# 1981 Australian Touring Car Championship

The 1981 Australian Touring Car Championship was a CAMS sanctioned motor racing title for drivers of Group C Touring Cars. The championship, which was the 22nd running of the Australian Touring Car Championship, began at Symmons Plains Raceway and ended at Lakeside International Raceway after 8 rounds.
Dick Johnson, using the Ford XD Falcon built with the money he received after TV viewers had pledged AUD$72,000 following his crash with 'The Rock' at Bathurst the previous year (Ford Australia boss of the day Edsel Ford II had personally matched the amount dollar for dollar), won his first ATCC ahead of defending champion Peter Brock in his Holden Dealer Team Commodore. Johnson and Brock were the only drivers to win during the championship which came down to the final round on Dick's home track at Lakeside. Johnson won the race from Brock, the two battling all the way to the Chequered flag in what many believe to be one of the best ATCC races in history. Johnson later praised Brock, claiming that he had every opportunity to punt him off the road at Lakeside, while Brock also praised Johnson who held his nerve and won a clean race.

## Classes

Cars competed in two engine displacement classes:
* Up to and including 3000cc
* 3001–6000cc

## Points system

Championship points were awarded on a 9-6-4-3-2-1 basis to the first six placegetters in each class at each round. Bonus points were awarded on a 4-3-2-1 basis to the top four placegetters irrespective of class at each round. Only the best seven round results could be retained by each driver.
Round positions at rounds which were run in two parts were determined by allocating points on a 20-16-13-11-10-9-8-7-6-5-4-3-2-1 basis to the first fourteen placegetters in each part. These points were then aggregated to determine the results for that round. However a different method of determining round positions was used for Round 6 at Adelaide International Raceway where points were allocated on a 20-16-13-11-10-9-8-7-6-5-4-3-2-1 basis to the first fourteen placegetters in each class in each part.

## Entrants and drivers

The following entrants and drivers competed in the 1981 Australian Touring Car Championship.
| Entrant | Car | No | Driver |
| Citizen Watches | Holden VB Commodore | 2 | Gary Cooke |
| Cadbury-Schweppes | Holden VC Commodore | 3 | Peter Janson |
| Re-Car Racing | Holden VC Commodore | 3 | Alan Browne |
| Re-Car Racing | Holden VC Commodore | 4 | Alan Browne |
| Toms Tyres | Holden VC Commodore | 4 | Wayne Negus |
| Marlboro Holden Dealer Team | Holden VC Commodore | 05 | Peter Brock |
| Rusty French | Ford XD Falcon | 6 | Rusty French |
| Bob Morris | Ford XD Falcon | 7 | Bob Morris |
| Launceston Hotel | Holden VC Commodore | 7 | Larry Perkins |
| Garry Willmington | Ford XD Falcon | 8 | Garry Willmington |
| Nine Network Racing Team | Chevrolet Camaro Z28 | 9 | Kevin Bartlett |
| Roadways Racing | Holden VC Commodore | 10 | Steve Harrington |
| Allan Grice Racing Pty. Ltd. | BMW 635CSi | 11 | Allan Grice |
| Warren Cullen | Holden VC Commodore | 12 | Warren Cullen |
| John English | Ford XD Falcon | 14 | John English |
| Neil Cunningham | Holden VB Commodore | 16 | Neil Cunningham |
| Tru-Blu Steel Tubing | Ford XD Falcon | 17 | Dick Johnson |
| Murray Carter | Ford XD Falcon | 18 | Murray Carter |
| Phil Lyon | Holden VB Commodore | 23 | Phil Lyon |
| Army Reserve Racing Team | Ford XD Falcon | 24 | Bob Muir |
| Ray Allford | Ford XD Falcon | 26 | Ray Allford |
| Capri Components | Ford Capri Mk III | 29 | Lawrie Nelson |
| Peter McLeod | Mazda RX-7 | 30 | Peter McLeod |
| Masterton Homes | Ford Capri Mk II | 31 | Colin Bond |
| Masterton Homes | Ford Capri Mk II | 32 | Steve Masterton |
| John Smith | Ford XD Falcon | 33 | John Smith |
| Northside Mazda | Mazda RX-7 | 34 | Terry Shiel |
| Phil Alexander | Mazda RX-3 | 35 | Phil Alexander |
| Mulgrave Mazda Belgrave Mazda | Mazda RX-3 | 41 | Frank Porter |
| Michael O'Hehir | Mazda RX-3 | 42 | Michael O'Hehir |
| J. Beninca Beninca Motors | Alfa Romeo Alfetta GTV | 46 | Joe Beninca |
| L. & J.F. Parshen | Mazda RX-3 | 46 | Ross Burbidge |
| Brian Callaghan | Ford XD Falcon | 47 | Brian Callaghan |
| Evan Thomas | Mazda RX-3 | 48 | Evan Thomas |
| Chickadee Chicken | Toyota Celica | 53 | Graeme Bailey |
| Craig Bradtke | Mitsubishi Lancer | 57 | Craig Bradtke |
| Country Dealer Team | Isuzu Gemini | 60 | Jim Faneco |
| Garry Everitt | Mazda RX-3 | 61 | Garry Everitt |
| Alexandra Surplice | Toyota Corolla Levin | 62 | Alexandra Surplice |
| Hooley Auto Electrics | Holden VC Commodore | 71 | Graeme Hooley |
| Guy Chenery | Ford Escort | 75 | Guy Chenery |
| Toyota Dealer Team | Toyota Celica | 77 | Peter Williamson |
| Gary Whittaker | Holden LX Torana SLR 5000 A9X | 78 | Gary Whittaker |
| Phil Walton | Toyota Celica | 79 | Phil Walton |
| Bill O'Brien | Ford XD Falcon | 80 | Bill O'Brien |
| John Bristow | Toyota Celica | 81 | John Bristow |
| G.K. Engineering | Ford Escort RS2000 | 95 | Darryl Gretgrix |

## Results and standings
### Race calendar

The 1981 Australian Touring Car Championship was contested over an eight-round series with Rounds 1, 3, 5, 7 & 8 being single race rounds and Rounds 2, 4 & 6 being two race rounds.
| Rd. | Race title | Circuit | City / state | Date | Winner | Team |
| 1 | Symmons Plains | Symmons Plains Raceway | Launceston, Tasmania | 1 Mar | Dick Johnson | Palmer Tube Mills |
| 2 | Yella Terra Trophy | Calder Park Raceway | Melbourne, Victoria | 15 Mar | Peter Brock | Marlboro Holden Dealer Team |
| 3 | Marlboro Cup | Oran Park Raceway | Sydney, New South Wales | 22 Mar | Dick Johnson | Palmer Tube Mills |
| 4 | Bill Patterson Trophy Race | Sandown Raceway | Melbourne, Victoria | 12 Apr | Dick Johnson | Palmer Tube Mills |
| 5 | Saab-Scania Trophy | Wanneroo Park | Perth, Western Australia | 26 Apr | Peter Brock | Marlboro Holden Dealer Team |
| 6 | Adelaide | Adelaide International Raceway | Adelaide, South Australia | 3 May | Peter Brock | Marlboro Holden Dealer Team |
| 7 | Surfers Paradise | Surfers Paradise Raceway | Surfers Paradise, Queensland | 17 May | Dick Johnson | Palmer Tube Mills |
| 8 | Lakeside | Lakeside International Raceway | Brisbane, Queensland | 21 Jun | Dick Johnson | Palmer Tube Mills |

### Championship standings

Colin Bond, driving an under 3 litre Ford Capri took seven class wins in the first seven rounds, but did not race at the final round as he was unlikely to improve his nett score. With Dick Johnson and Peter Brock only twice failing to take the top two positions (Johnson was third at Calder, and Brock did not finish at Sandown), they were classified ahead of Bond due to the bonus points they each received for their outright placings.
| Pos | Driver | Car | Sym | Cal | Ora | San | Wan | Ade | Sur | Lak | Pts |
| 1 | Dick Johnson | Ford XD Falcon | 13 | (6) | 13 | 13 | 9 | 9 | 13 | 13 | 83 |
| 2 | Peter Brock | Holden VC Commodore | 9 | 13 | 9 | Ret | 13 | 13 | 9 | 9 | 75 |
| 3 | Colin Bond | Ford Capri Mk II | 9 | 9 | 9 | 9 | 9 | 9 | 9 | | 63 |
| 4 | Steve Masterton | Ford Capri Mk II | 6 | 6 | | 6 | 6 | 3 | 6 | | 33 |
| 5 | Murray Carter | Ford XD Falcon | 6 | 9 | | 1 | 6 | 2 | 1 | | 25 |
| 6 | Peter Janson | Holden VC Commodore | 4 | 2 | 2 | 6 | | 4 | 6 | | 24 |
| 7 | Alan Browne | Holden VC Commodore | | 4 | | 4 | 4 | | 4 | 4 | 20 |
| 8 | Peter Williamson | Toyota Celica | | 4 | 6 | 4 | | 4 | | | 18 |
| 9 | Graeme Bailey | Toyota Celica | | | 4 | | | 2 | | 9 | 15 |
| 10 | Steve Harrington | Holden VC Commodore | 2 | 1 | | 2 | 2 | | | 6 | 13 |
| 11 | Kevin Bartlett | Chevrolet Camaro Z28 | | | 6 | | | 6 | | | 12 |
| 12 | Allan Grice | BMW 635CSi | | | | 9 | | | | | 9 |
| 12 | Frank Porter | Mazda RX-3 | | | | 3 | | 6 | | | 9 |
| 14 | Lawrie Nelson | Ford Capri Mk III | 4 | 3 | | | | | | | 7 |
| 15 | Ross Burbidge | Mazda RX-3 | | | | | | | | 6 | 6 |
| 15 | Evan Thomas | Mazda RX-3 | | | | | | | 2 | 4 | 6 |
| 17 | Peter McLeod | Mazda RX-7 | | | | | 4 | 1 | | | 5 |
| 18 | Gary Cooke | Holden VC Commodore | | | 4 | | | | | | 4 |
| 18 | Terry Shiel | Mazda RX-7 | | | | | | | 4 | | 4 |
| 20 | Michael O'Hehir | Mazda RX-3 | | | 3 | | | | | | 3 |
| 20 | Graham Mein | Ford Escort RS2000 | | | | | | | 3 | | 3 |
| 20 | Bob Muir | Ford XD Falcon | | | 1 | | | | | 2 | 3 |
| 23 | Joe Beninca | Alfa Romeo Alfetta GTV | | 2 | | | | | | | 2 |
| 23 | Alexandra Surplice | Toyota Corolla | | | 2 | | | | | | 2 |
| 23 | Neil Cunningham | Holden VC Commodore | | | | | | | 2 | | 2 |
| 26 | Jim Faneco | Isuzu Gemini | | 1 | | | | | | | 1 |
| 26 | Graeme Hooley | Holden VC Commodore | | | | | 1 | | | | 1 |
| 26 | Larry Perkins | Holden VC Commodore | | | | | | 1 | | | 1 |
| 26 | Greg Symes | Triumph Dolomite Sprint | | | | | | | 1 | | 1 |
| 26 | Gary Whittaker | Holden LX Torana SLR 5000 A9X | | | | | | | | 1 | 1 |
| Pos | Driver | Car | Sym | Cal | Ora | San | Wan | Ade | Sur | Lak | 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) |
Note: Points which could not be retained under the "best seven rounds" rule are shown in the above table within brackets.