HTCAV – Elliot Barbour profile

Nineteen years ago, a young kid became a popular fixture in Victorian historic touring car pits. Elliot Barbour, then aged seven, was an enthusiastic and knowledgeable helper for his dad, Mark. The elder Barbour enjoyed every minute of teaching his son race prep protocols on the white Holden Torana he campaigned.

This year, 26-year-old Elliot returns to the historic touring fold in another Torana, as a fun adjunct to his career at the top levels of Australian motor sport.

Ten years of competition in diverse categories have brought Elliot many victories – some in cars that we mere mortals can only dream of driving, let alone racing.

Starting Young

After cutting his teeth on karts, Elliot was facing the starter’s flag in tintops the moment he turned 16, in the one-make Holden HQ series with a car loaned by the ever-generous Rob Southouse (a current Just Cars/HTCAV sponsor).

The next two years were also spent one-make racing, this time in the Porsche 944 series, where Elliot gained nine victories and ten podiums. Formula Ford and the Mini Challenge followed, after which Elliot felt he was ready for a bit of real horsepower…        

Chargers, Utes, Bulls and Macs

In 2011, Elliot was amid the cut and thrust of Touring Car Masters racing in a Valiant Charger - the next year it was V8 Supercars in the Development Series. The biffo and barge of V8Ute racing didn’t faze him, either; in 2013, he came away with five victories in that series. Time to change up another gear…

Lamborghinis are, for most people, posters on bedroom walls or roped-off vehicles in displays. But for Elliot, a Lamborghini Gallardo was his office as he competed throughout 2014-15 in the Australian GT Championship.  Not impressed yet? Last December, he became the 50th winner in Australian GT Championship history when he and Nathan Antunes brought a McLaren 650S GT3 home in first place at Highlands Park in New Zealand.