Frank Gardner

**Peter Mallett** · 22 Aug 2003, 14:53 (Ref:695693)

Frank's had a heart by-pass and is described as "fit as a fiddle". Good news. Hard to believe he's 71 years old though.

(Posted this in the Historic Forum but you lot probably don't get down that far

)

RaceTime · 22 Aug 2003, 20:23 (Ref:695994)

Did the surgeons have any problem removing Frank's hat?

Seriously - all the best Frank - could do with your dry wit around the tracks at present...

sevi · 23 Aug 2003, 00:34 (Ref:696124)

Good to see Frank pulled through and is fine.

smokinJ · 23 Aug 2003, 01:47 (Ref:696143)

i wonder if he will fit to fill in for TBA

jetsetter · 23 Aug 2003, 03:52 (Ref:696177)

It's good news to hear Frank got through the operation fine.

Sol · 23 Aug 2003, 10:40 (Ref:696314)

Onya Frank. I've think I've still got 'Drive to Survive' and another his books still.

A real legend.

Amaroo Park · 24 Aug 2003, 05:36 (Ref:697066)

Get well Frank

I am sure Gricey will be sending you a bowl of fruit

**GTRMagic** · 24 Aug 2003, 05:59 (Ref:697071)

As long as the bowl isnt made of glass

Amaroo Park · 24 Aug 2003, 06:02 (Ref:697072)

Hopefully Frank has his golf umbrella there to spear Grice with again

Burnt Valve · 26 Aug 2003, 07:53 (Ref:699074)

So how many people here know who Frnk Gardner is?????

**GTRMagic** · 26 Aug 2003, 08:49 (Ref:699122)

Everyone who replied to the post I would have thought.

Frank Gardner was the guy who was brought in to replace F1 great Jim Clark in touring cars in Europe when Ford discovered that the press always talked about Jim Clark's victories, as opposed to the brand and model car Jim was running.

A living legend in his own right, Frank ran the Craven Mild, and later JPS, Diet Coke and Benson and Hedges racing teams for Holden, BMW and Ford from the 70's to the 90's.

Frank still keeps his eye in, being the medical car driver at the AGP and still at race meetings on occassion.

jetsetter · 26 Aug 2003, 08:55 (Ref:699127)

I would've thought anyone with an interest in Australian motorsport would know who Frank Gardner is.

William Dale Jr · 26 Aug 2003, 09:03 (Ref:699132)

My everlasting memory of Frank Gardner is of Frank, Tony Longhurst and Tomas Mezera up on the podium at Bathurst in 1988. And the crowd all yelling at Frank to, "TAKE OFF YOUR HAT!!!"

I'd always known him as the BMW team manager and touring car driver, it was a while before I found out that he'd also run open-wheelers against one of my dad's mates in Europe in the 60's.

Nice to know old Frank's still going strong.

RaceTime · 26 Aug 2003, 09:58 (Ref:699161)

In 1987, a fledgling team worked at the World Touring Car Race at Bathurst for Nissan. They decided they would do their own thing for the following weeks round at Calder, but Frank wanted us.

At Bathurst we used an airconditioned VIP suite, had everything we needed.

At Calder we worked out of a Tarago sitting on the roof dangling our legs through the sun roofs.

But - it was a fantastic weekend - Frank, being the boss of the BMW team with Longhurst and Jim Richards, was one character to work for - and my team and I loved every minute.

During those years warnings were always given at Sandown - certain teams, we were told, would not allow ANYONE to just walk into their pit garages - Frank Gardner, Peter Brock and Allan Moffat were the three prime ones.

That is - unless you knew Frank...

rdmdog · 26 Aug 2003, 10:33 (Ref:699189)

If my memory serves me correctly Racetime, you and your blokes would have been pretty cold and wet on the day?

racer69 · 26 Aug 2003, 11:41 (Ref:699268)

Worth remembering that Frank also was involved in the development work on the Porsche 917 Sportscar.

RaceTime · 26 Aug 2003, 11:56 (Ref:699287)

rdmdog - not really - we finished early as both cars failed to finish, but my recollection was that it was sunny (may have been cloudy) but can't recall gettting wet (not from rain anyway...)

**GTRMagic** · 26 Aug 2003, 22:42 (Ref:700095)

Holden fans have a lot to thank Frank Gardner for. If he wasnt a stubborn stickler for rules, he and his JPSBMW team wouldnt have progressed the protests against the Eggenberger Sierras to the highest motorsport adjudication available and get them chucked... and Brocky wouldnt have #9....

RaceTime · 26 Aug 2003, 23:23 (Ref:700123)

GTR - there was a lot going onbehind the scenes that year. Unwittingly, one of the catclysts for Franks protest was Tony Warrener.

Because his team were able to gete such detailed drawings, specifications on the Mercedes that crashed (think it was on Thurs or Fri - the all female team), there was some other spec sheets retrieved that pointed to - lets call then 'inconsistencies'.

I understand that certain teams were given the chance to have things fixed and/or clarified before the race but 'personalties' being what they were at the time...well the rest is now history.

**GTRMagic** · 26 Aug 2003, 23:42 (Ref:700135)

Mercedes Stermitz made that little BMW a different shape to its original design thats for sure. But Mr Warrener's team managed to bring it back into shape so it looked better than half decent

Interesting that this was the source of some of the info about the Sierras. Most of the cars that were here at the time were Rouse kits of varying specifications, so an Eggenberger with the lot would not be on anyone's radar locally, other than they were different to the Johnson and Oxo Supercube cars and Moff's ANZ Rouse one.

A pity that the lessons of '87 didnt help '88 when Happy Tom protested every Ford not nailed down, well except Moff's now-Eggenberger ANZ cars

RaceTime · 26 Aug 2003, 23:50 (Ref:700143)

Which is why I suspect the warnings started sounding - the specis/drawings Tony W obtained didn;t quite match Eggenberger's...

**GTRMagic** · 27 Aug 2003, 00:03 (Ref:700156)

Was that from casual observation or a result of Tony W having watched them being scruitineered with Marcel Servais in tow??

RaceTime · 27 Aug 2003, 00:14 (Ref:700163)

Not really sure - as I said, there was a lot going on behind the scenes - we were employed by Nissan/Fred Gibson that weekend but also working with other teams. So we got to hear bits and pieces thorughout the whole weekend.

Funnily enough I just found an old scrapbook with Mike Jacobsons Auto Action reports from those two weekends (plus the run down event at Calder that Larry Perkins and Bill 'I'll Do My One Lap' O'Brien won. Now those were the days of good race reporting - not like the **** dished up to us now...

**GTRMagic** · 27 Aug 2003, 00:54 (Ref:700174)

I was looking in AA this morning for the preview of the Konica round at Mallala. I am still looking....

I wonder if they will even send a reporter to cover the event?

MN is a lot better in this regard, but because it is fortnightly, I guess in some cases they get the extra week to get their act together.

GROUPA · 27 Aug 2003, 01:10 (Ref:700180)

As for the Stermitz and other good looking woman ( i think her name was Mulvessin)I have the original M3 front guards & spoiler at home in the garage.

I was lucky to go to a driving skills day at Norwell on the Gold Coast...I learnt so much in one afternoon from Frank as well as reading his book.

I also enjoy watching him punt the medical car around Adelaide & Albert Park, he can still whip some of the fancier drivers of today

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