The Holden v Ford era of 5.0-litre V8 touring car racing officially came to a close at the recent Adelaide 500, with the new-generation Chevrolet Camaro v Ford Mustang format beginning in 2023.
In recent AMC issues #133 an #134 we looked back at the beginning of the 5.0-litre V8 format (that would later evolve into V8 Supercars and then just Supercars), with the troubled start to the regulations and the difficulties getting the new cars built.
But despite those challenges, when the green flag dropped at the first race of the 1993 season the new era got off to a spectacular start. This week we’re looking back on that first race of the V8 era, at Sydney’s now-defunct Amaroo Park, to the race that set touring car racing on a new path.
Head start for HRT
It probably shouldn’t have been a surprise that HRT’s team leader Tomas Mezera started from pole position. After all, HRT had been responsible for developing and homologating the new VP Commodore and had already been racing it at selected events in 1992.
He started strongly and led the opening stages of the race but after a red flag and restart he faded in the second half, repeatedly getting roughed up in the new door-banging V8 formula.
Privateers impress
Despite the change of regulation requiring an all-new car, there were several privateers on the grid for the first round in ‘93. Sydney-based Trevor Ashby (long-time partner for Steve Reed), the well-presented Bob Pearson and Bob Jones were just some of the independent drivers who managed to get one of the new models built and racing in time for the start of the new season.
German staying power
As we explained in the AMC #133 the new touring car formula was not meant to be strictly for V8-powered Holdens and Fords. CAMS tried to keep the sport open to Group A supporters BMW, Nissan and Toyota but in the end it was only the German brand that stuck around.
The LoGaMo Racing team entered four of its DTM-spec BMW M3 Evo models for the ‘93 season, with Tony Longhurst and John Blanchard in the Benson & Hedges backed cars and a young Paul Morris and Geoff Full in the Diet Coke machines.
Unfortunately, the 2.5-litre four-cylinder cars proved largely uncompetitive thanks to the new higher-downforce Commodores and Falcons. By ‘94 BMW jumped ship to the new 2.0-litre Super Touring series.
The world champion
1980 World Driver’s champion Alan Jones had been a staple of the local scene since he gave up on Formula One at the end of th ‘86 season. But the ATCC got a second world champion for ‘93 in the form of ‘87 500cc motorcycle title winner Wayne Gardner.
Having dabbled in touring car racing in previous years with some privateer starts at Bathurst, the new year saw Gardner join the Holden Racing Team alongside Mezera. He finished fifth at Amaroo Park, avoiding much of the chaos and panel-banging that featured, but unfortunately that would end up a highlight of the season.
New era, familiar winner
When the dust settled (quite literally at times as drivers ran off the track) and the chequered flag fell it was John Bowe who put his name in the record books as the first round winner of this new V8 era.
The Dick Johnson Racing ace led home Glenn Seton and Mark Skaife in the main race, proving that the drivers and teams that had been successful during the Group A days had made the transition to the new V8 formula with little trouble.
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