The 1979 Australian Touring Car Championship was a CAMS sanctioned Australian motor racing title open to Group C Touring Cars .[ 1] It began at Symmons Plains and ended at Adelaide International Raceway after eight rounds.[ 2] The title, which was the 20th Australian Touring Car Championship ,[ 3] was won by Bob Morris driving a Holden Torana .[ 2]
1979 was the first time since the ATCC went to a championship series in 1969 rather than the single race it had been previously that a single make and model car had won all rounds of the championship with all 8 rounds being won by the Holden LX Torana SS A9X Hatchback . Including the current season (2016 ), such a single car domination has only happened once since in the series, that being when the Ford Sierra RS500 won all rounds of the 1988 championship .
Calendar
The Holden Torana of 1979 Australian Touring Car Champion Bob Morris
The 1979 Australian Touring Car Championship was contested over an eight-round series.[ 4]
Round 3 of the championship at Oran Park featured two separate races, the first for Under 3 litre cars and the second for Over 3 litre cars.[ 6]
Teams and drivers
The following teams and drivers competed in the 1979 Australian Touring Car Championship .
Classes
For championship points allocation purposes, cars competed in two displacement classes:[ 1]
Up to and including 3000 cc[ 1]
3001 to 6000 cc[ 1]
Points system
Championship points were awarded on a 9,6,4,3,2,1 basis to the first six placegetters in each class and on a 4,3,2,1 basis to the first four placegetters irrespective of class[ 1] (at each round). Only the best seven results counted towards the total[ 6] (for each driver).
Championship results
Pos.[ 6]
Driver[ 6]
Rd 1
Rd 2
Rd 3
Rd 4
Rd 5
Rd 6
Rd 7
Rd 8
Pts.[ 6]
1
Bob Morris
4th(4)
2nd(9)
1st(13)
1st(13)
4th(4)
4th((4))
1st(13)
1st(13)
69 (73)
2
Peter Brock
5th(2)
1st(13)
3rd(6)
3rd(6)
1st(13)
1st(13)
5th((2))
2nd(9)
62 (64)
3
John Harvey
1st{13)
3rd(6)
4th(4)
6th((1))
2nd(9)
3rd(6)
2nd(9)
3rd(6)
53 (54)
4
Peter Williamson*
8th(6)
DNS
(9)
6th(9)
8th(9)
33
5
Charlie O'Brien
5th(2)
2nd(9)
2nd(9)
3rd(6)
26
5
Roger Cartwright*
9th(4)
(1)
5th(2)
(4)
(6)
(9)
26
7
Allan Grice
3rd(6)
Ret
2nd(9)
Ret
3rd(6)
DNS
21
8
Garth Wigston
2nd(9)
6th(1)
4th(4)
4th(4)
18
8
Lawrie Nelson*
7th(9)
Ret
1st{9)
DSQ
18
10
Brian Hall*
(9)
(3)
12
10
Steve Masterton*
(6)
2nd(6)
DNS
DSQ
12
12
John Faulkner *
(4)
(6)
10
12
Craig Volkers*
(6)
(4)
10
14
Bill Evans*
(9)
9
15
Ray Cutchie*
(6)
6
16
Peter Janson
4th(4)
6th(1)
5
17
Bill O'Brien
4th(4)
4
17
Geoff Leeds
3rd(4)
4
17
David Bail
4
4
17
Ross Burbidge*
4th(3)
6th(1)
1
21
Gary Cooke
6th(1)
(2)
3
21
Ray Gulson*
10th(3)
3
21
Barry Jones*
4th(3)
3
21
Larry Kogge*
(3)
3
21
Peter Kuebler*
(3)
3
21
Martin Power*
(2)
(1)
3
27
Garry Rogers
5th(2)
2
27
Allan Moffat
Ret
Ret
5th(2)
2
27
Tim Slako
5th(2)
2
27
Dick Johnson
5th(2)
7th
2
27
Ray Farrar*
(2)
2
27
Ian Chilman*
(2)
2
33
Rod Stevens
(1)
Ret
1
33
Colin Hall
(1)
1
33
Garry Willmington
6th(1)
1
33
Murray Carter
6th(1)
1
33
David Cannon*
(1)
1
Pos
Driver
Rd 1
Rd 2
Rd 3
Rd 4
Rd 5
Rd 6
Rd 7
Rd 8
Total
Colour
Result
Gold
Winner
Silver
Second place
Bronze
Third place
Green
Points finish
Blue
Non-points finish
Non-classified finish (NC)
Purple
Retired (Ret)
Red
Did not qualify (DNQ)
Did not pre-qualify (DNPQ)
Black
Disqualified (DSQ)
White
Did not start (DNS)
Withdrew (WD)
Race cancelled (C)
Blank
Did not practice (DNP)
Did not arrive (DNA)
Excluded (EX)
Drivers marked with a * competed in the under 3000 cc class.
References
^ a b c d e Conditions for Australian Titles, 1979 CAMS Manual of Motor Sport, pp. 96–97.
^ a b c d e f Australian Touring Car Championship, Australian Motor Racing Yearbook 1979/80, pp. 68–87.
^ Records, Titles & Awards, 2002 CAMS Manual of Motor Sport, pp. 14-17.
^ 2005 V8 Supercars TV Guide, p. 73.
^ The Breville Trophy, Official Souvenir Programme, Adelaide International Raceway, 29 July 1979, pp. 44–45.
^ a b c d e Graham Howard, Stewart Wilson, David Greenhalgh, Privateer pips them, The official history – Australian Touring Car Championship – 50 Years, pp. 190–199.
^ Australian Motor Racing Yearbook 1979/80, p. 74.
^ Australian Motor Racing Yearbook 1979/80, p. 81.
^ Australian Motor Racing Yearbook 1979/80, p. 80.
^ Australian Motor Racing Yearbook 1979/80, p. 68.
^ Australian Motor Racing Yearbook 1979/80, p. 83.
^ Australian Motor Racing Yearbook 1979/80, p. 75.
^ a b Australian Motor Racing Yearbook 1979/80, p. 85.