1965 Australian Touring Car Championship

Motor racing competition August 2020 July 2015 1965 Australian Touring Car Championship 1964 1966 The 1965 Australian Touring Car Championship was a CAMS sanctioned motor racing title open to Group C Improved Production Touring Cars.Conditions for Australian Titles, 1965 CAMS Manual of Motor Sport, pages 66-71 It was contested over a single 40-lap race staged at Sandown Raceway in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia on 11 April 1965. It was the sixth Australian Touring Car Championship title to be awarded and the first to be contested by cars complying with Group C regulations.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 58–63 The championship was won by Norm Beechey, driving a Ford Mustang. It was the first ATCC to be won with a V8-engined car and the first of five ATCC titles won by drivers of Ford Mustangs. It was Beechey's first of two Australian Touring Car Championship wins. Race summary The change in regulations from Appendix J to Group C had disadvantaged most heavily those driving Holdens, like Brian Muir, and Bob Jane's Jaguar, as the practice of overboring engines was effectively outlawed, making 4.1 litre Jaguars and 3.4-litre Holdens ineligible. Jane qualified his new Ford Mustang on pole position, recording a time of 1:20.9. Beechey, also in a Mustang, had lapped in 1:20.8 in Friday practice, but could only manage a 1:34.3 in official practice. John Raeburn, driving a Ford Galaxie, and Jim McKeown, driving a Ford Cortina Lotus, completed the front row. The reigning champion Ian Geoghegan lined up in eighth place on the grid. Jane made the best of the start while Muir passed Raeburn for second place going into the second corner, but Raeburn was able to retake the position going up the back straight. Jane led by six seconds at the end of lap 1, while Beechey had made his way up to fifth place. He took second place halfway through lap 2 and began closing the gap to Jane, setting a new lap record of 1:20.8 in the process. He caught Jane on lap 7 and passed him at the first corner on lap 8. Brian Foley pitted on lap 11 with a broken brake line while Stan Starcevich retired on lap 14 with a broken differential. Jane retired on lap 23 when his engine overheated, which left Beechey leading by more than a lap over McKeown and Geoghegan. The two Cortina drivers swapped positions twice before the crankshaft on McKeown's car broke with six laps remaining, elevating Muir into third place. Muir then lost the position to Allan Moffat, as he thought that Moffat was a lap down, but was able to retake the place before the end of the race. Beechey took a comfortable victory, winning by a margin of one lap over Geoghegan and Muir. Moffat finished fourth ahead of Raeburn and Manton. Results Starting grid The starting grid was decided by times set in official practice. Class leaders are indicated by bold text. Pos. Class No.Official Programme, Sandown, April 11 1965 Driver Entrant Car Time Gap 1 Over 3000cc 5 AUS Bob Jane Bob Jane South Yarra Car Sales Ford Mustang 1:20.9 2 Over 3000cc 21 AUS John Raeburn Sir Gawaine Baillie Ford Galaxie 1:24.9 +4.0 3 1501–2000cc 3 AUS Jim McKeown Neptune Racing Team Ford Cortina Mark I Lotus 1:25.2 +4.3 4 2001–3000cc 10 AUS Brian Muir Heldon Motors P/L Holden EH Special S4 1:26.3 +5.4 5 1101–1500cc 2 AUS Peter Manton Neptune Racing Team Morris Cooper S 1:26.7 +5.8 6 1501–2000cc 18 CAN Allan Moffat A. Moffat Ford Cortina Mark I Lotus 1:27.0 +6.1 7 1101–1500cc 8 AUS Brian Foley Brian Foley Motors Morris Cooper S 1:27.3 +6.4 8 1501–2000cc 1 AUS Ian Geoghegan Total Team Ford Cortina Mark I Lotus 1:27.4 +6.5 9 Over 3000cc 9 AUS Clem Smith Clem Smith Motors Chrysler Valiant R Series 1:28.6 +7.7 10 1101–1500cc 6 AUS John Harvey Sports Car World Austin Cooper S 1:30.0 +9.1 11 AUS Jim Russell Morris Cooper S 1:31.6 +10.7 12 2001–3000cc 11 AUS Stan Starcevich S. J. Starcevich Holden EH Special S4 1:32.8 +11.9 13 Over 3000cc 4 AUS Norm Beechey Neptune Racing Team Ford Mustang 1:34.3 +13.4 14 1501–2000cc 20 AUS Robin Pare Don Elliott Ford Cortina Mark I Lotus 1:36.1 +15.2 15 2001–3000cc 15 AUS Ken Hastings Road Racing Repairs Holden 48-215N "H48215" The official history: Australian Touring Car Championship - 50 Years lists all four Holdens as being EH S4s, but also includes images of two Holden 48-215 models competing in the race. An image on page 59 confirms that Muir drove an EH and the race report in Sports Car World says that Starcevich drove a "179 Holden", so it could not have been a 48-215.June 1965 Sandown: Beechey and Mustang - First ATCC Sports Car World 54–57 The two 48-215s must therefore have been driven by Hastings and McLean. Additionally, David McKay's race report in Modern Motor describes Hasting's car as an "elderly 2.2-litre Holden", supporting the assertion that it was not an EH S4.McKay David June 1965 Double-duty Sandown Modern Motor 40 1:36.7 +15.8 16 2001–3000cc 14 AUS Ron McLean Roberts Auto Spares Holden 48-215N "H48215" 1:41.2 +20.3 17 Over 3000cc 17 AUS Dick Roberts Wentworth Motors Pty. Ltd. Chrysler Valiant R Series 1:41.4 +20.5 18 Under 1100cc 22 AUS Ewen Frazer Ewen Frazer Morris Cooper S 1:41.6 +20.7 Source:Ryan Adrian May 1965 Norm Beechey: Australian Champion Racing Car News Chippendale, New South Wales Publishers Photo Digest Pty Ltd 14–15 Race Class winners are indicated by bold text. Pos. Class No. Driver Entrant Car Laps Time/Retired Grid 1 Over 3000cc 4 AUS Norm Beechey Neptune Racing Team Ford Mustang 40 56:37.7 13 2 1501–2000cc 1 AUS Ian Geoghegan Total Team Ford Cortina Mark I Lotus 39 +1 lap 8 3 2001–3000cc 10 AUS Brian Muir Heldon Motors P/L Holden EH Special S4 39 +1 lap 4 4 1501–2000cc 18 CAN Allan Moffat A. Moffat Ford Cortina Mark I Lotus 39 +1 lap 6 5 Over 3000cc 21 AUS John Raeburn Sir Gawaine Baillie Ford Galaxie 39 +1 lap 2 6 1101–1500cc 2 AUS Peter Manton Neptune Racing Team Morris Cooper S 39 +1 lap 5 7 1101–1500cc 6 AUS John Harvey Sports Car World Austin Cooper S 38 +2 laps 10 8 AUS Jim Russell Morris Cooper S 37 +3 laps 11 9 Over 3000cc 9 AUS Clem Smith Clem Smith Motors Chrysler Valiant R Series 37 +3 laps 9 10 1501–2000cc 20 AUS Robin Pare Don Elliott Ford Cortina Mark I Lotus 35 +5 laps 14 11 2001–3000cc 15 AUS Ken Hastings Road Racing Repairs Holden 48-215N "H48215" 33 +7 laps 15 12 2001–3000cc 14 AUS Ron McLean Roberts Auto Spares Holden 48-215N "H48215" 33 +7 laps 16 13 Under 1100cc 22 AUS Ewen Frazer Ewen Frazer Morris Cooper S 32 +8 laps 18 14 Over 3000cc 17 AUS Dick Roberts Wentworth Motors Pty. Ltd. Chrysler Valiant R Series 32 +8 laps 17 15 1101–1500cc 8 AUS Brian Foley Brian Foley Motors Morris Cooper S 32 +8 laps 7 Ret 1501–2000cc 3 AUS Jim McKeown Neptune Racing Team Ford Cortina Mark I Lotus 34 Crankshaft 3 Ret Over 3000cc 5 AUS Bob Jane Bob Jane South Yarra Car Sales Ford Mustang 23 Overheating 1 Ret 2001–3000cc 11 AUS Stan Starcevich S. J. Starcevich Holden EH Special S4 14 Differential 12 Sources: Statistics Fastest race lap: Norm Beechey, 1:20.8 Race distance: 40 laps, 124.12 km Average speed: 131.43 km/h Notes N References Further reading The horse has bolted, Motor Racing Australia, April/May 2003, pages 48 to 52 Category:Australian Touring Car Championship seasons Touring Car Championship Category:Motorsport at Sandown