RIP Frank Gardner

Yes, Frank had been driving for Ron Hodgson and put me into the drive when he had to withdraw. The oil seal had gone between the bell housing and the crank case
towards the end of the race and the clutch was slipping like hell. Brockie and Bondie had been leading and had problems which allowed us to go into the lead but when we started to get the clutch slip he was catching fast. I could see the emotion in our pit from the car. It was a big win for me but even bigger for Bobby. I drove with Bobby on many other occasions but never quite made it. We would have won in the Falcon in the early eighties when we had a comfortable lead, but Bobby was caught up in the big accident on the mountain which stopped the race. I was also leading with Moffat in the Falcon one year when it expired. I used to love my trips to Bathurst and it was there in late '79 that Dick Barbour asked me to drive for him in the IMSA series in 1980.

Couldn't believe it when Brockie died. He was a great driver and a great Australian. We had been together the week before at the Goodwood Revival, both in Corvettes, having fun.

Welcome Fitzy Terrific to see you posting here...

Bathurst? Why not pop over one Easter for a Guest drive!!

http://www.fosc.com....SC@Bathurst.htm

I've just heard from Sid Taylor that there is a new Frank Gardner book under preparation, and that the author is over in the UK from Australia conducting research and visiting Birmingham tomorrow. Sid's not sure who it is and has asked me to ask the forum if they can offer any clues?
(I'm likely to meet the guy tomorrow so it would help me to know his identity).

I've recently uncovered this pic of Frank and his wife with Sid Taylor in Sid's archives, but have yet to tackle him on date & place. It's a while back, that's for sure.....


By giraffe138 at 2010-06-24

I do not know who the lady in the photo, but she is not Gloria Gardner.

I believe the chap you ask about would be one Tony Whitlock, a journalist well known down here. He has talked to me about my days racing with Frank in the Mildren team and I'm sure he mentioned a trip to UK for more background for the book he is writing about FG, I am told, with the family's permission

Correct Peter, that's Mary Taylor & maybe you can confirm that this is Gloria with Mary?


By giraffe138 at 2011-02-17

If Tony Whitlock wants to contact me, feel free to give him details

Edited by eldougo, 26 February 2011 - 04:11.

The car was designed by Len Bailey for Frank Gardner and built at the Palliser factory with which the Winkelman operation was linked. Palliser cars were at that time sold in the US as Winklemans
The car was originally called the Franklen-Palliser but raced only once (I think) before it was taken to Australia and renamed the Mildren-Chevrolet

When Allan Mann closed his race setup, Frank Gardner formed Motor Racing Research and with Len Bailey and some ex Mann personel the Franklen was built in one of Mann's hangers with a Ford engine. Wheels/uprights/brakes were from the Bailey designed Ford DFV lightweight sports car (P6 ????)
Lola then supplied a T190 to Gardner, who sold the Franklen to Palliser.
Hugh Dibley maintains that all Palliser did to the car was put a Palliser sticker on the nose.
Was sold to Mildren, KB drove it in the '70 Horden Trophy at Warwick Farm and then the '71 Tasman Series with a Chev engine. (Still trying to find out where and when this was fitted)
Sold to Jack Wortmeyer late '72, ran at the '73 Warwick Farm and '74 Oran Park Tasman rounds - Albury meetings and some hill climbs.
It's last outing was the '74 Oran Park Tasman and has been sitting in Wollongong ever since.

Complete restoration is underway

This car has no connection with Peter Gumley's or any of the other Wortmeyer SCV hill climb cars

I just received a phone call from Ray Bell saying that Frank Gardner has passed away.

Does anyone recall the racing drivers' school at Calder? I've just been searching Trove online and can't find a single reference to it. I spent a week learning race driving with Frank Gardner in a Formula Ford around the time he was also mentoring Robyn Hamilton. It's a shame I have no photos; no phones with cameras back then. I'd already been involved in hillclimbs, rallies and sprints, had trained with Peter Wherrett and was keen to find out if I had what it took to go further. Peter certainly thought so and gave me a lot of encouragement. I remember the first day at Calder we started out in a small tin top - I can't recall what car it was - with Frank beside me giving instructions. I can hear his voice still; squeeze the brakes; always be smooth; conserve the engine and gearbox - if you don't finish the race you can't win; relax your shoulders - no-one can drive with stiff shoulders. I always found this great advice when a little nervous amongst all those Vees. Frank told me he didn't believe women could drive but after observing me and Robyn he completely changed his mind. Robyn had a very different style from me - I was always very conservative and careful, mainly due to having very little money to repair any crashed cars. Thanks to Frank's training I never had an accident while competing and I am still competing at the club level today. I was honoured to be offered a drive at Bathurst in an SLR 5000 with a German team but unfortunately I didn't have the $3000 entry fee for the co-driver at the time - one of my greatest disappointments to have missed out on competing there. Frank was a brilliant teacher and I'm so fortunate to have spent a whole week under his instruction. I recall in his office there was a cartoon of a lady in racing suit beside a Formula Ford asking, "Is it an automatic or a manual?" Frank wanted me to go into Formula Ford but as Formula Vee was the cheaper option and I wasn't flush with funds, that's what I did. - Louise Roy

Edited by LouiseRoy, 05 June 2014 - 23:58.

Without going through old mags, I think the driving school was called the "Bob Jane - Frank Gardner" driving school or something similar.   It was set up at Calder after Frank had re-settled in Oz and was doing some work for Bob. This included re-engineering the Torana Sports Sedan by replacing the Repco engine with a Chev (again from memory, don't shoot me if that's wrong).   I think the small car that Louise referred to was probably a Gemini.    Frank eventually moved up to Sydney to kick off another chapter in his racing career.

Does anyone recall the racing drivers' school at Calder? I've just been searching Trove online and can't find a single reference to it. I spent a week learning race driving with Frank Gardner in a Formula Ford around the time he was also mentoring Robyn Hamilton. It's a shame I have no photos; no phones with cameras back then. I'd already been involved in hillclimbs, rallies and sprints, had trained with Peter Wherrett and was keen to find out if I had what it took to go further. Peter certainly thought so and gave me a lot of encouragement. I remember the first day at Calder we started out in a small tin top - I can't recall what car it was - with Frank beside me giving instructions. I can hear his voice still; squeeze the brakes; always be smooth; conserve the engine and gearbox - if you don't finish the race you can't win; relax your shoulders - no-one can drive with stiff shoulders. I always found this great advice when a little nervous amongst all those Vees. Frank told me he didn't believe women could drive but after observing me and Robyn he completely changed his mind. Robyn had a very different style from me - I was always very conservative and careful, mainly due to having very little money to repair any crashed cars. Thanks to Frank's training I never had an accident while competing and I am still competing at the club level today. I was honoured to be offered a drive at Bathurst in an SLR 5000 with a German team but unfortunately I didn't have the $3000 entry fee for the co-driver at the time - one of my greatest disappointments to have missed out on competing there. Frank was a brilliant teacher and I'm so fortunate to have spent a whole week under his instruction. I recall in his office there was a cartoon of a lady in racing suit beside a Formula Ford asking, "Is it an automatic or a manual?" Frank wanted me to go into Formula Ford but as Formula Vee was the cheaper option and I wasn't flush with funds, that's what I did. - Louise Roy

I feel the ladys comment was 'oh poo it is a manual' A Stonie cartoon.

I've just heard from Sid Taylor that there is a new Frank Gardner book under preparation, and that the author is over in the UK from Australia conducting research and visiting Birmingham tomorrow. Sid's not sure who it is and has asked me to ask the forum if they can offer any clues?
(I'm likely to meet the guy tomorrow so it would help me to know his identity).

I don't think the last one ever got done!

I knew frank quite well due to the jaguar connection and he wrote the forward for our Jaguar book.

terry

Does anyone know if the Frank Gardner book was ever finished/published?

I don't think the last one ever got done!
terry

Terry, I don't know if has been mentioned here before but there was the small hardcover, running 160 pages,   Castrol "Racing Drivers Manual" by Frank Gardner, with Doug Nye, and forward by Eric Broadley published October 1973, of which I have a copy.

Michael (group7) in Canada

here is an image of the book, on e-bay

https://www.amazon.c...r/dp/085059135X

Edited by group7, 20 December 2016 - 16:03.

I got Frank to sign my copy when i worked for him in 1982.....GREAT man to work for.

Terry, I don't know if has been mentioned here before but there was the small hardcover, running 160 pages,   Castrol "Racing Drivers Manual" by Frank Gardner, with Doug Nye, and forward by Eric Broadley published October 1973, of which I have a copy.

Just read these posts as a reminder of some extremely happy times spent with Frank and Gloria in their then home at Huntingdon.  Frank and I just spent hours cracking up and roaring with laughter at one thing or another. Gloria was absolutely gorgeous - and a lovely person too. One day there coincided with the Miss World contest on the TV and we sat with dinner on on trays on our laps and watched the telly.  Not only was Francis's commentary as side-splitting as you can imagine - but Gloria contributed a terrific commentary of her own, both on the contest itself...and upon her husband.  They were a lovely couple...very fondly remembered...

DCN

That is a great story  Doug and i can just see it ,must have been funny he sure was a one of a kind Frank and Gloria could hang in there with him sometimes..

And as you say..........They were a lovely couple...very fondly remembered..

Cheers Happy Christmas.

I heard from Tony Whitlock last week, too...

He's still advancing the book on Frank, I don't know how long before it's to be finished, however.

Frank Gardner doing the initial shakedown tests of Jackie Stewart’s Lola T260 Chev Can-Am car at Silverstone in May 1971 (MotorSport).

He won two rounds in it but it was still his least favourite racing car - just edging out the BRM P83 H16! 
 

https://primotipo.co...lola-t260-chev/
 

Edited by MarkBisset, 19 March 2022 - 20:29.

Anyone putting the Ford F3L on pole for the 1000 kms round the old Spa, well clear of local hero Ickx, in 1968 must have been some driver

Indeed Jacko! FG ready to boogie, almost, at the Nurburgring in 1968. A fateful day for Chris Irwin. (Getty)

Feature on the car here; https://primotipo.co...in-deep-beauty/

Edited by MarkBisset, 19 March 2022 - 20:27.

I was in contact with Tony in August 2019. This was what he wrote about the FG book - "that despite several medical hiccups in the last couple of years I am still working on FG's bio."

Frank Gardner about to do the initial shakedown tests of Caractacus Pott’s aero engined special, I can't recall the name...