Go Larko

[mtpanorama]

Mark LArkham has finally announced that Wayne Gardiner will be his co driver for the Qld 500 and Bathurst.

This is excellent news and hopefully they will be up the front. With Gardiners speed at the mount last year this will be an excellent pairing.

[Crash Test]

Good to see a Wayne got the last good ride left...

They'll be quick, and I hope Larko gets his sponsorship thing sorted out quickly.

[Airhead]

From being a huge Gardiner supporter on bikes (even though he rode a Honda) I thought he was out of his dpth at first on four wheels.


Then over the last few years. I have been proven wrong. A combination I would love to win the big one.

[Ray Bell]

Just one word covers this... Excellent!

[D.R.T.]

Yeah, do you reckon Wayne can spend the race week without bagging out on the v8's. It's hilarious, he really got up em, saying how he was in a class of his own. Funny stuff

[Crash Test]

Yes anyways...

I think his days of barking at the officials after he was dudded by the pace car are over...he was a bit 'different' last year, mainly because he wasn't running the show. Then again, he drove an ace stint, came in, parked the car in a funny spot, and the car went out again with a dud clutch...

He certainly aint Captain Chaos anymore, driving something faster than a Supercar really helped him.

[Ray Bell]

Let's face it, all his successes came when he was driving or riding under instructions... he knows how to get the job done, but running the show is perhaps not his bag.

From that first 6-hour win, with Molloy running the team through the Honda years... always successful, but riding for someone else.

[Airhead]

I remember Peter Molloy - was he the same guy who did Moffat's engines in the 70's?

[Crash Test]

Gees, he was right up there before he nerfed Larry, and the old tank fell to pieces. Apparently they will have a new car online for Bathurst...

[Ray Bell]

Originally posted by AMoffat
I remember Peter Molloy - was he the same guy who did Moffat's engines in the 70's?

I think he did for a year or two, but I'm not sure which years... 78 and 79 he was doing the Hodgson team stuff, for Bob Morris, in 1980 he prepared bikes for Wayne Gardner.

But to go back, in the mid sixties he was preparing for Brian Foley, recognised as a BMC specialist, but was then employed by Ron Phillips SCW to do the John Harvey Mini, then they got the Brabham and he was into the twin cam Ford stuff, then the Repco V8, and then he moved over to Niel Allen's team and did all he had... Climax FPF, Chev V8s and so on, stayed there through 1971, then to Warwick Brown, still with Chevs in the F5000 days, he was in big demand for those Chevs right throught the F5000 era... not only as a spanner, but training the drivers along the way, he did this with Bruce Allison for a year or so.

But if I recall correctly, there was a story of him being the spannerman on Paul Bolton's Hillman Minx when he raced that, about 1961 or 62... that might be the beginnings.

Not sure of his moves between 1980 and 1993 or 94, but at Lakeside he turned up doing some work for Gardner in the second year (I think) of the V8 category, and he told me he'd been over in England doing engine stuff for Benetton.

[Airhead]

Thanks Ray.