Calder Park Bob Jane to return for celebration

WHEN: THURSDAY JULY 12 at 4:00pm

WHERE: CALDER PARK RACEWAY (24km west of Melbourne CBD along Calder Freeway)

EVENT: BOB JANE - First Ever Calder Park Touring Car Round Winner to Drive Ford Tickford Racing Au Falcon V8 Supercar to Mark The 25th Anniversary of ATCC / Shell Championship Series Races at The Venue This Sunday.

71 year old four time Australian Touring Car Championship (ATCC) winner and Motorsport Hall of Fame member Bob Jane will mark the 25th Anniversary of ATCC / Shell Championship Series (SCS) racing at Melbourne's Calder Park Raceway by getting hands on with a Ford Tickford Racing AU Falcon V8 Supercar tomorrow, Thursday July 12 at Calder Park Raceway at 4:00pm.

Jane hasn't stepped foot into a racing car for more than seventeen years besides the odd production car based celebrity race and is looking forward to sampling the power of modern day V8 Supercars in one of the fastest cars in the field.

Calder Park's first ATCC / SCS round was in 1969 and it was the opening round of the series. Jane was driving his Ford Mustang and qualified second with Pete Geoghegan (also in a Mustang) taking Pole position. Norm Beechey qualified third in his Holden Monaro. Geoghegan led the first four laps with Jane taking the lead on lap five and two rivals fought out a close race, but in the closing stages of the race Jane asserted his authority on the competition and raced off to a six second lead by the chequered flag. Both Jane and Geoghegan shared the fastest lap of 49.1 seconds.

Jane won the coveted ATCC, now referred to as the Shell Championship Series, in 1962, 1963,1971 and 1972. (A full Bob Jane career profile follows below)

All media are welcome for the photo opportunity of Bob Jane driving the Ford Tickford Racing AU Falcon V8 Supercar tomorrow at 4:00pm (Thursday July 12). Jane will also be available for one on one interviews and photo opportunities directly before and after his laps in this state of the art racing machine that re-unites this former Champion driver with the marque that powered him home first at this Melbourne circuit in 1969.

Bob Jane Profile follows;

There are very few people who could legitimately use the word "legend" on their business card. There is no doubt that Bob Jane could do that.

He has been quoted as saying - "nobody ever remembers who came second, so it has always been my goal to be number one" - a mission statement dramatically actioned in both his motor racing and business careers.

On the track he was unbeatable - in 38 years of the Australian Touring Car Championship only 17 drivers have become Champion. Of this elite group only ten drivers have managed this feat more than once. Bob Jane won the title four times in 1962, 63, 71 and 72 - also placing him second overall in consecutive title wins, - a record that stands to this day.

Jane also won the gruelling Bathurst 1000 in both 1963 and 64 driving a Ford Cortina GT.

Even with the passing of three decades and countless racing drivers, he remains on the top ten list for the highest number pf Touring Car race wins. His record of eight victories during the 1972 season, has only been surpassed by a handful of drivers during this time, while his pole position record still finds him in the all time top 10.

His racing exploits made him a national sporting icon, as have his highly successful business ventures.

Recognising that the quality of tyres used on his racing cars were crucial to winning, he began importing high quality tyres for Australian motorists in 1965.

He opened his first T Mart in that year, starting a business that has grown to include over 150 outlets and 1000 staff nation wide, firmly staking its place as the market leader in Australian tyre retailing, and gaining world wide recognition for the company's innovations in automotive consumer retailing.

He is the owner of Melbourne's Calder Park Raceway and has made this entertainment complex the Melbourne home of Australian and international motorsport. The venue staged its first Australian Touring Car Championship race in 1969, in which the circuit's owner duly won driving a Mustang, but he had to wait until 1972 to win a Championship round at his circuit again, this time driving a Camaro.

Jane's vision for the future saw the construction of the Southern Hemisphere 's only tri-oval banked super speedway, the Calder Park Thunderdome, successfully introducing stock car racing to this country.

Australia's first World Championship Grand Prix in 1985 at Adelaide ended an illustrious 50 year history of the Australian Grand Prix. Bob Jane staged the event at Calder Park from 1980 to 84, bringing the world's top names in Formula One to compete against Australian drivers, paving the way for the world's greatest motor racing competition to reach our shores on a permanent basis.

At 71, Bob Jane is a visionary and a true racer both on the track and in the boardroom.

Calder Park V8 Supercar Round, July 14-15 - General Information:

Calder Park Raceway is located 24 kilometres west of Melbourne in an easy drive along the Calder Freeway. Abundant free parking is available at the venue.

Shuttle buses will be operating on raceday, Sunday July 15, from St Albans Railway Station starting at 9:00am, with the last bus leaving Calder Park for St Albans Station at 5:35pm.

Adult tickets are available from Ticketec: Saturday $25 each (plus $10 pit access), Sunday $35 each (plus $15 pit access) with children 13 years of age and under admitted free of charge in line with Calder Park Motorsport policy. Tickets will also be available at Calder Park.

Calder Park Website - www.motorsport.com.au

Calder Park Infoline -1900 937 445

-Marinelli Motorsport