COLIN BOND
MR VERSATILITY IMAGES Autopics.com.au
Colin Bond was the ‘Mr Versatility’ of Australian motorsport, winning major touring car and rally titles in a career that spanned four decades. We sat done with Bond to reflect on an incredible career, from hillclimbs and rallying into touring cars.
O
n transitioning from hillclimbs and rallying into touring cars. “My hillclimb car was basically a proper race car, which we hill-climbed and raced as well, plus the rally side of things. But it wasn’t until 1969 that we had a competitive car and went to Bathurst and won it, of course. “I think that in Australia, you realise that if you try to make a professional living out of it, you virtually had to do it in a touring car. In the beginning, Formula 5000 and all that sort of stuff were probably the dominant categories, but it was in the early 1970s that touring cars really kicked on. “There were people who were making a living out of it but not many because you virtually had to get involved with a manufacturer to cement the fact that you could possibly do it. “We were fortunate in 1969 when Harry Firth took over the Holden Dealer Team and we ran Bathurst full length for the first time and won that, while Peter Brock and Dessie West came third. After that Harry picked up myself and Peter and I was with them the next seven years.” On signing with the Holden Dealer Team. “We rallied against Harry for many years, even though we were in the little Colt and he was in his Cortina, so he knew of me and I think Mike Kable mentioned to Harry at one stage that we also did a bit of racing and he asked me if I would go and do Sandown with Spencer Martin.
1969 BATHURST WIN
Scan to watch Colin Bond discuss his victory at Bathurst alongside Tony Roberts in the Holden Dealer Team’s HT Monaro GTS350 in 1969.
56
SUPERCAR XTRA
SCX129 p56-58 Colin Bond.indd 56
15/06/2023 10:26:50 AM
