You would think, who in their right mind would choose an FX Holden with all its foibles, to do a 12 hour endurance race alongside a Lola T70 and Ferrari 250 LM. etc, etc. And there were two of them..... and one actually finished!
I've actually met all three of the drivers involved in the Tassy entry (Munyard/Crawford/Calvert) and odds on they would have had a ball! I actually interviewed Geoff Munyard for an article in Tas Motor Sports Annual back in 1982. He was racing an indecently quick rear engined rotary powered sporty built by John Trowbridge at the time and had purchased the Matich A50 (or A51?) F5000. He did a private practice run at Oran Park in the wet then sold it on from memory (to Dave Powell Jnr? - can't remember). Last time I went to the October Bask Historic meeting in 2009 he was building up an FJ for historics.
Dick Crawford was at that meeting with his zimmer frame and I think he was one of the oldest drivers still racing in Oz back in 1982 with his Vee. His career ran from the early 50's right through till the early 80's in all sorts of sports cars/openwheelers and he was also a successful boat racer with his V8 inboard on the Derwent. He raced his little 250cc Yamaha powered openwheelers in the late 60's and usually beat the handicapper at least once a year, traditionally on his birthday...... he was a real crowd favourite in Tassy, especially at Baskerville. He'd rock up to Bask in his old FC Holden ute with his tiny racer in the back.
Tony Calvert raced a very quick EH in 1967/68, then graduated to the Ex Bessant Lotus Cortina for 1969. He hit the big time with the ex Gordon Stephenson Mustang in 1970/71 - he held the Touring Car lap record at Bask for a while and really served it up to Robin Pare in the Elliot Mustang on his day. Had a run in an E49 Charger before retiring in the early 70's. Very capable steerer. Shots of all three on the ORP website if anyone is keen.
Edited by ellrosso, 11 July 2021 - 12:05.