John French (racing driver)

John French (born 28 November 1930 in Millaa Millaa, Queensland^[1]) is a retired Australian racing driver.

French had a long career throughout the 60s and 70s and the early 80s. He won the 1962 Australian GT Championship driving a Centaur-Waggott and in 1969 French paired with Allan Moffat to win the Sandown Three Hour race in a Ford Falcon GTHO Phase I. French was well known multi-franchise car dealer selling BMC vehicles, Alfa Romeo, Renault, Peugeot and Subaru in Brisbane. Many of the marques he sold featured prominently in his professional racing career.

Nationally however he is best remembered as Dick Johnson's co-driver to win the crash-shortened 1981 Bathurst 1000 (French was driving the #17 Ford XD Falcon when the race was stopped, but wasn't one of the cars in the accident).^[2] He regularly drove the works Ford Falcon GTHO's alongside Allan Moffat, and also drove Moffat's and Ian Geoghegan's Improved Production Ford Falcon GTHOs in the Australian Touring Car Championship rounds when Moffat and Geoghegan were driving their Mustangs.

Gallery

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  The Centaur Waggott with which French won the 1962 Australian GT Championship

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  Morris Mini Cooper S at Lakeside 1971

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  Alfa Romeo GTA at Lakeside 1971

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  Bryan Byrt Ford sponsored Ford Falcon GTHO Phase III at Lakeside 1972

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  Ford Falcon GTHO Phase III

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  John French in Ian Geoghegan's Improved Production Ford Falcon GTHO at Lakeside 1971

Career results

References