Volvo Dealer Team

This article is about the Group A team that competed in 1986. For the team that competed in Production Car and Australian Super Touring racing in the 1990s, see Volvo Dealer Racing.
Volvo Dealer Team
Manufacturer Volvo
Team Manager John Sheppard
Race Drivers Robbie Francevic
John Bowe
Alfredo Costanzo
Graham McRae
Neville Crichton
Chassis 240T
Debut 1986
Drivers' Championships 1
1986 position 1st (Francevic)
8th Bowe

The Volvo Dealer Team was an Australian motor racing team that competed in Australian touring car racing in 1986 winning the Australian Touring Car Championship.

History

Robbie Francevic won the opening round of the opening two rounds of the 1986 Australian Touring Car Championship, driving a Mark Petch Motorsport Volvo 240T. The team was then sold to Volvo Australia and rebranded as the Volvo Dealer Team with former Holden Dealer Team manager John Sheppard appointed to lead the team. A second car was added for John Bowe from round four.[1][2][3]

Francevic would go on to win the championship but simmering tensions between Francevic and Sheppard would boil over at the Sandown 500 with Francevic leaving the team. At the end of 1986, Volvo withdrew from global motorsport resulting in the team being disbanded.[2][4][5]

References

  1. ↑ Twin Peaks Volvo Adventures
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 Australia's most iconic Volvo racecar Speedcafe 10 June 2013
  3. ↑ Normoyle, Steve (1987). The Great Race 6. Hornsby: Chevron Publishing. ISSN 1031-6124.
  4. ↑ Saturday Sleuthing: Francevic's Volvo title winner V8 Supercars 9 August 2014
  5. ↑ Normoyle, Steve (1988). The Great Race 7. Hornsby: Chevron Publishing. ISSN 1031-6124.