eggenberger). He retired from competitive motor racing after the Fuji win keeping a promise he had made to himself and wife Pauline that he wouldn't race beyond his 50th birthday (the Fuji 500 was run 2 days after Moffat's 50th). He has since worked as a TV commentator and a spokesman for BMW and appears at various Ford club events across Australia.
Post Driving
Moffat continued as the team owner and manager of Allan Moffat Enterprises which ran the RS500 Sierra's until the demise of Group A at the end of 19921992 Australian Touring Car season
The 1992 Australian Touring Car season was the 33rd year of touring car racing in Australia since the first runnings of the Australian Touring Car Championship and the fore-runner of the present day Bathurst 1000, the Armstrong 500....
. In a significant partnership, car builder Eggenberger and ace driver Niedzwiedz joined Moffat at Bathurst every year from 1988-1992 excluding the 1991
1991 Tooheys 1000
The 1991 Tooheys 1000 was the 32nd running of the Bathurst 1000 touring car race. It was held on 6 October 1991 at the Mount Panorama Circuit just outside Bathurst. The 1000 km race was held for cars complying with the provisions of Australian Group 3A Touring Car regulations with the field...
race when they were not available due to other commitments. The best result for the team during this period was Niedzwiedz's second place with Frank Biela
Frank Biela
Frank Biela is an auto racing driver, mainly competing in touring cars and sportscar racing. He has raced exclusively in cars manufactured by the Audi marque since 1990....
at the 1989 race. Neidzwiedz gave the Moffat-ANZ team pole position at the 1990 Tooheys 1000
1990 Tooheys 1000
The 1990 Tooheys 1000 was the 31st running of the Bathurst 1000 touring car race. It was held on 30 September 1990 at the Mount Panorama Circuit just outside Bathurst, New South Wales, Australia. The event was open to cars eligible under CAMS Group 3A regulations, commonly known as Group A Touring...
while he had also won the Top 10 run-off in 1988 when race regulations meant that the run-off did not count for grid positions.
After the Sierra's were banned in their RS500 form at the end of 1992, Moffat decided to continue his long association with Ford and built a eye-catching Ford EB Falcon
Ford EB Falcon
The Ford EB Falcon is a car which was produced by the Ford Motor Company in Australia between 1991 and 1993.Visually the 1991 EB remained nearly identical to its predecessor. The most noticeable change was the transfer of the Ford emblem from the tip of the bonnet to the grille...
painted black and bright green in the colours of team sponsor Cenovis for the 1993 Tooheys 1000
1993 Tooheys 1000
The 1993 Tooheys 1000 was the 34th running of the Bathurst 1000 touring car race. It was held on 3 October 1993 at the Mount Panorama Circuit just outside Bathurst, New South Wales, Australia...
. The team's first Bathurst with a Falcon since 1980 did not turn out much better than their previous attempt. The car's V8 engine
Ford Windsor engine
The Windsor is a 90-degree small-block V8 engine from Ford Motor Company. It was introduced in 1962, replacing the previous Ford Y-block engine. Though not all of the engines in this family were produced at the Windsor, Ontario engine plant , the name stuck...
was built by another longtime Moffat associate, Kar Kraft, in the USA (who had supplied Moffat with his Boss Mustang back in 1969) and was built with a Carburetor
Carburetor
A carburetor , carburettor, or carburetter is a device that blends air and fuel for an internal combustion engine. It is sometimes shortened to carb in North America and the United Kingdom....
instead of the fuel injection of the leading cars. Driven by Charlie O'Brien
Charlie O'Brien (racing driver)
This article is about the Australian racing driver. For other people, see Charles O'Brien.Charles Lindsay O'Brien is a former Australian race car driver. From 1976 to 2003, he held the record for being the youngest winner of an Australian Touring Car Championship round.-Career results:-References:...
and Andrew Miedecke, the car qualified 18th but retired with gearbox failure after completing just 41 of the races 161 laps. For the 1994 Tooheys 1000
1994 Tooheys 1000
The 1994 Tooheys 1000 was the 35th running of the Bathurst 1000 touring car race. It was held on 2 October 1994 at the Mount Panorama Circuit just outside Bathurst. The race was held for cars eligible for CAMS Group 3A touring car regulations, that later became known V8Supercars and for...
, Moffat had his race engines supplied by Dick Johnson Racing
Dick Johnson Racing
Dick Johnson Racing is Australia's oldest operating motor racing team. Founded by Dick Johnson, the team has won seven Australian Touring Car Championship titles and has taken three victories in Australia's hallmark race, the Bathurst 1000...
and the team, with drivers Miedecke and Englishman
Englishman
Englishman may refer to:*English people*Grey Partridge*Jason Englishman, Canadian rock music singer and guitarist*Jenny-Bea Englishman, real name of the Canadien singer Esthero*Erald Briscoe, reggae musician who records under the name Englishman...
Jeff Allam
Jeff Allam
Jeff Allam , was a British racing driver who made his name in Saloon Car racing. He now works as a dealer principal for Allam Motor Services in Epsom and Dorking which are a Skoda, Alfa Romeo and Kia dealership....
were more competitive, qualifying 16th and finished a well-deserved 8th, only four laps behind the winning Falcon of Dick Johnson and John Bowe
John Bowe (racing driver)
John Bowe is an Australian racing driver, presently racing a 1969 Ford Mustang in the historic series, Touring Car Masters....
.
The 1995 Tooheys 1000
1995 Tooheys 1000
The 1995 Tooheys 1000 was the 36th running of the Bathurst 1000 touring car race. It was held on October 1, 1995 at the Mount Panorama Circuit just outside Bathurst. The race was held for cars eligible under CAMS Group 3A 5.0 Litre Touring Car regulations, that later became known as V8Supercars...
saw the team struggle once more. Andrew Miedecke was again lead driver and qualified the aging EB Falcon in 16th place but co-driver Mark Noske
Mark Noske
Mark Noske is an Australian V8 Supercar driver. Noske has never placed higher than third in a national event, but has placed third four times in such events.-Formula Racing:...
never got a drive with the car retiring on lap 16 with engine trouble. The 1996 AMP Bathurst 1000
1996 AMP Bathurst 1000
The 1996 AMP Bathurst 1000 was the 37th running of the Bathurst 1000 touring car race. It was held on October 6, 1996 at the Mount Panorama Circuit just outside Bathurst...
was the last time that an Allan Moffat-built or driven (in this case just built) car raced at Bathurst. In what was also his last Bathrust race, Klaus Niedzwiedz returned to the team, where he joined Ken Douglas in a strong run to finish 10th after Niedzwiedz qualified the older and underpowered Falcon in 25th place.
During the period from 1991 until 1996, Moffat's cars only ever raced at the Sandown 500
Sandown 500
The Sandown 500 is an endurance motor race staged at the Sandown Raceway, near Melbourne in Victoria, Australia between 1964 and 2011. It was typically held in September, the month before Australia’s premier endurance race, the Bathurst 1000. The “500” was not run in 1966, 1967, 1999, 2000, 2008,...
or Bathurst 1000 races as the team's finances and resources were not enough to allow them to race in rounds of the Touring car Championship. Moffat himself also doubled as an expert commentator for Channel 7
Seven Network
The Seven Network is an Australian television network owned by Seven West Media Limited. It dates back to 4 November 1956, when the first stations on the VHF7 frequency were established in Melbourne and Sydney.It is currently the second largest network in the country in terms of population reach...
during its motor sport telecasts during this time, including at Bathurst, where he had the dual role of commentator and race team manager.
Beyond Motor Racing
On 2 February 2004, he received Australian citizenship in a ceremony at the Australian Grand PrixAustralian Grand Prix
The Australian Grand Prix is a motor race held annually and is held to be the pinnacle of motor racing in Australia. The Grand Prix is the oldest surviving motor racing competition held in Australia having been held 76 times since it was first run at Phillip Island in 1928. Since 1985 the race has...
Corporation offices in Melbourne
Melbourne
Melbourne is the capital and most populous city in the state of Victoria, and the second most populous city in Australia. The Melbourne City Centre is the hub of the greater metropolitan area and the Census statistical division—of which "Melbourne" is the common name. As of June 2009, the greater...
. He had been eligible for citizenship since the early 1970s but, in his own words, "one way or another I never followed it through." The citation itself was given by his old friend and sparring partner, Peter Brock.
Although Moffat has lived permanently in Australia for over 35 years, his broad Canadian accent has remained intact and continues to be his trademark. Moffat is a Director of the Australian Institute for Motor Sport Safety (AIMSS).
Moffat's two sons Andrew Moffat and James Moffat
James Moffat (racing driver)
James Moffat is an Australian racing driver who currently competes for the Dick Johnson Racing team in the 2011 International V8 Supercars Championship....
have followed their father into motor racing.
Career results
| Season | Series | Position | Car | Team |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1965 1965 Australian Touring Car Championship The 1965 Australian Touring Car Championship was the first Australian Touring Car Championship to be contested under Group C regulations. The championship was contested over a single race staged at Sandown International Raceway. The championship was won by Norm Beechey driving a Ford Mustang, the... |
Australian Touring Car Championship Australian Touring Car Championship The Australian Touring Car Championship is a touring car racing award held in Australia since 1960. The series itself is no longer contested, but the title lives on, with the winner of the V8 Supercar Championship Series awarded the trophy and title of Australian Touring Car Champion.-History:The... |
4th | Ford Cortina Lotus | Allan Moffat Racing Allan Moffat Racing Allan Moffat Racing was one of a number of names used for the Australian-based motor racing team fronted by multiple-championship winning Canadian-Australian racing driver Allan Moffat... |
| 1970 1970 Australian Touring Car Championship The 1970 Australian Touring Car Championship was a CAMS sanctioned motor racing title for drivers of Group C Improved Production Touring Cars and Group E Series Production Touring Cars... |
Australian Touring Car Championship Australian Touring Car Championship The Australian Touring Car Championship is a touring car racing award held in Australia since 1960. The series itself is no longer contested, but the title lives on, with the winner of the V8 Supercar Championship Series awarded the trophy and title of Australian Touring Car Champion.-History:The... |
6th | Ford Mustang Boss 302 Boss 302 Mustang The Boss 302 Mustang is a high performance variant of the Ford Mustang originally produced in 1969 and 1970, but revived in the 2012 model year. It was produced for the Trans Am racing series, while the Mustang Boss 429 which was produced the same years was built around a larger engine.-First... |
Team Coca-Cola A.M.R. Allan Moffat Racing Allan Moffat Racing was one of a number of names used for the Australian-based motor racing team fronted by multiple-championship winning Canadian-Australian racing driver Allan Moffat... |
| 1970 | South Pacific Touring Series South Pacific Touring Series The South Pacific Touring Series was an Australian touring car series held during the 1970s and run in conjunction with the famous open-wheeler Tasman Series.The South Pacific Series was held between 1970 and 1975 during the month of February... |
1st | Ford XW Falcon GTHO Phase 1 Ford XW Falcon -Introduction:The XW Falcon was released in June 1969 replacing the XT Falcon. The XW was an extensive facelift of the XT, featuring a new grille and tail lights... |
Ford Motor Company Ford Works Team (Australia) The Ford Works Team was a former Australian motor racing team that was supported by the Ford Motor Company of Australia. The team was formed in 1962 and was wound up when Ford withdrew from motor racing at the end of 1973... |
| 1971 1971 Australian Touring Car Championship The 1971 Australian Touring Car Championship was a CAMS sanctioned motor racing title for drivers of Group C Improved Production Touring Cars and Group E Series Production Touring Cars... |
Australian Touring Car Championship Australian Touring Car Championship The Australian Touring Car Championship is a touring car racing award held in Australia since 1960. The series itself is no longer contested, but the title lives on, with the winner of the V8 Supercar Championship Series awarded the trophy and title of Australian Touring Car Champion.-History:The... |
2nd | Ford Mustang Boss 302 Boss 302 Mustang The Boss 302 Mustang is a high performance variant of the Ford Mustang originally produced in 1969 and 1970, but revived in the 2012 model year. It was produced for the Trans Am racing series, while the Mustang Boss 429 which was produced the same years was built around a larger engine.-First... |
Team Coca-Cola A.M.R. Allan Moffat Racing Allan Moffat Racing was one of a number of names used for the Australian-based motor racing team fronted by multiple-championship winning Canadian-Australian racing driver Allan Moffat... |
| 1972 1972 Australian Touring Car Championship The 1972 Australian Touring Car Championship was a CAMS sanctioned national motor racing title open to Group C Improved Production Touring Cars and Group E Series Production Touring Cars. The championship, which was the 13th running of the Australian Touring Car Championship, began at Symmons... |
Australian Touring Car Championship Australian Touring Car Championship The Australian Touring Car Championship is a touring car racing award held in Australia since 1960. The series itself is no longer contested, but the title lives on, with the winner of the V8 Supercar Championship Series awarded the trophy and title of Australian Touring Car Champion.-History:The... |
3rd | Ford Mustang Boss 302 Boss 302 Mustang The Boss 302 Mustang is a high performance variant of the Ford Mustang originally produced in 1969 and 1970, but revived in the 2012 model year. It was produced for the Trans Am racing series, while the Mustang Boss 429 which was produced the same years was built around a larger engine.-First... |
Allan Moffat Racing Allan Moffat Racing Allan Moffat Racing was one of a number of names used for the Australian-based motor racing team fronted by multiple-championship winning Canadian-Australian racing driver Allan Moffat... |
| 1973 1973 Australian Touring Car Championship The 1973 Australian Touring Car Championship was the 14th running of the Australian Touring Car Championship. It began at Symmons Plains on 5 March 1973 and ended at Warwick Farm after eight rounds. The series was won by Allan Moffat in a Ford Falcon GTHO Phase III.-Teams and drivers:The following... |
Australian Touring Car Championship Australian Touring Car Championship The Australian Touring Car Championship is a touring car racing award held in Australia since 1960. The series itself is no longer contested, but the title lives on, with the winner of the V8 Supercar Championship Series awarded the trophy and title of Australian Touring Car Champion.-History:The... |
1st | Ford Falcon GTHO Phase III | Allan Moffat |
| 1974 1974 Australian Touring Car Championship The 1974 Australian Touring Car Championship was the 15th running of the Australian Touring Car Championship. It began at Symmons Plains on 4 March 1974 and ended at Adelaide International Raceway on 9 June after eight rounds. The series was won by Peter Brock in a Holden Torana LJ XU1 and Holden... |
Australian Touring Car Championship Australian Touring Car Championship The Australian Touring Car Championship is a touring car racing award held in Australia since 1960. The series itself is no longer contested, but the title lives on, with the winner of the V8 Supercar Championship Series awarded the trophy and title of Australian Touring Car Champion.-History:The... |
3rd | Ford XB Falcon GT Ford XB Falcon The Ford XB Falcon is a car which was produced by Ford Australia between 1973 and 1976 and was built exclusively in Australia. It bore minor cosmetic differences to the preceding model, the XA, aimed at giving the car a more muscular stance... |
Moffat Ford Dealers Allan Moffat Racing Allan Moffat Racing was one of a number of names used for the Australian-based motor racing team fronted by multiple-championship winning Canadian-Australian racing driver Allan Moffat... |
| 1975 1975 Australian Touring Car Championship The 1975 Australian Touring Car Championship was the 16th running of the Australian Touring Car Championship. It began at Symmons Plains and ended at Lakeside International Raceway after seven rounds... |
Australian Touring Car Championship Australian Touring Car Championship The Australian Touring Car Championship is a touring car racing award held in Australia since 1960. The series itself is no longer contested, but the title lives on, with the winner of the V8 Supercar Championship Series awarded the trophy and title of Australian Touring Car Champion.-History:The... |
22nd | Ford XB Falcon GT Ford XB Falcon The Ford XB Falcon is a car which was produced by Ford Australia between 1973 and 1976 and was built exclusively in Australia. It bore minor cosmetic differences to the preceding model, the XA, aimed at giving the car a more muscular stance... |
Allan Moffat Racing Allan Moffat Racing Allan Moffat Racing was one of a number of names used for the Australian-based motor racing team fronted by multiple-championship winning Canadian-Australian racing driver Allan Moffat... |
| 1976 1976 Australian Touring Car Championship The 1976 Australian Touring Car Championship was a series of motor races for Touring cars conforming to the Australia Group C touring car regulations. It was the 17th running of the Australian Touring Car Championship. It began at Symmons Plains Raceway on 29 February and ended at Phillip Island... |
Australian Touring Car Championship Australian Touring Car Championship The Australian Touring Car Championship is a touring car racing award held in Australia since 1960. The series itself is no longer contested, but the title lives on, with the winner of the V8 Supercar Championship Series awarded the trophy and title of Australian Touring Car Champion.-History:The... |
1st | Ford XB Falcon GT Ford XB Falcon The Ford XB Falcon is a car which was produced by Ford Australia between 1973 and 1976 and was built exclusively in Australia. It bore minor cosmetic differences to the preceding model, the XA, aimed at giving the car a more muscular stance... |
Moffat Ford Dealers Allan Moffat Racing Allan Moffat Racing was one of a number of names used for the Australian-based motor racing team fronted by multiple-championship winning Canadian-Australian racing driver Allan Moffat... |
| 1976 1976 Australian Sports Sedan Championship The 1976 Australian Sports Sedan Championship was a CAMS sanctioned motor racing title for drivers of Group B Sports Sedans. It was the inaugural Australian Sports Sedan Championship.-Calendar:... |
Australian Sports Sedan Championship Australian Sports Sedan Championship The Australian Sports Sedan Championship was a CAMS sanctioned national motor racing title for drivers of cars complying with Australian Sports Sedan regulations... |
1st | Ford Capri RS3100 Chevrolet Monza Chevrolet Monza The Chevrolet Monza is a subcompact, four-passenger automobile produced by the Chevrolet division of General Motors for the 1975–1980 model years. The Monza is based on the Chevrolet Vega, sharing its wheelbase, width and 140 CID inline-4 engine... |
Allan Moffat Racing Allan Moffat Racing Allan Moffat Racing was one of a number of names used for the Australian-based motor racing team fronted by multiple-championship winning Canadian-Australian racing driver Allan Moffat... |
| 1977 1977 Australian Touring Car Championship The 1977 Australian Touring Car Championship was a CAMS sanctioned motor racing championship open to Group C Touring Cars. It was the 18th running of the Australian Touring Car Championship and it began at Symmons Plains Raceway on 7 March and ended at the Phillip Island Grand Prix Circuit on 20... |
Australian Touring Car Championship Australian Touring Car Championship The Australian Touring Car Championship is a touring car racing award held in Australia since 1960. The series itself is no longer contested, but the title lives on, with the winner of the V8 Supercar Championship Series awarded the trophy and title of Australian Touring Car Champion.-History:The... |
1st | Ford XB Falcon GT Ford XB Falcon The Ford XB Falcon is a car which was produced by Ford Australia between 1973 and 1976 and was built exclusively in Australia. It bore minor cosmetic differences to the preceding model, the XA, aimed at giving the car a more muscular stance... Ford XC Falcon GS500 Ford XC Falcon The Ford XC Falcon is a car which was produced by Ford Australia between 1976 and 1979. It was a facelift of the XB Falcon, itself an upgrade of the XA Falcon which had entered production in 1972... |
Moffat Ford Dealers Allan Moffat Racing Allan Moffat Racing was one of a number of names used for the Australian-based motor racing team fronted by multiple-championship winning Canadian-Australian racing driver Allan Moffat... |
| 1978 1978 Australian Touring Car Championship The 1978 Australian Touring Car Championship was the 19th running of the Australian Touring Car Championship. It began at Symmons Plains and ended at Adelaide International Raceway after eight rounds... |
Australian Touring Car Championship Australian Touring Car Championship The Australian Touring Car Championship is a touring car racing award held in Australia since 1960. The series itself is no longer contested, but the title lives on, with the winner of the V8 Supercar Championship Series awarded the trophy and title of Australian Touring Car Champion.-History:The... |
4th | Ford XC Falcon GS500 Ford XC Falcon The Ford XC Falcon is a car which was produced by Ford Australia between 1976 and 1979. It was a facelift of the XB Falcon, itself an upgrade of the XA Falcon which had entered production in 1972... |
Moffat Ford Dealers Allan Moffat Racing Allan Moffat Racing was one of a number of names used for the Australian-based motor racing team fronted by multiple-championship winning Canadian-Australian racing driver Allan Moffat... |
| 1979 1979 Australian Touring Car Championship The 1979 Australian Touring Car Championship was the 20th running of the Australian Touring Car Championship. It began at Symmons Plains and ended at Adelaide International Raceway after eight rounds... |
Australian Touring Car Championship Australian Touring Car Championship The Australian Touring Car Championship is a touring car racing award held in Australia since 1960. The series itself is no longer contested, but the title lives on, with the winner of the V8 Supercar Championship Series awarded the trophy and title of Australian Touring Car Champion.-History:The... |
27th | Ford Falcon Cobra Ford Falcon Cobra The Cobra was a limited edition of the Ford Falcon released by Ford Australia in 1978. It was based on the XC Hardtop .-History:In 1978, Ford Australia unveiled plans for an all-new Falcon, dubbed the XD, that would be released in 1979... |
Allan Moffat Racing Allan Moffat Racing Allan Moffat Racing was one of a number of names used for the Australian-based motor racing team fronted by multiple-championship winning Canadian-Australian racing driver Allan Moffat... |
| 1980 | Australian Sports Car Championship Australian Sports Car Championship The Australian Sports Car Championship was the CAMS sanctioned national title for Sports Car drivers in the years from 1969 to 1988. Each championship was contested over a series of races with the exception of the 1975 title, which was awarded on the results of a single race held at the Phillip... |
1st | Porsche 930 Turbo Porsche 930 The 930 was a sports car built by Porsche, 930 actually being the "type number" for the pre-964 generation 911 Turbo produced between 1975 and 1989... |
Porsche Cars Australia |
| 1982 1982 Australian Touring Car Championship The 1982 Australian Touring Car Championship was a CAMS sanctioned motor racing title open to Group C Touring Cars. It began on 18 February 1982 at Sandown Raceway and ended on 16 May at Oran Park Raceway after eight rounds... |
Australian Touring Car Championship Australian Touring Car Championship The Australian Touring Car Championship is a touring car racing award held in Australia since 1960. The series itself is no longer contested, but the title lives on, with the winner of the V8 Supercar Championship Series awarded the trophy and title of Australian Touring Car Champion.-History:The... |
3rd | Mazda RX-7 | Peter Stuyvesant International Racing Allan Moffat Racing Allan Moffat Racing was one of a number of names used for the Australian-based motor racing team fronted by multiple-championship winning Canadian-Australian racing driver Allan Moffat... |
| 1982 1982 Australian Endurance Championship The 1982 Australian Endurance Championship was a CAMS sanctioned motor racing title for drivers of Group C Touring Cars.-Schedule:The championship was contested over a five round series run concurrently with the 1982 Australian Endurance Championship of Makes.*Round 1 : Perrier Gold Cup, Oran Park,... |
Australian Endurance Championship Australian Endurance Championship The Australian Endurance Championship was first contested in 1981, as a CAMS sanctioned national motor racing title for car manufacturers. Replacing the Australian Championship of Makes , it was decided over a series of endurance races for touring cars complying with CAMS Group C regulations.In the... |
1st | Mazda RX-7 | Peter Stuyvesant International Racing Allan Moffat Racing Allan Moffat Racing was one of a number of names used for the Australian-based motor racing team fronted by multiple-championship winning Canadian-Australian racing driver Allan Moffat... |
| 1983 1983 Australian Touring Car Championship The 1983 Australian Touring Car Championship was a CAMS sanctioned motor racing title for drivers of Group C Touring Cars. The title, which was the 24th Australian Touring Car Championship, was contested over a series which began on 6 February 1983 at Calder Park Raceway and ended on 19 June at... |
Australian Touring Car Championship Australian Touring Car Championship The Australian Touring Car Championship is a touring car racing award held in Australia since 1960. The series itself is no longer contested, but the title lives on, with the winner of the V8 Supercar Championship Series awarded the trophy and title of Australian Touring Car Champion.-History:The... |
1st | Mazda RX-7 | Peter Stuyvesant International Racing Allan Moffat Racing Allan Moffat Racing was one of a number of names used for the Australian-based motor racing team fronted by multiple-championship winning Canadian-Australian racing driver Allan Moffat... |
| 1983 1983 Australian Endurance Championship The 1983 Australian Endurance Championship was a CAMS sanctioned motor racing title for drivers of Group C Touring Cars. The championship was contested over a six round series with all rounds run concurrently with those of the 1983 Australian Endurance Championship of Makes.-Calendar:* Round 1,... |
Australian Endurance Championship Australian Endurance Championship The Australian Endurance Championship was first contested in 1981, as a CAMS sanctioned national motor racing title for car manufacturers. Replacing the Australian Championship of Makes , it was decided over a series of endurance races for touring cars complying with CAMS Group C regulations.In the... |
4th | Mazda RX-7 | Peter Stuyvesant International Allan Moffat Racing Allan Moffat Racing was one of a number of names used for the Australian-based motor racing team fronted by multiple-championship winning Canadian-Australian racing driver Allan Moffat... |
| 1984 1984 Australian Touring Car Championship The 1984 Australian Touring Car Championship was the 25th running of the Australian Touring Car Championship, and was the last year of Group C regulations. The following year would see the introduction of the international Group A regulations... |
Australian Touring Car Championship Australian Touring Car Championship The Australian Touring Car Championship is a touring car racing award held in Australia since 1960. The series itself is no longer contested, but the title lives on, with the winner of the V8 Supercar Championship Series awarded the trophy and title of Australian Touring Car Champion.-History:The... |
9th | Mazda RX-7 | Peter Stuyvesant International Racing Allan Moffat Racing Allan Moffat Racing was one of a number of names used for the Australian-based motor racing team fronted by multiple-championship winning Canadian-Australian racing driver Allan Moffat... |
| 1984 1984 Australian Endurance Championship The 1984 Australian Endurance Championship was a CAMS sanctioned motor racing competition open to Group C Touring Cars. The championship, which was the fourth Australian Endurance Championship, was contested over a five round series... |
Australian Endurance Championship Australian Endurance Championship The Australian Endurance Championship was first contested in 1981, as a CAMS sanctioned national motor racing title for car manufacturers. Replacing the Australian Championship of Makes , it was decided over a series of endurance races for touring cars complying with CAMS Group C regulations.In the... |
1st | Mazda RX-7 | Peter Stuyvesant International Racing Allan Moffat Racing Allan Moffat Racing was one of a number of names used for the Australian-based motor racing team fronted by multiple-championship winning Canadian-Australian racing driver Allan Moffat... |
| 1988 1988 Australian Touring Car Championship The 1988 Australian Touring Car Championship was a CAMS sanctioned motor racing title for drivers of Group 3A Touring Cars. It was the 29th running of the Australian Touring Car Championship. Promoted as the “1988 Shell Ultra Australian Touring Car Championship”, it began on 6 March at Calder Park... |
Australian Touring Car Championship Australian Touring Car Championship The Australian Touring Car Championship is a touring car racing award held in Australia since 1960. The series itself is no longer contested, but the title lives on, with the winner of the V8 Supercar Championship Series awarded the trophy and title of Australian Touring Car Champion.-History:The... |
9th | Ford Sierra RS500 | Allan Moffat Enterprises Allan Moffat Racing Allan Moffat Racing was one of a number of names used for the Australian-based motor racing team fronted by multiple-championship winning Canadian-Australian racing driver Allan Moffat... |
| 1989 1989 Australian Touring Car Championship The 1989 Shell Ultra Australian Touring Car Championship was the 30th running of the Australian Touring Car Championship. It began on 5 March 1989 at Amaroo Park and ended on 9 July at Oran Park Raceway after eight rounds... |
Australian Touring Car Championship Australian Touring Car Championship The Australian Touring Car Championship is a touring car racing award held in Australia since 1960. The series itself is no longer contested, but the title lives on, with the winner of the V8 Supercar Championship Series awarded the trophy and title of Australian Touring Car Champion.-History:The... |
11th | Ford Sierra RS500 | Allan Moffat Enterprises Allan Moffat Racing Allan Moffat Racing was one of a number of names used for the Australian-based motor racing team fronted by multiple-championship winning Canadian-Australian racing driver Allan Moffat... |
Complete 24 Hours of Le Mans results
| Year | Pos | Class | No | Team | Drivers | Chassis | Tyres | Laps |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Engine | ||||||||
| 1980 1980 24 Hours of Le Mans The 1980 24 Hours of Le Mans was the 48th Grand Prix of Endurance, and took place on June 14 and 15 1980. It was the seventh round of the 1980 World Championship for Makes.-Pre-race:... |
39 DNF |
IMSA | 71 |  United States Dick Barbour Racing |
United States Bobby Rahal Bobby Rahal Robert "Bobby" Woodward Rahal is an American auto racing driver and team owner. As a driver, he won three championships and 24 races in the CART open-wheel series, including the 1986 Indianapolis 500... United States Bob Garretson |
Porsche 935 Porsche 935 The Porsche 935 was introduced in 1976, as the factory racing version of the Porsche 911 turbo prepared for FIA-Group 5 rules. It was an evolution of the Porsche Carrera RSR 2.1 turbo prototype which had scored 2nd overall in the 1974 24 Hours of Le Mans.... K3 |
134 | |
| Porsche Porsche Porsche Automobil Holding SE, usually shortened to Porsche SE a Societas Europaea or European Public Company, is a German based holding company with investments in the automotive industry.... Type-935 3.0L Turbo Flat-6 |
||||||||
| 1982 1982 24 Hours of Le Mans The 1982 24 Hours of Le Mans was the 50th Grand Prix of Endurance, and took place on June 19 and 20 1982. It was also the fourth round of the World Endurance Championship.-Race:For 1982, the new FIA Group C rules were in effect... |
14 | IMSA GTX |
82 |  Japan MazdaspeedMazdaspeed Mazdaspeed is Mazda's in-house race and street car tuning arm. It began in 1968 as "Mazda Sports Corner", a tuning and racing operation run by Takayoshi Ohashi, who also ran Mazda's Tokyo distributor... Co. Ltd. |
Japan Yojiro Terada Yojiro Terada is a Japanese racing driver from Kobe, Hyogo Prefecture. He is known for holding the record for the most participations in the 24 Hours of Le Mans without winning, having run on 29 occasions since . He is also third behind Henri Pescarolo and Bob Wollek for the drivers with the most participations... Japan Takashi Yorino |
Mazda RX-7 Mazda RX-7 Series 1 is commonly referred to as the "SA22C" from the first alphanumerics of the vehicle identification number. This series of RX-7 had exposed steel bumpers and a high-mounted indentation-located license plate, called by Werner Buhrer of Road & Track magazine a "Baroque depression."In 1980... |
282 | |
| Mazda Mazda is a Japanese automotive manufacturer based in Fuchū, Aki District, Hiroshima Prefecture, Japan.In 2007, Mazda produced almost 1.3 million vehicles for global sales... 13B 1.3L 2-Rotor Wankel engine The Wankel engine is a type of internal combustion engine using an eccentric rotary design to convert pressure into a rotating motion instead of using reciprocating pistons. Its four-stroke cycle takes place in a space between the inside of an oval-like epitrochoid-shaped housing and a rotor that... |
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