# John French (racing driver)

John French (28 November 1930 – 12 March 2025) was an Australian racing driver.

## Biography

French was born in Millaa Millaa, Queensland, and his long career lasted from the 1960s to 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 a 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 was 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). 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.
French died in Brisbane, Queensland on 12 March 2025, at the age of 94.

## Gallery

* The Centaur Waggott with which French won the 1962 Australian GT Championship
* Alfa Romeo GTA at Lakeside 1971, 18 April 1971
* Morris Mini Cooper S at Lakeside, 16 May 1971
* John French in Ian Geoghegan's Improved Production Ford Falcon GTHO at Lakeside, 25 July 1971
* Ford Falcon GTHO Phase III at Surfers Paradise International Raceway, 6 February 1972
* Bryan Byrt Ford sponsored Ford Falcon GTHO Phase III at Lakeside, 10 October 1972

## Career results

| Season | Series | Position | Car | Entrant |
| 1962 | Australian GT Championship | 1st | Centaur Waggott | GP Cars Racing Team |
| 1964 | Australian Touring Car Championship | 8th | Morris Cooper S | Peter Uscinski P/L |
| 1966 | Australian Touring Car Championship | 6th | Morris Cooper S | J. French |
| 1967 | Australian Touring Car Championship | 8th | Morris Cooper S | J. French |
| 1969 | Australian Touring Car Championship | 10th | Alfa Romeo 1750 GTV | Alec Mildren Racing |
| 1970 | Australian Touring Car Championship | 12th | Morris Cooper S | British Leyland Racing Team |
| 1971 | Australian Touring Car Championship | 6th | Ford XY Falcon GTHO Phase III | Allan Moffat Racing Geoghegans Sporty Cars |
| 1972 | South Pacific Touring Series | 10th | Ford Falcon GTHO | Ford Motor Company of Australia Ltd. |
| 1972 | Australian Touring Car Championship | 23rd | Ford XY Falcon GTHO Phase III | Bryan Byrt Ford |
| 1974 | Australian Touring Car Championship | 10th | Alfa Romeo 2000 GTV | |
| 1975 | Australian Touring Car Championship | 9th | Alfa Romeo 2000 GTV | Alfa Romeo Dealers Aust. |
| 1980 | Australian Touring Car Championship | 24th | Alfa Romeo 2000 GTV | |
| 1982 | Australian Endurance Championship | NC | Ford XE Falcon | Palmer Tube Mills |
| 1983 | Australian Endurance Championship | NC | Nissan Bluebird Turbo | Nissan Motor Co. Australia P/L |
| 1984 | Australian Endurance Championship | NC | Ford XE Falcon | Palmer Tube Mills |
| 1985 | Australian Endurance Championship | NC | Holden VK Commodore | Alf Grant |
| 1986 | Australian Endurance Championship | NC | Holden VK Commodore SS Group A | Dulux Auto Colour |
| 1987 | World Touring Car Championship | NC | Mitsubishi Starion Turbo | Ralliart Australia |

### 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.

### Complete Phillip Island/Bathurst 500/1000 results

| Year | Team | Co-drivers | Car | Class | Laps | Overall position | Class position |
| 1960 | Australian Motor Industries | Norm Beechey | Standard Vanguard | D | 162 | 5th | 2nd |
| 1964 | Ron Hodgson Motors Pty Ltd | Ron Hodgson | Ford Cortina Mk.I GT | C | 127 | 5th | 4th |
| 1965 | BMC | John Harvey | Morris Cooper S | C | 24 | DNF | DNF |
| 1966 | BMC Australia | Steve Harvey | Morris Cooper S | C | 127 | 8th | 8th |
| 1967 | BMC Works Team | Timo Mäkinen | Morris Cooper S | C | 127 | 7th | 3rd |
| 1968 | Alec Mildren (Qld) | Frank Gardner | Alfa Romeo 1750 GTV | E | | DSQ | DSQ |
| 1969 | Alec Mildren Alfa Romeo | Doug Chivas | Alfa Romeo 1750 GTV | E | 0 | DNF | DNF |
| 1971 | Ford Motor Co of Australia | | Ford XY Falcon GT-HO Phase III | E | 129 | 5th | 4th |
| 1972 | Bryan Byrt Ford Pty Ltd | | Ford XY Falcon GT-HO Phase III | D | 129 | 2nd | 1st |
| 1973 | Bryan Byrt Ford | Bob Skelton | Ford XA Falcon GT Hardtop | D | 91 | DNF | DNF |
| 1974 | John French Pty Ltd | Dick Johnson | Alfa Romeo 2000 GTV | 1301 – 2000cc | 71 | DNF | DNF |
| 1978 | Bryan Byrt Ford | Warwick Brown | Ford XC Falcon GS500 Hardtop | A | 57 | DNF | DNF |
| 1979 | Thompson Ford | Colin Bond | Ford XC Falcon GS500 Hardtop | A | 23 | DNF | DNF |
| 1980 | Palmer Tube Mills | Dick Johnson | Ford XD Falcon | 3001-6000cc | 17 | DNF | DNF |
| 1981 | Palmer Tube Mills | Dick Johnson | Ford XD Falcon | 8 Cylinder & Over | 120 | 1st | 1st |
| 1982 | Palmer Tube Mills | Dick Johnson | Ford XE Falcon | A | 160 | DSQ | DSQ |
| 1983 | Nissan Motor Co. Australia P/L | Fred Gibson | Nissan Bluebird Turbo | A | 134 | 22nd | 20th |
| 1984 | Palmer Tube Mills | Dick Johnson | Ford XE Falcon | Group C | 107 | DNF | DNF |
| 1984 | Palmer Tube Mills | Dick Johnson | Ford Mustang GT | Group A | - | DNS | DNS |
| 1985 | Alf Grant | Alf Grant | Holden VK Commodore | C | 0 | DNF | DNF |
| 1986 | Dulux Auto Colour | Alf Grant | Holden VK Commodore SS Group A | C | 11 | DNF | DNF |
| 1987 | Ralliart Australia | Gary Scott Akihiko Nakaya | Mitsubishi Starion Turbo | 1 | 154 | 5th (DND)* | 4th (DND)* |
* In 1987 French was listed to drive and qualified the #16 Ralliart Starion, but never got to drive in the race