George Barry "Bo" Seton (5 October 1936 – 17 April 2026) was an Australian racing driver. He won the Bathurst 500 in 1965 with co-driver Midge Bosworth driving a Ford Cortina GT500."Barry 'Bo' Seton" SpeedCafe.com 24 September 2010. Retrieved 6 October 2015. He competed in the Bathurst 500 (and later 1000 km) 22 times, competing every year from 1963 to 1984, and completing the race in fifteen of those. In addition to his outright win in 1965, he won his class at Bathurst (co-driven on each occasion by Don Smith) in 1976, 1977 and 1980.
Biography Seton, who suffered from polio as a child, was particularly noted for his mastery of the Ford Capri in the mid-1970s, registering not only the class wins at Bathurst, but also winning the Sun-7 Rothmans 3-Litre Series three times at Amaroo Park.
For his 21st Bathurst start in 1983, his co-driver was his son, Glenn Seton making the first of so far 25 Great Race starts and who would go on to become a two time ATCC winner. The pair were leading Class B by over a lap when their Ford Capri blew its engine resulting in a DNF.
Seton's last start, in the 1984 James Hardie 1000 was driving a Group A Ford Mustang paired with longtime co-driver Don Smith. The pair finished 20th outright and 3rd in Group A.Young driver surprises everyone but himself
Seton later became known as an engine builder, firstly with the Peter Jackson Nissan Team building their turbocharged engines from 1986 until 1988 before Glenn formed his own team, Glenn Seton Racing in 1989. Seton joined his son and was chief engine builder of the teams Ford Sierra RS500s until the team switched to racing the V8 Ford Falcon in late 1992. Seton also built several customer engines, mostly for privateer V8 Supercar teams. He left his son's team after 1995 to give himself a new challenge. He was immediately snapped up by Longhurst Racing as their chief engine builder from 1996.
Seton retired from competition at the top level but still competed in some historic touring car races with his Historic Touring Car Mk.I Ford Capri as well as building both Capri and Holden Torana engines for various cars in Group 2 of the Touring Car Masters series, including the engine for Glenn's Group 1 1973 Ford Falcon XB Hardtop.
Seton died on 17 April 2026, at the age of 89.
Career results Season Series Position Car Entrant 1964 Australian Touring Car Championship9th Holden 48/215 BP Boomerang Service Station 1974 Australian Touring Car Championship9th Ford Escort Twin Cam 1975 Sun 7 - Rothmans Series 1st Ford Capri 1976 Australian Touring Car Championship 3rd Ford Capri Barry Benson 1976 Rothmans Sun-7 Series 2nd Ford Capri 1977 Australian Touring Car Championship12th Ford Capri 1977 Sun-7 Rothmans Touring Car Series 1st Ford Capri 1978 Australian Touring Car Championship9th Ford Capri 1979 Better Brakes Under 3 Litre Series 1st Ford Capri 1980 Better Brakes Touring Car Series 1st Ford Capri 1982 Australian Endurance Championship13th Ford Capri Barry Seton
Complete Bathurst 500/1000 results
Year Team Co-drivers Car Class Laps 1963 Herb Taylor Morris 850 A 112 NA 7th 1964 Fairfield Motors Pty Ltd Herb Taylor Ford Cortina Mk.I GT C 130 2nd 2nd 1965 Fairfield Motors Pty Ltd Midge Bosworth Ford Cortina Mk.I GT500 D 130 1st 1st 1966 B Arentz Barry Arentz Morris Cooper S C 125 8th 8th 1967 C Smith Charlie Smith Morris Cooper S C 127 6th 2nd 1968 Ford Motor Company of Australia Fred Gibson Ford XT Falcon GT D 113 31st 11th 1969 Ford Motor Company of Australia Fred Gibson Ford XW Falcon GTHO D 93 DNF DNF 1970 Ford Motor Co of Australia Fred Gibson Ford XW Falcon GTHO Phase II E 33 DNF DNF 1971 Road & Track Auto Services Fred Gibson Ford XY Falcon GTHO Phase III E 32 DNF DNF 1972 Finnie Ford Pty Ltd Herb Taylor Ford Escort GT 1600 Mk.I B 116 15th 4th 1973 Ford Australia Fred Gibson Ford XA Falcon GT Hardtop D 17 DNF DNF 1974 WH Motors Pty Ltd Don Smith Holden LC Torana GTR 2001 – 3000cc 56 DNF DNF 1975 B Benson Don Smith Ford Capri Mk.I GT 3000 C 138 15th 3rd 1976 Barry Benson Don Smith Ford Capri Mk.I 2001cc - 3000cc 156 8th 1st 1977 Amco Pty Limited Don Smith Ford Capri Mk.I 2001cc – 3000cc 154 6th 1st 1978 Amco Pty Limited Don Smith Holden LX Torana SS A9X Hatchback A 152 8th 8th 1979 Unipart Australia Don Smith Holden LX Torana SS A9X Hatchback A 148 7th 7th 1980 Don Smith Don Smith Ford Capri Mk.III 2001-3000cc 156 8th 1st 1981 John Goss Racing John Goss Jaguar XJS 8 Cylinder & Over 73 DNF DNF 1982 Barry Seton Don Smith Ford Capri Mk.III B 147 12th 2nd 1983 Barry Seton Glenn Seton Ford Capri Mk.III B 134 DNF DNF 1984 Nu-Truck Spares Don Smith Ford Mustang GT Group A 136 20th 3rd
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