1989 ATCC R7 Winton Raceway

[@giacatollo]

This should be required viewing in all Australian schools. It covers sports, history, drama, science and geography.

[@granulatedsugars577]

exactly yes

[@Holden308]

Probably the best ATCC race of the Group A era.

[@markhobson5769]

This was the fifth year of Channel 7's coverage of the ATCC in 1989.

[@lexy1729]

Great race! watching Brocky in the wet is brilliant. and the commentary...

[@barryphillips7327]

1987?? think Peter Brock went into a BMW M3, then back to the commodore.

[@barryphillips7327]

Richards taking out Seton did not impress me, Jim is meant to be a gentleman.

[@cbj063]

Wrong way around. Seton understeered into Richards.

[@zanemurcha2675]

On the last lap everything that could have gone wrong. Did go wrong.

[@markmark5269]

Shocking lack of action taken by officials for the blocking throughout the race by people being lapped. Miedecke's act was one of an asshole, but what do you expect from the driver who wrote off more race cars than even Thomas Mezera did.

[@markmark5269]

Well said. Johnson and Bowe deserved penalties for what they did, Miedecke is allowed to unlap himself, sure, but not to then block the race leader, a penalty as well.

[@hamishsouter8461]

Were many sierras ever sold in Australia?, I don't really remember seeing them on the roads back then and unlike commodres and skylines never see them nowdays either?

[@Super100MPH]

Hi Hamish, I'm not sure how many were sold in Australia, many of the Group A Sierra's in those days where race prepared in Europe, I too don't remember seeing too many on the roads here in Oz.. a bit of a rare beast these days...

[@hamishsouter8461]

Super100MPH Cheers for the Info , when you say Europe did you mean Great Britain? Because I knew the sierra cosworth was big hit there And Dominiated rallying for years

[@Super100MPH]

Hamish Souter Hi Hamish, the Sierra was big in both the UK and Europe, but limited in production. The Ford Sierra RS Cosworth was first presented to the public at the Geneva Motor Show in March 1985, with plans to release it for sale in September and closing production of the 5,000 cars in the summer of 1986. In practice, it was launched in July 1986, and 5545 were manufactured in total of which 500 were sent to Tickford for conversion to the Sierra three-door RS500 Cosworth. The vehicles were manufactured in right hand drive (RHD) only, and were made in Ford's Genk factory in Belgium. The following number of vehicles were registered in the UK: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ford_Sierra_RS_Cosworth

[@Holden308]

Hamish Souter The Sierra RS500 was never actually sold in Australia as a road car, hence the reason many (especially Holden fans and some notable drivers) felt they should not have been allowed to race here. Of course that ignored the fact that Group A was an international formula and the cars didn't actually need to be sold here as a road car. Dick Johnson is the only one in Australia that I know of who had a road going RS500. Most of the Sierra's here generally started out as Rouse kit cars, though DJR did build their own cars but initially (1987) used Rouse components and Allan Moffat managed to convince Reudi Eggenberger to build him a couple of customer cars (the only customer cars Reudi ever built). Then I believe Dencar in Melbourne started producing Sierra body shells for the Aussie scene in about 1989. Brock's Bathurst pole winning Sierra in 1989 was a Dencar shell.

[@TassieLorenzo]

Zero, it was never sold by Ford in Australia. For a mid-sized car, I think Ford Australia had a range of other offerings via Mazda (Telstar?).

[@Holden308]

In the pits after the race, Frank Gardner allegedly approached his old "mate" Allan Grice who was talking to a group of people, prodded him with the point of his umbrella and said (growled??) "You never change do you" referring to Longhurst ending up in the pool. And allegedly Grice's reaction was to simply throw the orange juice he was drinking in Franks face and just walk away. True story or not, it is safe to say that neither was on the others Christmas card list. Point of fact, Frank Gardner and Allan Grice simply did not like each other.

[@giacatollo]

I would love to have read Grices mind the first time he saw Gardner after he won in Bathurst in 1986.

[@michaelconnors4248]

I think you will find it goes back to gardner taking grices cigarette sponsorship

[@markmark5269]

One of the ATCC races at Sandown, can't remember which year, VB or VC Commodore era, Grice had a bit of a grab of another racer's wife late on Saturday after a few beers. Grice didn't race on the Sunday ........

[@cbj063]

Bit of an arsehole act on the Johnson team holding up the leader at the end. Dick would heave been the first to maon if it were the other way around.

[@jeffwilliams742]

They would call if these days to scared to drive in the wet

[@richardzedman1160]

shame for richards would been 123 for nissan

[@adarshkeswani2319]

19:00

[@jeffwilliams742]

Where’s all the commodores