1968 Australian Touring Car Championship

Motor racing competition January 2021 October 2011 1968 Australian Touring Car Championship 1967 1969 thumb|250px|Layout of the Warwick Farm Raceway (1960-1973) The 1968 Australian Touring Car Championship was a CAMS sanctioned Australian motor racing title open to Group C Improved Production Touring Cars.Conditions for Australian Titles, 1968 CAMS Manual of Motor Sport, pages 70–73. It was contested over a single race staged at the Warwick Farm circuit in New South Wales, Australia on 8 September 1968. The title, which was the ninth Australian Touring Car Championship, was won by Ian Geoghegan driving a Ford Mustang. It was the final Australian Touring Car Championship held as a single race, with the title being contested over a series of races from 1969 onwards.The official history: Australian Touring Car Championship - 50 Years Greenhalgh David Howard Graham Wilson Stewart Chevron Publishing Group 2011 978-0-9805912-2-4 St Leonards, New South Wales 76–81 Report Ian Geoghegan qualified on pole position, half a second faster than Norm Beechey who was now driving a Chevrolet Camaro SS. Bob Jane was third on the grid, with Jim McKeown and Peter Manton rounding out the top five. Geoghegan won the start and took the lead into the first corner ahead of Beechey and Jane, with the latter two almost touching halfway through the first lap. McKeown retired on lap 3 with a broken rear axle. Ian Dawson spun on the following lap while Nick Petrilli lost a wheel; a lap later Rod Coppins slowed with a loose exhaust. Jane's engine blew on lap 9, leaving Beechey as the sole challenger to Geoghegan. Fred Gibson's pit crew displayed a sign reading 'Jane in' to inform him of Jane's retirement, but Gibson misread the sign. He slowed on the following lap and pitted, losing six positions in the process. Beechey retired on lap 12 with mechanical problems, while Foley followed suit on the next lap. This left Geoghegan with a lead of twenty seconds over Paul Fahey and Manton. Fahey retired on lap 22, while Gibson had been making his way back through the field. Manton ran into problems on lap 28, allowing the Porsche 911 of Alan Hamilton into second and the Morris Cooper S of Darrell King into third. King attempted to close the gap to Hamilton, but collided with Graham Ryan and backed off to settle for third place. However, on the final lap, Hamilton went off the circuit and damaged a rear guard, folding it onto the tyre. King went through into second and finished over ninety seconds behind race winner Geoghegan, while Hamilton brought his car home with a blown tyre for third. Results thumb|The Ford Mustang with which Ian Geoghegan won the championship. The car is pictured in 2013 in different specification. Class winners are indicated by bold text. Pos. Class No. Driver Entrant Car Laps Time/Retired 1 Over 3000cc 1 AUS Ian Geoghegan The Mustang Team Ford Mustang 34 59:06.8 2 1101–1500cc 26 AUS Darrell King D. King Morris Cooper S 34 +1:31.0 3 1501–2000cc 19 AUS Alan Hamilton Porsche Distributors (Aust./N.Z.) Pty Ltd Porsche 911 34 +2:07.0 4 Over 3000cc 2 AUS Fred Gibson N.E. Allen Competition Pty Ltd Ford Mustang 33 +1 lap 5 Up to 1100cc 9 AUS Laurie Stewart Brian Foley Motors Morris Cooper S 33 +1 lap 6 Up to 1100cc 30 AUS John Millyard Martinz Place Morris Cooper S 33 +1 lap 7 1101–1500cc 12 AUS Peter Manton Peter Manton Racing Morris Cooper S 33 +1 lap 8 1101–1500cc 32 AUS Graeme Spence K. Townsend Austin Cooper S 33 +1 lap 9 Up to 1100cc 29 AUS John Humphrey Humphreys Golden Fleece Service Station Austin Cooper S 33 +1 lap 10 Over 3000cc 17 AUS Bryan Thomson Bryan Thomson Racing Ford Mustang 32 +2 laps 11 Up to 1100cc 37 AUS Richard Thurston A.M.I. Racing Team Toyota Corolla 31 +3 laps 12 2001–3000cc 23 AUS Herb Taylor H.E. Taylor Holden EH 28 +6 laps 13 2001–3000cc 24 AUS Graham Ryan Graham Ryan Auto Repairs Holden EH 28 +6 laps Ret Over 3000cc 35 NZL Ian Dawson I.W. (Red) Dawson Ford Mustang 23 Tyres Ret Over 3000cc 6 NZL Paul Fahey P.B. Fahey Ford Mustang 21 Gearbox Ret 1101–1500cc 11 AUS Phil Barnes Phil Barnes Motor Service Morris Cooper S 19 Ret 1101–1500cc 28 AUS Fred Seery F.R. Seery Morris Cooper S 15 Ret 1101–1500cc 8 AUS Brian Foley Brian Foley Motors Pty Ltd Morris Cooper S 12 Mechanical Ret 1501–2000cc 16 AUS Chris Brauer C.D. Brauer Ford Cortina Mark I Lotus 12 Steering Ret Over 3000cc 4 AUS Norm Beechey Norm Beechey Chevrolet Camaro SS 11 Mechanical Ret 1101–1500cc 20 AUS Don Holland Don Holland Motors Morris Cooper S 8 Ret Over 3000cc 3 AUS Bob Jane Bob Jane's Autoland Ford Mustang 8 Camshaft Ret 1101–1500cc 33 AUS Barrie Broomhall Barrie Broomhall Motors Morris Cooper S 6 Ret Over 3000cc 10 NZL Rod Coppins R. Coppins Ford Mustang 6 Exhaust Ret 1101–1500cc 27 AUS Bruce Jones Bruce A. Jones Morris Cooper S 4 Ret 2001–3000cc 21 AUS Nick Petrilli N. Petrilli Holden EH 3 Wheel Ret 1501–2000cc 7 AUS Jim McKeown Jim McKeown Motors Ford Cortina Mark II Lotus 2 Axle Ret 1101–1500cc 38 AUS Howie Sangster H.G. Sangster Morris Cooper S 1 Ret 2001–3000cc 22 AUS Martin Chenery M.R. Chenery Holden EH 0 Ret Up to 1100cc 36 AUS Bob Morris Bill Buckle Autos Toyota Corolla 0 Sources:8 September 1968 Event 6, The 1968 Australian Touring Car Championship Warwick Farm, 1968 Australian Touring Car Championship Official Programme 30–31Floyd Thomas November 1968 Geoghegan Holds Title Sports Car World 16–28 Statistics Pole position: Ian Geoghegan, 1:42.8Cooke Barry November 1968 Touring Car Title - sound and fury Modern Motor 57, 104 Race day attendance: More than 26,000 Mike Kable, Australian Motor, November 1968, page 60 Fastest lap: Ian Geoghegan, 1:43.0 Race distance: 34 laps, 123.08 km Average speed: 124.93 km/h References External links Video of the 1968 Australian Touring Car Championship, www.youtube.com Images of 1968 Australian touring car racing, autopics.com.au Category:Australian Touring Car Championship seasons Touring Car Championship Category:Motorsport at Warwick Farm