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GRM reveals sleek retro looks

Garry Rogers Motorsport has revealed a pair of sleek retro paint schemes ahead of this weekend's Sandown 500.

Garry Rogers Motorsport Retro Round livery

Garry Rogers Motorsport Retro Round livery

Garry Rogers Motorsport

Perennial embracers of the Retro Round concept, the Melbourne outfit has delved into its long history and recreated a pair of significant throwbacks for its two Commodores.

The James Golding/Richard Muscat Holden will pay tribute to Rogers' Soundwaves Discos VH Commodore from 1983, a car built by Rogers in his car yard and raced alongside Englishman Clive Benson-Brown.

Garth Tander and Chris Pither's car will run artwork based on the Holden Torana that Rogers shared with Ian Geoghegan at The Great Race in 1978, which was owned by Bob Jane before being bought by Rogers at the end of that season.

The launch of the retro liveries took Rogers on a trip down memory lane, the veteran team owner reflecting on what those particular cars of yesteryear mean to him and his squad.

According to Rogers, the significance of the Torana stems back to a fist fight between one of his employees and a gate attendant at Amaroo Park, which upset Bathurst boss Ivan Stibbard and threatened Rogers' chances of racing at Mount Panorama.

"I came up with the idea that if I bought somebody else’s entry and put a driver name change in as the event got closer that I could avoid Stibbard," said Rogers.

"I spoke with Bob Jane and came to an agreement to purchase his entry and I raced alongside Geoghegan. Things did not go as I had hoped with engine failures in practice, qualifying and the race.

"I purchased the car off Bob and in 1979 I had a big crash at Amaroo Park and it was written off. As much as the A9X did not provide any great memories with regards to results, it does remind me of the persistency and never give up attitude that is required in motorsport, and, more particularly, life."

The VH, meanwhile, was Rogers first new racing car.

"I didn’t have the money to build it, but I did have the people required and I found the guy with the money," added Rogers.

"Clive lived in the fast lane with his disco businesses and always believed he could drive. I helped him along with that belief. We raced together in 1981 and unfortunately that [VC Commodore] was destroyed in the crash that stopped the race.

"By 1983 we had regrouped and Bruce Garrett who looked after my sports sedan, and helped in the car yard, built the VH Soundwave Discos race car.

"Bruce spent a week at the Holden factory in Dandenong building the shell as it progressed along the production line. When they returned it to the car yard in Glen Waverley, he meticulously built the car using many of the parts from the damaged 1981 Commodore.

"In 1983 I qualified the car seventh at Bathurst and after experiencing some mechanical issues throughout the race, we finished 12th."

 

Photo by: Garry Rogers Motorsport

 

Photo by: Garry Rogers Motorsport

 

Photo by: Garry Rogers Motorsport

 

Photo by: Garry Rogers Motorsport

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Edition

Australia