John Bowe (born in Devonport, Tasmania) Is an Australian racing driver, presently racing a 1969 Ford Mustang in the historic series, Touring Car Masters. Bowe is a multiple Australian Champion, having twice won the Australian Drivers Championship during the Formula Mondial era and the Australian Sports Car Championship, before winning the Australian Touring Car Championship in 1995. He has also won the prestigious Bathurst 1000 touring car endurance race twice, in 1989 and 1994. Both times as co-driver with longtime friend and teammate Dick Johnson driving for iconic Ford team Dick Johnson Racing. Bowe began racing at the age of sixteen in Formula Vee Elfin 500 in 1971, winning the Tasmanian state title on debut The following year, he also won the Tasmanian Formula Ford title. After graduating from domestic Formula Ford racing Bowe moved into the Australian Drivers Championship in the late 1970s, racing Elfin Formula 5000s for the most prestigious team of the era, the factory Ansett Team Elfin run by Elfin Sports Cars founder and chief designer Garrie Cooper. The pinnacle of his Formula 5000 career was finishing runner up in the 1979 Australian Grand Prix driving one of Coopers Chevrolet V8 powered Elfin MR8s. In the same year he also came second in the Australian Formula 2 Championship. Bowe would finish third in the 1980 Australian Drivers Championship driving the MR8, and would finish fourth in the Formula 2 title. He would finish fourth in 1981 driving the Elfin MR9, the only Ground effects F5000 ever built. He also dropped to ninth place in the Formula 2 championship driving an Elfin Two-25 Volkswagen. After playing second fiddle to Alfredo Costanzo for several seasons, Bowe broke through for his first Australian Drivers Championship in 1984, backing it up the following year with his second title in his Ford powered Ralt RT4 for Chris Leach. The 1984 and 1985 championships were run under Formula Mondial regulations. Bowes last open wheeler race was in the Formula Mondial support race at the 1986 Australian Grand Prix in Adelaide. Driving a Ralt RT4 in the race (for the first time in 12 months), Bowe equalled the category lap record for the Adelaide Street Circuit set one year earlier by American driver Ross Cheever, the younger brother of Formula One driver Eddie Cheever. Previous series 1978–85 1979–81 1986–87 1986–2007 1996–1998,2001 2002–03 2007–08,2011 Australian Drivers Champ. Australian Formula 2 Aust. Sports Car Champ V8 Supercars Aust. GT Production Nations Cup Aust. GT Champ Championship titles 1971 1972 1984 1985 1986 1989 1994 1995 Tasmania F.Vee Tasmania F.Ford Australian Drivers Champ. Australian Drivers Champ. Aust. Sports Car Champ Bathurst 1000 Bathurst 1000 Aust. Touring Car Champ
Posted on: Sun, 10 Aug 2014 00:07:35 +0000
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