Fred Gibson (motor racing)
Encyclopedia
Fred Gibson is a former Australian racing driver and race team owner.
, and later the first Lotus Elan
to run in Australian competition , Gibson quickly moved up into the touring car
ranks. In just his second Bathurst start he claimed second place in the 1966 Gallaher 500
, attracting the attention of Harry Firth
who invited him into a plumb seat with the Ford Works Team (Australia)
, a team freshly rejuvenated by the arrival of the first Falcon GT
, the 1967 XR model. Heading to Bathurst, Gibson and Firth took a narrow victory over team-mates Ian Geoghegan
and Leo Geoghegan
after an all day fight with each other and the three leading Alfa Romeo
s.
Gibson became a mainstay with the Ford team for the next six years, taking much success at Amaroo Park
in particular. Gibson won the competitive Oran Park
production sedan series, the Toby Lee Series
, in 1970 and 1971 driving his Falcon GTHO supported by his Sydney speedshop, Road & Track. At Bathurst however in the early 1970s he suffered a string of retirements. When the racing industry went into decline during the 70's Gibson raced less frequently but was a still regular at Bathurst.
during the Group C
era while running the cantankerous Nissan Bluebird
, pioneering turbo charged touring cars in Australia. Gibson's racing involvement declined over time as he moved into a management role, eventually replacing Marsden when he left as manager, and later becoming team owner.
Gibson oversaw the Australian Nissan Skyline
program during Group A era, bringing young drivers Glenn Seton
and Mark Skaife
into the series. Success for the team, now becoming known as Gibson Motor Sport
came at last with the 1990 Australian Touring Car Championship
for Jim Richards
. Along the way Gibson and his team developed the Nissan GT-R
into the dominant car of the era, winning three successive championship and back to back Bathurst 1000
wins in 1991
and 1992
.
Gibson continued to run the team in the V8 Supercar era as a Holden team, becoming a winner again within six months of completely rebuilding the team around the Holden Commodore
race cars, and championship success returned with Skaife in 1994
.
The end of tobacco sponsorship forced an end to the team's lucrative sponsorship partner, Winfield
. Their fortunes declined in the mid-90s as budgets dwindled. Partnership with K-Mart in the late 90's brought another Bathurst win (1999 FAI 1000
). Gibson's role in the team declined in the late 90's and he eventually sold his interest in the team.
Gibson returned to a direct involvement with his former team in 2001 during a dramatic switch with series star Craig Lowndes
joining the team as they switched to Ford
. Despite the spectacular beginning results did not come quickly and the team declined again. After an acrimonious split which included a court case over merchandising rights Gibson stepped away from the sport to retire, but is a regular at race meetings and keeps involved in racing. In 2004 Gibson was inducted into the V8 Supercar Hall of Fame
.
Gibson is married to fellow former racing driver, Christine Gibson (née Cole).
Competitor
After a career that began in small production sports cars, first an MGAMG MGA
The MGA is a sports car produced by MG division of the British Motor Corporation from 1955 to 1962.The MGA replaced the older T-type cars and represented a complete styling break from the older vehicles. The car was officially launched at the Frankfurt Motor Show in 1955...
, and later the first Lotus Elan
Lotus Elan
Lotus Elan is the name of two convertible cars and one fixed head coupé produced by Lotus Cars. The original Type 26, 26R Racing version , 36R Racing version , 36 Fixed Head Coupe, 45 Drop Head Coupe, and the "Type 50" +2 Coupe, circa 1962 to 1975, are commonly known as the '60s Elans...
to run in Australian competition , Gibson quickly moved up into the 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...
ranks. In just his second Bathurst start he claimed second place in the 1966 Gallaher 500
1966 Gallaher 500
The 1966 Gallaher 500 was an endurance motor race for production cars, held on 2 October 1966 at the Mount Panorama Circuit just outside Bathurst, New South Wales in Australia. It was the seventh running of the Bathurst 500 race and the first time that the event had been staged under the Gallaher...
, attracting the attention of Harry Firth
Harry Firth
Harry L. Firth is an Australian former racing driver and team manager. Firth was a leading race and rally driver during the 1950s and 1960s and continued as an influential team manager well into the 1970s...
who invited him into a plumb seat with the Ford Works Team (Australia)
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...
, a team freshly rejuvenated by the arrival of the first Falcon GT
Ford Falcon (Australia)
The Ford Falcon is a full-size car which has been manufactured by Ford Australia since 1960. Each model from the XA series of 1972 onward has been designed, developed and built in Australia and/or New Zealand, following the phasing out of the American Falcon of 1960–71 which had been re-engineered...
, the 1967 XR model. Heading to Bathurst, Gibson and Firth took a narrow victory over team-mates 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...
and Leo Geoghegan
Leo Geoghegan
Leo Geoghegan is a retired Australian racing driver.Geoghegan is the elder of two sons of New South Wales car dealer Tom Geoghegan, who went on to become two of the dominant names in Australian motor racing in the 1960s...
after an all day fight with each other and the three leading Alfa Romeo
Alfa Romeo
Alfa Romeo Automobiles S.p.A. is an Italian manufacturer of cars. Founded as A.L.F.A. on June 24, 1910, in Milan, the company has been involved in car racing since 1911, and has a reputation for building expensive sports cars...
s.
Gibson became a mainstay with the Ford team for the next six years, taking much success at Amaroo Park
Amaroo Park
Amaroo Park was a motor racing circuit located in Annangrove, New South Wales, in the present-day western suburbs of Sydney, Australia. It opened in 1967, hosting its first motorcycle meeting on 26 February with a 30 lap production race won by Larry Simons on a BSA Spitfire in heavy rain. The...
in particular. Gibson won the competitive Oran Park
Oran Park Raceway
Oran Park Raceway was a motor racing circuit at Narellan in southwestern Sydney, New South Wales, Australia which was operational from 1962 to 2010....
production sedan series, the Toby Lee Series
Toby Lee Series
The Toby Lee Series was an Australian motor racing series run at Oran Park Raceway in Sydney, between 1970 and 1975.In 1970 Oran Park, with backing from sponsors Toby Lee and department store Grace Brothers, launched a new series of races for Group E Series Production sedans...
, in 1970 and 1971 driving his Falcon GTHO supported by his Sydney speedshop, Road & Track. At Bathurst however in the early 1970s he suffered a string of retirements. When the racing industry went into decline during the 70's Gibson raced less frequently but was a still regular at Bathurst.
Manager
In 1981 Gibson joined the newly formed Nissan touring car team, headed by a colleague from the factory Ford days, Howard Marsden. Gibson became the team's regular number two driver alongside George FuryGeorge 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...
during the 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...
era while running the cantankerous Nissan Bluebird
Nissan Bluebird
Although Nissan's own materials indicate that the Bluebird name emerged in 1959, some records show that the name first adorned a 988 cc, four-door sedan in 1957, which was part of the company's 210 series...
, pioneering turbo charged touring cars in Australia. Gibson's racing involvement declined over time as he moved into a management role, eventually replacing Marsden when he left as manager, and later becoming team owner.
Gibson oversaw the Australian Nissan Skyline
Nissan Skyline
The first Skyline was introduced in April 1957, by the Prince Motor Company, and was marketed as a luxury car. It featured a 1.5 L GA-30 engine producing 44 kW @ 4400 rpm. It used a de Dion tube rear suspension and was capable of 140 km/h . The car weighed around 1300 kg...
program during Group A era, bringing young drivers Glenn Seton
Glenn Seton
Glenn Seton is an Australian racing driver.Seton, father of Courtney and Aaron Seton and husband to Jayne Seton, retired from full time racing after the 2005 V8 Supercar season, and is only one of five drivers to have competed in over 200 rounds in the series. The other drivers are Dick Johnson ,...
and Mark Skaife
Mark Skaife
Mark Stephen Skaife OAM is an Australian motor racing driver. Skaife is a five time winner of the V8 Supercar Championship Series, including its predecessor the Australian Touring Car Championship. He is also a six-time winner of Australia's most prestigious domestic motor race, the Bathurst 1000...
into the series. Success for the team, now becoming known as Gibson Motor Sport
Gibson Motor Sport
Gibson Motor Sport was an Australian motor racing team. Originally established by Howard Marsden as the in-house factory Nissan motorsport operation, the team later passed into the ownership of Fred Gibson., who had won the 1967 Bathurst 500 as a driver, sharing with Harry Firth. In 1993 the team...
came at last with the 1990 Australian Touring Car Championship
1990 Australian Touring Car Championship
The 1990 Shell Ultra Australian Touring Car Championship was the 31st running of the Australian Touring Car Championship. It began on 25 February 1990 at Amaroo Park and ended on 15 July at Oran Park Raceway after 8 rounds...
for Jim Richards
Jim Richards (race driver)
Jim Richards is a New Zealand racing driver who has spent most of his racing life in Australia. While retired from professional racing, Richards continues to compete in the historic category Touring Car Masters while running a team in the Australian GT Championship...
. Along the way Gibson and his team developed the Nissan GT-R
Nissan GT-R
The Nissan GT-R is a sports car produced by Nissan released in Japan on December 6, 2007, the United States on July 4, 2008, and the rest of the world in March 2009.-History:...
into the dominant car of the era, winning three successive championship and back to back Bathurst 1000
Bathurst 1000
The Bathurst 1000 is a touring car race held annually at Mount Panorama Circuit in Bathurst, New South Wales, Australia...
wins in 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...
and 1992
1992 Tooheys 1000
The 1992 Tooheys 1000 was the 33rd running of the Bathurst 1000 touring car race. It was held on October 4, 1992 at the Mount Panorama Circuit just outside Bathurst...
.
Gibson continued to run the team in the V8 Supercar era as a Holden team, becoming a winner again within six months of completely rebuilding the team around the Holden Commodore
Holden Commodore
The Holden Commodore is an automobile manufactured since 1978 by the Holden subsidiary of General Motors in Australia, and, formerly, in New Zealand. In the mid-1970s, Holden established proposals to replace the long-serving Kingswood nameplate with a smaller, Opel-based model...
race cars, and championship success returned with Skaife in 1994
1994 Australian Touring Car Championship
The 1994 Australian Touring Car Championship was the 35th running of the Australian Touring Car Championship. It began on 27 February 1994 at Amaroo Park and ended on 24 July at Oran Park Raceway after 10 rounds.-Teams and drivers:...
.
The end of tobacco sponsorship forced an end to the team's lucrative sponsorship partner, Winfield
Winfield (cigarette)
Winfield is a brand of cigarette that is popular in Australia and New Zealand. They are also sold in other markets in Europe, Canada, South Africa and Asia...
. Their fortunes declined in the mid-90s as budgets dwindled. Partnership with K-Mart in the late 90's brought another Bathurst win (1999 FAI 1000
1999 FAI 1000
The 1999 FAI 1000 was an endurance race for V8 Supercars. The event was held on November 14, 1999 at the Mount Panorama Circuit just outside Bathurst, New South Wales, Australia and was the thirteenth and final round of the 1999 Shell Championship Series....
). Gibson's role in the team declined in the late 90's and he eventually sold his interest in the team.
Gibson returned to a direct involvement with his former team in 2001 during a dramatic switch with series star Craig Lowndes
Craig Lowndes
Craig Lowndes is a multi-championship winning Australian racing driver. He is a three-time V8 Supercar champion and five-time winner of Australia's most famous motor race, the Bathurst 1000...
joining the team as they switched to Ford
Ford Motor Company
Ford Motor Company is an American multinational automaker based in Dearborn, Michigan, a suburb of Detroit. The automaker was founded by Henry Ford and incorporated on June 16, 1903. In addition to the Ford and Lincoln brands, Ford also owns a small stake in Mazda in Japan and Aston Martin in the UK...
. Despite the spectacular beginning results did not come quickly and the team declined again. After an acrimonious split which included a court case over merchandising rights Gibson stepped away from the sport to retire, but is a regular at race meetings and keeps involved in racing. In 2004 Gibson 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...
.
Gibson is married to fellow former racing driver, Christine Gibson (née Cole).