John Bowe Interview

Sure, he may have finished his long tenure as a full-time Touring Car/V8 Supercar driver three years ago, but since then 'JB' certainly hasn't gone the 'pipe and slippers' route! In fact, over the past year, JB has been busier than ever - competing full time in the Autobarn Touring Car Masters, launching his own website, running advanced driver training courses, and attending all manner of automotive events around the country. In the lead up to his guest drive in the Eastern Creek Six Hour race and appearing at the 10th Anniversary MotorEx show, JB took time to chat to JUST CARS about all things cars and motorsport.

JUST CARS (JC): G'day John. Thanks for taking the time to have a chat to us today.

JOHN BOWE (JB): I appreciate you doing the story, mate. Rob (Lang, who helped co-ordinate the interview) is a great bloke. He helps us out a lot, taking my (Touring Car Masters) car up to Darwin, with the trailer and all that stuff for us.

JC: This year's been a pretty good one for you so far, and I suppose it goes back to late last year when you scored a spot in the V8 Supercar Hall of Fame and bought into the Touring Car Masters series. The award and getting back into a full time drive must have both been a bit of a thrill?

JB: Yeah, it was. When I retired from V8 Supercar racing, which was the end of '07, it left quite a big hole in my life, and I struggled with it quite a lot. So, I was given the opportunity to do a one-off race at Clipsal in 2008 - with the Touring Car Masters - by Tony Hunter, who owns Sunliner Motor Homes and is one of the (Touring Car Masters) directors. The cars have got a direct DNA to V8 Supercars in a lot of ways. I know they're forty years old, but they've got the big V8 engine at the front, they slide around a bit, they've got more power than grip and all that sort of stuff. I liked the concept of it, so I asked some of the people that supported me in my later V8 years: John McMellan, the CEO from Wilson Security; and Jim Walker, who's the CEO of WesTrac, the big CAT dealers. These people are friends and they said they'd have a crack at it, so I did a deal to race Tony's Camaro for a while, and I really enjoyed it. It's just good fun stuff. Toward the end of last year, the Mustang (of retired TCM competitor, Drew Marget) became available, and I actually bought it, which I'm not sure was such a good idea! It's 25 years since I owned a racing car, so I'm sort of getting a bit of a shock about it! (laughs) But I have to say it's nice to get back in a Ford, because people who have followed me for years are 'Ford people', so it gives me more of a 'bond' with them.

JC: I'm guessing that during that opening practise session at Clipsal (where JB hit the wall and did some front end damage) you may have thought 'Ahhh, this isn't such a good idea'?

JB: (laughs). Yeah, what a joke, eh?! The very first practice session in the very first race meeting that I do in a car of my own, I ran out of talent and crashed it!

JC: Well, since then, you've really gone from strength to strength. At the Winton round, where you won pole and all three races, it couldn't get much more dominant than that?

JB: No, I had a great Winton. When I drove for Brad Jones Racing, we tested a LOT at Winton, so I think my knowledge of Winton is probably better than anyone else, in terms of setup and stuff like that. Darwin wasn't so great. I went OK, but there was a bit of an issue with the heavier cars - the cars with the 350s and 351s in them. The ones like Jim Richards's car (a '64 Falcon Sprint with a 289 V8) and the ones with 302s in them have all got a lot less weight to carry. You've only got one set of tyres, so by the second and third race, you get a lot more tyre deterioration in the big cars.

JC: Is that because of the nature of the track up there in Darwin scrubs out the tyres quicker?

JB: Honestly, I just think it's a factor of weight. At around 1600kgs, my car's 230 kilos heavier than Jim's, so that's like carrying three decent-sized passengers in it. It just has a deterioration effect on your tyres and your brakes. With only four tyres, by the time you qualify on them and do three races on them, by the end of the third race, they're absolutely knackered. At Darwin I was struggling a bit, as was Gavin Bullas. Gavin's won two championships in the Mustang, and he was in the same boat. They're just harder on the tyres compared to the lighter weight cars. At different tracks this year, you'll see a bit of 'ebb and flow' which I think is what you used to see in the Group A days - you saw Sierras suit some tracks, Nissans suit others and Commodores suit others. So, from a point of view of spectator interest, it keeps it good. Our next race is going to be at Eastern Creek, which is the 'Muscle Car Masters' meeting (September 3 - 5). Not sure what that will bring! (laughs) It's quite hard on tyres, too.

JC: The straights there would suit the bigger horsepower cars, I'm guessing.

JB: In Jim's case, it doesn't seem to be any slower down the straight. I think power to weight ratio probably favours the lighter cars at the moment. But that's something the people running the category, who are pretty smart blokes, will look at. But it's a relatively new category, really.

JC: Can you elaborate on that?

JB: Touring Car Masters morphed out of Group N and it took Group N to a more professional level. It's a national championship, it travels to most of the circuits in the country, there's a certain amount of commercial sponsorship (which wasn't allowed in Group N). It treats a lot of the problems that Group N has. Say, let's take a Falcon XY GT Phase III, which is an iconic Aussie car. When you race one in Group N, you've got to use a Toploader gearbox, which is what they came out with (from the factory). But you needed to take six Toploaders with you to a race meeting, 'cause they'd break all the time, because the car's got more power than the gearbox will take.

JC: Yeah, I read when Gavin Bullas was running in Group N, he'd take at least three gearboxes to a meeting, because he knew he'd need that many!

JB: That's right. So, we use a NASCAR gearbox, which are a little bit more expensive to buy, but they're trouble free, maintenance free and they'll do a season of racing easy without any real dramas. They're four speed, still. They don't take away from the character of the car, but they're sensible. You're not taking gearboxes and having to change them every five seconds and that sort of stuff. So, it's a good set of rules that are constantly being refined and you only have to go to the tracks to see how much people love these cars. The stands are just as full for our racing as the V8 Supercars. I go to all the V8 Supercar races, because I'm involved with Wilson Security, and I help out a young guy in Brad Jones's team, I do some corporate work with WesTrac, Dunlop and others, and all the people that I meet love these old cars - it's not just my car, it's everybody's. They love the Falcons and the Monaros and Toranas, so it's obviously a good recipe.

JC: Well, certainly the improvement in making the cars more reliable is something that, while all the fans may not know, I'm sure they appreciate these cars running a full race distance.

JB: It's the same with the brakes. We're allowed to use a four piston caliper, which is not a massive brake or anything. We use the same size wheels as Group N, but the caliper is a better caliper, so you're unlikely to completely run out of brakes. And you're unlikely to have to replace the calipers halfway through a meeting, which is what you'd do with Group N. It's basically quite sensible, but it hasn't taken away from the character of the cars. It's also got weight limits for capacity and rev limits for capacity, which Group N don't have. I think our historic category is a really good way of doing things.

JC: Back when you committed to buy the Mustang, you were reportedly considering building up a XA Ford two door, or maybe even getting an XY GTHO. How close did those come to fruition before Drew Marget's Mustang became available?

JB: I really would have liked to run an XA coupe, to be honest. I actually went as far as buying a bodyshell, but it's very hard to find one that's any good, and it would have cost a fortune to restore before you even started building the car. In a timeframe thing, it was just too long, so I didn't go ahead with it. I'd still probably like to race an XA coupe, but I'm not too sure it's going to happen. Honestly, I don't know how long I'll stay in the series. I got involved in it because it was a way of adjusting to not (V8) racing, so I take each year as it comes. I've got people who actually want to buy the Mustang off me at the moment. I don't know whether to sell it or not sell it. I'll take each race meeting as it comes. I've got a guy who looks after it, Dick Savy, who has a business in Melbourne, Savy Motorsport, doing race car construction and preparation and things like that. He does a really good job of looking after it, it never wants for anything. It's quite expensive, though, I've gotta tell you.

JC: Getting back to that XA GT that Leanne Tander's running. Was that ever in the mix when you were looking at buying a car for the series, or did that come along after you'd bought the Mustang?

JB: Yes, it was in the mix. The guy who owns that is Phil Morris, a Western Australian mining engineer, and he's been in the Touring Car Masters since the beginning as an entrant. Phil and I got talking about it, and I helped him with a 'spec' as to where it should be, what it should be, what its geometry should be and all that sort of stuff - nothing Adrian Newey-like, though! (laughs) I was going to drive it, but the Mustang came along in the meantime, and I didn't think Phil would get it finished in time, to be honest. As it turned out, he did. I felt a sense of responsibility towards it, and I knew Leanne Tander, who's involved with Wilson Security, like me, so I tied all the bits of string together for her to drive it. It's actually a really good car. I tested it when it was new. Each time they run it, they find a few little things to improve on it, but she was on the podium at Winton in the last race, so I was as pleased with that as I was with my own thing.

JC: Looking at it, it certainly seems like it's got some potential.

JB: Yeah, it has. The Falcon's are allowed to run a Cleveland engine, which for anyone who knows those sort of things, knows the Cleveland's got more power than a Windsor. The XA & XY's came out with a Cleveland, so they've got plenty of straightline speed, it's very strong. To drive it, it feels bigger than the Mustang - which I guess it is - but it's pretty well behaved, it's got a good spec, the chassis and roll cage is very good. It's certainly a front runner and Leanne drives it well, too. She's a very accomplished racing driver, regardless of gender.

JC: For sure. We'll be interviewing her later, and looking back through her history, she's turned a wheel in many different forms of motorsport, too.

JB: I hope she gives me a mention, because if she doesn't I'll be able to sack her! (laughs)

JC: (laughs) OK, I'll make sure I ask her how she rates JB! Now, looking ahead to the rest of the Touring Car Masters series, there are five rounds coming up and you've got pole and lap record at two of them. Are you feeling confident for the upcoming rounds?

JB: Oh no, not really. I don't really think about it too much. I mean, the whole reason for doing this was to enjoy it, and I try to enjoy it rather than taking it ridiculously seriously, because I've had a racing career. I had some great times in it and some disappointing times. This is not professional racing, it's not going to make a difference to my life one way or the other, so I just try to enjoy it. There are a lot of great blokes in it, it's got a really good vibe. Everybody loves racing and I've had some terrific races. To give you an example, at Darwin race two Sunday morning, where they reversed the top eight (on the grid), I came third. I mean I enjoyed that as much as I did winning three races at Winton! It was just such a great battle, you know? I'm really looking forward to driving the Mustang at Bathurst, though. Last year in the Camaro, we had a lot of trouble with it. We had some cooling issues and stuff. But the cars (at Bathurst) are terrific, because they're so 'wayward' they're really challenging to drive around Bathurst, because they go down the straight like rockets. . . they haven't got any aero on them, no wings or anything, so they're a bit of a challenge. Bit like trying to walk a tightrope with pointy toe shoes on!

JC: You seem to get out and about to a lot of car shows and events like MotorEx. Do you go to these sorts of things often?

JB: Yeah, I do. Because I'm into motoring. I love car things. I love car people. So when you're hanging around doing stuff, you might as well hang around things that you like.

JC: Getting back onto the Touring Car Masters. Looking at some of the former V8 drivers like Jim Richards and Andrew Meidecke - and with talk of Glenn Seton coming in - I was wondering if there's any of the old combatants from your V8 & ATCC days that you'd like to turn a wheel against in the Touring Car Masters?

JB: Well, I'd like to get Brad Jones in it, but he reckons he's too busy. I'd like to get Dick Johnson in it. I was only talking to him yesterday. He said he doesn't want to. . . but I think he does! I might have to give him a little steer in the Mustang when we can arrange it, which isn't easy to do. The cars are quite difficult to drive, so the experience you gain in top level motorsport stands you in good stead. With Andrew, I've been driving against him since 1980, I think. Jim Richards about the same sort of time. But there are other guys there who aren't, let's say, household names, like Brad Tilley, who's a fantastic driver. And his brother Cameron's a fantastic driver. I mean, the things he does with that Valiant Pacer are honestly breathtaking.

JC: Yeah, he's going great guns in Group 2, I've noticed.

JB: He is a DRIVER, mate, I tell ya. And Brad drives that Phase III that's one of the most popular cars in the category. There are guys racing Porsches, like Bernie Stack and Greg Keene. There's a terrific cross section of cars. There's Tony Karanfilovski. . . . .

JC: Who's flying the flag for Alfa.

JB: Yep, the GTAm. I helped him test that car at Winton last year. That's a beautiful little car. There's also a bloke called Phil Showers, who's got a little replica of a works 1970 Escort with the flared steel guards and a two litre alloy-block BDG engine. It's an absolute work of art, that little car. They're not going to win anything, but they're terrific little motor cars, and that's the way it was back in the day - there was a really big cross section. Not everyone was running nose to tail, but it was a bit more about the cars.

JC: It'll be interesting to see what that extension for suitable vehicles from 1973 up to 1976 will bring.

JB: Yeah, I think the LH SLR 5000s are the main thing that's coming in at the moment. I guess if you were going to build an XA coupe, you could make it an XB coupe now, which is a better looking car in my opinion.

JC: Absolutely!

JB: They're hoping to attract other things like Celicas and Escort Mark IIs and things like that into the smaller class - Group 3. That'll hopefully get a bit of momentum up. I think it'd be nice to run an Under 2 litre class. If you could get 10 or 15 of those cars going, you could have some great little dices in that, as well. So, what else? Jimmy Richards is building a Javelin, which he's been building for a couple of years. I expect that will be blindingly fast. But I don't know why you'd want to build one, I reckon they're one of the ugliest cars I've ever seen!

JC: (laughs) Not a fan?

JB: Noooo, I reckon they look shocking. . . . but I suppose it is different. This is only dreaming, but I wouldn't mind building a Firebird, because there were Firebirds in the Trans Am series.

JC: Well, a Pontiac would be interesting to see in the TCM field, for sure.

JB: Yeah, wouldn't it? And really they're only a Camaro with a different front. And a Camaro is the best shape and weight distribution (for racing). But, having said all that, the (Camaros) aren't perfect because none of them were perfect in those days.

JC: Scott Yorston from SS Media (www.ssmedia.com.au) has recently produced a series of illustrations of some of your best known racing cars, as well as the Mustang from this season. Did he help in developing your new website www.johnbowe.com.au as well?

JB: Yes, he did. There were a few people involved with it. He also designed the livery on my car, the livery on Leanne's car, the livery on Tony Hunter's and Gavin Bullas's car. He's a very good illustrator and a clever young fella. Him and a guy called Greg Lee, with 'V8 RACE' who I do some driver programs with, and a young lady from Adelaide called Cat O'Shaughnessy, were all involved (with the website). The whole thing was supervised by a mate of mine called Hamilton Burkhardt. So johnbowe.com.au was more their idea than my idea. I'm very proud of it, of course, but I'm about as far removed from the internet era as anyone could be! (laughs) These people involved with it are quite innovative, so it's really good. Obviously, there's a lot of people who look at it, so that's got to be good for the Touring Car Masters, it's got to be good for all the people who support me, the sponsors and all that.

JC: You're also involved with John Bowe Driving, doing the high performance and advanced driving courses and so on. Do you get much time to get out there and do some driver training these days?

JB: Well, I do the 'High Performance' courses, which is when you go to a racetrack with your own car. We get people with everything from Ferraris to Minis there. With the advent of the speed camera at every telegraph pole now, there's no way you can really enjoy your car on the road as it was intended. If you look at www.johnbowedriving.com.au, it's called 'High Performance Day'. We do them at Winton, we do them at Sandown, we do them at Phillip Island occasionally. So a lot of people come to that for a chance to really enjoy their car's potential. I do those and the odd 'Drive to Survive' course. I was doing one at Sandown last week and that's the sort of thing everybody should do as a refresher course, when they get a licence or before they get a licence. Personally, I think it should be legislated that you have to do a Driver Survivor-type course before you get a licence, because it teaches you lots of things about attitude and avoiding potential disasters. What we do is teach you, in your own car, how to avoid those sort of pitfalls. A lot of it is practical, but a lot of it is also attitudinal, too. I also do programs with 'V8 Race'. If you look at www.v8race.com.au you'll find out more about that. I do special programs with them at Eastern Creek and Sandown, so I've got plenty going on, mate - and it's all around cars & driving!

JC: OK, getting back to the Mustang, it's been reported it's only the second race car you've ever owned. What was the first?

JB: Well, I haven't owned any totally myself. When I first started, I used to go halves with my father in them. My first Formula Vee, my first Formula Ford, so I suppose I half owned them. Later on, with the two Ralts I owned, I went halves with my brother, Terry, who's involved with John Bowe Driving. So, I guess the Mustang is the first one I've owned, really. Quite honestly, I reckon it's better to drive other people's cars. (JC laughs). I know too much about it, that's the problem! I'm forever spending money on it, so if someone buys that Mustang will get a good car, I tell ya! (laughs) I do that with road cars, too - it's called overcapitalisation!

JC: OK, we'll finish off with a few quick ones. What was the very first road car you owned?

JB: A 1955 VW Beetle oval window, which I had when I was 15. My father didn't even know I had it!

JC: And first race car?

JB: An Elfin Formula Vee, which I had when I was 16. My father found out I had the Beetle and said 'I think we better get a race car for you!'.

JC: Favourite road car you've ever driven?

JB: Gee, I've driven lots. I don't reckon many people in the world have driven as many road cars as I have! (pause) Lamborghini Murcielago, probably. A very ballsy, blokey car.

JC: And favourite race car you've ever driven?

JB: That's very hard, because there's so many of them. Probably the Veskanda that I drove in the 1980s, if I had to single one out. But you like race cars when they're going well, and you don't like 'em if they're not!

JC: (laughs) Veskanda? Can't say I've heard of that.

JB: It was a Group C sports car, built by K&A Engineering in Adelaide, as an international Group C competitor, but it only raced in Australia. A very good car. I think Scotty from SS Media has got a drawing of it.

JC: What would be your ideal or dream road car to have?

JB: Well, honestly, if I had a lot of money, I'd probably have fifty of 'em! But if I could only have one, hmmmm, a 599 Ferrari wouldn't be bad.

JC: And the ideal or dream race car?

JB: (laughs) Actually, what I would truly love to have is one the early to mid '70s Ferrari F1 cars - the one's like Niki Lauda drove with the flat 12 in them. The conventional, non-ground effects, gear-levered cars, with big tyres and all that stuff. I reckon they're a really awesome thing. I'd love one of those. (pause) Nothing a couple of million wouldn't fix!

JC: (laughs) That's why I said it's the 'dream' car! So how many road cars do you reckon you've owned over the years?

JB: I don't know, mate. It's a question I've often asked myself. I've always been going to, for the last 25 years, sit down and write them down! I reckon I would have had hundreds, I've had lots and lots, because I love them. This E-Type I've got now, it's beautiful. It's a really early one, a 1962 3.8 roadster. It's as good as you're going to find anywhere in the world. It's just a nice, genuine, proper, fifty year-old car.

JC: Do you get a chance to drive that one much?

JB: No, not much. I'm intending to. The car itself has only done 2,500 miles in its life - and I've done about half of that. (laughs) It's a real showroom car. Alf Barbagallo, the Jaguar dealer in Western Australia had it. He had a collection of them, and this one never really did anything.

JC: What else is in the garage?

JB: I've only got one real road car. My wife, Alice, has got a BMW turbo diesel and I've got a Mercedes CLK. But if I had the money, I'd get a big shed and fill it up with cars.

JC: OK, last question. Looking back through the list of John Bowe racing achievements, first thing I noticed is it's a bloody long list, but if you could pick one highlight from your racing career, what would it be?

JB: Well, this isn't something I took a lot of notice of at the time, but looking back on it, I think when Dick and I won Bathurst in 1994. I think that was a terrific achievement from both us and the team of people who were at DJR at the time, which included Ross and Jimmy Stone. We worked really hard at it and everybody did a really good job and at the end of the day we got up. And it was a very tough race. Because it's Bathurst, it has quite a special meaning.

JC: Thanks again for your time, JB. All the best for the Touring Car Masters and all your other activities in the coming months.

JB: No worries, I'll also be at the VHRR Festival of Speed event at Winton in (August 13 - 15) driving a Brabham open wheeler, so I'll see you at the track!

John Bowe is supported by:
WesTrac CAT - Caterpillar dealers and distributors for NSW, WA and China
Wilson Security - Providing security manpower and technology solutions Australia-wide
Doric - Australia's largest manufacturer of door and window hardware for residential and commercial applications
Flemming Golf - Market leading earthmoving and turf construction company, specializing in golf courses and playing fields
Infomedia - A leading suppliers of electronic parts catalogues to the automotive industry
Astrontech - Providing a wide range of IT business solutions
Dunlop - JB says they make the best tyres in the world!
Rare Spares - Australia's leading supplier of reproduction spare parts for classic Aussie cars
SS Media - Providers of a wide range of media communication services
Savy Motorsport - Race car build and preparation specialists
LiquiMoly - Specialist oil and oil & fuel additives and protectant supplier
MotorEx - Australia's premier show car showcase event
V8 Race - Offering a 'real race driving' experience - with JB at the wheel!
Sinclair Ford - Based in Penrith, NSW, JB says they're the best Ford/FPV dealership in the country.
Peter Lehmann Wines - Offering a great range of fine Barossa Valley wines to enjoy after a day's racing
Penske Racing Shocks - Suspension for professional race and targa applications
John Bowe Driving - One of Australia's leading advanced driving training providers
Unique Cars - JB is a regular contributor to Unique Cars magazine
Gruff Puppy - Website design, photography, video, graphic design and creative services
Protech Developments - Distributors of VBOX incar video camera systems
Splitrock/Tiro - Natural spring water beverages, flavoured and mixer drinks

Source: JUST CARS, September 2010, Collectors Issue #175