Top Ten: Camaros in Australian motorsport

Kevin Bartlett ’74-77 Camaro Z28 350ci

Get something different. That was Kerry Packer’s advice to Kevin Bartlett when the media mogul offered to sponsor KB’s switch from Formula 5000 to touring cars, and after contemplating a BMW 635 CSi, Bartlett opted for the Camaro (Big Rev Kev’s Chev only became eligible when CAMS opened up local touring car racing to imported cars in ’79). While it was initially hampered by mandated rear drum brakes, it was a competitive and exciting addition to the ranks – and Bartlett steered it to that magical pole lap at Bathurst in the wet in ’81.

Norm Beechey ’68 Camaro

When the Chev Nova failed at the not inconsiderable task of beating Geoghegan’s Mustang, Beechey got a Camaro (and ‘demoed’ it as a road car at the Calder May meeting). As expected, a Camaro in Beechey’s hands was a formidable weapon; in that year’s ATCC race he was trailing Geoghegan by only a few seconds when a mechanical issue halted the Chev. But Beechey didn’t go on with the Camaro much longer – the deal with GM-H to develop the new Monaro for Improved Production was in place even before the Camaro hit the track.