HTCAV – 2019 Winton Festival of Speed report
Words: Darren Knight
Photos: Bec Thompson – Revved Photography
All the Historic Touring Car entrants at this year’s Winton Festival of Speed wore a discreet black sticker paying respect to fellow racer Dean Neville of Ulladulla, NSW, who died while jogging just three weeks beforehand.
Dean was surely there in spirit and his fearsome 1969 Camaro was there in the metal – driven by best mate and former Calder Park Thunderdome star Terry Wyhoon, who put it on pole, convincingly ahead of HTCAV Club Champion and Sandown JUST CARS Cup winner Darryl Hansen in his ’68 Mustang.
Just behind these two was former Winton Cup winner Peter McNiven in a newly purchased Mazda RX2, replacing the white Torana he previously drove.
Race 1 - Saturday Stretch
The opening race for the HTCAV crew saw Hansen take the early lead as Wyhoon, thanks to massive wheelspin off the line, went nowhere in a cloud of tyre smoke.
Soon after the 8-lapper got underway, the Safety Car appeared when Vince Parisi shut off his unique Simca Vedette after the throttle stuck wide open on the edge of the sweeper.
When the green flags came out, Wyhoon climbed all over the rear of Hansen until a touch between the two entering the old back straight saw Hansen spin off into the grassy infield and then fire back onto the track. Several cars were lucky to escape the bottleneck created by the wayward Mustang, but West Aussie Graeme Woolhouse wasn’t one of them; his Mustang copping a whack in the rear quarter and forcing him out of the race.
Reigning pre-65 Club Champ Andrew Cannon (Mustang) moved up to fourth after the second Safety Car period as Hansen re-joined at the tail of the field.
As the laps wound out, Nathan Gordon retired his smoking Torana (later traced to a weeping side plate in the 202 Holden six), while Phil Barrow looped his indecently-quick FJ Holden avoiding Tony Gilfuis (Capri) who had a brake lock up in the esses.
Just two weeks after his debut at Sandown, Harry Draper continued to impress in the ex-Russell Pilven Datsun 1600, holding position inside the top ten and keeping much more experienced drivers at bay.
At the finish, Wyhoon was well clear, taking an easy win from the rapid Mazda RX2 of McNiven. Harry Bargwanna (Mustang) greeted the chequer in third but was relegated to fifth after a five-second penalty, allowing Cannon on to the podium, with Hansen finishing fourth after an impressive comeback.
Behind his brother, Alf Bargwanna (Torana) was sixth, narrowly in front of the `68 Mustang of Alan McKelvie; a car previously campaigned with some success by Australian GT Championship contender Fraser Ross and another bloke who could steer a bit – one Jim Richards
Race Two - Sunday Morning Warmup
In a five-lap sprint to get drivers and machinery exercised ahead of the JUST CARS Cup later in the day, Wyhoon made a much neater getaway to lead into the esses as Hansen nipped into third behind McNiven. The Mazda was soon despatched as, behind the leading trio, Glenn Miles (Charger) attacked Stephen Pillekers (Torana) and Gilfuis came under fire from McKelvie.
Alf Bargwanna was an early casualty with his Torana stuck in gear (Harry didn’t even get that far after his naughty Mustang refused to start) while Rob Van Stokrom (BMW) battled the Volvo of former Targa star Andy White.
Hansen set the race’s fastest lap in his pursuit of leader Wyhoon and closed right up on the black and gold Camaro until he fell victim to Winton’s nasty off-camber left hander that joins the original circuit to the “new” extension. Well clear of McNiven in third, Hansen re-joined without dropping a spot. Gilfuis misjudged the same corner shortly after, but a much slimmer margin to those chasing saw him lose fifth position to McKelvie.
Wyhoon grabbed the win from Hansen and McNiven, with Cannon fourth in front of McKelvie, Gilfuis, Gordon, Miles and Sandgroper Stuart Young, whose stunning purple Torana took a well-deserved Repco Best Presented Car Award.
Race Three – The JUST CARS Cup
The 17-lap, 50km JUST CARS Cup was hit with an early Safety Car after Phil Barrow’s Humpy Holden broke a gearbox input shaft on the start line. At the restart, five-second penalties appeared for Wyhoon, Hansen and Cannon as Woolhouse attacked the latter and grabbed fourth place.
A huge dice then erupted between Cannon, Gordon and Miles, while Woolhouse’s strong run ended with his Mustang stopping - and bringing out the Safety Car again.
At the second restart, Hansen led away and looked set to really challenge Wyhoon for the Cup until his `Stang suddenly kicked sideways exiting the esses; the whole field zooming past the stationary Ford pointing the wrong way. Hansen was able to re-start and re-join but, with little chance of catching the front runners, parked up soon after.
Showing great determination – and great speed with his Torana - Gordon put in the drive of the race as he argued over third place with Harry Bargwanna in a fantastic display of close racing, while also defending mightily from Glenn Miles’ Charger. Harry won out to take the final podium spot, with Gordon just pipping Miles for the best of the rest.
At the front of the field, McNiven pushed hard in the rorty Rotary but couldn’t catch Wyhoon, who cruised home to take out the JUST CARS Cup.
As well as the Cup, Wyhoon also won the Makulu Vehicle Storage Driver of the Meeting Award, which wrapped up an emotional weekend for the team that had lost their leader and best mate so very recently. It’s fair to say there were a few damp eyes at the prize giving…