1985 Australian GT Championship
The 1985 Australian GT Championship was the eighth Australian GT Championship and the fourth to be decided over a series of races. It was open to GT Cars complying with CAMS Group D regulations with Group B Sports Sedans and superseded Group C Touring Cars competing by invitation. The title was contested over six rounds from 24 March to 25 August 1985.
The championship was won by Bryan Thomson driving a Chevrolet Monza and a Mercedes-Benz 450 SLC Chevrolet for Thomson-Fowler Motorsport.
The Australian GT Championship was discontinued after 1985 however the title was reinstated for 2005.[1]
Schedule
| Round | Circuit | Date | Format | Race winner(s) | Round winner | Round winning car |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Lakeside International Raceway | 24 March | One race | Bryan Thomson | Bryan Thomson | Chevrolet Monza |
| 2 | Oran Park Raceway | 5 May | Two heats | Brad Jones Kevin Bartlett |
Bryan Thomson [2] | Mercedes-Benz 450 SLC Chevrolet |
| 3 | Winton Motor Raceway | 2 June | Two heats | Kevin Bartlett Kevin Bartlett |
Kevin Bartlett | De Tomaso Pantera |
| 4 | Adelaide International Raceway | 30 June | One race | Bryan Thomson | Bryan Thomson | Chevrolet Monza |
| 5 | Calder Park Raceway | 11 August | One race | Kevin Bartlett | Kevin Bartlett | De Tomaso Pantera |
| 6 | Surfers Paradise Raceway | 25 August | One race | Bryan Thomson | Bryan Thomson | Chevrolet Monza |
Note : Rounds were run concurrently with those of the 1985 Australian Sports Car Championship.
Points system
For rounds contested over a single race, i.e. Rounds 1, 4, 5 & 6, championship points were awarded on a 30-27-24-21-19-17-15-14-13-12-11-10-9-8-7-6-5-4-3-2 basis to the top twenty finishers in the round.
For rounds contested over two races, i.e. Rounds 2 & 3, championship points were awarded by allocating race points on a 30-27-24-21-19-17-15-14-13-12-11-10-9-8-7-6-5-4-3-2 basis to the top twenty finishers in each race, aggregating the points from the two races and then dividing the result by two. (Race points allocated for these races are shown in the table below within brackets)
Championship standings
| Pos | Driver | No. | Car | Entrant | Lak | Ora R1 | Ora R2 | Ora | Win R1 | Win R2 | Win | Ade | Cal | Sur | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Bryan Thomson | 14 17 |
Chevrolet Monza & Mercedes-Benz 450 SLC - Chevrolet |
Thomson-Fowler Motorsport | 30 | (24) | (27) | 25.5 | (27) | (24) | 25.5 | 30 | 24 | 30 | 165 |
| 2 | Peter Fitzgerald | 3 | Porsche Carrera RSR | Peter Fitzgerald / Stanilite Electronics | 24 | (27) | (24) | 25.5 | (24) | (27) | 25.5 | 27 | 21 | - | 123 |
| 3 | John Bourke | 77 | Toyota Celica Turbo | Brian Hilton Toyota | 27 | (19) | - | 9.5 | (21) | (19) | 20 | - | - | 24 | 80.5 |
| 4 | Kevin Bartlett | 5 | De Tomaso Pantera | Paul Halstead / The Toy Shop | - | - | (30) | 15 | (30) | (30) | 30 | - | 30 | - | 75 |
| 5 | Peter McLeod | 50 | Mazda RX-7 | Petrolon Slick 50 | - | - | (21) | 10.5 | (19) | (21) | 20 | 24 | - | - | 54.5 |
| 6 | Gary Scott | 104 | Nissan Bluebird Turbo | Tapsall-Scott Racing | - | (17) | (19) | 18 | - | - | - | - | - | 27 | 45 |
| 7 | Brad Jones | 17 14 |
Mercedes-Benz 450 SLC - Chevrolet & Chevrolet Monza |
Thomson-Fowler Motorsport | - | (30) | - | 15 | - | - | - | - | 27 | - | 42 |
| 8 | Simon Harrex | 69 | Holden Commodore | 21 | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | 21 | |
| 8 | Cos Monterosso | 30 | Ford Escort BDG | Cos Monterosso | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | 21 | - | - | 21 |
| 8 | Vic Cameron | 96 | Ford Escort | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | 21 | 21 | |
| 11 | John Gurney | 9 | BMW 318i Turbo | Coolratio Motor Sports | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | 19 | - | - | 19 |
| 11 | Graeme Whincup | 6 | Chevrolet Monza | Graeme Whincup | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | 19 | - | 19 |
| 13 | Peter Finch | 16 | Chrysler Valiant Charger | Peter Finch | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | 17 | - | - | 17 |
| 14 | Brian Callaghan | 47 | Ford XE Falcon | Mobile Concrete Pumping | - | (15) | (17) | 16 | - | - | - | - | - | - | 16 |
| 15 | Graham Nowland | 81 | Mazda RX-7 | - | (13) | (15) | 14 | - | - | - | - | - | - | 14 | |
| 16 | Chris Hones | 91 | BMW 318i Turbo | - | (21) | - | 10.5 | - | - | - | - | - | - | 10.5 | |
| 17 | Robin Doherty | 27 | Holden Torana | Robin Doherty | - | (14) | - | 7 | - | - | - | - | - | - | 7 |
References
- Australian Titles, 2013 CAMS Manual of Motor Sport, as archived at web.archive.org
- Australian Motor Racing Year 1985/86 page 224
- Australian Motor Racing Yearbook, 1985/86
- CAMS Manual of Motor Sport, 1985
- Official Programme, Adelaide International Raceway, 30 June 1985
External links
- www.camsmanual.com.au