Frank matich racing driver

Sep 18, 2017 the late frank matich was the allround australian racing package. The photographer is unkown, maybe a flaggie or corner worker, they have been passed down by marcs dad adrien and preserved for posterity. Bay of plenty road race, john youl and the frank matich lotus. The second week of its heritage series s5000 has paid tribute to a great of australian motor racing frank matich. See more ideas about race cars, racing and indy cars. Frank matich was a stickler for testing and developing machines. The 1974 tasman series and frank matich retirement. The team had also designed and built a series of sports racing cars, the. The press kit is by autosport promotions alan bouverat. Despite his racing talent, kris matich summed up the preferences of his dad by saying he was an engineer first and a driver second. The famous australian, frank matich, is a well known and accomplished racer. Frank matich the nostalgia forum the autosport forums. A highly successful motor racing competitor in the 1960s and 1970s, matich built his own range of matich sports cars and open wheel cars, mainly to support his own career, but some cars found success with other drivers.

Frank matich, who died on monday at 80 after a long illness, could have been australias next jack brabham, but shunned international glory for a more regular life at home. The s5000 heritage series is a 10week rollout of classic concept liveries celebrating heroes of formula 5000 racing from the 1970s and 1980s. Last week it was elfin creator garrie cooper, while this weeks livery pays tribute to another driverbuilder in frank matich. Frank matich, gold star champion of 1972, multiple sports car championship and att winner, for years australias fastest driver, died about forty minutes ago. In 2012, michael stahl spoke to matich about his friends and rivals in the sport. Kevin bartlett born 25 may 1940 sydney, new south wales. Hailed by many as australias finest allround race driver, with engineering and driving skills to rival the late great sir jack brabham, frank matich has died in sydney after a long and debilitating illness. The matich sr3 was a group a sports car built for matich by bob britton in 1967. Frank matich born 1935 1, was an australian racing car driver. Robert riley, ken symes, chris miles, derek kneller, john anderson, leon jarvis. Sep 08, 2017 frank matich was a professional racing driver, the family weeties were provided by race and related commercial success, to win the 1965 att was therefore important to him.

Just three months after his 1971 agp success, matich qualified the a50 on pole for the 1972 australian grand prix at sandown and led early before retiring with scavenge pump failure on lap 5. Hes a tasman race winner, australian champion driver, sports car and f5000 builder and winner, a successful businessman and hes never slow with an opinion. Frank matich was an outstanding test, development and racing driver. Frank matich proved time and again the strongest partisan opposition to the european brigade, often matching and occasionally trouncing f1s. The painted gold nose was the result of the car coming loose in the trailer and hitting the back door on the way to warwick farm for private practice 1963. Frank matich racing career profile driver database. Frank was consistently amongst the fastest of the local drivers during the annual tasman series in the 1960s and early 70s, going wheeltowheel with f1 stars including jim clark, graham hill and our own sir jack brabham. Less than 24 hours after his death, the motor racing world reflected on the valuable contribution matich has given. Speed read november 2016 by motorsport australia issuu. A driver, car constructor and engineering genius, his exploits in open wheeler and sports car racing landed him multiple. A highly successful motor racing competitor in the 1960s and 70s, matich built his own range of sports cars and open wheel cars, mainly to support his own career, but some cars found success with other drivers. Later, he moved to a jaguar dtype with support from leaton motors, which lead to a fourth place finish in the australian tourist trophy at bathurst in 1958.

A driver, car constructor and engineering genius, his exploits in open wheeler and sports car racing landed him multiple australian championships. Matich performed so well against the visiting international drivers to australia in the 1960s that he was courted by a number of formula one teams, including cooper, lotus. Kevin bartlett racing career profile driver database. Matich was a superb race driver from the late 1950s until the mid1970s and a brilliant constructor of sports and openwheeler cars. Thanks for the great memories of you racing the sr3 and 4 as well as the f5000s. Frank matich repcomatich a51 two team manager carroll smith merchanics. Frank matich was considered by many to be australias finest allround race driver.

Frank matich project gutenberg selfpublishing ebooks. His race record in australia in the 1960s and 70s in demonically fast sports and racing cars was brilliant. May 11, 2015 page 1 of 2 frank matich 1935 2015 posted in the nostalgia forum. Mclaren held matich in high esteem as both a driver and engineer, and in 1965 had asked him to come across to race in f1 and help bruce with the ford gt40 le mans program. Frank matich is remembered not only as one of the greatest drivers of the. As a driver and engineer at brabham, driver and development engineer on the ford gt40 and allan mann racing and chief development engineer at lola. A driver, car constructor and engineering genius, his exploits in open. Frank matich, barry lewis, peter roach, dave powell, john. Marc schagen is the custodian of the collection of photos on the following pages under his name.

May, 2015 as a driver of single seaters and big banger sports cars, he was ranked as one of the best in the business. See more ideas about race cars, racing and sports car racing. If not for a huge sports car crash at lakeside that prevented frank from going to europe, he may have become the ken miles character in the ford v ferrari movie. By the time the first cigarettesponsored cars had dared to race on. It was a superb looking racing car, as good as any f1f5000 in the world at that time, a testament to frank matichs engineering prowess and all built in australia. A highly successful motor racing competitor in the 1960s and 70s, matich built his own range of matich sports cars and open wheel cars, mainly to support his own career, but some cars found success with other drivers. Today we sadly farewell another legendary friend in our motor racing world frank matich. Rest in peace, frank matich historic sports and racing car. Peter bloore then had a type 19 chassis made for this restoration project, and sold it disassemble to prominent american collector driver joel finn. In the 1960s frank matich diced with the sports greats. Noted british artisan and driver rod jolley was in australia that summer racing, i think, a cooper t51 at phillip. The matich name was applied to a series of sports racing cars and open wheel racing cars produced in australia between 1967 and 1974 under the direction of sydney based racing driver and engineer frank matich.

May 15, 2009 the travelodge repcomatich racing team entrant dr. Barry lakes cars and drivers identified this car as 001 in both its. Oct 15, 2017 keith berryman enjoying his car at wakefield park. For over eight years hes been suffering from an infection that resulted from a knee replacement, the necessary medication for this problem caused him to gain. Hes a tasman race winner, australian champion driver, sports car and f5000. Described by frank matich as an openwheel version of his highly successful. Frank matich was one of australias finest motor racing craftsman and competitors. Racing driver frank matich sought mechanical perfection. After winning one more race during the 1973 tasman, frank matich built.

The late frank matich was the allround australian racing package. Frank matich then went on to win the 1972 australian drivers championship at the wheel of his a50. Matich a51 a52 and a53 car by car histories cute766. Now lives in brisbane, where he works as a car restorer, but also as a race technician and tester for a automobile workshop. Peter bloore then had a type 19 chassis made for this restoration project, and sold it disassemble to prominent american collectordriver joel finn. Sep 19, 2017 the late frank matich was the allround australian racing package. Frank matich, meanwhile, had used the basis of the rebuilt lotus 19b as the core of his largecapacity elfin unlimitedcapacity class sports racing car. A highly successful motor racing competitor in the 1960s and 1970s, matich built his own range of matich sports cars and open wheel cars, mainly to support his own career, but some. As a driver of single seaters and big banger sports cars, he was ranked as one of the best in the business. May 21, 2020 frank matich 25 january 1935 11 may 2015 was an australian racing car driver. A highly successful motor racing competitor in the 1960s and 1970s, matich. S5000 heritage series frank matich champion, engineer, innovator. Page 1 of 2 frank matich 1935 2015 posted in the nostalgia forum. Winner of 1969 australian sports car championship driven by frank matich few australian made racing cars have the credentials of the sr4.

You raced in the best era for motor racing and hopefully you, leo, sir jack, max and many others. In a career spanning two decades from the mid50s, he took several australian sports. He won the race the year before at longford in the 19b but for 1965 the field had greater depth. Frank matich and the gold star arguably fm was australias greatest resident racing driver of the sixties and seventies, certainly he was one of them, despite that he collected only one gold star. A total of four a50s were built during this period.

His race record in australia in the 1960s and 70s in demonically fast sports and racing. He also competed in formula 5000s, first in a mclaren and then in a matich, a car he built and designed himself. Driver frank matich in late 1962 garrie cooper sent a number of elfin products to the sydney motor show to display what the south australian manufacturer was producing at that time. Frank matich in the matich a53, the seventh and last of his f5000 cars. He began his racing career by racing his mg tc which was later replaced with an austinhealey 1004. Frank matich always a very quick driver who often outqualified the overseas competitors in the 60s, especially at warwick farm. Frank matich frank matich was a highly successful motor racing competitor in the 1960s and 1970s. Frank matich, one of australias finest drivers and engineers, has died in sydney, aged 80. In 1963, the sydneycentric press trumpted a new age would occur when matich apeared in the 2. Complete disaster full interior car detailing transformation. Since the founding of the gpda in 1961, according to the best efforts of its record keeper, this innerinner club has only ever had one member. Still very much involved with motorsport, both current and historic. Frank matich, born 1935, was an australian racing car driver.