Bob Jane Racing Heritage - Photo Collection

[Steve Holmes]

Great shot here showing some of the heavy hitters of Australian Sports Sedan racing in 1976. Bob leads Pete Geoghegans HQ Monaro, Allan Moffats Chevy Monza, and Ron Harrops amazing Repco V8 EH Holden. Bobs Monaro was yellow in this photo. For a brief time in 1976, he moved away from his traditional orange. The Geoghegan Monaro in behind started life as an HQ, but its development time was so long, when it hit the track in 1975, the HQ model had been superceded by the new HJ, so the team fitted an HJ front. But CAMS, being strict as they were, noted Geoghegans Monaro was fitted with a 350ci Chevy motor, which was available in the HQ model range, but not in the HJ. Sports Sedan rules said a 5 litre motor could be fitted to any car, regardless of what it left the factory with, but a 6 litre motor was only allowed if the car left the factory with a 6 litre motor!

Only the smaller Holden V8 308 was available in the HJ. Therefore, the team were told they had to fit an HQ nose on the car if they wanted to run a Chevy motor. They managed to stall CAMS for long enough to retain the HJ nose for 1975, then fitted the Monaro with an HQ nose for '76, along with the huge big ugly box flares they also added.

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[Steve Holmes]

So you think Aussie touring car racing in the early '70s was all about having a bit of spirited, clean-cut fun between good pals who enjoyed Saturday night bbq's and a few beers? Think again! It was intense, and cut-throat. Allan Moffat brought a new level of intensity to Australian touring car racing when he arrived in 1969 with his Mustang, and he was happy to use his elbows to move others out of his way. In just his third Australian appearance with the Mustang, Moffat knocked fenders with Beecheys Monaro on the warm-up lap!

But Bob rose to the occasion, and got right into getting physical with Moffat. The pair came to blows several times during their intense 1971/72 ATCC battles, and even in this non-championship race, at Sandown during the Tasman meeting, in early 1971. The pair spun after Bob gave Moffat a tap. The Camaro got going again quicker than the Mustang, and went on to win the race.

[mid-year]

Bob Stevens competing in the ex Bob Jane Shelby Mustang at Oran Park 1979.

[Steve Holmes]

Pete, brilliant photo, thanks for posting. That paint scheme Bob Stevens had was quite deceiving, it made it look like the car was fitted with box-style flares, when really they were much more modest, and just heavily rounded. There is a photo of what I believe to be this car in Alex Gabbards book Fast Mustangs, which was first printed in 1990. The front sheet metal has been replaced with with more conventional front fenders, front clip etc, as the car was originally raced, but the rear quarters still have the flares that the car raced with under Bob Stevens' ownership, as above. Looked a bit weird, but its been correctly rebuilt since.

[Steve Holmes]

Bob and the Maestro, at Sandown AGP, 1978. Fangio and his W196 were sent across as special guests.

[Steve Holmes]

Sports Sedan action. John Pollard in the Camaro leads Jim Richards in the Sidchrome Mustang. The Pollard Camaro is the famour ex-Frank Gardner SCA Freight car which has raced just about everywhere in the world, and has recently been restored, as pictured here

[Steve Holmes]

The Brute! Allan Moffats ill-fated XB GT Falcon hardtop, at Sandown, 1974. The Falcon started life as an XA GT, and one of the six RPO83 cars, originally raced by Fred Gibson in 1973. It was one of three factory team cars from '73 before Ford pulled out of racing at the end of that season. Moffats own XA GT was demolished at Phillip Island in late '73, so Ford gave him Gibsons car, so he could keep racing in 1974. He upgraded it with XB sheet metal, with Brut 33 sponsorship in early 1974, before it was flown in secret to the US in the belly of a Pan-Am 747 to the dis-used Kar-Kraft facilities in Michigan, where Lee Dykstra tore it back to bare metal, and rebuilt it with the intention of winning Bathurst.

Its first Aussie race after its rebuild was here at Sandown, with new colour scheme, huge Nascar style race numbers and Minilite wheels. It was a work of art, and raised the bar in Aussie touring car racing. Moffat killed the opposition, winning the Sandown 400, but it failed miserably after a couple of small issues compounded to create a domino effect that turned into a complete disaster at Bathurst. It qualified a lowly 15th, and stumbled through 92 laps before being retired, after countless problems.

In 1975 the car raced in selected ATCC rounds, before being repainted bright red with gold highlights, and gold Minilites, but was destroyed when Moffats race transporter caught fire on its way to the Adelaide ATCC round in 1976.

[Steve Holmes]

If only this one came with sound! Blast-off at Lakeside, 1970. Beechey lights up the bags as the Monaro squirms, while Geoghegan gets away much more cleanly, if less spectacularly! In behind Geoghegan is Chris Brauer in the ex-Jane Mustang that was destroyed here at Lakeside.

[Steve Holmes]

D'ya think Bob had to pay these girls to throw themselves at him, or were they just naturally drawn to him?

[Steve Holmes]

Blast-off for the final race in the 1971 ATCC at Oran Park, and the beginning of what would be a hugely dramatic title-deciding race. After 6 rounds, Bob Jane led Allan Moffat on points, Jane on 34, Moffat on 31. Jane had won two races, Moffat three. The points paid 9 for a win, 6 for second. If Moffat won the race, he'd also win the title, on account of having scored more race wins.

From the start Moffat charged away, while Jane missed a gear and dropped back to third behind Geoghegan, before getting past on lap three. But by that stage Moffat was long gone, and looked to be heading towards winning his first ATCC. But on lap 16, the Mustang slowed, as Moffat found the gearbox jammed in second gear. He stopped, rectified it, and took off again, but by this stage had dropped to third. He quickly hauled in Geoghegan, but couldn't find a way past, and lost huge time to Jane. Eventually he tried a desperate move around the outside of the Loop, the pair bounced off each other, but then he was off and gone.

He began catching Jane, until the gap was at six seconds, then the Camaro lifted the pace. Moffat reacted, and was right on the rear bumper of the Camaro coming through the final turn for the last time, but just missed out. Jane was champion.

In fact, Moffat really lost the title way back at Sandown in Round 3, when he was leading by nearly a minute, and was black-flagged because of something hanging down under the car. He ignored the black flag until right at the very end of the race, came charging into the pits, had it OK'd then went back out and won by 40 seconds. But officials deemed him to have ignored the black flagged, and stripped him of the win, and giving Jane the 9 points.

[Steve Holmes]

Bob gives a pre-race team talk. Frank Gardner looks less than convinced.

[Steve Holmes]

Moffat and the ill-fated International Harvester transporter and XB race car that were both destroyed by fire en-route to Round 9 of the 1976 ATCC at Adelaide.

[Steve Holmes]

I know of his Improved Production cars the ZL1 Camaro is most peoples favourites, but for me the HQ Monaro in its original IP guise is as good as it gets.

[Steve Holmes]

Nice action shots here, from the Calder round of the 1971 ATCC:

Winner: Beechey

[Steve Holmes]

Runner Up: Geoghegan

[Steve Holmes]

After taking pole, and leading the early laps, Moffat retired with an overheating motor:

[Steve Holmes]

Neat shot of Bob and the Camaro at Calder.

[Steve Holmes]

Incredible shot here of Frank Matich in the McLaren at Sandown.

[Steve Holmes]

[Steve Holmes]

Brian Foleys beautiful little GTA lifts the inside front waaaaaaayyy in the air!