1979 Australian Touring Car Championship

Motor racing competition January 2020 May 2011 1979 Australian Touring Car Championship 1978 1980 The 1979 Australian Touring Car Championship was a CAMS sanctioned Australian motor racing title open to Group C Touring Cars.Conditions for Australian Titles, 1979 CAMS Manual of Motor Sport, pp. 96–97. It began at Symmons Plains and ended at Adelaide International Raceway after eight rounds.Australian Touring Car Championship, Australian Motor Racing Yearbook 1979/80, pp. 68–87. The title, which was the 20th Australian Touring Car Championship,Records, Titles & Awards, 2002 CAMS Manual of Motor Sport, pp. 14-17. was won by Bob Morris driving a Holden Torana. 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 thumb|right|The Holden Torana of 1979 Australian Touring Car Champion Bob Morris The 1979 Australian Touring Car Championship was contested over an eight-round series.2005 V8 Supercars TV Guide, p. 73. Rd.Race titleCircuitCity / stateDateWinning driverCarTeam 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 TrophyThe Breville Trophy, Official Souvenir Programme, Adelaide International Raceway, 29 July 1979, pp. 44–45. 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.Graham Howard, Stewart Wilson, David Greenhalgh, Privateer pips them, The official history – Australian Touring Car Championship – 50 Years, pp. 190–199. 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 AUS Fred Gibson Marlboro Holden Dealer Team Holden LX Torana SS 5000 A9X 4 Australia Wayne Negus 05 AUS Peter Brock 76 AUS John Harvey Craven Mild Racing Holden LX Torana SS 5000 A9X 6 Australia Allan Grice Ron Hodgson Channel 7 Racing Holden LX Torana SS 5000 A9X 7 Australia Bob Morris Citizen Watches Holden LX Torana SL/R 5000 A9XAustralian Motor Racing Yearbook 1979/80, p. 74. 11 Australia Gary Cooke Pioneer Car Stereo Ford XB Falcon GT Hardtop 12 Australia Ron Dickson Cadbury-Schweppes Holden LX Torana SS 5000 A9X 15 New Zealand Peter Janson Bryan Byrt Ford Ford XC Falcon CobraAustralian Motor Racing Yearbook 1979/80, p. 81. 17 Australia Dick Johnson Brian Wood Ford Pty Ltd Ford XC Falcon 18 Australia Murray Carter Ford XC Falcon 66 Australia Rod Stevens Ford Escort RS2000 69 Rod Stevens Gown-Hindaugh Roadways Racing Holden LX Torana SS 5000 A9X 20 Australia Garth Wigston Holden LX Torana SL/R 5000 A9XAustralian Motor Racing Yearbook 1979/80, p. 80. 21 Australia Charlie O'Brien Colin Hall Holden LX Torana SS 5000 A9X 21 Australia Colin Hall Tim Slako Holden LX Torana SS 5000 A9X 22 Australia Tim Slako Warren Cullen Holden LX Torana SS 5000 A9X 23 Warren Cullen Alan Browne Holden LX Torana SL/R 5000 A9X 24 Australia Alan Browne Allan Moffat Racing Ford XC Falcon CobraAustralian Motor Racing Yearbook 1979/80, p. 68. 25 Canada Allan Moffat Marshall Brewer Holden LX Torana SS 5000 A9X 27 Australia Marshall Brewer Ron Wanless Ford XC Falcon CobraAustralian Motor Racing Yearbook 1979/80, p. 83. 27 Australia Ron Wanless Ray Allford Ford XC Falcon Cobra 28 Ray Allford Rod Donovan Ford XC Falcon 28 Rod Donovan Garry Willmington Ford XC Falcon 29 Australia Garry Willmington Bill O'Brien Ford XC Falcon 30 Australia Bill O'Brien Greater Pacific Finance Holden LX Torana SS 5000 A9X 33 Australia Garry Rogers Bill Evans Ford Escort 36 Australia Bill Evans 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 Australia Terry Shiel Ross Burbidge Mazda RX-3 40 Australia Ross Burbidge Larry Kogge Mazda RX-3 41 Larry Kogge Geoff Leeds Ford Capri V6 43 Australia Geoff Leeds Alan Bryant Mazda RX-3 45 Alan Bryant Ray Farrar Ford Capri V6 46 Ray Farrar Barry Jones Mazda RX-3 47 Australia Barry Jones K.Kemp Mazda RX-3 48 K.Kemp Capri Components Ford Capri Mk IAustralian Motor Racing Yearbook 1979/80, p. 75. 50 Australia Lawrie Nelson Terry Daly Ford Capri V6 51 Terry Daly Masterton Homes Ford Capri V6 52 Australia Steve Masterton Ray Cutchie Ford Capri Mk I 53 Australia Ray Cutchie Roger Cartwright Ford Escort RS2000 Mk 1Australian Motor Racing Yearbook 1979/80, p. 85. 54 Australia Roger Cartwright Craig Volkers Ford Capri V6 55 Australia Craig Volkers Martin Power Triumph Dolomite Sprint 56 Australia Martin Power David Cannon Ford Escort RS2000 58 Australia David Cannon T.Homeyer Ford Capri V6 59 T.Homeyer Peter Kuebler Alfa Romeo 2000 GTV 62 Australia Peter Kuebler Ian Chilman Mazda RX-3 62 Australia Ian Chilman Ray Gulson Alfa Romeo 2000 GTV 64 Australia Ray Gulson Graeme Hooley Holden LX Torana SS 5000 A9X 71 Graeme Hooley John Gates Mazda RX-3 72 John Gates Brian Hall Toyota Celica 74 Australia Brian Hall David Bail Ford Escort RS2000 75 Australia David Bail Peter Williamson P/L Toyota Celica 77 Australia Peter Williamson 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: Up to and including 3000 cc 3001 to 6000 cc 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 (at each round). Only the best seven results counted towards the total (for each driver). Championship results Pos. Driver Rd 1 Rd 2 Rd 3 Rd 4 Rd 5 Rd 6 Rd 7 Rd 8 Pts. 1 Bob Morris 4th(4) 2nd(9) 1st(13) 1st(13) 4th(4) 4th((4)) 1st(13) 1st(13) 69 (73) 2 Peter Brock 5th(2) 1st(13) 3rd(6) 3rd(6) 1st(13) 1st(13) 5th((2)) 2nd(9) 62 (64) 3 John Harvey 1st{13) 3rd(6) 4th(4) 6th((1)) 2nd(9) 3rd(6) 2nd(9) 3rd(6) 53 (54) 4 Peter Williamson* 8th(6) DNS (9) 6th(9) 8th(9) 33 5 Charlie O'Brien 5th(2) 2nd(9) 2nd(9) 3rd(6) 26 5 Roger Cartwright* 9th(4) (1) 5th(2) (4) (6) (9) 26 7 Allan Grice 3rd(6) Ret 2nd(9) Ret 3rd(6) DNS 21 8 Garth Wigston 2nd(9) 6th(1) 4th(4) 4th(4) 18 8 Lawrie Nelson* 7th(9) Ret 1st{9) DSQ 18 10 Brian Hall* (9) (3) 12 10 Steve Masterton* (6) 2nd(6) DNS DSQ 12 12 John Faulkner* (4) (6) 10 12 Craig Volkers* (6) (4) 10 14 Bill Evans* (9) 9 15 Ray Cutchie* (6) 6 16 Peter Janson 4th(4) 6th(1) 5 17 Bill O'Brien 4th(4) 4 17 Geoff Leeds 3rd(4) 4 17 David Bail 4 4 17 Ross Burbidge* 4th(3) 6th(1) 1 21 Gary Cooke 6th(1) (2) 3 21 Ray Gulson* 10th(3) 3 21 Barry Jones* 4th(3) 3 21 Larry Kogge* (3) 3 21 Peter Kuebler* (3) 3 21 Martin Power* (2) (1) 3 27 Garry Rogers 5th(2) 2 27 Allan Moffat Ret Ret 5th(2) 2 27 Tim Slako 5th(2) 2 27 Dick Johnson 5th(2) 7th 2 27 Ray Farrar* (2) 2 27 Ian Chilman* (2) 2 33 Rod Stevens (1) Ret 1 33 Colin Hall (1) 1 33 Garry Willmington 6th(1) 1 33 Murray Carter 6th(1) 1 33 David Cannon* (1) 1 Pos Driver Rd 1 Rd 2 Rd 3 Rd 4 Rd 5 Rd 6 Rd 7 Rd 8 Total Drivers marked with a * competed in the under 3000 cc class. References Category:Australian Touring Car Championship seasons Touring Cars