Jason Bargwanna

Jason Bargwanna
Nationality	Australian
V8 Supercar Record
Car number	14
Current team	Brad Jones Racing
Series championships	0
Races	172
Race wins	4
Podium finishes	13
Pole positions	3
2011 Championship position	22nd (1352 pts)

Jason Bargwanna (born 26 April 1972 in Sydney) is an Australian motor racing driver. Best known as a V8 Supercar competitor, Bargwanna raced in the series for 15 years, the pinnacle of which was winning, with Garth Tander, the 2000 Bathurst 1000 in a Garry Rogers Motorsport prepared Holden Commodore.

Career history

Bargwanna commenced his racing career in the late 1980s, initially competing in the Formula Vee category. He made his Bathurst 1000 début while still a teenager in 1990, however a lack of funding limited his motor sport participation for the next few seasons and he pursued a career in the financial sector.

His career finally started to move forward in 1995, racing in the Australian Formula Ford Championship. He impressed in his seven-year-old Reynard, racing against younger drivers with the latest cars from Van Diemen and Swift and against drivers of the caliber of Jason Bright and Mark Webber. His 1995 showing allowed him to attract the budget to run a campaign with late model equipment in 1996 and he finished second in the championship to Van Diemen's factory supported driver, David Besnard. He also represented Australia in the EFDA Nations Cup in both 1995 and 1996. A move to Formula Holden resulted in second place in the 1997 Australian Drivers' Championship with SH Racing.

V8 Supercars

As a member of the Holden "Young Lions" V8 Supercar program in 1997, he surprised many by taking provisional pole position in the #97 Holden Commodore at the Bathurst 1000 Classic only to damage the car beyond repair in a race day warm up accident. His career further advanced in 1998 with a move full-time to Garry Rogers Motorsport, where he stayed for five years. Bargwanna is possibly best known for winning the 2000 Bathurst 1000 with Garth Tander for that team.

In 2003, Bargwanna switched to Ford and drove for Larkham Motor Sport from 2003 to 2005. In 2006, Larkham Motor Sport merged with WPS Racing, the team folding immediately prior to the 2008 season and leaving Bargwanna without a full-time drive. He did however co-drove a Holden Commodore for Rod Nash Racing alongside Tony D'Alberto in the 2008 Phillip Island 500 and the Bathurst 1000 endurance races .

Bargwanna joined Tasman Motorsport for 2009 and, following the closure of that team at the end of the season,^[1] he joined Kelly Racing for 2010.^[2] He was also voted in the top 50 all time Australian Touring car drivers in 2010.^[3] On 27 January 2011, it was announced that he would drive the second Brad Jones Racing Commodore alongside his junior open-wheel rival, Jason Bright.^[4]

New Zealand V8

In late 2011, Bargwanna left the V8 Supercars Australia and joined the New Zealand V8. He resulted runner-up in the 2011/12 season behind Angus Fogg, collecting a round win and podiums in the six rounds driving a Tulloch Ford Falcon. The team switched to a Holden Commodore for the 2013 season. The driver won 9 out of 15 races and got the TLX title.

Personal life

Bargwanna is married to former Peter Brock employee Deborah, has two children Ben and Jake, and lives in Warragul, Victoria. His father, Harry Bargwanna, himself an Australian champion racing driver, owns and operates a mechanical repair shop in the Southern Sydney suburb of Engadine. His uncle Alf (Harry's twin brother) and cousin Scott are also national level race drivers. Bargwanna attended Heathcote High School in Sydney.

Career results

Bargwanna drove a Holden VE Commodore for Kelly Racing in the 2010 V8 Supercar Championship Series.

Bargwanna is driving a Holden VE Commodore for Brad Jones Racing in the 2011 V8 Supercars Championship.

References

1. ↑ "Tasman Quits V8 Racing". Tasman / Sprint Gas Racing. 20 November 2009. Retrieved 2009-11-21. 
2. ↑ http://www.motorsport.com/#/all/news/jason-bargwanna-gets-seat-team-with-kelly-racing/?v=2&s=1&q=Jason%2BBargwanna&i=98 Motorsport.com Retrieved 24 June 2011
3. ↑ http://www.motorsport.com/#/all/news/kelly-racing-drivers-honoured-in-top-50-list/?v=2&s=1&q=Jason%2BBargwanna&i=20 Motorsport.com Retrieved 24 June 2011
4. ↑ "Bargwanna Joins BJR". The Official Website of V8 Supercars Australia. 27 January 2011. Retrieved 2011-01-27. 

External links

• Jason Barwanna page at the official Jana Living Racing website (dead link)
• Driver DataBase profile