Glenn Seton/Colin Bond SAAB - 1992 Bathurst 12-Hour

[Seton Fanatic]

Diverting all Glenn Seton fans' attention from the silly season, and purists of production car racing.

Back in 1992, Glenn Seton and Colin Bond co-drove a SAAB to third place in the Bathurst 12-Hour.

There are some questions, I've been wanting to ask about the SAAB, for some years.

Firstly, where is the SAAB now?

Secondly, who prepared it? (My guess would be Colin Bond's team)

Thirdly, does the SAAB Dealer Team logos on the side of the car, mean that Seton, Bond and Ken Mathews, who was the third driver, but didn't drive, were SAAB factory drivers?

Finally, did Ken Mathews bankroll the effort? (Reason I ask that, is because Ken was involved with the Bond Bathurst 1000 effort back in 1989, and Ken wasn't exactly short of a dollar.)

[Vanilla Dice]

Ol’ Kenny Mathews owned what is now the Rick Damelian complex on Parramatta Rd at Leichardt. Sold it to the Rickster for a reported $20m.. a nice earn if you can get it.

The dealer used to sell Saabs back in 1992.. doesn’t now.. after a LOT of noise about service quality from the blue rinse brigade, whinging their convertibles messed up their hair when driving along putting lippy on in the rearview mirror…

I would reckon the old Saab had the stickers ripped off it, and sold as a dealer demo, just like Ol’ Gazza did with his Scooby driven in the 12hr with Possum Bourne. Broke a wheel bearing in the race, but with a nice new corner on it.. a wash, and woohoo it was Car Of The Week!!!!!!!

[gts300]

That was one of the advantages of the old production car deal.

Race on Sunday, Sell on Monday to unsuspecting Joe Public.

[Beatcha]

Wish they would bring back the 12 hour, loved it an had a ball. Liked it better the the 24 actually, anyone know why it stopped?

[Vanilla Dice]

Didnt Vincenzo lose money on these races?

They shifted the 12hr to Eastern Creek, that real cool crowd winner! cos it was too dear to run at the Mountain. Top performance that!! Three men and a dog in the crowd.. and the dog was only running from the RSPCA...

[6.213km]

I remember a race-cam chat between Colin Bond (driving at the time) and Will Hagon. Colin was called by Kenny Mathews about driving the Saab in the 12Hour and Colin was far from excited about it at first mainly because it was a new car and Colin was unsure about how it would go. But Ken obviously convinced him to drive it and they finished a great 3rd place outright, despite an unsceduled pitstop on Lap 1 due to a brake line rubbing on a wheel.

[6.213km]

Slightly diverting from the topic, does anyone know where the three car Peter Brock Peugeot 405Mi16 team cars ended up from the same race ?

I saw one on the road a year or so back near Manly, all the decals had been removed except for the Peugeot team colours that ran up the doors.

[William Dale Jr]

Originally Posted by Vanilla Dice

Didnt Vincenzo lose money on these races?

The 12 Hour lost money up until '94, when (IIRC) the event finally broke even. That was always expected, though. Unfortunately, a change in corporate policy caused James Hardie to pull the plug on their sponsorship after the '94 event. Reportedly, a new sponsor was on the verge of coming on board (isn't it always?) when the ARDC allocated the Easter Bathurst date to the V8s. That's what resulted in the event being moved to Eastern Creek.

It would have been interesting to see how the 12 Hour would have developed had it continued, and if the bikes would have returned as the support event after the double-fatality in 1994.


On the Peugoets, didn't Milton Leslight pick one up and race it in the Production Car Championship?

[paydirt]

I think Peter Mcleod & his son Ryan Mcleod ran them in Enzed colours for some time.

I was at an Enzed function one night (approx 1994) & the lucky door prize was a spin around the block in a "Fully prepared race car". You should have seen the look of initial excitement (that quickly turned into utter disappointment) when Paydirt realised that the 'race car' ,not only had number plates,but was a dirty old Peugeot.

Nevertheless, Ryan McLeod wouldn't let me have a drive so I sulked in the passenger seat as he caned the bejeezus out of the poor little 'frog' in a near-by industrial estate.

Ultimately, Peter McLeod was a car dealer as well so they probably ended up as some old granny's pride & joy.

[6.213km]

Originally Posted by paydirt

I think Peter Mcleod & his son Ryan Mcleod ran them in Enzed colours for some time.

I was at an Enzed function one night (approx 1994) & the lucky door prize was a spin around the block in a "Fully prepared race car". You should have seen the look of initial excitement (that quickly turned into utter disappointment) when Paydirt realised that the 'race car' ,not only had number plates,but was a dirty old Peugeot.

Nevertheless, Ryan McLeod wouldn't let me have a drive so I sulked in the passenger seat as he caned the bejeezus out of the poor little 'frog' in a near-by industrial estate.

Ultimately, Peter McLeod was a car dealer as well so they probably ended up as some old granny's pride & joy.

Peter McLeod certainly ran the rival Citroen Team in the 12Hour and continued to campain Citroen BX16's in the Production Cars and B12hr in Enzed Colours....

However I was asking about the Peugeot 405Mi16's that the Brock Team ran in 1992, there were three cars, 05, 25 & 45.

[rdmdog]

Dare I ask WHY???????

[pete60]

Originally Posted by 6.213km

Slightly diverting from the topic, does anyone know where the three car Peter Brock Peugeot 405Mi16 team cars ended up from the same race ?

I saw one on the road a year or so back near Manly, all the decals had been removed except for the Peugeot team colours that ran up the doors.

I have a feeling Bryce Peter-Budge has one of them...he seems to have a shed load of Pugs, including a couple of Supertourers.

[6.213km]

Originally Posted by rdmdog

Dare I ask WHY???????

I was 12 at the time these cars raced in the 12hour, I remember waking up Easter Sunday morning before dawn to watch the telecast. As a kid Brock fan it was an amazing feeling watching cars race around Mt Panorama in the dark. For whatever reason, the sights and sounds of those particular Peugeots remains with me, with Brock and Crompton playing silly buggers over race cam, Brock telling Crompton not to hit the rev limiter, and Brock being caught out by Crompton numerous times on race cam hitting the limiter, double standards Sir Peter !

The 12 Hour was a fun race in fun times, maybe we've lost a little bit of that fun. Was also good to see a manufacturer like Peugeot with a place to race their cars, and to be able to do it reasonably cost effectively.

[rdmdog]

Fair enough explanation, Ill let you get away with that one

[Hazza]

Originally Posted by William Dale Jr

It would have been interesting to see how the 12 Hour would have developed had it continued, and if the bikes would have returned as the support event after the double-fatality in 1994.

I think it was being boycotted by the big guns by around 1992, when iirc Corser, Gobert and/or Mladin decided not to show leaving it up to Sean Giles to literally run away with both races. But with one of them Sean nearly highsided on the final lap and I don't think he would've survived the crash!

[racer69]

The bikes did return to Bathurst in the long run, at Easter in 2000. Pity that was the last time, while safety is obviously an issue, Bathurst is kids stuff compared to the Isle of Man and some of the Irish road races.

The 12 Hour was great fun, unfortunatly the 12 hour distance didn't lend itself to TV well, you either had to start the race very early, or finish the race late. The manufacturers did get involved though in the end which was good.

[Robert Ryan]

The 12 Hour was great fun, unfortunatly the 12 hour distance didn't lend itself to TV well, you either had to start the race very early, or finish the race late

From memory it was a race, that was not promoted widely, very few people saw it and it died from disinterest.

[Vanilla Dice]

I saw it.. got stuck preparing a Toyota MR2 shizerwagen for someone real high up in CAMS... those things just had zero torque, and regardless of the suspension settings, you couldnt get a good front to rear balance on them. Some of the rentapilots had to change race suits the first time in the MR2.. no testing allowable for the rental price of course....

[rdmdog]

And the same cars still race today!!

[Vanilla Dice]

They do... using the same shocks I put in them back in the early 1990s. I bet without a rebuild either..

[Sultan]

One of the most memorable things for me about that Saab, was when they had CB on mike in the pits, Seton with the race cam, & both having a great yarn on how novel it was to drive a race car with leather & power everything as standard.

Glenn then opens the sunroof down Conrod - with Bondy half jokingly suggesting that keeping it open will probably reduce the top speed!!

Yep, those 12hr race were awesome - even better IMO than the 24hr races, the cars literally were 'drive on Sunday, sell on Monday' cars!!!

I'd forgotten how much I missed them...

[6.213km]

Originally Posted by Robert Ryan

From memory it was a race, that was not promoted widely, very few people saw it and it died from disinterest.

For a race that "died from disinterest" ????? it encouraged Mazda to build the SP version of their RX7, and to make enough road going versions to take the fight up to the 911 Porshes that were introduced for the 1995 event.

The BMW M3R was also a product of the 12hour race, An Australian built version of the M3 with a bigger fuel tank etc for enduro racing. The car didnt run in the race when it was announced Mt Panorama would not be used for the 1995 event.

Volvos 850 T5R was an Aussie version of the 850R, with rear wing and front airdam and a few other mods, it was a real attempt by the Swedish Marque to get class results at the 12Hour.

The main thing that killed the event was that the Mt Panorama circuit was not able to be used any longer for the event... something to do with the laws only allowing 2 complete circuit closures a year. Manufacturer interest, as early as 1992 was very strong, the race had capacity grids at Bathurst from 1992 - 1994. The race was televised live on commercial television on Ch10 in the early morning and all afternoon.

Disinterest? I hardly think so.


The final year of the 12 hour at Eastern Creek televised on SBS was the end of what could of / should of been a great event at the Mountain... but stuff happens I guess.

A 12 hour was never going to attract massive crowd of beer drinking yobbos, it attracted semi - manufacturer supported teams and racing fans. As for promotion, they didnt have an Avesco budget, Channel 10 did a very respectable job with the telecast. It is one of the last major commentries by the late great Evan Green, and very fitting too, that he should be commentating on an endurance race for production based cars, let us not forget he commentated on the 1000km in early days when it was a production based race, and was a veteran of many intercontinental rallies, trials and marathons.

Overall, it was an interesting event, which allowed non V8 drivers a chance to run a car on a smaller budget at Mt Panorama, and offered them long stints to enjoy the track... bloody good I say.

Rest in Peace B12Hr.

[Dobbo89]

it encouraged Mazda to build the SP version of their RX7, and to make enough road going versions to take the fight up to the 911 Porshes that were introduced for the 1995 event.
dont quote me on the name, as arbd (alcohol related brain damage) has got to me, but I thought it was mr Alan Horsely that told mazda australia that 9/11 was coming (that was a really bad joke) and that he got the go ahead to throw some carbon fibre at some sluggish selling RX7's

The BMW M3R was also a product of the 12hour race, An Australian built version of the M3 with a bigger fuel tank etc for enduro racing. The car didnt run in the race when it was announced Mt Panorama would not be used for the 1995 event.
that was meant for european events, just like the mid-engined v8 that paul morris drove in the last 24hr bathurst race

Volvos 850 T5R was an Aussie version of the 850R, with rear wing and front airdam and a few other mods, it was a real attempt by the Swedish Marque to get class results at the 12Hour.
remember the 750 turbo of the 80's, the ad showed John Bowe flogging the poor thing around oran park having said that, jum signed my shirt the year that won the starter motor class


The main thing that killed the event was that the Mt Panorama circuit was not able to be used any longer for the event... something to do with the laws only allowing 2 complete circuit closures a year. Manufacturer interest, as early as 1992 was very strong, the race had capacity grids at Bathurst from 1992 - 1994. The race was televised live on commercial television on Ch10 in the early morning and all afternoon.

Disinterest? I hardly think so.


The final year of the 12 hour at Eastern Creek televised on SBS was the end of what could of / should of been a great event at the Mountain... but stuff happens I guess.
I loved the eastern creek 12 hour, I could drive my car right up to the fence!
the thing with me and 12 or 24hr races, is that the fellow next to you is a car nut, he doesnt want to just see crashes.

A 12 hour was never going to attract massive crowd of beer drinking yobbos, (see above) it attracted semi - manufacturer supported teams and racing fans. As for promotion, they didnt have an Avesco budget, Channel 10 did a very respectable job with the telecast. It is one of the last major commentries by the late great Evan Green, and very fitting too, that he should be commentating on an endurance race for production based cars, let us not forget he commentated on the 1000km in early days when it was a production based race, and was a veteran of many intercontinental rallies, trials and marathons.


[I]Evan Green was fantastic as a comentator, Alan Jones was better, but I think Barry Sheen was the best. (not that that has to do with anything about the 12/24hr)

[Robert Ryan]

A 12 hour was never going to attract massive crowd of beer drinking yobbos, it attracted semi - manufacturer supported teams and racing fans

That is why it died, it was not that commercially viable. There was disinterest by the general public and some interest by specific motor racing groups.

[rdmdog]

Originally Posted by Dobbo89

[I]Evan Green was fantastic as a comentator, Alan Jones was better, but I think Barry Sheen was the best. (not that that has to do with anything about the 12/24hr)

Crompton isnt too far behind but agree with most of the above, but AJ?? only if it is infused with the dalcet tones of Big Darryl Eastlake, HUGE!!!!!