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1986 Australian Touring Car season

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The 1986 Australian Touring Car season was the 27th season of touring car racing in Australia commencing from 1960 when the first Australian Touring Car Championship and the first Armstrong 500 (the forerunner of the present day Bathurst 1000) were contested. It was the second season in which Australian Touring Car regulations were based on those for the FIA Group A Touring Car category.

Touring Cars competed at 21 race meetings in Australia during the 1986 season, contesting the following events:

Season review

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The second year of Group A in Australia saw the domination of the JPS Team BMW team fade with several other teams pushing forwards. Most spectacularly was the return of Nissan Motorsport Australia (now under the leadership of former Bathurst winner Fred Gibson) with the newly homologated Nissan Skyline DR30 RS turbo. Led by long time Nissan lead driver George Fury they were the main rival for another new team, the John Sheppard run Volvo Dealer Team, a factory supported team which succeeded the Mark Petch Motorsport Volvo team of 1985. The Touring Car Championship became a two horse race between Volvo's Robbie Francevic and Fury. Fury was never able to haul in Francevic's early points lead and Francevic was crowned champion. Francevic was fired from the Volvo Dealer Team by Sheppard the day after the Castrol 500 at Sandown after refusing to drive what he believed would be an un-competitive car which had only been completed at the meeting started. He then returned to the Mark Petch team as they began development of a Ford Sierra turbo. Although Francevic won the ATCC in the car, 1986 was the last time the Volvo 240T was seen in Australian touring car racing.

Defending ATCC, Endurance and AMSCAR champion, JPS Team BMW's Jim Richards picked up race wins during the season, claiming the Australian Endurance Championship. Peter Brock likewise returned to the winner list for Holden Dealer Team, dominating the Adelaide round of the ATCC before engine failure, and later claiming an ATCC win at Surfers Paradise which would prove to be the last time a Holden won a race in the championship until 1992. Brock's win at Surfers in his Holden VK Commodore SS Group A would also prove to be the 34th and last ATCC race win for the HDT who had won their first ATCC race when coincidentally Brock won at Surfers in 1973 in a Holden LJ Torana GTR XU-1 (Brock contributed 28 of those 34 wins with Colin Bond winning the other 6).

While Richards won the Endurance Championship through consistent placings, the big prizes went elsewhere. Nissan claimed the Sandown 500 with Fury and his new young team mate Glenn Seton (the son of 1965 Bathurst winner Barry Seton who also built the engines for the Nissan team), while Allan Grice and Graeme Bailey returned from their attempt at the FIA Touring Car Championship in Europe to claim victory in the Bathurst 1000, with Grice also winning the Group A support race at the Australian Grand Prix in Adelaide.

John Smith claimed the debut title for small touring cars, the distinction for the class was set at two litres leaving a field of Toyota Corollas, Isuzu Geminis and a Nissan Gazelle. The Amaroo Park based Better Brakes/AMSCAR series was claimed by JPS Team BMW's number 2 driver, Tony Longhurst driving the team's secondary car, a BMW 325i, the forerunner to 1987's BMW M3.

Australia hosted the opening two rounds of the inaugural South Pacific Touring Car Championship with the final three rounds held in New Zealand. The opening round also doubled as Round 5 of the Australian Endurance Championship at Calder Park while Round 2 was the Group A support race at the Australian Grand Prix. Allan Grice who won in Adelaide went on to claim the South Pacific title after a further win at Baypark in NZ.

Race calendar

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Date Series Circuit City / state Winner Team Car Report
2 Mar ATCC Round 1
Better Brakes/AMSCAR Round 1
Amaroo Park Sydney, New South Wales Robbie Francevic Mark Petch Motorsport Volvo 240T
9 Mar ATCC Round 2 Symmons Plains Raceway Launceston, Tasmania Robbie Francevic Mark Petch Motorsport Volvo 240T
4 Apr Better Brakes/AMSCAR Round 2 Amaroo Park Sydney, New South Wales Garry Rogers Garry Rogers Motorsport BMW 635 CSi
13 Apr ATCC Round 3 Sandown Raceway Melbourne, Victoria George Fury Peter Jackson Nissan Racing Nissan Skyline DR30 RS
A2TCC Round 1 John Smith Toyota Team Australia Toyota Corolla
27 Apr ATCC Round 4 Adelaide International Raceway Adelaide, South Australia Robbie Francevic Volvo Dealer Team Volvo 240T
A2TCC Round 2 John Smith Toyota Team Australia Toyota Corolla
6 May ATCC Round 5 Barbagallo Raceway Perth, Western Australia George Fury Peter Jackson Nissan Racing Nissan Skyline DR30 RS
18 May ATCC Round 6 Surfers Paradise International Raceway Surfers Paradise, Queensland Peter Brock Mobil Holden Dealer Team Holden VK Commodore SS Group A
25 May Better Brakes/AMSCAR Round 3 Amaroo Park Sydney, New South Wales John Bowe Volvo Dealer Team Volvo 240T
1 Jun ATCC Round 7 Calder Park Raceway Melbourne, Victoria Glenn Seton Peter Jackson Nissan Racing Nissan Skyline DR30 RS
A2TCC Round 3 John Smith Toyota Team Australia Toyota Corolla
15 Jun ATCC Round 8 Lakeside International Raceway Brisbane, Queensland George Fury Peter Jackson Nissan Racing Nissan Skyline DR30 RS
22 Jun Better Brakes/AMSCAR Round 4 Amaroo Park Sydney, New South Wales Jim Richards JPS Team BMW BMW 635 CSi
29 Jun ATCC Round 9 Winton Motor Raceway Benalla, Victoria Jim Richards JPS Team BMW BMW 635 CSi
13 Jul ATCC Round 10 Oran Park Raceway Sydney, New South Wales George Fury Peter Jackson Nissan Racing Nissan Skyline DR30 RS
A2TCC Round 4 John Smith Toyota Team Australia Toyota Corolla
27 Jul A2TCC Round 5 Lakeside International Raceway Brisbane, Queensland John Smith Toyota Team Australia Toyota Corolla
3 Aug Better Brakes 300
AEC Round 1
AMC Round 1
Better Brakes/AMSCAR Round 5
Amaroo Park Sydney, New South Wales Jim Richards JPS Team BMW BMW 635 CSi
24 Aug BP Plus 300
AEC Round 2
AMC Round 2
Surfers Paradise International Raceway Surfers Paradise, Queensland George Fury Peter Jackson Nissan Racing Nissan Skyline DR30 RS
14 Sep Castrol 500
AEC Round 3
AMC Round 3
Sandown Raceway Melbourne, Victoria George Fury
Glenn Seton
Peter Jackson Nissan Racing Nissan Skyline DR30 RS report
5 Oct James Hardie 1000
AEC Round 4
AMC Round 4
Mount Panorama Circuit Bathurst, New South Wales Allan Grice
Graeme Bailey
Roadways Racing Holden VK Commodore SS Group A report
19 Oct The Sun South Pacific 300
AEC Round 5
AMC Round 5
South Pacific Touring Car Championship Round 1
Calder Park Raceway Melbourne, Victoria George Fury
Glenn Seton
Peter Jackson Nissan Racing Nissan Skyline DR30 RS
25 Oct South Pacific Touring Car Championship Round 2 Adelaide Street Circuit Adelaide, South Australia Allan Grice Roadways Racing Holden VK Commodore SS Group A
8 Nov Pepsi 300
AEC Round 6
AMC Round 6
Oran Park Raceway Sydney, New South Wales George Fury Peter Jackson Nissan Racing Nissan Skyline DR30 RS

Australian Touring Car Championship

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Australian 2.0 Litre Touring Car Championship

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Australian Endurance Championship

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Australian Manufacturers' Championship

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The 1986 Australian Manufacturers' Championship was awarded to Nissan.

Castrol 500

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James Hardie 1000

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Better Brakes/AMSCAR Series

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Tony Longhurst (BMW 325i) won the 1986 Better Brakes/AMSCAR Series for JPS Team BMW from Colin Bond (Alfa Romeo GTV6) and his JPS team mate Jim Richards (BMW 635 CSi).[1]

South Pacific Touring Car Championship

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1986 Australian Grand Prix Support Race

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South Pacific Touring Car Championship – Round 2
This race was a support event at the 1986 Australian Grand Prix meeting. The race was held over 32 laps of the 3.780 km (2.362 mi) Adelaide Street Circuit.[2]

Pos. Driver No. Team Car Grid
1 Australia Allan Grice 3 Roadways Racing Holden VK Commodore SS Group A 6
2 Australia George Fury 30 Peter Jackson Nissan Racing Nissan Skyline DR30 RS 5
3 New Zealand Graeme Crosby 6 Bob Jane T-Marts Holden VK Commodore SS Group A 2
4 Australia Larry Perkins 11 Enzed Team Perkins Holden VK Commodore SS Group A 7
5 Australia John Harvey 7 Holden Dealer Team Holden VK Commodore SS Group A 9
6 Australia Glenn Seton 15 Peter Jackson Nissan Racing Nissan Skyline DR30 RS 3
7 Australia Graeme Bailey 2 Roadways Racing Holden VK Commodore SS Group A 17
8 Australia Tony Longhurst 25 JPS Team BMW BMW 325i 10
9 Australia Graham Moore 22 Strathfield Car Radios Holden VK Commodore SS Group A 12
10 New Zealand Trevor Crowe 73 BMW 635 CSi 13
DNF Australia Peter Brock 05 Mobil Holden Dealer Team Holden VK Commodore SS Group A 4
DNF Australia Dick Johnson 17 Palmer Tube Mills Ford Mustang GT 8
DNF New Zealand Jim Richards 1 JPS Team BMW BMW 635 CSi 1

References

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  1. ^ a b Stewart Wilson, Better Brakes/AMSCAR Series, Australian Motor Racing Year 1986/87, pages 230 to 234
  2. ^ 1986 AGP Adelaide Group A Support Race

Linked articles contain additional references.

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