The 1972 Australian Touring Car Championship was a CAMS sanctioned national motor racing title open to Group C Improved Production Touring Cars and Group E Series Production Touring Cars.Australian Title Conditions, 1972 CAMS Manual of Motor Sport, pages 86-90 The championship, which was the 13th running of the Australian Touring Car Championship, began at Symmons Plains and ended at Oran Park after eight rounds.Graham Howard & Stewart Wilson, Australian Touring Car Championship, 30 Fabulous Years, 1989
1972 would be the final time the Improved Production cars would contest the ATCC. From 1973, CAMS introduced a new production based Group C touring car formula. Outright cars like the Ford Mustangs, Chevrolet Camaros, Norm Beechey's Holden Monaro and Ian Geoghegan's Ford XY Falcon GTHO Phase III would be replaced with production based Ford Falcons and Holden Toranas. Many Improved Production cars would end up racing as Sports Sedans in the following years.
Defending champion Bob Jane won his fourth and final Australian Touring Car Championship in his Chevrolet Camaro ZL-1. Unlike 1971 when Jane's Camaro used the 7.0 litre 427 V8 engine, CAMS rule changes reducing the engine capacity limit to 6000cc him forced to run the 5.7 litre 350 V8. Second in the championship was the Ford Escort Twin Cam Mk.1 of Mike Stillwell whose consistent placings in the under 2.0 litre class saw him finish 11 points behind Jane. Third was Allan Moffat in his Ford Boss 302 Mustang.
Although he was not classified after not scoring a point, the 1972 championship saw Peter Brock make his ATCC debut driving a Holden LJ Torana GTR XU-1 for Harry Firth's Holden Dealer Team.
Teams and drivers The following drivers competed in the 1972 Australian Touring Car Championship. DriverNoJohn Medley, Bathurst : cradle of Australian motor racing, 1997Official programme, Adelaide International Raceway, 11 June 1972Max Stahl, Racing Car News Championship Yearbook No. 1, (1972)CarEntrant Ian Geoghegan 1 & 10 Ford XY Falcon GTHO Phase III Geoghegan's Sporty Cars Fred Gibson 1 Ford XY Falcon GTHO Phase III Road & Track Auto Services Jim McKeown 2 & 3 Alfa Romeo 2000 GTV Shell Racing Team Kingsley Hibbard 2 Ford XY Falcon GTHO Phase III Kingsley Hibbard Clive Green 4 Ford Mustang Shell Racing John French 4 Ford XY Falcon GTHO Phase III Bryan Byrt Ford John Goss 5 Ford XY Falcon GTHO Phase III McLeod Ford Graham Blanchard 5 Chevrolet Camaro Blanchard Motors Mike Stillwell 5 & 6 Ford Escort Twin Cam Mk.I BS Stillwell Ford John Harvey 7 Holden HQ Monaro GTS350 Bob Jane Racing Mel McEwin 8 Toyota Corolla Sprinter Mel McEwin Allan Moffat 9 Ford Boss 302 MustangAllan Moffat Racing Dick Johnson 10 Holden LJ Torana GTR XU-1 Dick Johnson Peter Brown 11 Alfa Romeo 2000 GTV Alfa Romeo Australia Don Holland 13 Holden LJ Torana GTR XU-1 Max Wright Motors Pty Ltd Bob Holden 13 & 113 Ford Escort Twin Cam Mk.I Dr. Allan Hogan Malcolm Ramsay 14 Holden HQ Kingswood 5AD City State Racing Team Clem Smith 15 Chrysler VH Valiant Charger Clem Smith Norm Watts 15 Ford Capri V6 Motor Improvements Arnold Ahrenfield 16 Holden LJ Torana GTR XU-1 Arnold Ahrenfield Graham Ryan 17 Chrysler VH Valiant Charger Graham Ryan Ted Brewster 19 Holden LJ Torana GTR XU-1 BP Southmark John Stoopman 19 Holden LJ Torana GTR XU-1 John Stoopman John Rushford 24 Ford Escort Twin Cam Mk.I Rushford Engineering Co Doug Chivas 29 Chrysler VH Valiant Charger Liverpool Chrysler Phil Brock 32 Chrysler VH Valiant Charger Eastside Chrysler Tom Naughton 33 Chrysler VH Valiant Charger Eastside Chrysler Tim Smith 34 Holden LJ Torana GTR XU-1TS Smith Colin Bond 34 Holden LJ Torana GTR XU-1 Holden Dealer Team Tony Allen 35 Chrysler VH Valiant Charger Tony Allen Norm Beechey 40 Holden HT Monaro GTS350 Shell / Norm Beechey Racing Lyndon Arnel 43 Ford Escort Twin Cam Mk.I Tony Motson's Performance Tuning Mike Gore 45 Ford Mustang Mike Gore Bob Connolly 59 Morris Cooper S RA Connolly Frank Porter 59 Holden LJ Torana GTR XU-1 Frank Porter Tony Watts 64 Morris Cooper S Richard Locke Motor Engineering Henry Price 69 Morris Clubman GT Grand Prix Auto Service Alan Braszell 71 Morris Cooper S Alray Motors Keith Henry 71 Ford Escort Twin Cam Mk.I Keith Henry George Giesberts 72 Holden LJ Torana GTR XU-1 Leach Motors Bob Jane 76 Chevrolet Camaro ZL-1 Bob Jane Racing Herb Taylor 77 Holden EH Herb Taylor John Martin 85 Holden LJ Torana GTR XU-1 John Martin Lawrie Nelson 88 Chrysler VH Valiant Charger Lawrie Nelson Robin Bessant 90 Ford Mustang Shell Racing Norm Gown 99 Holden EH Norm Gown
Calendar The 1972 Australian Touring Car Championship was contested over an eight-round series with one race per round. Rd.Race titleCircuitCity / stateDateWinnerTeam 1 Symmons Plains Symmons Plains Raceway Launceston, Tasmania 6 March Allan Moffat Allan Moffat Racing 2 Calder Calder Park Raceway Melbourne, Victoria 19 March Bob Jane Bob Jane Racing 3 Better Brakes 100 Mount Panorama Circuit Bathurst, New South Wales 3 April Ian Geoghegan Geoghegan's Sporty Cars 4 Sandown Sandown International Raceway Melbourne, Victoria 16 April Allan Moffat Allan Moffat Racing 5 Adelaide Adelaide International Raceway Adelaide, South Australia 11 June Bob Jane Bob Jane Racing 6 Warwick Farm Warwick Farm Raceway Sydney, New South Wales 9 July Bob Jane Bob Jane Racing 7 Surfers Paradise Surfers Paradise International Raceway Surfers Paradise, Queensland 22 July Bob Jane Bob Jane Racing 8 Oran Park Oran Park Raceway Sydney, New South Wales 6 August Allan Moffat Allan Moffat Racing
Classes Cars competed in two engine capacity classes: Up to and including 2000cc Over 2000cc
Points system Championship points were awarded on a 9-6-4-3-2-1 basis for the first six placings in each class at each round. In addition, points were awarded on a 4-3-2-1 basis for the first four outright placings, irrespective of class, at each round. The title was awarded to the driver gaining the highest total of points in any seven of the eight rounds.
Championship standings Pos Driver Car Sym. Cal. Bat. San. Ade. War. Sur. Ora. Pts 1 Bob Jane Chevrolet Camaro ZL-1 2nd(9) 1st(13) Ret 2nd(9) 1st(13) 1st(13) 1st(13) 3rd(6) 76 2Mike Stillwell Ford Escort Twin Cam Mk.I 5th(9) 6th(9) 6th(9) 7th(9) 6th(9) 4th(10) 4th(10) 65 3 Allan Moffat Ford Boss 302 Mustang 1st(13) Ret 2nd(9) 1st(13) 4th(4) DSQ 10th(1) 1st(13) 53 4 Ian Geoghegan Ford XY Falcon GTHO Phase III Ret 3rd(6) 1st(13) Ret 2nd(9) DNS Ret 2nd(9) 37 Bob Holden Ford Escort Twin Cam Mk.I Ret 7th(6) (4) 9th(6) 7th(6) 7th(6) Ret 9th(9) 37 6 Malcolm Ramsay Holden HQ Kingswood 3rd(6) 2nd(9) Ret 3rd(6) 2nd(9) DNS Ret 30 7 Dick Johnson Holden LJ Torana GTR XU-1 3rd(6) 3rd(6) 4th(4) 16 8 Peter Brown Alfa Romeo 2000 GTV(3)(4) 8th(4) 8th(4) 15 9 John Harvey Holden HQ Monaro GTS350 2nd(9) Ret 9 Alan Braszell Morris Cooper S 10th(4) (3) (2) 9 11 John Goss Ford XY Falcon GTHO Phase III 3rd(6) 5th(2) 8 Robin Bessant Ford Mustang 4th(4) 4th(4) 8 13 Norm Beechey Holden HT Monaro GTS350 Ret Ret Ret 3rd(6) DNS DNS 6 Bob Connolly Morris Cooper S 7th(6) 6 Jim McKeown Alfa Romeo 2000 GTV DNS 7th(6) Ret 6 Henry Price Morris Clubman GT 7th(6) 6 17 Fred Gibson Ford XY Falcon GTHO Phase III 4th(4) 4 Kingsley Hibbard Ford XY Falcon GTHO Phase III 4th(4) 4 Clive Green Ford Mustang 5th(2) 5th(2) 4 Don Holland Holden LJ Torana GTR XU-1 5th(3) 6th(1) 4 Tony Watts Morris Cooper S 8th(4) 4 22 John French Ford XY Falcon GTHO Phase III 5th(3) 3 John Rushford Ford Escort Twin Cam Mk.I 9th(3) 3 Mel McEwin Toyota Corolla Sprinter 10th(3) 3 Lyndon Arnel Ford Escort Twin Cam Mk.I 9th(3) 3 26 Doug Chivas Chrysler VH Valiant Charger 5th(2) 2 Graham Blanchard Chevrolet Camaro 5th(2) 2 Tim Smith Holden LJ Torana GTR XU-1 6th(2) 2 Colin Bond Holden LJ Torana GTR XU-1 10th 6th(2) 2 George Giesberts Holden LJ Torana GTR XU-1 6th(2) 2 Keith Henry Ford Escort Twin Cam Mk.I (2) 2 32 Ted Brewster Holden LJ Torana GTR XU-1 6th(1) 1 Tom Naughton Chrysler VH Valiant Charger 8th(1) 9th 1 Phil Brock Chrysler VH Valiant Charger 9th 8th(1) 1 Graham Ryan Chrysler VH Valiant Charger 8th(1) 1 Clem Smith Chrysler VH Valiant Charger 9th(1) 1 - Norm Watts Ford Capri V6 10thAustralian Motoring Yearbook (Incorporating Competition Yearbook) 1973 Edition (-) 0"Final Poinstcore" published in Racing Car News Championship Yearbook No 1, page 71 does not show Norm Watts as a pointscorer.30 Fabulous Years lists Norm Watts as scoring 4 points for the Warwick Farm round. The Official Programme for that round shows Watts entered in the Over 2000cc class in a 2998cc Ford Capri V6. Results for the round published in Australian Motoring Yearbook show Watts placed 11th outright in a Ford Capri V6 behind Moffat (Excluded) and seven other competitors in cars which are listed in the Official Programme as being in the Over 2000cc class and two which are listed as being in the Up to 2000cc class. 30 Fabulous Years would appear to be incorrect in giving Watts 4 points for this round. Pos DriverCar Sym. Cal. Bat. San. Ade. War. Sur. Ora. Pts
Notes and references
External links 1972 Australian Touring Car racing images at www.autopics.com.au 1972 Australian Touring Car Championship race results at www.toranagtrxu-1.com