Caption: Australian Motorsport legend Mick Doohan, at the wheel of the 1928 Brooklands Riley, and Motorsport Australia President, Andrew Fraser (far right) inducted four new heroes in to the Australian Motorsport Hall of Fame.
Mick Doohan , one of Australia’s three motorsport legends, has inducted four new heroes into the Australian Motorsport Hall of Fame.
Five times motorcycle world champion Doohan conducted the ceremony at the Australian F1 Grand Prix where his son Jack was a leading contender in the world F2 championship.
“To join your nation’s Hall of Fame is an honour, “ Doohan told the inductees and a large gathering of Grand Prix fans.
“The high achievers of motorsport have become inspirations in our community,” he said. “Their skill serves as a motivation to the next generation”.
John Goss OAM, the only driver to win the Australian Grand Prix and the Bathurst 1000 received his induction along with seven times National Kart Champion Remo Luciani and six times Top Doorslammer drag racing champion Victor Bray.
The late Joan Richmond, a pioneer of early motor racing and winner of the 1932 Brooklands 1000, was represented by the National Museum of Australia in Canberra.
Chief curator Dr. Laina Hall said Ms Richmond’s Hall of Fame medallion would take pride of place amongst her trophies and memorabilia which are held by the Museum.
The inductions bring membership of the elite Hall of Fame to 88, drawn from all disciplines of the sport, over 122 years of competition.
The first motorsport activity was on 1 January, 1901, the day Australia became a nation.
“It’s important that the Hall of Fame remains exclusive recognition of the very highest achievements,“ Mick Doohan said.
Doohan has been elevated to Legend status in the Hall of Fame, joining three times world champion Sir Jack Brabham and Australia’s last F1 world champion Alan Jones.
The Australian Motorsport Hall of Fame is the flagship of the Australian Motorsport Council, the peak body which represents the five federations – Motorsport Australia, Motorcycle Australia, Karting Australia, Speedway Australia, and the Australian National Drag Racing Association.
About the inductees
Joan Richmond
Joan Richmond is a true pioneer of Australian international motorsport, regardless of gender, but all the more remarkable because of it.
She amassed exceptional victories in Australia, the UK and on the Continent. In 1931 Joan and co-driver Mollie Shaw were fifth (out of 19 starters and six finishers) in the
Australian Grand Prix at Phillip Island. Their average speed of 91.84kmh was faster than that of Arthur Waite when he won the inaugural Grand Prix at the same track four years before.
One year later Joan with English ace Elsie Wisdom won the first Brooklands 1000 motor race, held over two days, at an average speed of 141.59kmh against some of Britain’s top male competitors. Their victory made front page news.
Joan had driven overland from Melbourne to London, just four years after the journey was achieved for the first time, in the opposite direction, by Australian pioneer Francis Birtles.
In the UK , Joan became a works driver for Riley, Singer, Triumph , MG, Aston Martin, HRG and AC.
She was part of MG’s class winning 1935 Le Mans 24 Hour team and competed in seven Monte Carlo Rallies.
Her motor racing career was marred by tragedy. In 1937 she was competing in the first Donnington Park 12 Hour race for AC. He co-driver was her fiancé Bill Bilney, who proposed marriage on the eve of the race. Bilney fatally crashed in his first stint.
She returned to Australia after WW|| and passed away in Malvern in 1999.
John Goss OAM
John Goss – OAM, is the only driver ever to win the Australian Grand Prix and the Bathurst 1000.
He claimed the Grand Prix at Sandown in 1976 by just 0.5sec from Australian International Vern Schuppan.
Goss won the Bathurst 1000 twice, in 1974 driving a Ford Falcon XA GT with Kevin Bartlett for patron Max McLeod and in 1985 for Tom Walkinshaw Racing in a Jaguar XJ-S with Armin Hahne.
Goss occasionally enjoyed factory support but made his name as a staunchly independent privateer who in his own words: “did it my way”.
His first Bathurst victory set him up as a leading touring car driver, but he determined to pursue his open wheel dream, acquiring the Matich A53 when its designer-builder Frank Matich retired in 1975.
Goss set himself a three year goal to win the Australian Grand Prix and achieved it in two.
Goss’ career began in Tasmania where he won the state’s touring car championship in an FJ Holden. He came to prominence on the mainland with the self-designed and built 2.8litre Tornado Sports Car.
The flamboyant Goss raced aircraft and in the last 30 years has been project engineer on a privately owned Mediterranean based schooner, Adix.
Remo Luciani
Remo Luciani is an active competitor at 62 and won his Karting class last year.
He holds seven national Karting titles, 70 state titles and has won the NZ karting Championship. His target has always been not to progress from the class he’s competing in until he’s won it.
Remo began Kart racing at 21, the age by which many leading contenders have moved up to open wheeler categories – even Formula One.
His first race was in 1981 and he adopted the number 17 in honour of Dick Johnson who’d won his first Australian Touring Car Championship that year with the plate.
Luciani has become renowned as a chassis builder, engine tuner and as a mentor for youngsters who use Karting as their entry into motor sport.
Victor Bray
Victor Bray won the first six annual National Top Doorslammer Drag Racing Championships in succession.
His son Ben has subsequently won two.
Bray was the first driver to break the six second barrier in Top Doorslammer leaving it at 5.951 secs (245.77 mph/395.53 kmh).
In 1996 he was a member of a drag racing group known as the Wild Bunch which convinced peak body ANDRA to ratify the highly entertaining Doorslammer demonstration division as a Group One category.
Bray won the first six championships, withholding strong assaults from American competitors reputed to be the world’s best.
Bray’s signature car is a 1957 Chevvy. He bought his first for $600 to participate in Canberra’s Summernats but soon progressed to purpose built Doorslammers still with Chevvy shells.
A tomato farmer from Kallangur in Queensland, Bray’s grandson Zac is now entering the sport.
For further information:
Stephanie Antoinette, Motorsport Australia (santoinette@motorsport.org.au/ +61 395 937 793)
John Smailes, Chair, Australian Motorsport Hall of Fame ( johnsmailes@theprojectgroup.com.au/ +61 418 28 4254)