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John Bowe (racing driver)

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John Bowe
AM
Bowe in 2005
Nationality Australian
Born (1954-04-16) 16 April 1954 (age 70)
Devonport, Tasmania, Australia
Touring Car Masters career
Debut season2008
Current teamJohn Bowe Racing
Racing licence FIA Bronze
Car number18
Former teamsSunliner RV
Starts289
Wins101
Best finish1st in 2010, 2012, 2014, 2015, 2016 & 2021
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
2010
2012
20142016
2021
Tasmania F.Vee
Tasmania F.Ford
Australian Drivers' Champ.
Australian Drivers' Champ.
Aust. Sports Car Champ
Bathurst 1000
Bathurst 1000
Aust. Touring Car Champ
Touring Car Masters
Touring Car Masters
Touring Car Masters
Touring Car Masters

John Philip Bowe AM (born 16 April 1954) is an Australian racing driver, presently racing a Holden Torana in the Touring Car Masters series.

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 wins were as co-driver with longtime friend and teammate Dick Johnson driving for iconic Ford team Dick Johnson Racing.

Racing cars

[edit]

Bowe began racing at the age of sixteen in Formula Vee Elfin 500 in 1971, winning the Tasmanian state title on debut.[1] The following year, he also won the Tasmanian Formula Ford title.[2]

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 Cooper's 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.

Bowe qualified on the front row for the 1984 Australian Grand Prix at Calder Park in Melbourne and led the race for the first 18 laps before a loose spark plug lead caused the 4 cyl Ford engine to misfire and he was passed by defending race winner Roberto Moreno of Brazil who went on to win the race. Bowe finally stopped on lap 33 and rejoined in 13th place. He would fight his way back to 6th place by the end of the race (2 laps down), setting the 3rd fastest race lap behind Moreno's Ralt and the similar car of Formula One driver Andrea de Cesaris.

Bowe's 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. Bowe's time of 1:33.20 for the 3.780 km (2.362 mi) track compared to the fastest Formula One race lap of the circuit that year of 1:20.78 set by Nelson Piquet driving a 1,000 bhp (746 kW; 1,014 PS) turbocharged Williams-Honda.

Bowe was appointed a Member of the Order of Australia for "significant service to motorsport as a touring car driver" in the 2021 Queen's Birthday Honours.[3]

Sports cars

[edit]

John Bowe drove the Bryan Thompson–owned Mercedes-Benz 450 SLC-Chevrolet twin-turbo in Sports Sedan and GT events during the early 1980s when Thompson was in retirement, which stopped when Thompson came out of retirement in 1983. The Mercedes with its 4.2-litre Chevrolet engine put out a reported 1,100 bhp (820 kW; 1,115 PS), but was somewhat unreliable due to the use of smaller turbo's.

In 1985 while still contesting the Australian drivers' Championship, Bowe was approached by Adelaide-based photographer and Sports Car racer Bernie Van Elsen to race his new car for the Australian Sports Car Championship (ASCC). The car, built by K&A Engineering in Adelaide and called a Veskanda C1, was initially powered by an F5000 sourced 5.0-litre Chevrolet V8, though this was changed to a 5.8-litre (350 cui) Chevrolet V8 in 1986 when CAMS increased the engine capacity limit for Group A Sports Cars from 5000 cc to 6000 cc. The Veskanda is generally regarded as the fastest Sports Car ever designed and built in Australia. In Bowe's talented hands the Veskanda Chev easily won the 1986 Australian Sports Car Championship, with the Bowe setting outright lap records (often faster than the open wheelers) at circuits around the country. Two of these records will stand forever as the tracks are now closed: Amaroo Park in Sydney (set in 1987, track closed in 1998), and the Surfers Paradise International Raceway (set in 1986, track closed in late 1987).

Bowe and the Veskanda finished second in the three round 1987 ASCC after engine reliability troubles saw him retire from the first race at a very wet Calder Park in Melbourne. He then easily won the final two rounds at Amaroo and Sandown Park to finish nineteen points behind Andy Roberts in his self-designed Roberts SR3. Following the season the car was parked as Bowe was moving full-time into Touring Car Racing in 1988.

Van Elsen entered the Veskanda in the Sandown 360 which was a round of that year's 1988 World Sports-Prototype Championship. Bowe teamed with his Touring Car team owner and teammate Dick Johnson in the Veskanda (the 5.8 litre V8 was replaced for the meeting by a 6.0 litre Chevrolet V8). After qualifying a credible 8th with a time of 1:35.510 (compared to Jean Louis Schlesser's pole time of 1:28.620 in his Sauber C9), the pair completed 87 laps, six less than the winning Sauber C9 of Schlesser and Jochen Mass. Unlike the 1984 World Sportscar Championship race when Australian sports cars, GT and sports sedans had been permitted to compete in a special class by the FIA, Australian cars were not eligible for the 1988 event. However, although the Veskanda had been built to comply with CAMS Group A rules, it had also been built to the FIA's Group C sports car rules and was thus free to enter and race.

Ultimately the Bowe / Johnson Veskanda, the only Australian car in the 18 car field, was disqualified for using more fuel than the rules allowed.

Touring cars

[edit]

Bowe's two CAMS Gold Stars in 1984 and 1985 saw him finally get the attention of the Australian touring car establishment. In mid-1985 he was contacted by New Zealander Mark Petch to join the Mark Petch Motorsport Volvo 240 Turbo team during the 1985 Australian Endurance Championship. Bowe co-drove with the team's lead driver Robbie Francevic at the Sandown 500 and the Bathurst 1000. They were a DNF at Sandown after the differential in the Volvo locked solid underneath Bowe at the entrance to the pits on lap 60 (the car had to be pushed into the pits with the rear end supported by a trolley jack). At Bathurst the turbocharged Volvo was considered the only car capable of matching the speed of the three V12 Jaguar XJS' run by Tom Walkinshaw Racing. The Volvo qualified fifth fastest after Hardie's Heroes (set by Francevic), and after running second and third in the early laps, was destined to spend time in the pits having the alternator replaced, losing many laps. The car failed to finish after running out of fuel on lap 122. Despite it being only the second time he had driven the Volvo, and not having previously driven at the Mount Panorama Circuit, Bowe proved to be as quick in the car at Bathurst as Francevic until late in the final qualifying session when the team put on a set of qualifying tyres and Francevic set the third fastest time.

Prior to 1985, Bowe had never driven the Bathurst circuit and before practice started enlisted the services star driver Allan Grice to show him how to drive the track. Grice was only too happy to show the Bathurst rookie the fast way around the daunting circuit, something Bowe continues to be grateful for.

During the 1986 Australian Touring Car Championship the new factory-supported Volvo Dealer Team replaced the Mark Petch Motorsport outfit and expanded to a second car and Bowe joined Francevic in the team full-time at round four. Bowe proved he could match it with the likes of Francevic, Peter Brock, Dick Johnson, George Fury and Jim Richards by qualifying on pole and easily leading the 5th round of the championship at Wanneroo in Perth until the new Volvo's engine went off song and forced him to retire.[4] Francevic went on to win the championship, with Bowe taking eighth place in the series including a pair of third places at Calder Park and also at Oran Park in Sydney. Also in 1986, Bowe raced the Veskanda-Chevrolet Sports car owned by Bernie van Elsen and used it to dominate the Australian Sports Car Championship, along the way setting outright lap records at various tracks around the country.

Bowe became the lead driver of the Volvo team after Francevic was fired from the team shortly by team boss John Sheppard after his refusal to drive a newly built car at the 1986 Castrol 500 (he was also fired for comments made to the media on race morning which Francevic claimed was aimed at the race officials, but Sheppard took as criticising the team). Once again though, the Volvo proved fragile and unable to effectively threaten for the 1986 endurance races, though Bowe was able to qualify the Volvo in fifth place for the 1986 James Hardie 1000. The team closed at the end of the season leaving Bowe without a drive for the 1987 season.

He was picked up by the Peter Jackson Nissan Racing team for the 1987 endurance season, mainly as a co-driver with young sensation Glenn Seton. The pair finished fourth at Bathurst in the Nissan Skyline RS DR30, and were later promoted to second after the disqualification of the Texaco Eggenberger Ford team. Although the Nissan's won a number of touring car races in Australia during 1986 and 1987, Bowe would later claim both privately and publicly that the turbocharged 4 cyl DR30 Skyline (which had no aerodynamic aids making it very unstable at high speed) was the worst touring car he ever raced, thoughts that were echoed by regular Nissan drivers Seton and George Fury.

Bowe's first major touring car win came in the 1987 Yokohama/Bob Jane T-Marts 300 at the Calder Park Raceway. The race was run on the rarely used combined circuit which incorporated both the 1986 redeveloped road course and the newly completed NASCAR-style "Thunderdome" oval. Bowe and Sydney driver Terry Shiel won the race, the first on the combined course, driving the Peter Jackson team's spare Nissan Skyline RS DR30 from the Holden VL Commodore SS Group A of Bowe's former open wheel rival Larry Perkins, and the Commodore's owner Bill O'Brien.[5] As of 2016 this is believed to be the only touring car victory for a Japanese car on the high-banked Thunderdome.

For 1988, Dick Johnson Racing hired Bowe, replacing Gregg Hansford as the team's number two driver in their Ford Sierra RS500's. Team manager Neal Lowe had completely re-engineered the cars after an embarrassing 1987 endurance season and the Shell backed cars proved to be the class of the field. Bowe won his third race for the team, his first ever ATCC race win, at Winton and would go on to win again at Amaroo Park, finishing second in the 1988 ATCC behind team boss Dick Johnson. The pair salvaged a runner up position at Bathurst in the team's third entry (Bowe's ATCC Sierra) after their two primary cars failed early in the race. After Johnson and Bowe's Sierra's failed, they moved into the No. 18 car which had at that stage been driven by one of Bowe's former open wheel rivals John Smith (another open wheel rival, Alfredo Costanzo, was to be Smith's co-driver but didn't get to drive at Bathurst after Dick and John swapped cars).

After the 1988 ATCC, DJR took one Dick's championship winning Sierra to the Silverstone Circuit to contest the RAC Tourist Trophy. DJR proved they had the fastest Group A Sierra's in the world when Dick Johnson easily won the pole by just under half a second against the best European and British opposition. Johnson and Bowe led the race early on and were pulling away from the Eggenberger and Andy Rouse Sierra's, with Johnson setting the circuits Group A lap record, until the water pump in the car failed and had to be replaced. Rouse would go on to win the race, with the DJR Sierra eventually finishing 21st.

The 1989 ATCC would prove to be more of the same for Bowe, again finishing runner up to Johnson after taking victories at Amaroo Park and Wanneroo. The 1989 Tooheys 1000 at Bathurst was a triumph for Bowe and Johnson, seeing off all challengers on their way to victory, including the Eggenberger built and engineered Allan Moffat Sierra's driven by European aces Klaus Niedzwiedz and Frank Biela, as well as Peter Brock's Rouse built Sierra (with Rouse himself co-driving) which Brock had put on pole position. With the Shell Sierra limping due to failing turbo boost, Bowe drove the car over the finish line at Bathurst, saying to Channel 7 commentator Mike Raymond "Fancy doing that" over racecam as he did so.

Over the next three seasons his 1987 team Nissan, now running the formidable 4WD, twin-turbo Nissan GT-R, surged to the fore-front of Australian Touring Car racing and Bowe's only win would come at the Sandown round of the 1992 Australian Touring Car Championship. Bowe would then go on to finish second with Johnson in the now ageing Sierra at the crash shortened 1992 Tooheys 1000.

V8Supercar

[edit]
Supercars Championship career
Championships1 (1995)
Races469
Wins31
Podiums92
Pole positions23

DJR fortunes reversed in 1993 with the advent of the V8 based regulations that in 1997 would become known as V8 Supercar. The team's new Ford Falcon V8s returned to the front with Bowe winning the first round under the new regulations at Amaroo Park. Bowe would narrowly miss out on second place in the championship. For the 1994 season DJR was initially off the pace until the Sandown 500 where in a race of mixed fortunes Bowe and Johnson won, taking the team's first Sandown 500 win after over 15 years of disappointment. Four weeks later in one of the most dramatic Bathurst 1000s of all time Bowe and Johnson held off a pursuing pack of five Holdens late in the race to win, with Bowe memorably fighting for the lead with teenage debutante Craig Lowndes in the final laps.

The team continued their good form into 1995 where not even the destruction of tyre suppliers Dunlop factory in the Kobe earthquake could stop Bowe from winning the 1995 Australian Touring Car Championship, taking victories at Symmons Plains, a sprint round held at Bathurst for the first time since 1972, Winton and under terrific pressure from Glenn Seton and Peter Brock, the championship finale at Oran Park. The team went on to win back-to-back Sandown 500s but didn't finish at Bathurst after an accident with Glenn Seton while leading stopped their run on lap 110.

Bowe continued to race for DJR for the next three seasons, taking a second sprint victory at Bathurst in 1996, Lakeside in 1997 and Winton in 1998, the last of his 15 Touring Car round victories. Bowe also finished runner up in the 1996 Australian Touring Car Championship and Bathurst 1000 to his young rival from two years prior, Craig Lowndes.

Bowe moved on to Caterpillar backed West Australian team PAE Motorsport seeking a new challenge but before the season was out the team had been sold to Queensland car dealer John Briggs. Despite some early promise he was fired from the team after Bathurst in 2001 with just a single race win at Queensland Raceway in 1999 to show for his efforts.

From 2002 to 2006 Bowe and new team-mate Brad Jones had mixed fortunes. As with Briggs Motorsport early promise faded as the team struggled to find the resources to regularly threaten the front running teams. Always a threat at Bathurst, Bowe and Jones finished third in 2004 and won the second race in the 2005 Australian Grand Prix non-championship event.

Retirement

[edit]

Announcing his retirement, Bowe raced a final season in 2007 for Paul Cruickshank Racing. In March 2007 Bowe broke the record for most championship races starts when he started in round 2 at Barbagallo, his 213th start. His race was marred with two spins. His prospects for a glorious final season appear limited as PCR was a single car team and under funded compared to the front running teams. In 2008 Bowe returned to Sports car racing in a Lamborghini Gallardo in the Australian GT Championship, before securing a full-time drive in 2009 with the Touring Car Masters series for historic touring cars, driving a Chevrolet Camaro. 2010 saw John Bowe returning to the Touring Car Masters category driving "Sally", his 1969 Ford Mustang (powered by a Ford 351 Windsor V8 engine), with sponsorship from WesTrac and Wilson Security. Bowe also runs the number 18 on his Mustang, the same number he used when driving for Dick Johnson Racing.

Bowe's name has been lent to the John Bowe Trophy, awarded to the winner of the Formula 3 Tasmanian Super Prix.

Driving a Ferrari 458 GT3 for Maranello Motorsport alongside Craig Lowndes, Peter Edwards, and former Formula One driver Mika Salo, Bowe was the winner of the 2014 Bathurst 12 Hour on 9 February. It was his third success in the race after winning at Eastern Creek in 1995 and at Bathurst in 2010.

Career results

[edit]
The 1969 Ford Mustang of John Bowe – 2011 Touring Car Masters
Season Series Position Car Team
1978 Australian Drivers' Championship 10th Elfin MR8 Chevrolet Ansett Team Elfin
1979 Australian Drivers' Championship 2nd Elfin MR8 Chevrolet Ansett Team Elfin
1979 Australian Formula 2 Championship 2nd Elfin 792 Volkswagen Ansett Team Elfin
1980 Australian Drivers' Championship 3rd Elfin MR8 Chevrolet Ansett Team Elfin
1980 Australian Formula 2 Championship 4th Elfin Two-25 Volkswagen Ansett Team Elfin
1981 Australian Drivers' Championship 4th Elfin MR9 Chevrolet Ansett Team Elfin
1981 Australian Formula 2 Championship 9th Elfin Two-25 Volkswagen Chris Leach Racing
1982 Australian Drivers' Championship 2nd Ralt RT4 Ford Chris Leach Racing
1982 National Panasonic Series =4th Ralt RT4 Ford Chris Leach Racing
1983 Australian Drivers' Championship 6th Ralt RT4 Ford Chris Leach Racing
1984 Australian Drivers' Championship 1st Ralt RT4 Ford Chris Leach Racing
1985 Australian Drivers' Championship 1st Ralt RT4 Ford Chris Leach Enterprises
1985 Australian Sports Car Championship NC Veskanda C1 Chevrolet Bernie van Elsen
1985 Australian Endurance Championship NC Volvo 240T Mark Petch Motorsport
1986 Australian Touring Car Championship 8th Volvo 240T Volvo Dealer Team
1986 Australian Sports Car Championship 1st Veskanda C1 Chevrolet Bernie van Elsen
1986 Australian Endurance Championship NC Volvo 240T Volvo Dealer Team
1987 Australian Sports Car Championship 2nd Veskanda C1 Chevrolet Bernie van Elsen
1988 Australian Touring Car Championship 2nd Ford Sierra RS500 Shell Ultra Hi Racing
1988 European Touring Car Championship NC Ford Sierra RS500 Redkote Racing
1988 Asia-Pacific Touring Car Championship NC Ford Sierra RS500 Shell Ultra Hi Racing
1988 World Sports Prototype Championship NC Veskanda C1 Chevrolet Bernie van Elsen
1989 Australian Touring Car Championship 2nd Ford Sierra RS500 Shell Ultra Hi Racing
1990 Australian Touring Car Championship 5th Ford Sierra RS500 Shell Ultra Hi Racing
1990 Australian Endurance Championship NC Ford Sierra RS500 Shell Ultra Hi Racing
1991 Australian Touring Car Championship 7th Ford Sierra RS500 Shell Ultra Hi Racing
1991 Australian Endurance Championship NC Ford Sierra RS500 Shell Ultra Hi Racing
1992 Australian Touring Car Championship 4th Ford Sierra RS500 Shell Ultra Hi Racing
1993 Australian Touring Car Championship 3rd Ford EB Falcon Shell Racing
1994 Australian Touring Car Championship 6th Ford EB Falcon Shell FAI Racing
1995 Australian Touring Car Championship 1st Ford EF Falcon Shell FAI Racing
1995 Australian GT Production Car Series 16th Mazda RX-7
1996 Australian Touring Car Championship 2nd Ford EF Falcon Shell FAI Racing
1996 Australian GT Production Car Championship 5th Ferrari F355 Challenge Ross Palmer Motorsport
1997 Australian Touring Car Championship 2nd Ford EL Falcon Shell Helix Racing
1997 Australian GT Production Car Championship 2nd Ferrari F355 Challenge Ross Palmer Motorsport
1998 Australian Touring Car Championship 5th Ford EL Falcon Shell Helix Racing
1998 Australian GT Production Car Championship 5th Ferrari F355 Challenge Ross Palmer Motorsport
1999 Shell Championship Series 13th Ford AU Falcon PAE Motorsport
2000 Shell Championship Series 16th Ford AU Falcon Briggs Motor Sport
2001 Shell Championship Series 22nd Ford AU Falcon Briggs Motor Sport
2001 Australian GT Production Car Championship 5th Ford Mustang Cobra RA Prancing Horse Racing
2002 V8Supercar Championship Series 12th Ford AU Falcon OzEmail Racing
2002 Australian Nations Cup Championship 3rd Ferrari 360 N-GT Prancing Horse Racing
2003 V8Supercar Championship Series 11th Ford BA Falcon OzEmail Racing
2003 Australian Nations Cup Championship 2nd Ferrari 360 N-GT
Chrysler Viper ACR
Porsche 911 GT3 RS
Prancing Horse Racing
2004 V8Supercar Championship Series 9th Ford BA Falcon OzEmail Racing
2005 V8Supercar Championship Series 18th Ford BA Falcon Team BOC
2006 V8Supercar Championship Series 23rd Ford BA Falcon Team BOC
2007 V8Supercar Championship Series 30th Ford BF Falcon Paul Cruickshank Racing
2007 Australian GT Championship 12th Lamborghini Gallardo GT3 Team Lamborghini Australia
2008 Australian GT Championship 5th Ferrari 360 GT
Lamborghini Gallardo GT3
Coopers
www.consolidatedchem.com.au
2008 Touring Car Masters 2nd Chevrolet Camaro Sunliner RV
2009 Touring Car Masters (Group 1) 3rd Chevrolet Camaro Sunliner RV
2010 Touring Car Masters 3rd Ford Mustang John Bowe Racing
2011 Touring Car Masters (Class C) 1st Ford Mustang John Bowe Racing
2011 Australian Production Car Championship 19th BMW 335i GWS Personnel
2012 Australian Touring Car Masters Series (Class A) 1st Ford Mustang WesTrac Cat/Wilson Security
2013 Touring Car Masters 2nd Ford Mustang John Bowe Racing
2013 Australian GT Championship 4th Ferrari 458 GT3 Maranello Motorsport
2013 Australian Production Car Championship 23rd BMW 335i GWS Motorsport
2014 Australian GT Championship 3rd Ferrari 458 Italia IL Bello Rosso
2014 Touring Car Masters (ProMasters class) 1st Ford Mustang Dunlop Super Dealers/Wilson Security
2015 Australian GT Championship 36th Bentley Continental Flying B Racing
2015 Touring Car Masters (ProMasters class) 1st Ford Mustang
Holden Torana SL/R 5000
Dunlop Super Dealers / Wilson Security

Complete Australian Touring Car Championship results

[edit]

(key) (Races in bold indicate pole position) (Races in italics indicate fastest lap)

Year Team Car 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 34 35 36 37 38 39 DC Points
1986 Volvo Dealer Team Volvo 240T AMA
R1

SYM
R2

SAN
R3

AIR
R4

4
WAN
R5

Ret
SUR
R6

9
CAL
R7

3
LAK
R8

DNS
WIN
R9

4
ORA
R10

3
8th 98
1987 Peter Jackson Nissan Racing Nissan Skyline DR30 RS CAL
R1
SYM
R2
LAK
R3
BAR
R4
ADE
R5
SUR
R6
SAN
R7

AMA
R8
ORA
R9

Ret
NC 0
1988 Dick Johnson Racing Ford Sierra RS Cosworth CAL
R1

Ret
SYM
R2

2
WIN
R3

1
WAN
R4

3
AIR
R5

2
LAK
R6

Ret
SAN
R7

2
AMA
R8

1
ORA
R9

2
2nd 112
1989 Dick Johnson Racing Ford Sierra RS Cosworth AMA
R1

1
SYM
R2

3
LAK
R3

3
WAN
R4

1
MAL
R5

3
SAN
R6

3
WIN
R7

8
ORA
R8

3
2nd 94
1990 Dick Johnson Racing Ford Sierra RS Cosworth AMA
R1

2
SYM
R2

3
PHI
R3

2
WIN
R4

6
LAK
R5

4
MAL
R6

14
BAR
R7

6
ORA
R8

5
5th 72
1991 Dick Johnson Racing Ford Sierra RS Cosworth SAN
R1

3
SYM
R2

11
WAN
R3

8
LAK
R4

10
WIN
R5

7
AMA
R6

4
MAL
R7

7
LAK
R8

Ret
ORA
R9

Ret
7th 34
1992 Dick Johnson Racing Ford Sierra RS Cosworth AMA
R1

6
AMA
R2

10
SAN
R3

1
SAN
R4

1
SYM
R5

Ret
SYM
R6

DNS
WIN
R7

13
WIN
R8

5
LAK
R9

9
LAK
R10

3
EAS
R11

1
EAS
R12

1
MAL
R13

5
MAL
R14

5
BAR
R15

1
BAR
R16

1
ORA
R17

15
ORA
R18

5
4th 175
1993 Dick Johnson Racing Ford EB Falcon AMA
R1

4
AMA
R2

1
SYM
R3

7
SYM
R4

3
PHI
R5

2
PHI
R6

3
LAK
R7

4
LAK
R8

3
WIN
R9

DSQ
WIN
R10

7
EAS
R11

2
EAS
R12

3
MAL
R13

5
MAL
R14

3
BAR
R15

4
BAR
R16

Ret
ORA
R17

2
ORA
R18

8
3rd 140
1994 Dick Johnson Racing Ford EB Falcon AMA
R1

3
AMA
R2

9
SAN
R3

18
SAN
R4

5
SYM
R5

3
SYM
R6

Ret
PHI
R7

9
PHI
R8

4
LAK
R9

Ret
LAK
R10

6
WIN
R11

5
WIN
R12

6
EAS
R13

10
EAS
R14

6
MAL
R15

8
MAL
R16

Ret
BAR
R17

5
BAR
R18

3
ORA
R19

4
ORA
R20

6
7th 156
1995 Dick Johnson Racing Ford EF Falcon SAN
R1

5
SAN
R2

1
SYM
R3

1
SYM
R4

2
BAT
R5

2
BAT
R6

2
PHI
R7

6
PHI
R8

4
LAK
R9

1
LAK
R10

3
WIN
R11

1
WIN
R12

1
EAS
R13

6
EAS
R14

4
MAL
R15

3
MAL
R16

3
BAR
R17

5
BAR
R18

7
ORA
R19

1
ORA
R20

1
1st 314
1996 Dick Johnson Racing Ford EF Falcon EAS
R1

1
EAS
R2

4
EAS
R3

Ret
SAN
R4

2
SAN
R5

1
SAN
R6

8
BAT
R7

1
BAT
R8

1
BAT
R9

1
SYM
R10

3
SYM
R11

5
SYM
R12

4
PHI
R13

3
PHI
R14

Ret
PHI
R15

3
CAL
R16

3
CAL
R17

2
CAL
R18

4
LAK
R19

5
LAK
R20

5
LAK
R21

3
BAR
R22

6
BAR
R23

5
BAR
R24

7
MAL
R25

2
MAL
R26

2
MAL
R27

Ret
ORA
R28

5
ORA
R29

5
ORA
R30

5
2nd 344
1997 Dick Johnson Racing Ford EL Falcon CAL
R1

10
CAL
R2

6
CAL
R3

4
PHI
R4

5
PHI
R5

5
PHI
R6

4
SAN
R7

2
SAN
R8

2
SAN
R9

2
SYM
R10

7
SYM
R11

8
SYM
R12

5
WIN
R13

5
WIN
R14

5
WIN
R15

4
EAS
R16

3
EAS
R17

2
EAS
R18

2
LAK
R19

2
LAK
R20

1
LAK
R21

2
BAR
R22

2
BAR
R23

1
BAR
R24

11
MAL
R25

4
MAL
R26

4
MAL
R27

3
ORA
R28

7
ORA
R29

Ret
ORA
R30

DNS
2nd 608
1998 Dick Johnson Racing Ford EL Falcon SAN
R1

1
SAN
R2

2
SAN
R3

4
SYM
R4

Ret
SYM
R5

7
SYM
R6

11
LAK
R7

1
LAK
R8

Ret
LAK
R9

8
PHI
R10

6
PHI
R11

5
PHI
R12

3
WIN
R13

2
WIN
R14

1
WIN
R15

1
MAL
R16

1
MAL
R17

11
MAL
R18

9
BAR
R19

16
BAR
R20

Ret
BAR
R21

12
CAL
R22

7
CAL
R23

7
CAL
R24

C
HDV
R25

7
HDV
R26

DSQ
HDV
R27

7
ORA
R28

16
ORA
R29

10
ORA
R30

9
5th 684
1999 PAE Motorsport Ford AU Falcon EAS
R1

12
EAS
R2

Ret
EAS
R3

DNS
ADE
R4

11
BAR
R5

8
BAR
R6

Ret
BAR
R7

14
PHI
R8

9
PHI
R9

7
PHI
R10

5
HDV
R11

10
HDV
R12

5
HDV
R13

3
SAN
R14

3
SAN
R15

Ret
SAN
R16

16
QLD
R17

11
QLD
R18

7
QLD
R19

1
CAL
R20

7
CAL
R21

3
CAL
R22

3
SYM
R23

16
SYM
R24

9
SYM
R25

5
WIN
R26

Ret
WIN
R27

12
WIN
R28

8
ORA
R29

11
ORA
R30

8
ORA
R31

12
QLD
R32

18
BAT
R33

Ret
13th 1078
2000 Briggs Motorsport Ford AU Falcon PHI
R1

13
PHI
R2

19
BAR
R3

Ret
BAR
R4

22
BAR
R5

23
ADE
R6

12
ADE
R7

4
EAS
R8

7
EAS
R9

6
EAS
R10

5
HDV
R11

21
HDV
R12

18
HDV
R13

Ret
CAN
R14

Ret
CAN
R15

17
CAN
R16

11
QLD
R17

Ret
QLD
R18

15
QLD
R19

10
WIN
R20

9
WIN
R21

7
WIN
R22

Ret
ORA
R23

13
ORA
R24

25
ORA
R25

14
CAL
R26

21
CAL
R27

15
CAL
R28

12
QLD
R29

5
SAN
R30

9
SAN
R31

6
SAN
R32

11
BAT
R33

Ret
16th 679
2001 Briggs Motorsport Ford AU Falcon PHI
R1

Ret
PHI
R2

17
ADE
R3

8
ADE
R4

Ret
EAS
R5

4
EAS
R6

4
HDV
R7

29
HDV
R8

Ret
HDV
R9

15
CAN
R10

10
CAN
R11

5
CAN
R12

5
BAR
R13

13
BAR
R14

13
BAR
R15

13
CAL
R16

Ret
CAL
R17

18
CAL
R18

13
ORA
R19

Ret
ORA
R20

14
QLD
R21

Ret
WIN
R22

19
WIN
R23

13
BAT
R24

Ret
PUK
R25

PUK
R26

PUK
R27

SAN
R28

SAN
R29

SAN
R30

22nd 1270
2002 Brad Jones Racing Ford AU Falcon ADE
R1

19
ADE
R2

8
PHI
R3

9
PHI
R4

22
EAS
R5

14
EAS
R6

12
EAS
R7

10
HDV
R8

8
HDV
R9

29
HDV
R10

25
CAN
R11

11
CAN
R12

19
CAN
R13

7
BAR
R14

9
BAR
R15

3
BAR
R16

15
ORA
R17

Ret
ORA
R18

12
WIN
R19

8
WIN
R20

11
QLD
R21

9
BAT
R22

16
SUR
R23

26
SUR
R24

15
PUK
R25

12
PUK
R26

20
PUK
R27

Ret
SAN
R28

9
SAN
R29

6
12th 779
2003 Brad Jones Racing Ford BA Falcon ADE
R1

Ret
ADE
R1

23
PHI
R3

21
EAS
R4

30
WIN
R5

8
BAR
R6

30
BAR
R7

11
BAR
R8

11
HDV
R9

10
HDV
R10

10
HDV
R11

7
QLD
R12

7
ORA
R13

7
SAN
R14

4
BAT
R15

10
SUR
R16

14
SUR
R17

10
PUK
R18

12
PUK
R19

10
PUK
R20

Ret
EAS
R21

11
EAS
R22

14
11th 1478
2004 Brad Jones Racing Ford BA Falcon ADE
R1

ADE
R2

EAS
R3

PUK
R4

PUK
R5

PUK
R6

HDV
R7

HDV
R8

HDV
R9

BAR
R10

BAR
R11

BAR
R12

QLD
R13

WIN
R14

ORA
R15

ORA
R16

SAN
R17

BAT
R18

SUR
R19

SUR
R20

SYM
R21

SYM
R22

SYM
R23

EAS
R24

EAS
R25

EAS
R26

9th
2005 Brad Jones Racing Ford BA Falcon ADE
R1

ADE
R2

PUK
R3
PUK
R4
PUK
R5
BAR
R6

BAR
R7

BAR
R8

EAS
R9

EAS
R10

SHA
R11
SHA
R12
SHA
R13

HDV
R14

HDV
R15

HDV
R16

QLD
R17

ORA
R18

ORA
R19

SAN
R20

BAT
R21

SUR
R22

SUR
R23

SUR
R24

SYM
R25

SYM
R26

SYM
R27

PHI
R28

PHI
R29

PHI
R30

18th
2006 Brad Jones Racing Ford BA Falcon ADE
R1

ADE
R2

PUK
R3

PUK
R4

PUK
R5

BAR
R6

BAR
R7

BAR
R8

WIN
R9

WIN
R10

WIN
R11

HDV
R12

HDV
R13

HDV
R14

QLD
R15

QLD
R16

QLD
R17

ORA
R18

ORA
R19

ORA
R20

SAN
R21

BAT
R22

SUR
R23

SUR
R24

SUR
R25

SYM
R26

SYM
R27

SYM
R28

BHR
R29

BHR
R30

BHR
R31

PHI
R32

PHI
R33

PHI
R34

23rd
2007 Paul Cruickshank Racing Ford BF Falcon ADE
R1

ADE
R2

BAR
R3

BAR
R4

BAR
R5

PUK
R6

PUK
R7

PUK
R8

WIN
R9

WIN
R10

WIN
R11

EAS
R12

EAS
R13

EAS
R14

HDV
R15

HDV
R16

HDV
R17

QLD
R18

QLD
R19

QLD
R20

ORA
R21

ORA
R22

ORA
R23

SAN
R24

BAT
R25

SUR
R26

SUR
R27

SUR
R28

BHR
R29

BHR
R30

BHR
R31

SYM
R32

SYM
R33

SYM
R34

PHI
R35

PHI
R36

PHI
R37

30th

Complete World Touring Car Championship results

[edit]

(key) (Races in bold indicate pole position) (Races in italics indicate fastest lap)

Year Team Car 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 DC Points
1987 Australia Peter Jackson Nissan Racing Nissan Skyline DR30 RS MNZ JAR DIJ NUR SPA BNO SIL BAT
ovr:2
cls:2
CLD WEL
Ret
FJI NC 0

† Not registered for series & points

Complete World Sports Prototype Championship results

[edit]

(key) (Races in bold indicate pole position) (Races in italics indicate fastest lap)

Year Team Car 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 DC Points
1988 Australia Bernie van Elsen Veskanda C1 Chevrolet JRZ JAR MON SIL LMS BRN BHT NUR SPA FJI SAN
DSQ
NC 0

Complete European Touring Car Championship results

[edit]

(key) (Races in bold indicate pole position) (Races in italics indicate fastest lap)

Year Team Car 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 DC Points
1988 Australia Redkote Racing Ford Sierra RS500 MNZ DON EST JAR DIJ VAL NUR SPA ZOL SIL
21
NOG NC 0

Complete Asia-Pacific Touring Car Championship results

[edit]

(key) (Races in bold indicate pole position) (Races in italics indicate fastest lap)

Year Team Car 1 2 3 4 DC Points
1988 Australia Shell Ultra Hi Racing Ford Sierra RS500 BAT
2
WEL
Ret
PUK FJI N/A 15

Complete Bathurst 1000 results

[edit]
Year Team Co-drivers Car Class Laps Pos. Class
pos.
1985 New Zealand Mark Petch Motorsport New Zealand Robbie Francevic Volvo 240T B 122 DNF DNF
1986 Australia Volvo Dealer Team Australia Alfredo Costanzo Volvo 240T B 113 DNF DNF
New Zealand Graham McRae
New Zealand Neville Crichton
Volvo 240T 156 11th 4th
1987 Australia Peter Jackson Nissan Racing Australia Glenn Seton Nissan Skyline DR30 RS 1 157 2nd 2nd
1988 Australia Shell Ultra Hi Racing Australia Dick Johnson Ford Sierra RS500 A 22 DNF DNF
United Kingdom Robb Gravett
New Zealand Neville Crichton
Ford Sierra RS500 27 DNF DNF
Australia John Smith
Australia Dick Johnson
Australia Alfredo Costanzo
Ford Sierra RS500 160 2nd 2nd
1989 Australia Shell Ultra Hi Racing Australia Dick Johnson Ford Sierra RS500 A 161 1st 1st
1990 Australia Shell Ultra Hi Racing Australia Dick Johnson Ford Sierra RS500 1 94 DNF DNF
1991 Australia Shell Ultra Hi Racing Australia Dick Johnson Ford Sierra RS500 1 123 DNF DNF
New Zealand Paul Radisich
Australia Terry Shiel
Ford Sierra RS500 152 DNF DNF
1992 Australia Shell Ultra Hi Racing Australia Dick Johnson Ford Sierra RS500 A 143 2nd 2nd
1993 Australia Shell Racing Australia Dick Johnson Ford EB Falcon A 96 DNF DNF
1994 Australia Shell FAI Racing Australia Dick Johnson Ford EB Falcon A 161 1st 1st
1995 Australia Shell FAI Racing Australia Dick Johnson Ford EF Falcon 110 DNF DNF
1996 Australia Shell FAI Racing Australia Dick Johnson Ford EF Falcon 161 2nd 2nd
1997 Australia Shell FAI Racing Australia Dick Johnson Ford EL Falcon L1 17 DNF DNF
1998 Australia Dick Johnson Racing Australia Cameron McConville Ford EL Falcon OC 80 DNF DNF
1999 Australia PAE Motorsport New Zealand Jim Richards Ford AU Falcon 82 DNF DNF
2000 Australia Briggs Motor Sport New Zealand Jim Richards Ford AU Falcon 147 DNF DNF
2001 Australia Briggs Motor Sport New Zealand Simon Wills Ford AU Falcon 124 DNF DNF
2002 Australia OzEmail Racing Team Australia Brad Jones Ford AU Falcon 158 16th 16th
2003 Australia OzEmail Racing Team Australia Brad Jones Ford BA Falcon 160 10th 10th
2004 Australia OzEmail Racing Team Australia Brad Jones Ford BA Falcon 161 3rd 3rd
2005 Australia Team BOC Australia Brad Jones Ford BA Falcon 125 21st 21st
2006 Australia Brad Jones Racing Australia Brad Jones Ford BA Falcon 161 11th 11th
2007 Australia Paul Cruickshank Racing Australia Jonathon Webb Ford BF Falcon 160 14th 14th

Complete Sandown 500 results

[edit]
Year Team Co-drivers Car Class Laps Pos. Class
pos.
1985 Australia Mark Petch Motorsport New Zealand Robbie Francevic Volvo 240T B 60 DNF DNF
1986 Australia Volvo Dealer Team Australia Alfredo Costanzo Volvo 240T B 112 DNF DNF
1987 Australia Peter Jackson Nissan Racing Australia Glenn Seton Nissan Skyline DR30 RS B 86 NC NC
1988 Australia Shell Ultra Hi Racing Australia Dick Johnson Ford Sierra RS500 A 125 3rd 3rd
1989 Australia Shell Ultra Hi Racing Australia Dick Johnson Ford Sierra RS500 A 159 5th 5th
1990 Australia Shell Ultra Hi Racing Australia Dick Johnson Ford Sierra RS500 Div.1 18 DNF DNF
United Kingdom Jeff Allam
New Zealand Paul Radisich
Ford Sierra RS500 60 DNF DNF
1992 Australia Shell Ultra Hi Racing Australia Dick Johnson Ford Sierra RS500 3A 31 DNF DNF
1993 Australia Shell FAI Racing Australia Dick Johnson
Australia Cameron McConville
Ford EB Falcon V8 147 6th 6th
1994 Australia Shell FAI Racing Australia Dick Johnson Ford EB Falcon V8 161 1st 1st
1995 Australia Shell FAI Racing Australia Dick Johnson Ford EF Falcon 161 1st 1st
1996 Australia Shell FAI Racing Australia Dick Johnson Ford EF Falcon 159 6th 6th
1997 Australia Shell FAI Racing Australia Dick Johnson Ford EL Falcon 108 DNF DNF
1998 Australia Shell FAI Racing Australia Cameron McConville Ford EL Falcon 147 3rd 3rd
2001 Australia Prancing Horse Racing Scuderia United Kingdom Tom Waring Ferrari 360 Challenge N 161 1st 1st
2002 Australia Prancing Horse Racing Scuderia Australia Steve Beards Ferrari 360 N-GT G1 160 3rd 3rd
2003 Australia OzEmail Racing Team Australia Brad Jones Ford BA Falcon 141 4th 4th
2004 Australia OzEmail Racing Team Australia Brad Jones Ford BA Falcon 160 7th 7th
2005 Australia Team BOC Australia Brad Jones Ford BA Falcon 160 9th 9th
2006 Australia Team BOC Australia Brad Jones Ford BA Falcon 161 5th 5th
2007 Australia Paul Cruickshank Racing Australia Jonathon Webb Ford BF Falcon 160 12th 12th
2011 Australia GWS Personnel Australia Peter O'Donnell BMW 335i B 131 6th 1st

Complete Bathurst/Eastern Creek 12 Hour results

[edit]
Year Team Co-drivers Car Class Laps Pos. Class
pos.
1992 Australia Mazda Motorsport Australia Gregg Hansford Mazda RX-7 SP T 245 5th 3rd
1994 New Zealand Neville Crichton Australia Alan Jones
New Zealand Neville Crichton
BMW M3 X 120 DNF DNF
19951 Australia Mazda Motorsport Australia Dick Johnson Mazda RX-7 SP X 409 1st 1st
2007 Australia Century 21 Australia Chris Delfsma
Australia Jack Elsegood
Ford BF Falcon XR8 D 244 9 1
2008 Australia Century 21 Australia Chris Delfsma
Australia Paul Stubber
Ford BF Falcon XR8 D 181 24 4
2009 Australia Johnson Window Film Australia Jim Hunter
Australia Gavin Bullas
Subaru Impreza WRX C 85 DNF DNF
2010 Australia Eastern Creek International Karting Australia Paul Morris
Australia Garry Holt
BMW 335i B 202 1 1
2011 Australia Maranello Motorsport Australia Peter Edwards
Australia Tim Leahey
Ferrari 430 GT3 A 161 DNF DNF
2012 Australia Maranello Motorsport Australia Peter Edwards
Germany Dominik Farnbacher
Denmark Allan Simonsen
Ferrari 458 GT3 A 114 DNF DNF
2013 Australia Maranello Motorsport Australia Peter Edwards
Finland Mika Salo
Denmark Allan Simonsen
Ferrari 458 GT3 A 111 DNF DNF
2014 Australia Maranello Motorsport Australia Craig Lowndes
Australia Peter Edwards
Finland Mika Salo
Ferrari 458 GT3 A 296 1 1
2015 Australia Flying B Motorsport Australia David Brabham
Australia Peter Edwards
Bentley Continental GT3 AA 254 DNF DNF
Notes

^1 – The 1995 race was staged at Eastern Creek Raceway as the 1995 Eastern Creek 12 Hour. All other races were held at the Mount Panorama Circuit.

Complete Bathurst 24 Hour results

[edit]
Year Team Co-drivers Car Class Laps Pos. Class
pos.
2002 Australia Prancing Horse Racing Scuderia Australia Brad Jones
Australia Paul Morris
Australia John Teulan
Ferrari 360 N-GT 1 96 DNF DNF
2003 Australia Prancing Horse Racing Australia Neil Crompton
Australia Greg Crick
Indonesia Maher Algadrie
BMW M3 GTR A 131 DNF DNF

References

[edit]
  1. ^ "John Bowe – Australian Motorsport Champion". John Bowe Racing. Archived from the original on 26 October 2017. Retrieved 16 April 2013.
  2. ^ "John Bowe | Wilson Security Racing | Australian V8 Supercar Championship Series Team". Archived from the original on 19 November 2012. Retrieved 18 January 2011.
  3. ^ "Mr John Bowe". It's An Honour. Retrieved 13 June 2021.
  4. ^ 1986 ATCC Barbagello Round 5
  5. ^ 1987 Calder Park 300 Highlights
  • Official John Bowe Web Site – [1]
  • V8 Supercar Bio – [2]
  • Conrod – [3]
Sporting positions
Preceded by Winner of the Australian Drivers' Championship
1984 and 1985
Succeeded by
Graham Watson
Preceded by Winner of the Bathurst 1000
1989
(with Dick Johnson)
Succeeded by
Preceded by Winner of the Bathurst 1000
1994
(with Dick Johnson)
Succeeded by
Preceded by Winner of the Eastern Creek 12 Hour
1995
(with Dick Johnson)
Succeeded by
Preceded by Winner of the Australian Touring Car Championship
1995
Succeeded by
Preceded by Winner of the Bathurst 12 Hour
2010
(with Garry Holt & Paul Morris)
Succeeded by
Preceded by Winner of the Bathurst 12 Hour
2014
(with Peter Edwards & Craig Lowndes & Mika Salo)
Succeeded by
Records
Preceded by
Peter Brock
212 starts
(19732002)
Most V8 Supercar starts
225
(19862013)
213th start at the 2007 PlaceMakers V8 Supercars
Succeeded by