John Harvey (racing driver) facts for kids

John Francis Harvey (born 21 February 1938 – died 5 December 2020) was a famous Australian racing driver. He was a top driver in Speedcar events during the 1950s and 1960s, winning many championships. Later, he became a very successful road racing driver until he retired in 1988. In 1987, John made history by driving the General Motors Sunraycer to victory in the first-ever World Solar Challenge. This was an international race for cars powered only by the sun, from Darwin to Adelaide.

John Harvey's Racing Journey

John Harvey was known as one of Australia's best Speedcar drivers. However, in 1964, he decided to switch from speedway racing to road racing. This decision came after some friends died in Speedcar accidents. He also had a disagreement with racing officials, which led to a temporary suspension. Even though the suspension was later removed, Harvey chose to focus on road racing. He did make a brief return to Speedcars in 1974 when a track changed from dirt to bitumen.

Early Road Racing Success

Harvey drove different types of cars, including the Austin Cooper S and the Brabham BT14 Ford. In 1966, he won the 1966 Australian 1½ Litre Championship in his Brabham. That same year, he finished second in the Australian Drivers' Championship, even though he was racing against much more powerful cars. He also won the NSW 1.5 litre Road Racing Championship.

In 1967, Harvey joined Bob Jane's racing team and moved to Melbourne. He continued his winning streak, taking home the 1971 and 1972 Australian Sports Car Championship titles. He drove a powerful McLaren M6B with a Repco V8 engine for Bob Jane. He also won other major races in the early 1970s, driving Jane's Holden Torana.

Joining the Holden Dealer Team

A replica of the 1976 Bathurst Torana driven by Colin Bond and John Harvey.

In 1976, John Harvey won the first race of the Australian Touring Car Championship in a special one-off drive. Later that year, he joined the famous Holden Dealer Team (HDT) to co-drive with Colin Bond in the Bathurst 1000 race. They finished a very close second.

There was a bit of a mix-up in that 1976 Bathurst race. The winning car was accidentally given an extra lap, which put it ahead of Harvey and Bond's car. Even though the mistake was found after the race, Holden decided to let the other team keep the win. This was because the winning car was from one of Holden's biggest dealerships, and they wanted to keep everyone happy. Holden later apologized to John Harvey for this in 2002.

After Colin Bond left the Holden team at the end of 1976, John Harvey became the main driver for the 1977 season.

Teaming Up with Peter Brock

In 1978, Peter Brock, another legendary Australian driver, rejoined the Holden Dealer Team. Brock became the lead driver, and Harvey drove the second car. This arrangement lasted for almost ten years. Harvey's car often acted as a backup for Brock's, but he still achieved great results. For example, he won the 1978 Rothmans 500 race with his teammate Charlie O'Brien.

In 1980, Peter Brock took over the Holden Dealer Team. He decided that John Harvey would mostly race in the longer endurance races, rather than all the championship races. Harvey teamed up with Brock in 1980 and 1981 to win the CRC 300 race twice.

Winning the Bathurst 1000

John Harvey's biggest win with the HDT came at the 1983 James Hardie 1000, one of Australia's most famous races. Harvey qualified his Holden Commodore in 5th place. His original co-driver was Peter Brock's brother, Phil. However, early in the race, Brock's own car had engine trouble. Because of a rule that allowed drivers to switch cars if they were entered in both, Brock and his co-driver Larry Perkins took over Harvey's car. This meant Phil Brock didn't get to drive. Brock and Perkins then went on to win the race in Harvey's car! This was a bit controversial at the time, but it was allowed by the rules.

Harvey continued to have strong results at Bathurst. He finished second in 1984, in the last race for the Group C touring cars. He also finished second again in 1986 with his co-driver Neal Lowe.

Later Career and Retirement

In 1986, Harvey and Neal Lowe won the Pukekohe 500 race in New Zealand. They also finished second in the 1987 Nissan 500 Wellington race.

By 1987, John Harvey decided to leave Peter Brock's team. He wasn't happy with some of Brock's new ideas, like his "Energy Polariser" device, which Harvey didn't believe in.

In March 1987, Harvey teamed up with Allan Moffat to win the first race of the 1987 World Touring Car Championship at the famous Monza circuit in Italy. They finished seventh originally, but were moved up to first place after the top six BMWs were disqualified for being too light. Later that year, at the Spa 24 Hours race, Moffat and Harvey won their class and finished 4th overall, even though they had to drive the entire 24 hours with only two drivers.

After this, Harvey missed the 1987 Bathurst 1000, which was the first time he had missed the race since 1972. This was also the last Bathurst win for his long-time teammate, Peter Brock.

Soon after leaving Brock, John Harvey became the lead driver for the GM Sunraycer team. He helped test and prepare the solar-powered car, which he drove to victory in the first World Solar Challenge.

Harvey's last Bathurst 1000 race was in 1988. He teamed up with Kevin Bartlett and finished 14th. At the time, Harvey was working for Tom Walkinshaw's Holden Special Vehicles (HSV) company. Walkinshaw didn't want his senior managers to do dangerous things like race cars. However, he eventually let Harvey race at Bathurst.

After the 1988 Bathurst 1000, John Harvey retired from competitive racing. He wanted to focus on his work with Holden and HSV.

Awards and Recognition

In 2018, John Harvey was honored with a place in the Motor Sport Hall of Fame. In 2020, he received the Medal of the Order of Australia (OAM) for his great contributions to motor sports.

John Harvey's Passing

John Harvey passed away on 5 December 2020, at the age of 82. He had been battling lung cancer.

Career Highlights

John Harvey had a long and successful career in various racing series. Here are some of his key achievements:

• 1966: Won the Australian 1½ Litre Championship.
• 1971: Won the Australian Sports Car Championship.
• 1972: Won the Australian Sports Car Championship.
• 1973: Won the Toby Lee Series.
• 1976: Won a round of the Australian Touring Car Championship.
• 1976: Finished 2nd at the Bathurst 1000.
• 1978: Won the Rothmans 500.
• 1979: Finished 3rd in the Australian Touring Car Championship.
• 1983: Won the Bathurst 1000 (sharing the car with Peter Brock and Larry Perkins).
• 1984: Finished 2nd at the Bathurst 1000.
• 1986: Finished 2nd at the Bathurst 1000.
• 1987: Won the Monza 500 (World Touring Car Championship).
• 1987: Won the World Solar Challenge.

Images for kids

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  A replica of the 1976 Bathurst Torana driven by Colin Bond and John Harvey.