Garth Tander facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Garth Tander
Tander in 2010
Nationality	Australian
Born	31 March 1977 (1977-03-31) (age 48) Perth, Western Australia
Related to	Leanne Ferrier (ex-wife)
Racing licence	FIA Platinum
Supercars record
Car number	19
Current team	Grove Racing (Endurance race co-driver)
Series championships	1 (2007)
Races	642
Race wins	57
Podium finishes	154
Pole positions	31
2019 position	27th (697 pts)

Garth Dirk Tander (born 31 March 1977) is a famous Australian motor racing driver. He has won many championships and races, including the important Bathurst 1000 five times! He currently races in the Virgin Australia Supercars Championship's Enduro Cup as a co-driver for Grove Racing.

Garth Tander also owns his own racing team called TanderSport.

Early Racing Days

Garth started racing go-karts when he was a kid in Western Australia. By the time he was 17, he had already won 7 state titles and one Australian title.

In 1997, Garth became the Australian Formula Ford champion. This was a big step in his racing journey.

After that, he got a chance to drive a V8 Supercar for Garry Rogers Motorsport in 1998.

Professional Racing Career

Racing with Garry Rogers Motorsport

Garth Tander had a great start with Garry Rogers Motorsport. In the 2000 championship, he finished second, almost winning the whole series! He also won the famous Bathurst 1000 race in 2000 with his teammate Jason Bargwanna.

Garth also won the very first Bathurst 24-hour race in 2002. He drove a special Holden Monaro 427C with a powerful engine. He raced with Steven Richards, Cameron McConville, and Nathan Pretty. In the 2003 Bathurst 24 Hour race, Garth and his team came in second place, finishing super close behind another team's Monaro. He even set the fastest lap of the race right at the end!

In 2004, Garth stayed with Garry Rogers Motorsport, but he decided to move to a new team in 2005. He finished 11th in the championship that year.

Joining the HSV Dealer Team

In 2005, Garth moved to the HSV Dealer Team. He teamed up with Rick Kelly, who had won the Bathurst race twice.

The 2006 season started well for Garth, and he was leading the championship for a while. However, he had some tough luck in later races, including a steering problem at Sandown and a clutch failure at Bathurst. Even with these challenges, he won the Symmons Plains round again, showing his skill.

In 2007, Garth raced the #16 Toll HSV Commodore. He had an amazing year, winning all three races at Barbagallo Raceway in his home state! He also won all three races at Queensland Raceway. This helped him take the lead in the championship. Even though he had to retire from the Bathurst race due to brake issues, he scored enough points in other races to stay ahead.

Garth Tander won the 2007 V8 Supercars Championship! He finished just two points ahead of Jamie Whincup. His team, Toll HSV Dealer Team, also won the teams' championship.

Racing for Holden Racing Team

In 2008, Garth moved to the Holden Racing Team. He had a tricky start but soon found his winning form, taking victories in New Zealand and Winton. He also won the first endurance race at Philip Island with his teammate Mark Skaife.

Garth finished third in the 2008 V8 Supercars Championship. He then went on to win the Bathurst 1000 two more times: in 2009 with Will Davison and in 2011 with Nick Percat.

In 2013, new cars called "Car of the Future" were introduced. Garth continued to race for Holden Racing Team with the newer Holden VF Commodore. He had some good results, including wins at Townsville and Phillip Island, and finished 8th in the championship. In 2015, he won the Enduro Cup with Warren Luff, even though they didn't win any of the individual endurance races.

In 2016, Garth had a tough moment at the Bathurst 1000 when an incident caused him to crash, ending his race.

Back to Garry Rogers Motorsport

Garth returned to Garry Rogers Motorsport in 2017 and raced with them for two years. However, he left the team before the 2019 season.

Driving for Triple Eight Race Engineering

Without a full-time spot, Garth joined Triple Eight Race Engineering as a co-driver for the endurance races. This was a great move, as he won the Bathurst 1000 in both 2020 and 2022 with his co-driver Shane van Gisbergen.

Joining Grove Racing

For the 2023 endurance races, Garth Tander made a big change. He moved to Grove Racing and drove a Ford car for the first time in his Supercars career! In 2023, he teamed up with David Reynolds. For the 2024 season, he partnered with Matthew Payne in the #19 car.

Personal Life

Garth Tander was married to Leanne from 2004 to 2022. He is a father to two children, Scarlet and Sebastian.

Career Results

The Holden VE Commodore driven by Garth Tander at the 2011 Clipsal 500 Adelaide.

Supercars Championship Results