Colin Bond

For the Australian rules footballer, see Colin Bond (footballer).

Colin Bond
Nationality	Australian
Born	(1942-02-24) 24 February 1942
Retired	1994
Australian Touring Car Championship
Years active	1971-93
Teams	Holden Dealer Team Moffat Ford Dealer Team Masterton Homes Racing Caltex CXT Racing
Starts	126
Wins	10
Best finish	1st in 1975 Australian Touring Car Championship
Previous series
1970-80 1976 1982-83	Australian Rally Championship Australian Sports Sedan Championship Australian GT Championship
Championship titles
1971 1971 1972 1974 1975 1988	South Pacific Touring Car Series Australian Rally Championship Australian Rally Championship Australian Rally Championship South Pacific Touring Car Series AMSCAR Touring Car Series
Awards
2002	V8 Supercar Hall of Fame

Colin John Bond (born 24 February 1942) is a retired Australian racing driver. Bond reached the highest levels in Australian motorsport in 1969 when he was recruited by Harry Firth to the newly formed Holden Dealer Team. He quickly found success, winning the 1969 Hardie-Ferodo 500 mile race (now the Bathurst 1000) at Bathurst, New South Wales in a Holden Monaro.

Bond was a particularly versatile driver, also finding success in the Australian Rally Championship, winning the title in 1971, 1972 and 1974 driving a Holden Torana. Bond also won the 1975 Australian Touring Car Championship in a Holden Torana and was inducted into the V8 Supercar Hall of Fame in 2002.

Early career

Colin Bond in the Holden Dealer Team Monaro at Lakeside International Raceway in 1970.

Bond initially made a reputation as a hillclimber with three NSW Hillclimb titles in 1965-67 driving a Lynx-Peugeot S/C. Also known as a rally driver he was relatively unknown in circuit racing circles apart from a few forays racing various Isuzu Belletts, when he was chosen to partner Tony Roberts in one of three Holden Dealer Team entered Holden Monaros for the 1969 Hardie-Ferodo 500 at Bathurst. On a day when the Fords crumbled with unsuitable tyres for the race, the HDT stood strong, putting all three Monaros (including one driven by Des West and a young Peter Brock which finished third) into the top six positions with Bond and Roberts winning.

Torana GTR XU-1

Bond and Shepheard in the Holden Dealer Team Torana GTR XU-1 on their way to another win in the Warana Rally, round four of the 1972 Australian Rally Championship.

The nimble 6-cylinder Torana GTR XU-1 debuted in late 1970 and in 1971 Bond began racking up an impressive list of race and rally titles in his Torana. He secured the Manufacturer's Championship for Holden by winning 3 out of 5 rounds, including the Sandown 250 enduro in his XU-1. He also won the Australian Rally Championship and the Southern Cross Rally, along with the South Pacific Touring Series that year.

Late in 1971 Bond had a couple of drives with Frank Matich's F5000 team. One was in the Australian Grand Prix at Warwick Farm and driving in a wet practice session Bond put in lap times seconds faster than his more experienced F5000 rivals. After his open-wheeler stint he opted to stay with the Holden Dealer Team.

The following year Bond won the Australian Rally Championship for the second year in a row. Bond also won the Catalina Park rallycross series, while on the bitumen he won the Toby Lee Series and Sun-7 Gold Medal. In 1973 he again won the Sun-7 series at Amaroo Park.

1974 ARC winners Colin Bond and George Shepheard in the HDT Torana GTR XU-1 at the Warana Rally, round five of the 1974 Australian Rally Championship.

In 1974, as well as winning his third national Rally Championship, Bond won his third consecutive Sun-7 Chesterfield Series against a strong challenge by Bob Morris.

Torana L34

In late 1974, driving the new Holden Torana SL/R 5000, he contributed to Holden's victory in the Australian Manufacturers' Championship, again winning three out of five rounds.

Peter Brock left the Holden Dealer Team at the end of 1974 so for the 1975 season Colin Bond was the team's No.1 driver. That year he won his only Australian Touring Car Championship in the new L34 version of the SL/R 5000 Torana, and also won his second South Pacific Touring Car Series. At Bathurst Bond claimed pole position from the Ford XB Falcon GT Hardtop of Allan Moffat and led for much of the early part of the race until a broken axle at half distance put him too far back to challenge the similar Torana Peter Brock and Brian Sampson.

Reproduction of the 1976 Bathurst Bond/Harvey Torana

Bond was involved in a dramatic finish in 1976 at the Bathurst 1000. Late in the race when it seemed Bond, in the Holden Dealer Team Torana L34, had the race sewn up he was forced to pull into the pits with fanbelt trouble allowing the Bob Morris Torana to take the lead. In the final laps Morris's co-driver, British touring car ace John Fitzpatrick, nursed home an ailing car trailing smoke ahead of Bond's Torana which finished about 40 seconds behind.

In 1987, motoring writer Bill Tuckey in his book The Rise and Fall of Peter Brock claimed that there had been a lap scoring error in the 1976 race and that Colin Bond's Torana was the first car to complete the distance. Tuckey claimed Holden declined to challenge the result because a privately entered Holden team had won in such a memorable, emotional finish, and because Bob Morris' major sponsor was Ron Hodgson Motors, one of Sydney's leading Holden dealerships at the time. It remains however a contested footnote, Bob Morris denies that this was the case, claiming most team lap scorers agreed that the results were correct. Despite this, Bond's co-driver John Harvey believes that he and Bond did indeed win the race (Bond himself has kept a dignified silence), despite the official result still showing Morris and Fitzpatrick as race winners.

1-2 Formation Finish at Bathurst

Main article: 1977 Bathurst 1000

In 1977, Bond came close to becoming the first driver to achieve victories for both Holden and Ford Motor Company at the Bathurst 1000 (a feat which wouldn't be achieved until Steven Richards in 1999). He was driving the second car (a Ford Falcon XC Hardtop) in Allan Moffat's team, with Moffat driving the lead car which was experiencing mechanical problems in the closing laps of the race. Although Bond had the opportunity to pass Moffat and take victory, he controversially chose to observe Moffat's team orders and allowed him to pass the line first in the now famous 1-2 formation finish.

Bond has stated in interviews since then that he regretted not taking victory from Moffat. Moffat himself later revealed that during the race he had offered Bond a drive in his Falcon which would have seen Bond not only win the race but finish second as well. Bond confirmed that he turned down Moffat's offer, preferring instead to stick to his own car which was co-driven by open wheel driver Alan Hamilton (Bond was to have driven with Gregg Hansford, but the Queenslander had to withdraw through injury suffered in a Motorcycle racing accident). Moffat also claimed that had the third placed Peter Janson / Larry Perkins Holden LX Torana SS A9X Hatchback been on the same lap (they were one lap down) and closing in on the pair that Bond would have been free to pass him for the win if it meant that the Moffat Ford Dealers team won the race.

From 1977 to 1980 Bond ran the Ford works rally team, with Greg Carr and Bond driving the very competitive BDA Escort. The highlight for the Ford team was Greg Carr winning the 1978 Australian Rally Championship.

The 1980s

Colin Bond's Ford Capri

During the 1980s Bond was less prominent than he had been the previous decade, due mainly as others recognised his engineering ability and he was hired to front smaller operations like Steve Masterton's Capri team, Alfa Romeo's three-year factory effort and in the 1990s Toyota's short-lived foray into Supertouring. But he did register two more Bathurst 1000 placings, finishing 3rd in 1983 and 1988; the latter occasion with 1980 Formula One World Champion Alan Jones as co-driver in a Ford Sierra RS500. And in 1985 Bond and former motorcycle racer Gregg Hansford won their class and finished 7th outright at Bathurst in an Alfa Romeo GTV. He was also third in the 1981 and 1988 Australian Touring Car Championships.

Bond drove a great variety of machinery during this period including the Ford Capri, Chevrolet Camaro, Triumph TR8, Alfa Romeo GTV, Alfa Romeo 75, Ford Sierra RS500, Toyota Corolla, and Porsche (including a Porsche 944 Turbo for Allan Hamilton's Porsche Cars Australia team in the 1982 and 1983 Australian GT Championships).

Bond also teamed with then open wheel racer Andrew Miedecke to drive a John Fitzpatrick Racing Porsche 962 in the 1984 Sandown 1000. The race, which was the final round of the 1984 World Endurance Championship, was the first ever FIA world championship motor race held in Australia. Driving an unfamiliar car with approximately 200 bhp (149 kW; 203 PS) more than either had driven previously, Bond and Miedecke acquitted themselves well against the likes of Sports car racing stars Stefan Bellof, Jacky Ickx, Jochen Mass, Derek Bell, and Aussie internationals Alan Jones and Vern Schuppan. Bond qualified the car in 11th place, 4.4 seconds slower than pole winner Bellof in his Rothmans Porsche 956B. Bondy and "Mad Andy" then drove a steady race, staying out of trouble, to record a 6th place finish at Melbourne's Sandown Park. Bond would claim that racing the 962 was "A lot of fun".

Wins in the Caltex Sierra

Colin Bond made an impact on the Touring Car Championship in 1990, winning two consecutive rounds of the championship at Lakeside and Mallala driving a Caltex sponsored Ford Sierra. Both these wins involved memorable drives where Bond came from behind to pass the leading cars one by one until taking the lead and holding off his rivals to win.

In 1994 Bond was lured back for one last tilt at the Bathurst 1000 by Fred Gibson, manager of the Winfield Racing Team. Driving a Holden VP Commodore with Swede Anders Olofsson, Bond briefly led the race early on when many cars were pitting to change tyres. He finished in 6th place on the same lap as the winning car.

Bond retired as a driver in 1994, but continued to contribute to the sport as a driving standards observer for V8 Supercar until he was replaced by Tomas Mezera after the 2006 season.

Career results

Season	Series	Position	Car	Team
1965	New South Wales Hillclimb Championship	1st	Lynx-Peugeot S/C
1966	New South Wales Hillclimb Championship	1st	Lynx-Peugeot S/C
1967	New South Wales Hillclimb Championship	1st	Lynx-Peugeot S/C
1970	South Pacific Touring Series	2nd	Holden HT Monaro GTS 350	Holden Dealer Team
1970	Australian Rally Championship	2nd	Holden HT Monaro GTS 350	Holden Dealer Team
1971	South Pacific Touring Series	1st	Holden LC Torana GTR XU-1	Holden Dealer Team
1971	Australian Rally Championship	1st	Holden LC Torana GTR XU-1	Holden Dealer Team
1972	South Pacific Touring Series	6th	Holden LJ Torana GTR XU-1	Holden Dealer Team
1972	Sun-7 Chesterfield Series	1st	Holden LJ Torana GTR XU-1	Holden Dealer Team
1972	Toby Lee Series	1st	Holden LJ Torana GTR XU-1	Holden Dealer Team
1972	Australian Rally Championship	1st	Holden LJ Torana GTR XU-1	Holden Dealer Team
1973	Australian Rally Championship	2nd	Holden LJ Torana GTR XU-1	Holden Dealer Team
1973	South Pacific Touring Series	3rd	Holden LJ Torana GTR XU-1	Holden Dealer Team
1973	Sun 7 Better Brakes Gold Medal Series	1st	Holden LJ Torana GTR XU-1	Holden Dealer Team
1974	Australian Touring Car Championship	14th	Holden LJ Torana GTR XU-1	Holden Dealer Team
1974	Sun-7 Chesterfield Series	1st	Holden LJ Torana GTR XU-1 Holden LH Torana SL/R 5000	Holden Dealer Team
1974	Australian Rally Championship	1st	Holden LJ Torana GTR XU-1	Holden Dealer Team
1975	Australian Touring Car Championship	1st	Holden LH Torana SL/R 5000 L34	Holden Dealer Team
1975	South Pacific Touring Series	1st	Holden LH Torana SL/R 5000 L34	Holden Dealer Team
1975	Australian Rally Championship	4th	Holden LH Torana SL/R 5000 L34	Holden Dealer Team
1976	Australian Touring Car Championship	2nd	Holden LH Torana SL/R 5000 L34	Holden Dealer Team
1976	Australian Sports Sedan Championship	6th	Holden LH Torana	Holden Dealer Team
1977	Australian Touring Car Championship	2nd	Ford XB Falcon GT Ford XC Falcon GS500 Hardtop	Moffat Ford Dealers
1978	Australian Rally Championship	3rd	Ford Escort BDA	Ford Australia
1978	Australian Touring Car Championship	5th	Ford XC Falcon GS500 Hardtop	Moffat Ford Dealers
1979	Rothmans International Series	6th	Brabham BT43 Chevrolet	Thomson Motor Auctions
1979	Australian Rally Championship	3rd	Ford Escort BDA	Ford Australia
1980	Australian Rally Championship	2nd	Ford Escort BDA	Ford Australia
1981	Australian Touring Car Championship	3rd	Ford Capri Mk.II	Masterton Homes Racing
1981	3.5L AMSCAR Series	3rd	Ford Capri Mk.II	Masterton Homes Racing
1982	Australian GT Championship	3rd	Porsche 944 Turbo	Porsche Cars Australia
1982	Better Brakes AMSCAR Series	4th	Chevrolet Camaro Z28	Nine Network Racing Team
1983	Australian GT Championship	7th	Porsche 944 Turbo	Porsche Cars Australia
1984	Australian Super Series	2nd	Alfa Romeo GTV6	Network Alfa
1984	World Endurance Championship	62nd	Porsche 962	Team Australia John Fitzpatrick Racing
1985	Australian Touring Car Championship	6th	Alfa Romeo GTV6	Network Alfa
1985	Australian Endurance Championship	3rd	Alfa Romeo GTV6	Network Alfa
1986	Australian Touring Car Championship	9th	Alfa Romeo GTV6	Network Alfa
1986	Better Brakes AMSCAR Series	2nd	Alfa Romeo GTV6	Network Alfa
1987	Australian Touring Car Championship	9th	Alfa Romeo 75	Caltex CXT Racing Team
1988	Australian Touring Car Championship	3rd	Ford Sierra RS500	Caltex CXT Racing Team
1988	Better Brakes AMSCAR Series	1st	Ford Sierra RS500	Caltex CXT Racing Team
1989	Australian Touring Car Championship	8th	Ford Sierra RS500	Caltex CXT Racing Team
1990	Australian Touring Car Championship	4th	Ford Sierra RS500	Caltex CXT Racing Team
1990	James Hardie Building Products AMSCAR Series	2nd	Ford Sierra RS500	Caltex CXT Racing Team
1991	Australian Touring Car Championship	10th	Ford Sierra RS500	Caltex CXT Racing Team
1992	Australian Touring Car Championship	12th	Ford Sierra RS500	Caltex CXT Racing Team
1993	Australian Touring Car Championship	15th	Toyota Corolla Seca AE93	Caltex CXT Racing Team
1993	Australian 2.0 Litre Touring Car Championship	3rd	Toyota Corolla Seca AE93	Caltex CXT Racing Team

Bathurst 500 win

Year	Class	No	Team	Co-Drivers	Chassis	Laps
					Engine
Group E Series Production
1969	D	44	Holden Dealer Team	Tony Roberts	Holden HT Monaro GTS350	130
					Chevrolet 350 5.7 L V8

Sandown Endurance Win

Year	Class	No	Team	Co-Drivers	Chassis	Laps
					Engine
Group E Series Production
1971	D	44	Holden Dealer Team		Holden LC Torana GTR XU-1	130
					Holden 186 3.0 L I6

Complete 24 Hours of Le Mans results

Year	Pos	Class	No	Team	Co-Drivers	Chassis	Tyre	Laps
						Engine
1981	DNS	GT	74	Porsche Cars Australia	Peter Brock Jim Richards	Porsche 924 Carrera GTR	D	0
						VW EA831 2.0 L I4

Complete World Endurance Championship results

(key) (Races in bold indicate pole position) (Races in italics indicate fastest lap)

Year	Team	Car	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	11	DC	Points
1984	Team Australia John Fitzpatrick Racing	Porsche 962	MNZ	SIL	LeM	NUR	BRA	MOS	SPA	IMO	FJI	KYA	SAN 6	62	6

Complete World Touring Car Championship results

(key) (Races in bold indicate pole position) (Races in italics indicate fastest lap)

Year	Team	Car	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	11	DC	Points
1987	Caltex CXT Racing	Alfa Romeo 75	MNZ	JAR	DIJ	NUR	SPA	BNO	SIL	BAT Ret	CLD	WEL	FJI	NC	0

References

• Australia's Greatest Motor Race 1960–1999 (Chevron) © 2000
• Giant Killers 1972
• Giant Killers 1973 - pgs 35, 63
• Racing Car News October, 1976
• The Rise and Fall of Peter Brock (Bill Tuckey) 1987
• Highlights of Bathurst 1000–1993, 1994 DVD (Chevron)
• Torana SL/R5000 DVD (Holden Motorsport/Chevron)
• Formula 5000 in New Zealand and Australia by Wolfgang Klopfer - Pg 205
• Sydney Morning Herald - 19 August 1973 - pg 15
• The Age - 6 March 1973 - pg 10

External links

• VESRIX

Sporting positions
Preceded by Bruce McPhee Barry Mulholland	Winner of the Bathurst 500 1969 (with Tony Roberts)	Succeeded by Allan Moffat
Preceded by Bob Watson	Winner of the Australian Rally Championship 1971 and 1972	Succeeded by Peter Lang
Preceded by Peter Lang	Winner of the Australian Rally Championship 1974	Succeeded by Ross Dunkerton
Preceded by Peter Brock	Winner of the Australian Touring Car Championship 1975	Succeeded by Allan Moffat