Colin Bond, OAM

Australian Touring Car/ Rally Champion

Colin John Bond’s list of successes is enormous, far too many to list here.

But what’s really impressive is that his rally pedigree is just as strong as his circuit racing record.

When asked what he thought of Australian rally drivers, the great Finnish driver Rauno Aaltonen said he had no doubt that Colin Bond would have been in the top six in the world if he went rallying in Europe.

Then there was a wet Saturday practice at Warwick Farm. Frank Matich let Colin have a go in one of his Formula 5000s.

It was a long time since Colin had driven a single seater and never one like this, but by the end of the session Colin was fastest, well ahead of the car’s owner.

His achievements include three New South Wales Hillclimb Championships, victory in the Bathurst 500 in 1969, Australian Rally Championships in 1971, 72 and 74, and the Australian Touring Car Championship in 1975.

As easily as most of us check the letterbox, Colin drove race and rally cars of widely different capabilities and technology, rarely making mistakes.