LoGaMo Racing,also known asTony Longhurst Racing,was an Australian motor racing team that competed inAustralian touring car racingbetween1988and1994.The team was initially a collaboration betweenTony LonghurstandFrank Gardner,with Terry Morris later joining as a shareholder, with their three names combining to create the LoGaMo name. The team is best known for winning the1988 Bathurst 1000with Longhurst andTomas Mezera.
| Manufacturer | Ford BMW Holden |
|---|---|
| Team Principal | Frank Gardner Tony Longhurst |
| Race Drivers | Tony Longhurst(1988–94) Tomas Mezera(1988) Neville Crichton(1989, 1990) Denny Hulme(1989–92) Alan Jones(1989–92) Mark McLaughlin (1990) Peter Fitzgerald (1991, 1993) Paul Morris(1992–94) Johnny Cecotto(1992) John Blanchard (1993–94) Geoff Full (1993) Steve Soper(1993) Joachim Winkelhock(1993) Charlie O'Brien(1994) |
| Chassis | Ford Sierra RS500 BMW M3 BMW 320i Holden Commodore VP |
| Debut | 1988 |
| Drivers' Championships | 0 |
| Round wins | 4 |
| Race wins | 6 |
Background
editAt the end of1987Frank Gardner closed hisJPS Team BMWoperation, having decided to retire after a period of ill health. Lead driverJim Richards,who had won two championships for the team, and theBMW M3smoved toPeter Brock'sMobil 1 Racingteam. For1988,Tony Longhurst, who had raced the second JPS BMW M3, formed his own team on theGold Coast,which was initially known as Tony Longhurst Racing. Frank Gardner was listed as a consultant to the new team, but as the1988 seasonprogressed, he assumed the team manager's role and would become a shareholder in the team.
History
editFreeport Motorsport
editGoing into 1988, the team entered a singleFord Sierra RS500for Longhurst. However, over the previous off-season Gardner had led the successful protest against the factory-backedEggenberger MotorsportFord Sierras at the1987 Bathurst 1000,which had ultimately cost the Ford theWorld Touring Car Championship.This made it difficult for the team to source components throughFord in Europe,with endurance co-driverTomas Mezerawho was based inLondonat the time, trying to source components.
Longhurst would finish the championship in fifth position, finishing only four of the nine rounds, including a win at theLakesideroundafterDick Johnsonwas given a one-minute penalty for a false start.[1]
Benson & Hedges Racing
editFrom theSandown 500onwards, Amatil'sBenson & Hedgesbrand was applied, Longhurst and Mezera going on to win the1988 Bathurst 1000.[2]It was the firstBathurst 1000win for both drivers, and also the first for Gardner as team manager, who failed to win the race in his otherwise successfulJPS Team BMWera. The winning car now resides in theNational Motor Racing Museumnear the circuit.
In1989,the team expanded to two cars withNeville Crichtondriving a second Sierra.[3]In1990,Alan Jonesreplaced Crichton in the second car.[4]In both years, Longhurst would again finish in the top six of the championship. In 1990, Gardner established a Performance Driving Centre atNorwellwith the team's workshop incorporated.[5]In1991,Gardner rekindled his links toBMWand the team became the marque's factory team, acquiring a pair of exSchnitzer MotorsportBMW M3s.[6]Longhurst won two rounds atAmaroo Parkand Lakeside and finished third in the championship. From 1989 to 1991, Longhurst also won three consecutiveAMSCARtitle at Amaroo Park for the team.
In1992,Longhurst won a third round at Lakeside and again finished third in the championship. A third M3 was also entered at selected events in 1992 forPaul Morriswhose father Terry would become a shareholder in the team, completing the triumvirate of owners to create the LoGaMo name.[7]At the1992 Bathurst 1000,Formula Oneworld championDenny Hulmesuffered a heart attack and died while co-driving with Morris.[8]In1993,despite the championship's move towards aFordversusHoldenformula, the team expanded to field four M3s, with John Blanchard replacing Alan Jones in the second Benson & Hedges car, and Paul Morris and Geoff Full racing withDiet Cokesponsorship.[9]
By1994,BMW was no longer eligible for the five-litre ATCC and LoGaMo committed to race in the1994 Australian Manufacturers' Championshipwith a pair of two-litreBMW 320is.However, with the series at one stage in doubt, and a desire by sponsors to retain a presence in the country's main category, twoPerkins EngineeringbuiltHolden Commodore VPs were purchased with Longhurst and Morris racing in both the two-litre andfive-litreseries.[10]Longhurst won one race at theBarbagallo roundbut both him and Morris finished outside the top ten of the ATCC, with the team skipping thePhillip Island roundentirely to focus on the Manufacturers' Championship.[1]
Meanwhile in the Manufacturers Championship, the team finished first second and third with their three entrants, with Longhurst taking the title. However, the year was perhaps best remembered for team-mates Longhurst and Morris colliding on the pit straight atWinton.Longhurst blamed Morris for the crash, which had put both cars into the concrete wall, and infamously punched Morris through Morris's driver's side window.[11]
Demise
editHeading into 1995, Longhurst wished to continue in the ATCC while Gardner and Morris wanted to stick with the two-litreSuper Touring Championship.At the end of 1994, Gardner and Morris bought Longhurst out, with the latter formingLonghurst Racingto race aFord Falcon EFin the1995 ATCC season,a team which continued in the championship until 1999.[12]Gardner continued with the Morris family to formPaul Morris Motorsport.Gardner retired soon after and sold the Performance Driving Centre in Norwell to Morris, who continues to use the facility as a base, including for a return to the ATCC (which had become known asV8 Supercars) from 2000 to 2012.
See also
editReferences
edit- ^abGreenhalgh, David; Howard, Graham; Wilson, Stewart (2011).The official history: Australian Touring Car Championship - 50 Years.St Leonards,New South Wales:Chevron Publishing Group. pp. 102–111.ISBN978-0-9805912-2-4.
- ^Normoyle, Steve (1989).The Great Race 8.Hornsby: Chevron Publishing.ISSN1031-6124.
- ^Normoyle, Steve (1990).The Great Race 9.Hornsby: Chevron Publishing.ISSN1031-6124.
- ^Normoyle, Steve (1991).The Great Race 10.Hornsby: Chevron Publishing.ISSN1031-6124.
- ^Introducing The Performance Driving CentreThe Performance Driving Centre
- ^Normoyle, Steve (1992).The Great Race 11.Hornsby: Chevron Publishing.ISSN1031-6124.
- ^Normoyle, Steve (1993).The Great Race 12.Hornsby: Chevron Publishing.ISSN1031-6124.
- ^Greenhalgh, David; Tuckey, Bill (2013).The official history of The Great Race Bathurst: 50 years.St Leonards,New South Wales:Chevron Publishing Group.ISBN9780980591231.
- ^Normoyle, Steve (1994).The Great Race 13.Hornsby: Chevron Publishing.ISSN1031-6124.
- ^Normoyle, Steve (1995).The Great Race 14.Hornsby: Chevron Publishing.ISSN1031-6124.
- ^Herrero, Daniel (11 October 2013)."Tony Longhurst limbering up for last lap".Speedcafe.Retrieved23 March2019.
- ^Normoyle, Steve (1995).The Great Race 15.Hornsby: Chevron Publishing.ISSN1031-6124.