THE car which won the last ever period race for Group C touring cars is returning to the same circuit, 42 years on.
The Tilford Touring Car Cup at next month’s Baskerville Historics will feature two former Roadways Racing VH Commodores with strong connections to the Tasmanian venue, including the car that Allan Grice drove to victory in the final race of the Group C era – a non-championship event which was held at Baskerville in 1984.
That Commodore – the ‘100 mph car’ that previously qualified on pole position for the 1982 James Hardie 1000 – will be driven at the Baskerville event by the car’s owner, long-time historic Group C competitor Ed Singleton.
Singleton is also bringing the ex-Steve Harrington, STP-liveried Commodore nicknamed ‘Elvis’ to the Hobart circuit, which will be driven in the Tilford Touring Car Cup by Ben Grice, son of Allan.
Adding to the nostalgia is the fact that the original builder and preparer of both cars, Roadways Racing’s Les Small, has been engaged in recent years by Singleton to prepare and run the cars.
Allan Grice and Steve Masterton battle at Baskerville in 1984. Photo: Bruce Smart (oldmotorsportphotos.com.au)
The final Group C event at Baskerville in 1984 was contested by a six-car field.
They were the two Roadways entries for Grice and Harrington, two Kmart-supported Commodores for Warren Cullen and Andrew Harris, the XE Falcon of Steve Masterton and a one-off appearance by a young Glenn Seton in the turbocharged Nissan Bluebird.
The connection between the Roadways Racing team and Tasmania – specifically, the Baskerville circuit – runs deep, as the Roadways road sealing company was established by the late Ian Harrington, father of former driver Steve, in Hobart in the late 1960s.
The senior Harrington was himself a passionate motorsport enthusiast and state level competitor, and a former President of the Hobart Sporting Car Club.
While he passed away in 1997, his company Ian Harrington Group completed the first complete resurface of the Baskerville circuit in 2016.
A large field of Group C and A touring cars are expected for the Tilford Touring Car Cup, which in another revival of past traditions carries the name of a touring car race supported by the same sponsor at Baskerville in 1983.
The Baskerville Historics event will take place over October 16-18.
Original Roadways Racing car builder and preparer, Les Small, tends to the ‘Elvis’ STP Commodore on a test day at Winton. Photo: Ed Singleton
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