John French (racing driver)
John French (born 28 November 1930 in Millaa Millaa, Queensland[1]) is an Australian retired racing driver.
French had a long career throughout the 1960s and 1970s and the early 1980s. He won the 1962 Australian GT Championship driving a Centaur-Waggott and in 1969 French paired with Allan Moffat to win the Sandown Three Hour race in a Ford Falcon GTHO Phase I. French was well known multi-franchise car dealer selling BMC vehicles, Alfa Romeo, Renault, Peugeot and Subaru in Brisbane. Many of the marques he sold featured prominently in his professional racing career.
Nationally however he is best remembered as Dick Johnson's co-driver to win the crash-shortened 1981 Bathurst 1000 (French was driving the #17 Ford XD Falcon when the race was stopped, but wasn't one of the cars in the accident).[2] He regularly drove the works Ford Falcon GTHO's alongside Allan Moffat, and also drove Moffat's and Ian Geoghegan's Improved Production Ford Falcon GTHOs in the Australian Touring Car Championship rounds when Moffat and Geoghegan were driving their Mustangs.
Gallery
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The Centaur Waggott with which French won the 1962 Australian GT Championship
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Morris Mini Cooper S at Lakeside 1971
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Alfa Romeo GTA at Lakeside 1971
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Bryan Byrt Ford sponsored Ford Falcon GTHO Phase III at Lakeside 1972
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Ford Falcon GTHO Phase III
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John French in Ian Geoghegan's Improved Production Ford Falcon GTHO at Lakeside 1971
Career results
Bathurst 1000 win
| Year | Class | No | Team | Co-Drivers | Chassis | Laps | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Engine | |||||||
| Group C | |||||||
| 1981 | 8 Cylinder & Over | 17 |  Palmer Tube Mills |
Dick Johnson |
Ford XD Falcon | 120* | |
| Ford 351 5.8 L V8 | |||||||
* Race red flagged on lap 120 of 163 due to a multi-car crash which blocked the track.
Complete World Touring Car Championship results
(key) (Races in bold indicate pole position) (Races in italics indicate fastest lap)
| Year | Team | Car | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | DC | Points |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1987 | Ralliart Australia | Mitsubishi Starion Turbo | MNZ | JAR | DIJ | NUR | SPA | BNO | SIL | BAT DND* |
CLD | WEL | FJI | NC | 0 |
* French was listed as a driver in the #16 Ralliart Australia Starion, though he did not drive in the race.
References
- ↑ Tuckey, Bill, ed. (1984/85). "James Hardie 1000" 4. BFT Publishing Group Pty Ltd: 335. ISSN 0811-546X. Check date values in:
|date=(help); - ↑ "James Hardie 1000 Mount Panorama, Bathurst 4th October, 1981". Unique Cars and Parts. Retrieved 2010-01-17.
| Sporting positions | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by Peter Brock Jim Richards |
Winner of the Bathurst 1000 1981 (with Dick Johnson) |
Succeeded by Peter Brock Larry Perkins |
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