# 1974 Australian Touring Car Championship

The 1974 Australian Touring Car Championship was an Australian motor racing competition open to Group C Touring Cars. Authorised by the Confederation of Australian Motor Sport as an Australian National Title, it was the 15th running of the Australian Touring Car Championship. The championship began at Symmons Plains on 4 March 1974 and ended at Adelaide International Raceway on 9 June after eight rounds.
The championship was won by Peter Brock, driving for the Holden Dealer Team in a Holden LJ Torana GTR XU-1 and a Holden LH Torana SL/R 5000.

## Drivers

The following drivers contested the championship.
| Entrant | No. | Car | Driver |
| Holden Dealer Team | 1 | Holden LJ Torana GTR XU-1 | Colin Bond |
| Holden Dealer Team | 2 | Holden LJ Torana GTR XU-1 | Dick Johnson |
| Holden Dealer Team | 2 6 8 | Holden LJ Torana GTR XU-1 Holden LH Torana SL/R 5000 | Peter Brock |
| Phil Waters | 4 | Ford XY Falcon GTHO Phase III | Phil Waters |
| Allan Grice | 4 | Holden LH Torana SL/R 5000 | Allan Grice |
| McLeod Ford | 5 | Ford XB Falcon GT Hardtop | John Goss |
| Road & Track Auto Services | 6 | Ford XB Falcon GT Hardtop | Fred Gibson |
| Bob Jane Racing | 7 | Holden LJ Torana GTR XU-1 | Bob Jane |
| Dustings of Burwood | 9 | Holden LJ Torana GTR XU-1 | Rod McRae |
| Bob Forbes | 10 | Holden LJ Torana GTR XU-1 | Bob Forbes |
| Gary Cooke | 11 | Mazda RX-3 | Gary Cooke |
| Norman G. Booth Pty. Ltd. | 12 | Holden LJ Torana GTR XU-1 | Jim Hunter |
| Bryan Byrt Ford | 13 | Ford Escort GT1600 | Bob Holden |
| Peak Performance P/L | 14 | Ford Escort GT1600 | John English |
| John Stoopman | 15 | Holden LJ Torana GTR XU-1 | John Stoopman |
| Insul Fluf Home Insulation | 16 | Holden LJ Torana GTR XU-1 | Graeme Blanchard |
| Ron Hodgson Motors | 17 | Holden LJ Torana GTR XU-1 | Bob Morris |
| Murray Carter Motors | 18 | Ford XA Falcon GT Hardtop | Murray Carter |
| Muirs Mtrs. Ashfield | 19 | Holden HQ Monaro GTS350 | Ron Dickson |
| Peter Robinson Motors | 20 | Holden LJ Torana GTR XU-1 | Tony Niovanni |
| Kevin Kennedy | 21 | Holden LJ Torana GTR XU-1 | Kevin Kennedy |
| D. Holland Motors | 24 | Holden LJ Torana GTR XU-1 | Don Holland |
| Graham Parsons | 25 | Holden LJ Torana GTR XU-1 | Graham Parsons |
| Mulgrave Mazda | 26 | Mazda RX-3 | Mel Mollison |
| Richard Purtell | 27 | Holden LJ Torana GTR XU-1 | Richard Purtell |
| Neil West | 28 | Holden LJ Torana GTR XU-1 | Neil West |
| Ray Gulson | 29 | Alfa Romeo 2000 GTV | Ray Gulson |
| M. McGinley | 29 | Honda Civic | Gordon Dickson |
| W. A. Fisher (Holdings) Pty. Ltd. | 30 | Mazda RX-3 | Bernie Haehnle |
| Lawrie Nelson | 32 | Chrysler Valiant Charger R/T E49 | Lawrie Nelson |
| Allan Moffat Racing | 33 | Ford XB Falcon GT Hardtop | Allan Moffat |
| Ken Loughan | 34 | Holden LJ Torana GTR XU-1 | Ken Loughan |
| McRaes of Hastings | 35 | Holden LJ Torana GTR XU-1 | Russ McRae |
| Matthew Phillip | 36 | Holden LJ Torana GTR XU-1 | Matthew Phillip |
| Alan Cant | 37 | Ford Escort GT1600 | Alan Cant |
| Alan Taylor | 38 | Holden LJ Torana GTR XU-1 | Alan Taylor |
| B & D Autos | 39 | Holden LJ Torana GTR XU-1 | Tim Smith |
| Graham Ryan | 41 | Holden LJ Torana GTR XU-1 | Graham Ryan |
| Robert Bride | 42 | Holden LJ Torana GTR XU-1 | Robert Bride |
| John French Pty. Ltd. | 43 | Alfa Romeo 2000 GTV | John French |
| George Garth | 44 | Holden LJ Torana GTR XU-1 | George Garth |
| R. J. Holden | 45 | Ford Escort GT1600 | Lyndon Arnel |
| Keith Henry | 49 | Morris Cooper S | Keith Henry |
| Brian Ovenden | 50 | Chrysler Valiant Charger R/T E49 | Brian Ovenden |
| John Wharton | 51 | Mazda RX-3 | John Wharton |
| Cam Richardson | 52 | Holden LJ Torana GTR XU-1 | Cam Richardson |
| Barry Benson | 55 | Ford Escort GT1600 | Barry Seton |
| Ron Dickson | 58 | Holden HQ Monaro GTS350 | Ron Dickson |
| Peter Mac's Towing | 62 | Ford Escort GT1600 | Geoff Wade |
| Roger Bonhomme | 63 | Holden LC Torana GTR | Roger Bonhomme |
| A. C. R. Watts / Coca-Cola Bottlers | 64 | Morris Cooper S | Tony Watts |
| David Clement | 66 | Morris Cooper S | David Clement |
| Geoff Perry | 69 | Mazda RX-3 | Geoff Perry |
| R. D. Mahoney | 74 | Ford Escort GT1600 | Roger Mahoney |
| John Millyard | 80 | Holden LJ Torana GTR XU-1 | John Millyard |
| John Gifford | 81 | Morris Cooper S | John Gifford |
| John Lewis | 82 | Holden LJ Torana GTR XU-1 | John Lewis |
| Milton Leslight | 85 | Holden LJ Torana GTR XU-1 | Milton Leslight |
| Tom Heffernan | 86 | Holden Torana GTR | Tom Heffernan |
| Keith Shaw | 88 | Honda Civic | Keith Shaw |
| Dean Smith | 90 | Ford Escort GT1600 | Dean Smith |
| A. F. & M. Beninca P/L | 91 | Alfa Romeo 2000 GTV | Ray Harrison |
| P. A. Buda | 92 | Morris Cooper S | Phil Buda |
| Graeme Adams | 94 | Holden LJ Torana GTR XU-1 | Graeme Adams |
| Peter LeFrancke | 95 | Toyota Corolla | Peter LeFrancke |
| Dennis Martin | 96 | Holden LJ Torana GTR XU-1 | Dennis Martin |
| Tony Farrell | 99 | Mazda RX-3 | Tony Farrell |

## Calendar

The championship was contested over seven rounds.
| Rd. | Race title | Circuit | City / state | Date | Winner | Team |
| 1 | | Symmons Plains Raceway | Launceston, Tasmania | 4 March | Peter Brock | Holden Dealer Team |
| 2 | | Calder Park Raceway | Melbourne, Victoria | 17 March | Peter Brock | Holden Dealer Team |
| 3 | | Sandown International Raceway | Melbourne, Victoria | 7 April | Allan Moffat | Allan Moffat Racing |
| 4 | | Amaroo Park | Sydney, New South Wales | 14 April | Peter Brock | Holden Dealer Team |
| 5 | | Oran Park Raceway | Sydney, New South Wales | 28 April | Ray Gulson | Canberra Speed Shop |
| 5 | | Oran Park Raceway | Sydney, New South Wales | 28 April | Allan Moffat | Allan Moffat Racing |
| 6 | | Surfers Paradise International Raceway | Surfers Paradise, Queensland | 19 May | Peter Brock | Holden Dealer Team |
| 7 | Datsun Trophy | Adelaide International Raceway | Adelaide, South Australia | 9 June | Peter Brock | Holden Dealer Team |
* Round 5 consisted of two separate races, one for over 3 litre cars and one for under 3 litre cars.

## Classes and points system

Cars were classified into one of two displacement classes:
* Up to and including 2,000 cc
* Over 2,000 cc
Points were awarded on a 9-6-4-3-2-1 basis to the first six place-getters in each class and on a 4-3-2-1 basis for the first four place-getters outright, irrespective of class.

## Championship standings

| Pos. | Driver | Car | Sym. | Cal. | San. | Ama. | Ora. | Ora. | Sur. | Ade. | Pts. |
| 1 | Peter Brock | Holden LJ Torana GTR XU-1 Holden LH Torana SL/R 5000 | 1st(13) | 1st(13) | 3rd(6) | 1st(13) | | 2nd(9) | 1st(13) | 1st(13) | 80 |
| 2 | Bob Morris | Holden LJ Torana GTR XU-1 | | 2nd(9) | 4th(4) | 2nd(9) | | 3rd(6) | 2nd(9) | 2nd(9) | 46 |
| 3 | Allan Moffat | Ford XB Falcon GT Hardtop | 2nd(9) | 4th(4) | 1st(13) | 9th | | 1st(13) | | | 39 |
| 4 | Bob Holden | Ford Escort GT1600 | | 11th(4) | 8th(9) | 10th(9) | 2nd(6) | | Ret | (6) | 34 |
| 5 | Murray Carter | Ford XA Falcon GT Hardtop | | 3rd(6) | 2nd(9) | 7th | | 4th(4) | 4th(4) | 3rd(6) | 29 |
| 5 | Ray Gulson | Alfa Romeo 2000 GTV | | | | (2) | 1st(9) | | 8th(9) | 11th(9) | 29 |
| 7 | Mel Mollison | Mazda RX-3 | 9th(6) | (2) | 10th(4) | (3) | 6th(1) | | (4) | (4) | 24 |
| 8 | Roger Mahoney | Ford Escort GT1600 | 8th(9) | | (3) | | | | | (3) | 15 |
| 9 | Barry Seton | Ford Escort GT1600 | | 10th(6) | (1) | (6) | Ret | | | | 13 |
| 10 | John French | Alfa Romeo 2000 GTV | | 9th(9) | | | | | | | 9 |
| 10 | Ray Harrison | Alfa Romeo 2000 GTV | | (3) | 9th(6) | | | | | | 9 |
| 12 | Tony Niovanni | Holden LJ Torana GTR XU-1 | | 5th(2) | 5th(2) | | | | | 4th(4) | 8 |
| 13 | Tim Smith | Holden LJ Torana GTR XU-1 | 3rd(6) | | | | | | | | 6 |
| 13 | Colin Bond | Holden LJ Torana GTR XU-1 | | | | 3rd(6) | | | | | 6 |
| 13 | Dick Johnson | Holden LJ Torana GTR XU-1 | | | | | | | 3rd(6) | | 6 |
| 13 | Don Holland | Holden LJ Torana GTR XU-1 | | 8th | | 4th(4) | | 5th(2) | | | 6 |
| 13 | John English | Ford Escort GT1600 | | | | | | | (6) | | 6 |
| 13 | Alan Cant | Ford Escort GT1600 | | | | (4) | 5th(2) | | | | 6 |
| 19 | Graham Parsons | Holden LJ Torana GTR XU-1 | 4th(4) | 12th | | | | | | | 4 |
| 19 | Rod McRae | Holden LJ Torana GTR XU-1 | | 6th(1) | 6th(1) | | | | | 5th(2) | 4 |
| 19 | Tony Watts | Morris Cooper S | (4) | | | | | | | | 4 |
| 19 | Bernie Haehnle | Mazda RX-3 | | | | | 3rd(4) | | | | 4 |
| 22 | John Gifford | Morris Cooper S | (3) | | | | | | | | 3 |
| 22 | Roger Bonhomme | Holden LC Torana GTR | | | | | 4th(3) | | | | 3 |
| 22 | Lyndon Arnel | Ford Escort GT1600 | | | | | | | (3) | | 3 |
| 25 | Bob Jane | Holden LJ Torana GTR XU-1 | 5th(2) | Ret | | | | | | | 2 |
| 25 | Jim Hunter | Holden LJ Torana GTR XU-1 | | | | 5th(2) | | 8th | | | 2 |
| 25 | Graeme Adams | Holden LJ Torana GTR XU-1 | | | | | | 7th | 5th(2) | | 2 |
| 25 | Bob Forbes | Holden LJ Torana GTR XU-1 | | | | 6th(1) | | | 6th(1) | | 2 |
| 25 | Geoff Wade | Ford Escort GT1600 | | | (2) | | | | | | 2 |
| 25 | Tom Heffernan | Holden Torana GTR | | | | | | | (2) | | 2 |
| 31 | Richard Purtell | Holden LJ Torana GTR XU-1 | 6th(1) | | | | | | | | 1 |
| 31 | Fred Gibson | Ford XB Falcon GT Hardtop | | | | DNS | | 6th(1) | | | 1 |
| 31 | Graham Blanchard | Holden LJ Torana GTR XU-1 | 7th | 7th | | | | | | 6th(1) | 1 |
| 31 | Phil Buda | Morris Cooper S | | | | | | | (1) | | 1 |
| Pos | Driver | Car | Sym. | Cal. | San. | Ama. | Ora. | Ora. | Sur. | Ade. | Pts |
| Colour | Result |
| Gold | Winner |
| Silver | Second place |
| Bronze | Third place |
| Green | Points finish |
| Blue | Non-points finish |
| Blue | Non-classified finish (NC) |
| Purple | Retired (Ret) |
| Red | Did not qualify (DNQ) |
| Red | Did not pre-qualify (DNPQ) |
| Black | Disqualified (DSQ) |
| White | Did not start (DNS) |
| White | Withdrew (WD) |
| White | Race cancelled (C) |
| Blank | Did not practice (DNP) |
| Blank | Did not arrive (DNA) |
| Blank | Excluded (EX) |

## References & notes

* 1 2 3 4 5 6 Conditions for Australian Titles, CAMS Manual of Motor Sport 1974, pages 84 to 90
* 1 2 3 4 5 6 Program, Amaroo Park Raceway, 14th April, 1974
* 1 2 3 4 5 6 Official Programme, Surfers Paradise International Raceway, Sun. 19th May 1974
* 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 Official Raceway Program, Calder, March 17, 1974
* 1 2 3 Adelaide International Raceway Programme (9 June 1974)
* 1 2 3 4 5 6 Official Programme, Sandown, April 7th (1974)
* 1 2 Programme, Symmons Plains, 4 March 1974
* ↑ Touring Car Champs, Australian Competition Yearbook, 1975 Edition, pages 102 to 119
* 1 2 3 Graham Howard , Stewart Wilson, David Greenhalgh, The official history - Australian Touring Car Championship - 50 Years
* ↑ Mollison's Mazda RX-3 is shown in the Calder Program as having an engine capacity of 1964 cc.
* ↑ Haehnle's Mazda RX-3 is shown in the Amaroo Program as having an engine capacity of 2292 cc.