Neville Crichton

Neville Alexander Crichton CNZM is a New Zealand businessman who was also a competitor in Australasian motor and yacht racing.

Neville Crichton
BornNeville Alexander Crichton
(1945-06-04) 4 June 1945
New Zealand
Australian Touring Car Championship
Years active1985–1990
TeamsJPS Team BMW (1985)
Volvo Dealer Team (1986)
Dick Johnson Racing (1987–88)
Tony Longhurst Racing (1989–90)
Best finish4th in 1985

Born in New Zealand in 1945, Crichton left school aged 14 and entered the automotive industry. In 1972, he opened a used car dealership.[1]

In 1978, at the age of 29, he was diagnosed with throat cancer. Crichton underwent 30 operations and eventually had his voice-box and oesophagus removed. Doctors told him it was unlikely he would ever speak again, but he became one of the first people in the world to receive an artificial voice box during experimental surgery in Indianapolis.[1] This would lead to his nickname of "Croaky".

In the early-1980s Crichton immigrated to Australia founding the Ateco Group that imports Alfa Romeo, Chery, Citroën, Ferrari, Foton, Great Wall Lotus, Maserati and SsangYong cars into Australia and New Zealand.[1][2]

In the 1980s, Crichton was a regular competitor in Australian touring car racing. As well as racing full-time in the Australian Touring Car Championship driving a JPS Team BMW 635CSi in 1985 and a Tony Longhurst Racing Ford Sierra RS500 in 1989, Crichton competed at the Bathurst 1000 in 1986 for the Volvo Dealer Team, 1987 and 1988 for Dick Johnson Racing and at the 1987 Spa 24 Hour for the Holden Dealer Team.[3][4][5][6][7]

Crichton also had a distinguished yachting career, having owned ocean-racing yachts Alfa Romeo I, Alfa Romeo II and Alfa Romeo III. Crichton skipped the line honours winning yachts in the 2002 and 2009 Sydney to Hobart Yacht Races.[8][9] He was also the founder of Alloy Yachts, which he incorporated with the same team that built his 28m sailing yacht Chanel in 1985.

In the 2012 Queen's Birthday and Diamond Jubilee Honours, Crichton was appointed a Companion of the New Zealand Order of Merit, for services to yachting and business.[1]

Career results

Complete Australian Touring Car Championship results

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

Year Team Car 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 DC Points
1985 JPS Team BMW BMW 635 CSi WIN
2		 SAN
5		 SYM
3		 WAN
4		 AIR
4		 CAL
3		 SUR
5		 LAK
6		 AMA
9		 ORA
Ret		 4th 149
1987 John Andrew Motorsport Ford Sierra XR4Ti CAL
10		 SYM LAK WAN AIR SUR
Ret		 SAN AMA ORA 31st 1
1989 Benson & Hedges Racing Ford Sierra RS500 AMA
12		 SYM
9		 LAK
8		 WAN
8		 MAL
7		 SAN
9		 WIN
DNS		 ORA
Ret		 12th 12.5
1990 Benson & Hedges Racing Ford Sierra RS500 AMA SYM PHI WIN LAK MAL WAN
9		 ORA 18th 2

Complete World Touring Car Championship results

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

Year Team Car 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 DC Points
1987 HDT Racing P/L Holden VL Commodore SS Group A MNZ JAR DIJ NUR SPA
Ret		 BNO SIL NC 0
Shell Ultra-Hi Tech Racing Team Ford Sierra RS500 BAT
Ret		 CLD
ovr:13
cls:9		 WEL
Ret		 FJI

† Not registered for series & points

Complete Bathurst 1000 results
Year Team Co-Drivers Car Class Laps Pos. Class
Pos.
1985 JPS Team BMW George Fury BMW 635 CSi C 68 DNF DNF
1986 Volvo Dealer Team Graham McRae
John Bowe		 Volvo 240T B 156 11th 4th
1987 Shell Ultra-Hi Tech Racing Team Charlie O'Brien Ford Sierra RS500 1 2 DNF DNF
1988 Shell Ultra-Hi Tech Racing John Bowe
Robb Gravett		 Ford Sierra RS500 A 26 DNF DNF
1989 Benson & Hedges Racing Tony Longhurst Ford Sierra RS500 A 27 DNF DNF

Complete Sandown endurance results
Year Team Co-Drivers Car Class Laps Pos. Class
Pos.
1985 JPS Team BMW George Fury BMW 635 CSi A 129 2nd 2nd
1987 Shell Ultra-Hi Tech Racing Team Dick Johnson
Gregg Hansford
Charlie O'Brien		 Ford Sierra RS500 B 86 DNF DNF
1989 Benson & Hedges Racing Tony Longhurst Ford Sierra RS500 A 87 DNF DNF

Complete Spa 24 Hours results
Year Team Co-Drivers Car Class Laps Pos. Class
Pos.
1986 TWR – South Pacific Racing Ron Dickson
Dave McMillan		 Rover Vitesse Div.3 31 DNF DNF
1987 HDT Racing P/L Peter Brock
David Parsons		 Holden VL Commodore SS Group A Div.3 206 DNF DNF

Complete Bathurst 12 Hour results
Year Team Co-Drivers Car Class Laps Pos. Class
Pos.
1992 BMW Australia Pty Ltd Alan Jones
Tony Longhurst		 BMW M5 C 251 2nd 1st
1994 Neville Crichton Alan Jones
John Bowe		 BMW M3 X 120 DNF DNF

References
  1. Queen's Birthday Honours 2012: Neville Crichton New Zealand Herald 4 June 2012
  2. Home Ateco Automotive
  3. Normoyle, Steve (1986). The Great Race 5. Hornsby: Chevron Publishing. ISSN 1031-6124.
  4. Normoyle, Steve (1990). The Great Race 9. Hornsby: Chevron Publishing. ISSN 1031-6124.
  5. Normoyle, Steve (1987). The Great Race 6. Hornsby: Chevron Publishing. ISSN 1031-6124.
  6. Normoyle, Steve (1988). The Great Race 7. Hornsby: Chevron Publishing. ISSN 1031-6124.
  7. Normoyle, Steve (1989). The Great Race 8. Hornsby: Chevron Publishing. ISSN 1031-6124.
  8. No Race Record but Crichton still delighted Sydney to Hobart 28 December 2002
  9. Jubilant Crichton glad its all over Sydney to Hobart 29 December 2009
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