Bob Jane facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Bob Jane |
|
|---|---|
| Nationality |  Australian |
| Born | 18 December 1929 |
| Died | 28 September 2018 (aged 88) |
| Retired | 1981 |
| Australian Touring Car Championship | |
| Years active | 1962–1974 |
| Teams | Bob Jane Autoland |
| Wins | 10 |
| Best finish | 1st in 1962, 1963, 1971 & 1972 |
| Previous series | |
| 1961–63 1965–66 1965–66 1966 1970 1980–81 |
Australian GT Championship Tasman Series Australian Drivers' Championship Australian 1½ Litre Champ. Australian Sports Car Champ. Australian Sports Sedan Champ. |
| Championship titles | |
| 1961 1962 1962 1963 1963 1963 1964 1971 1972 |
Armstrong 500 Australian Touring Car Champ. Armstrong 500 Australian Touring Car Champ. Australian GT Championship Armstrong 500 Armstrong 500 Australian Touring Car Champ. Australian Touring Car Champ. |
| Awards | |
| 2000 | V8 Supercars Hall of Fame |
Robert Frederick Jane (born 1929, died 2018) was a famous Australian race car driver. He was also a very successful businessman. Bob Jane won the important Armstrong 500 race four times in a row. He also won the Australian Touring Car Championship four times. Many people know him for his chain of tyre shops called Bob Jane T-Marts. In 2000, Bob Jane was honored by being added to the V8 Supercars Hall of Fame.
Contents
Bob Jane's Early Life & Start in Racing
Bob Jane grew up in Brunswick, a suburb of Melbourne, Australia. His love for speed started early. In the 1950s, he was a champion bicycle rider. He even held many state records for cycling.
Later, he switched from two wheels to four. In the late 1950s, he started a company called Bob Jane Autoland. This business sold parts for fancy cars like Jaguar and Alfa Romeo. Being around these cars made him love motor sport even more. He began competitive car racing in Australia in 1956. By 1960, he was racing against Australia's best drivers.
Bob Jane's Amazing Racing Career
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Bob Jane had an incredible racing career. In 1961, he and his co-driver Harry Firth won the Armstrong 500 race. They drove a Mercedes-Benz 220SE at the Phillip Island track. The next year, Jane and Firth won the same race again. This time they drove a Ford Falcon XL. This was the last time the race was held at Phillip Island.
The Armstrong 500 then moved to Mount Panorama in Bathurst, New South Wales. Bob Jane, racing for the Ford team, won two more times there. He won with Harry Firth in 1963 and with George Reynolds in 1964. This means Bob Jane won Australia's most famous endurance race four times in a row. No other driver, not even the famous Peter Brock, has done this.
Winning the Australian Touring Car Championship
Bob Jane also won the Australian Touring Car Championship (ATCC) four times. This championship is now known as the V8 Supercars Championship. He won in 1962, 1963, 1971, and 1972.
In 1971, he won the ATCC in a powerful Chevrolet Camaro ZL-1. This car had a huge 427 cubic inch engine. For the 1972 championship, a rule change made him use a smaller 350 cubic inch engine. But his Camaro still beat other top cars. These included Allan Moffat's Ford Boss 302 Mustang and Ian Geoghegan's Ford XY Falcon GTHO Phase III. Bob Jane finished on the podium (top three) 21 times out of 38 ATCC races.
Other Racing Successes
Jane also won the 1963 Australian GT Championship. He drove a Jaguar E-type in that race. He also won the Marlboro Sports Sedan Series twice, in 1974 and 1975. He raced at his own track, Calder Park Raceway. He drove a Holden Monaro GTS 350 and sometimes a Holden LJ Torana GTR XU-1.
Bob Jane stopped competitive motor racing at the end of 1981. He had a back problem called sciatica. After he retired from driving, he asked another famous driver, Peter Brock, to race his Chevrolet Monza car.
Bob Jane T-Marts: His Business Empire
In 1965, Bob Jane opened his first Bob Jane T-Marts store in Melbourne. This company sells tyres and car parts. It is still a family-owned business today. Bob's son, Rodney Jane, is now the CEO.
From 2002 to 2004, Bob Jane T-Marts was the main sponsor for the Bathurst 1000 race. This is the same race Bob Jane won four times early in his career. The company also sponsored a sports stadium, which was called Bob Jane Stadium.
Bob Jane T-Marts is special because it is the only big tyre seller in Australia that does not sell retread tyres. Bob Jane had a very personal reason for this. His daughter, Georgina, died in a car accident in 1991. The accident was caused by a retreaded tyre failing.
Bob Jane's Impact on Australian Motorsport
Bringing the Australian Grand Prix to Calder Park
Bob Jane helped bring big international races to Australia. From 1980 to 1984, the Australian Grand Prix was held at his Calder Park Raceway in Melbourne. Bob Jane promoted these races. He hoped Calder Park could host a Formula One World Championship race one day.
He managed to attract many of the world's best Formula One drivers to Calder Park. For example, in 1980, the race was won by Australia's 1980 Formula One World Champion Alan Jones. Other F1 stars like Bruno Giacomelli and Didier Pironi also raced.
From 1981 to 1984, the races followed "Formula Mondial" rules. Bob Jane continued to bring in top F1 drivers. In 1981, future F1 driver Roberto Moreno won. 1981 World Champion Nelson Piquet also raced. In 1982, future Formula One World Champion Alain Prost won the race. He later became the only driver to win the Australian Grand Prix in both non-championship and World Championship formats.
In 1984, it was announced that the Australian Grand Prix would move to Adelaide and become a Formula One World Championship race. Even so, Bob Jane still attracted F1 stars to his last Grand Prix at Calder Park. These included three-time World Champion Niki Lauda and 1982 World Champion Keke Rosberg. Roberto Moreno won his third Grand Prix at Calder Park that year.
Introducing NASCAR to Australia
Bob Jane is also famous for bringing stock car racing to Australia. He built a special track called the Calder Park Thunderdome at Calder Park Raceway. It cost him A$54 million. This track was a high-banked oval, similar to famous NASCAR tracks in the United States. It was 1.8 kilometers long with steep 24-degree turns.
The Thunderdome opened in 1987. On February 28, 1988, it hosted the first-ever NASCAR event outside North America. This race was called the Goodyear NASCAR 500. Many famous American NASCAR drivers came to race. These included Bobby Allison and Neil Bonnett. Bonnett won the race, with Allison finishing second.
The race had an early crash involving eight cars. One of them was driven by Australian champion Dick Johnson. Another was driven by Allan Grice, who broke his collarbone in the crash.
Bob Jane also owned the Adelaide International Raceway. This track also has a paved NASCAR-style oval. It is the only other one in Australia.
Bob Jane's Personal Life
Bob Jane passed away on September 28, 2018. He was 88 years old. He died from prostate cancer, which he had been battling for 21 years.
Images for kids
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The Elfin 400 Repco which Jane raced in the same colours during the late 1960s.
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The 1969 Chevrolet Camaro ZL-1 in which Jane won the Australian Touring Car Championship in 1971 & 1972.
