1980 Australian Touring Car Championship


The 1980 Australian Touring Car Championship was the 21st running of the Australian Touring Car Championship.

Season Summary

won his third and final ATCC title, driving a Holden VB Commodore for the Marlboro Holden Dealer Team which he had purchased from team owner/manager John Sheppard in late 1979 after Holden had pulled out of the sport following the domination by the Toranas in 1978 and 1979. After buying the team, Brock, backed by Adelaide based Holden dealer Vin Keane, actually went around Australia to the Holden dealers in a successful attempt to help finance the team which also saw the launch of the HDT Special Vehicles which built "hotter" versions of the road-going Holden Commodore. This effectively meant that for the first time since founded by Harry Firth in 1969, the HDT was actually a Dealers Team rather than a backdoor factory operation. Brock and Sheppard had been secretly testing a VB Commodore in late 1979 in readiness for the rule changes enforced by CAMS. These rule changes aimed at reducing engine emissions, mostly sparked by the 1970s Oil Crisis, effectively made the Toranas and Falcon Hardtops of the previous years ineligible. By the start of the ATCC, Brock and the HDT were the only team anywhere near ready to race, and it showed in the results. Brock won four of the eight rounds, including the opening three rounds. He also put his Commodore on pole position at each round of the championship.
Former twice CAMS Gold Star winner and 1974 Hardie-Ferodo 1000 winner Kevin Bartlett recovered from his 1979 Formula 5000 crash and finished second in the championship in his Channel 9 sponsored Chevrolet Camaro Z28. Bartlett broke Brock's winning run, using the superior power of the 5.7 litre Chevrolet to win at Sandown, and would later win the penultimate round in Adelaide. Bartlett's win at Sandown was the first non-Ford or Holden outright ATCC win since Bob Jane took his championship winning Chevrolet Camaro ZL-1 to victory in Round 6 of the 1972 ATCC at Surfers Paradise.
Sydney based Toyota dealer Peter Williamson finished third in the championship in his Class B Toyota Celica, benefiting from class wins and generally poor or small fields resulting from teams rushing to get the new generation cars race ready.
Reigning champion Bob Morris had lost his major sponsor when Ron Hodgson had pulled out at the end of 1979, so Morris entered into an uneasy relationship with Allan Grice's Craven Mild Racing which was run by Morris' former Bathurst co-driver Frank Gardner. Grice drove one of the 1979 Toranas to victory at Wanneroo in Perth. The Torana, with drum brakes at the rear as well as the required "low emission" heads, had seen a drop in horsepower from 1979s to just on. Grice only competed in four rounds and finished eighth in the title. Morris endured an unhappy championship trying to develop the teams Commodore and could only finish fifth on points, though he did win the final round at Oran Park.
After Ford Australia pulled out of racing at the end of 1978, and being forced to go it alone as a privateer in 1979, the 1980 ATCC was the first time since 1968 that triple champion Allan Moffat did not contest the championship, with the Canadian born driver instead winning the Australian Sports Car Championship in a Porsche 930 Turbo.
After winning 4 ATCC titles during the 1970s, this would prove to be Holden's only ATCC title during the 1980s. Holden would not win another title until 1994.

Teams and drivers

The following drivers and teams competed in the 1980 Australian Touring Car Championship.
TeamCar modelNoDriver
Ron DicksonChevrolet Camaro Z282 Ron Dickson
Cadbury-Schweppes RacingHolden LX Torana A9X SS Hatchback3 Peter Janson
Wayne NegusHolden VB Commodore4 Wayne Negus
Marlboro Holden Dealer TeamHolden VB Commodore05 Peter Brock
Craven Mild RacingHolden LX Torana A9X SS Hatchback6 Allan Grice
Craven Mild RacingHolden VB Commodore7 Bob Morris
Garry WillmingtonFord XD Falcon8 Garry Willmington
Nine Network Racing TeamChevrolet Camaro Z289 Kevin Bartlett
Gary CookeHolden VB Commodore11 Gary Cooke
John FrenchAlfa Romeo Alfetta GTV12 John French
Fred GeisslerHolden VB Commodore16 Fred Geissler
Murray CarterFord XD Falcon18 Murray Carter
Roadways RacingHolden VB Commodore21 Charlie O'Brien
Garth Wigston
Re-Car RacingHolden VB Commodore26 Alan Browne
Brian Sampson
Bill O'BrienFord XC Falcon30 Bill O'Brien
Masterton HomesFord Capri Mk.II31 Steve Masterton
Colin Bond
Don SmithFord Capri Mk.III35 Don Smith
Barry JonesMazda RX-339 Barry Jones
Peter McLeodMazda RX-740 Peter McLeod
Larry KoggeMazda RX-341 Larry Kogge
John FaulknerFord Escort Mk.II43 John Faulkner
Toyota Dealer TeamToyota Corolla44 Mike Quinn
Graham MeinFord Escort Mk.II45 Graham Mein
Ross BurbidgeMazda RX-346 Ross Burbidge
Wally ScottToyota Celica47 Wally Scott
Evan ThomasMazda RX-348 Evan Thomas
Martin PowerTriumph Dolomite Sprint49 Martin Power
Chickadee ChickenToyota Celica51 Graeme Bailey
Maurice SpaldingToyota Celica55 Maurice Spalding
Lawrie NelsonFord Capri Mk.III58 Lawrie Nelson
Frank PorterAlfa Romeo Alfetta GTV59 Frank Porter
Jim FanecoHolden Gemini60Jim Faneco
Ray GulsonAlfa Romeo Alfetta GTV67Ray Gulson
John BundyMazda RX-369 John Bundy
Toyota Dealer TeamToyota Celica77 Peter Williamson

Results and Standings

Race Calendar

The championship was contested over eight rounds, each comprising either one race or two heats.
Rd.Race TitleCircuitCity / StateDateWinnerTeamReport
1LauncestonSymmons Plains RacewayLaunceston, Tasmania2 MarchPeter BrockMarlboro Holden Dealer Team
2CalderCalder Park RacewayMelbourne, Victoria15 MarchPeter BrockMarlboro Holden Dealer Team
3LakesideLakeside International RacewayBrisbane, Queensland30 MarchPeter BrockMarlboro Holden Dealer Team
4SandownSandown RacewayMelbourne, Victoria13 AprilKevin BartlettNine Network Racing Team
5PerthWanneroo ParkPerth, Western Australia27 AprilAllan GriceCraven Mild Racing
6Surfers ParadiseSurfers Paradise RacewaySurfers Paradise, Queensland18 MayPeter BrockMarlboro Holden Dealer Team
7AdelaideAdelaide International RacewayAdelaide, South Australia1 JuneKevin BartlettNine Network Racing Team
8Oran ParkOran Park RacewaySydney, New South Wales16 JuneBob MorrisCraven Mild Racing

Drivers Championship

Points were awarded 4-3-2-1 based on top 4 race position, and then 9-6-4-3-2-1 for the top 6 of each of two engine capacity based classes. Drivers had to drop their worst score from the eight rounds.
Class A consisted of Chevrolet Camaro, Ford Falcon, Holden Commodore and Holden Torana.
Class B consisted of Alfa Romeo Alfetta, Ford Capri, Ford Escort, Isuzu Gemini, Mazda RX-3, Mazda RX-7, Toyota Celica and Toyota Corolla.

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