Constitution of the Group C Touring Car Association
Group
C Touring Cars represent the period 1973 to 1984 and it was during this period
the legends
of Touring Car racing of today and the recent past forged their reputations .
It was the period that strengthened the Ford vs Holden rivalry that is the
basis of today’s V8 Supercars.
The
demise of Group C Touring cars in 1984, marked the end of one of the
most significant era's in Australian touring car history.
Bathurst' 84 was
promoted as "The Last of the Big Bangers", the cars were unmistakably
loud
in every way, from the noise, to the flared guards, large spoilers and
vibrant
colour schemes. Group
C produced some of the most recognized cars
and drivers in Australian touring car history. Names like Johnson came to
prominence during the Group C era with the “rock” incident of 1980,
and the Greens Tuf Falcon.
The 1-2 finish of Moffat and Bond from 1977
Bathurst, and a string of Holdens Torana's and Commodores that made Brock a
household name.
As
well as the well known cars, there were the strange and unusual cars,
The Exa turbo of Christine Gibson, The very successful Ford Capri's where names
like
Seton started, The black 635 BMW of Richards. The concept of a race within a
race was
forged with Escorts battling Celicas , Dolomites and Alfas for the glory in the
under 2 Litre Category .
Marques such as Audi VW Mazda and Datsun/Nissan left an indelible mark
on touring car racing in this country during this period.
The
cars racing are not replica's, they are the actual cars raced during 1973
to1984.
Many of the cars still carry the names of sponsors and drivers now long gone
from motor racing,
with admission of Group C to the 5th Category in 2002 these cars find
a place to race
and recreate the era when flares were the “in” thing and not only for your
jeans.
The
Group C Touring Car Association represents this diverse group of competitors
and is committed to ensuring that the category develops as an integral part of
the historic scene .
The association has also included in it’s ranks the Group A era to 1989
which ,like Group C,
includes some truly diverse vehicles as well as continuing the class
structure. Again these
cars are original vehicles and the opportunity to race in this class has saved
many of them,
like the Group C cars , from an ignoble end to their racing careers. These cars
when running are
as “invited” vehicles and certainly will add to the spectacle of the racing
.