Description
By: Bob Watson .
This book is signed by the author.
About the book
Australia's leading car club for almost 70 years, the Light Car Club of Australia ran the original Australian Grand Prix at Phillip Island in 1928, started Rob Roy hill climb, organised motor racing at Albert Park in the 1950s, initiated the Armstrong 500 race in 1960 which has become the Bathurst 1000, ran motor racing at Sandown for over 20 years and organised two of Australia's classic rallies, the Alpine Rally and the BP Rally of South Eastern Australia.
This book traces the history of the club from its formation in 1924 by members of the RACV. As well as the above, there are chapters on the fabulous Juan Manuel Fangio Australian Grand Prix meeting in 1978, the Experts Trial, the Tasman series of races, Lakeland hill climb and the failed bids to establish a racing circuit on the Mornington Peninsula.
Other chapters cover club personalities including Lex Davison and Bill Patterson, the establishment of the Confederation of Australian Motor Sport (CAMS), the track safety organization Women for Wheels and importantly, the inside story of the politics of the upgrading of the Sandown race track for Formula 1, the financial problems this caused the club, and the running of two World Sports Car championship races that eventually led the club into bankruptcy in 1992.
Many historic photos and documents and a complete record of the winners of all major events run by the LCCA over its 68 year history are included.
About the author
A qualified mechanical engineer, Bob Watson has a deep passion for motor sport, and rallying in particular. He was a driver in the original Holden Dealers Trials Team, winning the Victorian Trials Championship in 1968 Driving for Renault he won a further two Victorian championships, the Australian Rally Championship title in 1970, and victories in the Alpine Rally, the BP Rally and numerous Calder and Catalina Rallycross events. A brief foray into track racing brought a win in the 1968 Sandown 3 Hour endurance race and third placing at Bathurst with Tony Roberts in Roberts' Holden Monaro GTS327, Watson raced a further three times at Bathurst.
Watson has competed in the East African Safari Rally and the London to Sydney Marathon, and he organised the 1995 Mobil 1 Round Australia Trial and the 2008 Red Centre to Gold Coast Trial.
He joined the Light Car Club of Australia in 1968, became a committee member in 1975 and was Vice President six times from 1976 to 1988. Deeply regretting the closure of the club, Watson felt the achievements and innovations that the once noble club had brought to motor sport since 1924 should be recorded:
Bob Watson's autobiography, In Control, was published in 2008.
