1979 Australian Touring Car Championship
The 1979 Australian Touring Car Championship was a CAMS sanctioned Australian motor racing title open to Group C Touring Cars.[1] It began at Symmons Plains and ended at Adelaide International Raceway after eight rounds.[2] The title, which was the 20th Australian Touring Car Championship,[3] was won by Bob Morris driving a Holden Torana.[2]
1979 Australian Touring Car Championship | |||
Previous: | 1978 | Next: | 1980 |
1979 was the first time since the ATCC went to a championship series in 1969 rather than the single race it had been previously that a single make and model car had won all rounds of the championship with all 8 rounds being won by the Holden LX Torana SS A9X Hatchback. Including the current season (2016), such a single car domination has only happened once since in the series, that being when the Ford Sierra RS500 won all rounds of the 1988 championship.
Calendar
![](../I/m/Toranamorris.jpg)
The 1979 Australian Touring Car Championship was contested over an eight-round series.[4]
Rd.[2] | Race Title | Circuit[2] | City / State | Date[2] | Winning driver[2] | Car | Team |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | Symmons Plains | Symmons Plains | Launceston, Tasmania | 4 March | John Harvey | Holden LX Torana SS 5000 A9X | Marlboro Holden Dealer Team |
2 | Calder | Calder Park Raceway | Melbourne, Victoria | 18 March | Peter Brock | Holden LX Torana SS 5000 A9X | Marlboro Holden Dealer Team |
3 | Oran Park | Oran Park | Sydney, New South Wales | 25 March | Bob Morris | Holden LX Torana SS 5000 A9X | Ron Hodgson Channel 7 Racing |
4 | Sandown | Sandown Park | Melbourne, Victoria | 7 April | Bob Morris | Holden LX Torana SS 5000 A9X | Ron Hodgson Channel 7 Racing |
5 | Wanneroo | Wanneroo Park | Perth, Western Australia | 6 May | Peter Brock | Holden LX Torana SS 5000 A9X | Marlboro Holden Dealer Team |
6 | Surfers Paradise | Surfers Paradise | Surfers Paradise, Queensland | 20 May | Peter Brock | Holden LX Torana SS 5000 A9X | Marlboro Holden Dealer Team |
7 | Lakeside | Lakeside | Brisbane, Queensland | 22 June | Bob Morris | Holden LX Torana SS 5000 A9X | Ron Hodgson Channel 7 Racing |
8 | The Breville Trophy[5] | Adelaide International Raceway | Adelaide, South Australia | 28 July | Bob Morris | Holden LX Torana SS 5000 A9X | Ron Hodgson Channel 7 Racing |
- Round 3 of the championship at Oran Park featured two separate races, the first for Under 3 litre cars and the second for Over 3 litre cars.[6]
Teams and drivers
The following teams and drivers competed in the 1979 Australian Touring Car Championship.
Team | Car | No | Driver |
---|---|---|---|
King George Tavern | Holden LX Torana SS 5000 A9X | 2 | ![]() |
Marlboro Holden Dealer Team | Holden LX Torana SS 5000 A9X | 4 | ![]() |
05 | ![]() | ||
76 | ![]() | ||
Craven Mild Racing | Holden LX Torana SS 5000 A9X | 6 | ![]() |
Ron Hodgson Channel 7 Racing | Holden LX Torana SS 5000 A9X | 7 | ![]() |
Citizen Watches | Holden LX Torana SL/R 5000 A9X[7] | 11 | ![]() |
Pioneer Car Stereo | Ford XB Falcon GT Hardtop | 12 | ![]() |
Cadbury-Schweppes | Holden LX Torana SS 5000 A9X | 15 | ![]() |
Bryan Byrt Ford | Ford XC Falcon Cobra[8] | 17 | ![]() |
Brian Wood Ford Pty Ltd | Ford XC Falcon | 18 | ![]() |
Ford XC Falcon | 66 | ![]() | |
Ford Escort RS2000 | 69 | Rod Stevens | |
Gown-Hindaugh Roadways Racing |
Holden LX Torana SS 5000 A9X | 20 | ![]() |
Holden LX Torana SL/R 5000 A9X[9] | 21 | ![]() | |
Colin Hall | Holden LX Torana SS 5000 A9X | 21 | ![]() |
Tim Slako | Holden LX Torana SS 5000 A9X | 22 | ![]() |
Warren Cullen | Holden LX Torana SS 5000 A9X | 23 | Warren Cullen |
Alan Browne | Holden LX Torana SL/R 5000 A9X | 24 | ![]() |
Allan Moffat Racing | Ford XC Falcon Cobra[10] | 25 | ![]() |
Marshall Brewer | Holden LX Torana SS 5000 A9X | 27 | ![]() |
Ron Wanless | Ford XC Falcon Cobra[11] | 27 | ![]() |
Ray Allford | Ford XC Falcon Cobra | 28 | Ray Allford |
Rod Donovan | Ford XC Falcon | 28 | Rod Donovan |
Garry Willmington | Ford XC Falcon | 29 | ![]() |
Bill O'Brien | Ford XC Falcon | 30 | ![]() |
Greater Pacific Finance | Holden LX Torana SS 5000 A9X | 33 | ![]() |
Bill Evans | Ford Escort | 36 | ![]() |
Scotty Taylor Holden | Holden LH Torana SLR5000 L34 | 37 | Alan Taylor |
Greg Smelt | Holden LH Torana SLR5000 L34 | 38 | Greg Smelt |
Terry Shiel | Mazda RX-3 | 39 | ![]() |
Ross Burbidge | Mazda RX-3 | 40 | ![]() |
Larry Kogge | Mazda RX-3 | 41 | Larry Kogge |
Geoff Leeds | Ford Capri V6 | 43 | ![]() |
Alan Bryant | Mazda RX-3 | 45 | Alan Bryant |
Ray Farrar | Ford Capri V6 | 46 | Ray Farrar |
Barry Jones | Mazda RX-3 | 47 | ![]() |
K.Kemp | Mazda RX-3 | 48 | K.Kemp |
Capri Components | Ford Capri Mk I[12] | 50 | ![]() |
Terry Daly | Ford Capri V6 | 51 | Terry Daly |
Masterton Homes | Ford Capri V6 | 52 | ![]() |
Ray Cutchie | Ford Capri Mk I[13] | 53 | ![]() |
Roger Cartwright | Ford Escort RS2000 Mk 1[13] | 54 | ![]() |
Craig Volkers | Ford Capri V6 | 55 | ![]() |
Martin Power | Triumph Dolomite Sprint | 56 | ![]() |
David Cannon | Ford Escort RS2000 | 58 | ![]() |
T.Homeyer | Ford Capri V6 | 59 | T.Homeyer |
Peter Kuebler | Alfa Romeo 2000 GTV | 62 | ![]() |
Ian Chilman | Mazda RX-3 | 62 | ![]() |
Ray Gulson | Alfa Romeo 2000 GTV | 64 | ![]() |
Graeme Hooley | Holden LX Torana SS 5000 A9X | 71 | Graeme Hooley |
John Gates | Mazda RX-3 | 72 | John Gates |
Brian Hall | Toyota Celica | 74 | ![]() |
David Bail | Ford Escort RS2000 | 75 | ![]() |
Peter Williamson P/L | Toyota Celica | 77 | ![]() |
John Faulkner | Ford Capri V6 | 79 | John Faulkner |
Ric Rossiter | Holden LH Torana SLR5000 L34 | 87 | Ric Rossiter |
Ray Kaleda | Holden LX Torana SS 5000 A9X | 97 | Ray Kaleda |
Bob Shepherd | Holden LH Torana SLR5000 L34 | 99 | Bob Shepherd |
Classes
For championship points allocation purposes, cars competed in two displacement classes:[1]
Points system
Championship points were awarded on a 9,6,4,3,2,1 basis to the first six placegetters in each class and on a 4,3,2,1 basis to the first four placegetters irrespective of class[1] (at each round). Only the best seven results counted towards the total[6] (for each driver).
Championship results
|
|
- Drivers marked with a * competed in the under 3000 cc class.
References
- Conditions for Australian Titles, 1979 CAMS Manual of Motor Sport, pp. 96–97.
- Australian Touring Car Championship, Australian Motor Racing Yearbook 1979/80, pp. 68–87.
- Records, Titles & Awards, 2002 CAMS Manual of Motor Sport, pp. 14-17.
- 2005 V8 Supercars TV Guide, p. 73.
- The Breville Trophy, Official Souvenir Programme, Adelaide International Raceway, 29 July 1979, pp. 44–45.
- Graham Howard, Stewart Wilson, David Greenhalgh, Privateer pips them, The official history – Australian Touring Car Championship – 50 Years, pp. 190–199.
- Australian Motor Racing Yearbook 1979/80, p. 74.
- Australian Motor Racing Yearbook 1979/80, p. 81.
- Australian Motor Racing Yearbook 1979/80, p. 80.
- Australian Motor Racing Yearbook 1979/80, p. 68.
- Australian Motor Racing Yearbook 1979/80, p. 83.
- Australian Motor Racing Yearbook 1979/80, p. 75.
- Australian Motor Racing Yearbook 1979/80, p. 85.