The 1965 Australian Touring Car Championship was a CAMS sanctioned motor racing title open to Group C Improved Production Touring Cars.Conditions for Australian Titles, 1965 CAMS Manual of Motor Sport, pages 66-71 It was contested over a single 40-lap race staged at Sandown Raceway in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia on 11 April 1965. It was the sixth Australian Touring Car Championship title to be awarded and the first to be contested by cars complying with Group C regulations.

The championship was won by Norm Beechey, driving a Ford Mustang. It was the first ATCC to be won with a V8-engined car and the first of five ATCC titles won by drivers of Ford Mustangs. It was Beechey's first of two Australian Touring Car Championship wins.

Race summary The change in regulations from Appendix J to Group C had disadvantaged most heavily those driving Holdens, like Brian Muir, and Bob Jane's Jaguar, as the practice of overboring engines was effectively outlawed, making 4.1 litre Jaguars and 3.4-litre Holdens ineligible.

Jane qualified his new Ford Mustang on pole position, recording a time of 1:20.9. Beechey, also in a Mustang, had lapped in 1:20.8 in Friday practice, but could only manage a 1:34.3 in official practice. John Raeburn, driving a Ford Galaxie, and Jim McKeown, driving a Ford Cortina Lotus, completed the front row. The reigning champion Ian Geoghegan lined up in eighth place on the grid.

Jane made the best of the start while Muir passed Raeburn for second place going into the second corner, but Raeburn was able to retake the position going up the back straight. Jane led by six seconds at the end of lap 1, while Beechey had made his way up to fifth place. He took second place halfway through lap 2 and began closing the gap to Jane, setting a new lap record of 1:20.8 in the process. He caught Jane on lap 7 and passed him at the first corner on lap 8. Brian Foley pitted on lap 11 with a broken brake line while Stan Starcevich retired on lap 14 with a broken differential. Jane retired on lap 23 when his engine overheated, which left Beechey leading by more than a lap over McKeown and Geoghegan. The two Cortina drivers swapped positions twice before the crankshaft on McKeown's car broke with six laps remaining, elevating Muir into third place. Muir then lost the position to Allan Moffat, as he thought that Moffat was a lap down, but was able to retake the place before the end of the race.

Beechey took a comfortable victory, winning by a margin of one lap over Geoghegan and Muir. Moffat finished fourth ahead of Raeburn and Manton.

Results Starting grid The starting grid was decided by times set in official practice. Class leaders are indicated by bold text.

Pos. Class No. Official Programme, Sandown, April 11 1965 Driver Entrant Car Time Gap 1 Over 3000cc 5 Bob Jane Bob Jane South Yarra Car Sales Ford Mustang 1:20.9 2 Over 3000cc 21 John Raeburn Sir Gawaine Baillie Ford Galaxie 1:24.9 +4.0 3 1501–2000cc 3 Jim McKeown Neptune Racing Team Ford Cortina Mark I Lotus 1:25.2 +4.3 4 2001–3000cc 10 Brian Muir Heldon Motors P/L Holden EH Special S4 1:26.3 +5.4 5 1101–1500cc 2 Peter Manton Neptune Racing Team Morris Cooper S 1:26.7 +5.8 6 1501–2000cc 18 Allan Moffat A. Moffat Ford Cortina Mark I Lotus 1:27.0 +6.1 7 1101–1500cc 8 Brian Foley Brian Foley Motors Morris Cooper S 1:27.3 +6.4 8 1501–2000cc 1 Ian Geoghegan Total Team Ford Cortina Mark I Lotus 1:27.4 +6.5 9 Over 3000cc 9 Clem Smith Clem Smith Motors Chrysler Valiant R Series 1:28.6 +7.7 10 1101–1500cc 6 John Harvey Sports Car World Austin Cooper S 1:30.0 +9.1 11 Jim Russell Morris Cooper S 1:31.6 +10.7 12 2001–3000cc 11 Stan Starcevich S. J. Starcevich Holden EH Special S4 1:32.8 +11.9 13 Over 3000cc 4 Norm Beechey Neptune Racing Team Ford Mustang 1:34.3 +13.4 14 1501–2000cc 20 Robin Pare Don Elliott Ford Cortina Mark I Lotus 1:36.1 +15.2 15 2001–3000cc 15 Ken Hastings Road Racing Repairs Holden 48-215 1:36.7 +15.8 16 2001–3000cc 14 Ron McLean Roberts Auto Spares Holden 48-215 1:41.2 +20.3 17 Over 3000cc 17 Dick Roberts Wentworth Motors Pty. Ltd. Chrysler Valiant R Series 1:41.4 +20.5 18 Under 1100cc 22 Ewen Frazer Ewen Frazer Morris Cooper S 1:41.6 +20.7 Source:

Race Class winners are indicated by bold text.

Pos. Class No. Driver Entrant Car Laps Time/Retired Grid 1 Over 3000cc 4 Norm Beechey Neptune Racing Team Ford Mustang 40 56:37.7 13 2 1501–2000cc 1 Ian Geoghegan Total Team Ford Cortina Mark I Lotus 39 +1 lap 8 3 2001–3000cc 10 Brian Muir Heldon Motors P/L Holden EH Special S4 39 +1 lap 4 4 1501–2000cc 18 Allan Moffat A. Moffat Ford Cortina Mark I Lotus 39 +1 lap 6 5 Over 3000cc 21 John Raeburn Sir Gawaine Baillie Ford Galaxie 39 +1 lap 2 6 1101–1500cc 2 Peter Manton Neptune Racing Team Morris Cooper S 39 +1 lap 5 7 1101–1500cc 6 John Harvey Sports Car World Austin Cooper S 38 +2 laps 10 8 Jim Russell Morris Cooper S 37 +3 laps 11 9 Over 3000cc 9 Clem Smith Clem Smith Motors Chrysler Valiant R Series 37 +3 laps 9 10 1501–2000cc 20 Robin Pare Don Elliott Ford Cortina Mark I Lotus 35 +5 laps 14 11 2001–3000cc 15 Ken Hastings Road Racing Repairs Holden 48-215 33 +7 laps 15 12 2001–3000cc 14 Ron McLean Roberts Auto Spares Holden 48-215 33 +7 laps 16 13 Under 1100cc 22 Ewen Frazer Ewen Frazer Morris Cooper S 32 +8 laps 18 14 Over 3000cc 17 Dick Roberts Wentworth Motors Pty. Ltd. Chrysler Valiant R Series 32 +8 laps 17 15 1101–1500cc 8 Brian Foley Brian Foley Motors Morris Cooper S 32 +8 laps 7 Ret 1501–2000cc 3 Jim McKeown Neptune Racing Team Ford Cortina Mark I Lotus 34 Crankshaft 3 Ret Over 3000cc 5 Bob Jane Bob Jane South Yarra Car Sales Ford Mustang 23 Overheating 1 Ret 2001–3000cc 11 Stan Starcevich S. J. Starcevich Holden EH Special S4 14 Differential 12 Sources:

Statistics Fastest race lap: Norm Beechey, 1:20.8 Race distance: 40 laps, 124.12 km Average speed: 131.43 km/h

Notes

References

Further reading The horse has bolted, Motor Racing Australia, April/May 2003, pages 48 to 52