1982 Australian Touring Car Championship


The 1982 Australian Touring Car Championship was a CAMS sanctioned Australian motor racing title open to Group C Touring Cars. It began on 18 February 1982 at Sandown Raceway and ended on 16 May at Oran Park Raceway after eight rounds. The title, which was the 23rd Australian Touring Car Championship, was won by defending champion Dick Johnson, driving a Ford XD Falcon.
Peter Brock had actually scored more points than Johnson throughout the championship driving Marlboro Holden Dealer Team entered Holden Commodore VC and VH SS models. However, the use of not yet homologated engine heads on the cars saw him disqualified from all but two rounds of the championship. The matter between CAMS and the HDT ended in court with Brock agreeing to the loss of points and the championship in order to avoid a three-month suspension for himself and the team which would have actually excluded them from competing in the James Hardie 1000 at Bathurst.
Allan Moffat's win in Round 5 at Lakeside with a Mazda RX-7 was the first ever ATCC race win by a Mazda and the first ever ATCC race win by a Japanese car. It was also the first ATCC race to be won by a car not powered by a V8 engine since Peter Brock's victory in Round 4 of the 1974 championship at Amaroo Park driving a 6 cylinder, Holden LJ Torana GTR XU-1.
Under 3000cc class competitor Bob Holden finished second in the championship driving a Ford Escort Mk.II. Though he would finish no higher than 8th outright in any race, points scored for class placings saw him finish second on 36 points, 21 behind Johnson and 5 points in front of both Moffat and Kevin Bartlett.

Teams and drivers

The following teams and drivers competed in the championship:
TeamCarClassNoDriver
Masterton Homes Pty LtdFord Capri Mk.II3000cc2 Steve Masterton
Masterton Homes Pty LtdFord Capri Mk.II3000cc31 Colin Bond
Cadbury Schweppes Pty LtdHolden VC Commodore6000cc3 Peter Janson
Wayne NegusHolden VC Commodore6000cc3 Wayne Negus
Re-Car RacingHolden VC Commodore
Holden VH Commodore		6000cc4 Alan Browne
Allan Grice
Re-Car RacingHolden VC Commodore
Holden VH Commodore		6000cc6
16		 Ron Wanless
Marlboro Holden Dealer TeamHolden VH Commodore6000cc05 Peter Brock
John Sands RacingFord XD Falcon6000cc6 Rusty French
Launceston HotelHolden VC Commodore6000cc7
11		 Clive Benson-Brown
Garry Rogers
Garry Willmington PerformanceFord XD Falcon6000cc8 Garry Willmington
Nine Network Racing TeamChevrolet Camaro Z286000cc9 Kevin Bartlett
John DugganMazda RX-73000cc10 John Duggan
Gary RoweIsuzu Gemini ZZ/R3000cc11 Gary Rowe
Cullen Automotive IndustriesHolden VC Commodore6000cc12
22		 Warren Cullen
Bob Holden Motors Manly ValeFord Escort Mk.II3000cc13 Bob Holden
Bob Holden Motors Manly ValeFord Escort Mk.II3000cc14 Brian Nightingale
John DonnellyFord XD Falcon6000cc14 John Donnelly
John EnglishFord XD Falcon6000cc15 John English
Palmer Tube MillsFord XD Falcon6000cc17 Dick Johnson
Murray CarterFord XD Falcon6000cc18 Murray Carter
JPS Team BMWBMW 635 CSi6000cc21 Jim Richards
Robert MuirFord XD Falcon6000cc24 Robert Muir
Roadways RacingHolden VC Commodore6000cc27 Steve Harrington
Bayside SparesHolden VH Commodore6000cc28 Barry Lawrence
Tony KavichMazda RX-76000cc30 Tony Kavich
Alexander Rotary EnginesMazda RX-76000cc35 Phil Alexander
Penrith Mazda CentreMazda RX-76000cc37 Terry Shiel
Strongbow Racing TeamMazda RX-73000cc
6000cc		40 Peter McLeod
Barry JonesMazda RX-76000cc41 Barry Jones
Peter Stuyvesant InternationalMazda RX-76000cc43 Allan Moffat
Beninca MotorsAlfa Romeo Alfetta GTV3000cc46 Joe Beninca
David ParsonsHolden VC Commodore6000cc50 David Parsons
Les GroseFord Capri Mk.III3000cc54 Les Grose
Maurice SpaldingToyota Celica3000cc55 Maurice Spalding
Nissan Motor AustraliaNissan Bluebird Turbo3000cc55 George Fury
Nissan Motor AustraliaNissan Bluebird Turbo3000cc56 Fred Gibson
Wally ScottToyota Celica3000cc57 Wally Scott
Capri ComponentsFord Capri Mk.III S3000cc58 Lawrie Nelson
Chickadee ChickenToyota Celica3000cc61 Graeme Bailey
Graeme HooleyHolden VC Commodore6000cc71 Graeme Hooley
Ross BurbidgeMazda RX-33000cc77 Ross Burbidge
Gary WhittakerHolden LH Torana SL/R 5000 L346000cc78 Gary Whittaker
Lester SmerdonIsuzu Gemini3000cc83 Lester Smerdon
Fred GeisslerHolden VC Commodore6000cc88 Fred Geissler
Daily PlanetToyota Celica3000cc88 Craig Bradtke

Race calendar

The championship was contested over an eight round series. The Sandown round was contested over two parts and all other rounds were contested as single races.
Rd.Race / CircuitLocation / StateDateWinnerTeamReport
1Sandown
Sandown International Raceway		Melbourne, Victoria17–18 FebDick JohnsonPalmer Tube Mills
2Calder
Calder Park Raceway		Melbourne, Victoria27–28 FebDick JohnsonPalmer Tube Mills
3Symmons Plains
Symmons Plains Raceway		Launceston, Tasmania6–7 MarPeter BrockMarlboro Holden Dealer Team
4ARCO Cup
Oran Park Raceway		Sydney, New South Wales20–21 MarKevin BartlettNine Network Racing Team
5Lakeside
Lakeside International Raceway		Brisbane, Queensland3–4 AprAllan MoffatPeter Stuyvesant International
6Walpamur Cup
Wanneroo Park		Perth, Western Australia27–28 AprAllan GriceRe-Car Racing
7Mazda Dealers of South Australia Race
Adelaide International Raceway		Virginia, South Australia1–2 MayDick JohnsonPalmer Tube Mills
8Surfers Paradise
Surfers Paradise International Raceway		Surfers Paradise, Queensland15–16 MayAllan MoffatPeter Stuyvesant International

Note: Brock was excluded from Calder and lost all points from Oran Park to Surfers Paradise, however kept the Oran Park win.

Classes

Cars competed in two engine capacity classes:
Note: Mazda RX-7s fitted with bridge port engines competed in the Up to and including 3000cc class and those fitted with peripheral port engines were re-classified into the 3001 to 6000cc class.

Points system

Championship points were awarded on a 9–6–4–3–2–1 basis to the first six placegetters in each class at each round. Bonus points were awarded on a 4–3–2–1 basis to the first four placegetters, irrespective of class, at each round. Results from seven of the eight rounds could be retained by each driver.

Championship results

Note: Round results indicate outright round placings, not class placings.