Your best super touring memory...

[DNQ]

Super Tourers are no more (well almost, anyway).

So, let's take a look back through it's short history in Australia. What was your favourite moment? Your favourite driver? And what about the best car?

I'd say Bathurst 1997 was the hi point of super touring in Australia. The touring car world at Bathurst. Brillaint. As for cars, I loved the works Volvo's. And Brad Jones was the best driver...

[Crash Test]

Without a doubt for me personally, 1998 Bathurst was the event. I have a diary of that weekend around here somewhere, I think I'll type it up some time.

[mac]

When Tony Longhurst punched Paul Morris. Who would punch a guy with a helmet on? I remember talking to Tony some years later about the incident. He said, "you know, it's funny, I've never had any problems with teammates after that."

[Crash Test]

Hmmm...up until recently when he had a problem with Besnard's lack of pace...

[DAVID PATERSON]

I remember Lakeside in '97 when Morris, Brabham and one of the Audis were contesting the lead and they went through the kink THREE ABREAST!!!! None of them lifted the throttle!

I was actually calling that race trackside with the series commentator Phil Branagan, who was by that point speechless and on the verge of hyperventilating.

Bathurst in 97 of course was great, seeing the Aussies show the world's best how it's done. AJ spinning out on invisible oil was a high point too.

Season '96 was great too. It looked it was on the brink of really becoming something big, there was a lot of corporate interest, plenty of cars and name drivers. That was the year that ST really wasn't all that far behind V8s. Except in crowd figures of course, that race was never close.

[Crash Test]

Actually David, iirc that was Murphy, Jones and a BMW going three wide through the kink.

Talking about Lakeside, I have never ever seen a tin top move as quickly up the Eastern Loop as the 4WD Audis....incredible....

How about the 2nd race in 1998? Cam McLean was set for a victory, when wham, he was dudded for passing under a yellow flag Then going through the loop on the last lap, McConville absolutely nerfed Jimbo out of the ball park...oooh the memories

[marcus]

Originally posted by mac
When Tony Longhurst punched Paul Morris. Who would punch a guy with a helmet on? I remember talking to Tony some years later about the incident. He said, "you know, it's funny, I've never had any problems with teammates after that."

allthough super touring has provided plenty of good moments over the years ..like the three abreast (ohhh errr) through the kink at Lakeside..and basically the entire 95 and 96 seasons were very good..this Tony Longhurst/paul Morris incident takes the cake for me...why ???

well it happened directly where I was standing ...Winton 1994 it was and the 2 BMW's were in a class of there own ..I was at the old turn one and couldnt see the last corner...the commentator was going mad ..so we knew something was happening...we stood up (only 5 feet from the track) and they hit...when they hit the wall was exactly where i was..I could have reached out and whacked them both ..but of course i dove for cover

they spun off down the road...I waited to see what was happening..when Brittish driver james Kaye drove by in the Carina ..(Im sure I heard him laughing )
Longhurst jumped out ..we ran down to the cars and then he just started hitting him...we were yelling at him to get out of it..he was dragged off by an official while we were still hurling abuse at him ..he simply turned around and told us to get F'ed...fair enough i guess ..but it was a shocking piece of conduct ..paul Morris just looked stunned ..he sat there looking towards tony with complete disbelief...the crowd gave longhurst heaps that day and rightly so in my book..i havent really liked him that much since...but thank godness Morris didnt get mad..because if he had of caught up to tony i doubt there would have been much of a contest.

and after all of that it was just bad luck that caused it..sure they bumped but you can clearly see on TV that the bump broke Paul's steering and he had no control over the car and took them both off..thats racin...still no reason to punch a guy in the head ...ahh thats one ST memory that i will never forget

[the man]

The greatest Super Touring race in Australia i would have to say, Bathurst 1997 because it had all the class drivers and cars and even when one car lead for a while there was still action in the middle pack. The best drivers would have to Brad Jones and the best car would have to be the Audi A4 .

[D.R.T.]

My favourite times of Super Touring were definately my Bathursts 97, 98 and even 99 , it wasn't that bad of race. But times during the championship have come close to the Bathurst years, eg. Patty the Pom in the Pug at Lakeside in 99, will always be a favourite. Also Brad Jones race 3 Oran Park Round 5 in 99 will linger in my mind forever, I remember me and my brother walking from our spot up on the hill near the dog leg and finding a small gap right on the fence, we said we'd watch maybe 10-15 laps and then take a seat back up on the hill, With Richards a DNS, the race looked all Morris's, but Brad Jones for about 28 laps entertained the crowd and us so much that we spent the whole race on that fence, it was great. But then the heart break of the engine blow up. It will be always remembered. Favourite would kinda be the Hyundai , because it was bulit in Australia , but taking that away the Audi. Favourite driver , probably matty cloeman he was there for 1 year, but he's a great driver.

[racer69]

Bathurst in 97 was probably one of the best i've seen, with 13 competitve cars and a good race. 1997 was probably my favourite because the crowds were good, interest was up and there were no M3 BMW's and Sierra's stacking the back, and the competition between BMW, Audi, Volvo and the privateer Vectra and Primera were quite competitive, and Steve Johnson raced, Wonder how Dick felt about that. 97 was the best year. My favourite race was probably 1999, round 2 race 1 at oran park, where Morris, Watts and Richards went 3 wide down the main straight, awesome. Also Symmons 2000 was ok, witha 5 way battle in race and a really close race 2 finish between Morris and Kelly, that would have to have been the closest finish ever in motorsport history, its a pity no one, even TOCA, seemed to notice.

[DNQ]

Just though of another great moment. Remember Dwayne Bewley pushing his dead Pug over the line at Bathurst 1997? Now, that, was brilliant.

[Crash Test]

Heheh...too bad it was for nothing, as he was credited with a DNF

[DNQ]

Crash Test, wasn't he disqualified from the race?

[Crash Test]

Nah, IIRC just a DNF, because the car has to cross the finish line under its own power.

[elephino]

So many memories...I'll try not to repeat what has been said alredy.

Amaroo Park 1997 (I think) David Auger kicking the side of Bob Tweedie's Vauxhall.

David Auger rolling his poor little Alfa at Phillip Island.

Rydell's pole lap in the top 10 in 1998.

[RALFANATOR]

So many good duels the three way at lakeside , father & son 1-2 at bathurst I even remember Morris doing a lap time at lakeside that would of put the BMW on the front row of the V8's race of the time
so many good memories

Just think S/T could have be so good in this country but I don't drink beer and vote for SARAH MARIE so I must be out of touch with the COMMON man . I wish S/T would live on I wish it was the class in oz . But the masses like those outdated boat anchor's

[RaceTime]

Originally posted by Crash Test
Nah, IIRC just a DNF, because the car has to cross the finish line under its own power.

Officialy a DNF - that was the year Morris and Baird were excluded in the BMW.

[DNQ]

Originally posted by RALFANATOR
I wish S/T would live on I wish it was the class in oz .

You know Ralfanator, I agree with you.

[RALFANATOR]

Originally posted by DNQ


You know Ralfanator, I agree with you.

DNQ you are a classy person . what is the saying great minds

if you look at any super tourer then look at a supertaxi IMO the S/T really looks like a race car unlike the supertaxi which is a family car wanabe race car

[Crash Test]

Yeah, the olden days were really good race meetings, but on top of all of the things that have been said here and in other threads, one thing that has been to the detrement to the class is the weakening of their support classes. For years they had GTP, and that went huge after it left the TOCA package. They used to have FHolden back in days of decent fields, and even these days, the Commodore Cup has died a bit in the arse...

[RALFANATOR]

Originally posted by Crash Test
Yeah, the olden days were really good race meetings, but on top of all of the things that have been said here and in other threads, one thing that has been to the detrement to the class is the weakening of their support classes. For years they had GTP, and that went huge after it left the TOCA package. They used to have FHolden back in days of decent fields, and even these days, the Commodore Cup has died a bit in the arse...

well said crash! yes its AUS motorsports loss. And ours

[DMC]

Originally posted by Crash Test
Yeah, the olden days were really good race meetings, but on top of all of the things that have been said here and in other threads, one thing that has been to the detrement to the class is the weakening of their support classes. For years they had GTP, and that went huge after it left the TOCA package. They used to have FHolden back in days of decent fields, and even these days, the Commodore Cup has died a bit in the arse...

The Commodore Cup...... those were the days. Watching them slide around Oran Park, the entire field bunched together, was an awesome sight.

[D.R.T.]

Racer69 I believe that in 97 there was also the Luff , Bailey Honda so there was 14 compettitive cars, anyone no some more.

[racer69]

96 and 97, the BMW's and Audi's were really on it, and a sign of that was at the end of 1996 when for the last two rounds BMW sent over 2 latest pec 320i's and then Audi fired back by flying over a 96 spec A4 for the final.

[kmchow]

Racer69 wrote:

>96 and 97, the BMW's and Audi's were really on it, and a sign of >that was at the end of 1996 when for the last two rounds BMW sent >over 2 latest pec 320i's and then Audi fired back by flying over a >96 spec A4 for the final
>
Ditto for Volvo racing that 2nd 850 since it was already in the country for the Bathurst race. It was awesome to see 23-25 ST cars lined up on the starting grid!! It must have been the largest starting grid in ASTC history!! I loved seeing all those cars--a major race traffic jam!!!