VALE – NEIL CRANG

Vale: Neil Crang – Photo: Auto Action Archive

Former International sports car and open-wheel driver Neil Crang has passed away after a brave battle with cancer

By HEATH McALPINE

Best known as a backer of Tim Schenken and Howden Ganley’s TIGA Race Cars company, Crang contested the World Endurance Championship for the manufacturer throughout the 1980s, highlighted by taking third in the Class C2 alongside Brits Ray Bellm and Gordon Spice in 1984.

Born in Melbourne, 1949, Crang’s passion for motorsport was fuelled by the great adventures of ‘Gelignite’ Jack Murray during the 1960s before purchasing an Austin Healey 100/4 BN2 himself while studying Economics and Politics at Monash University.

The Healey was joined by a Renault R4 built for rallycross where Crang competed in events held at Calder Raceway during the weekends before marrying Dianne and moving to Geneva Switzerland working as a commodity trader for international firm Carghill.

The racing bug continued to bite, Crang enrolled at the famous Jim Russell Racing Drivers School in England. He then entered Formula Ford, meeting lifelong friends along the way as he then raced TIGAs in Sports 2000 alongside Ian Taylor.

Through his relationship with Taylor, the professionalism manner in which Crang raced rose and it gave him the opportunity to race at all of England’s legendary circuits; Brands Hatch, Donington, Oulton Park, Silverstone, Thruxton and Goodwood.

This led to Crang becoming involved with Schenken and Ganley’s race car manufacturer business TIGA, which built a variety of chassis for different applications.

More than 400 chassis were sold by the manufacturer between 1975 until the business folded in 1989.

Crang was first a customer before becoming a stakeholder in the company. He raced TIGA products in British Formula Atlantic, before transitioning into prototype racing.

It was Crang that commissioned the team to build the Chevrolet-powered TIGA GC83 C2 for 1983, but a mixture of lack of development and luck hampered the team’s progress.

The next year, five wins in a row gave the team third in the points, but Crang’s international program concluded at the end of the season. Racing domestically in England, Crang won the prestigious Oulton Park International Gold Cup in 1985 partnering Tim Lee-Davey.

He also contested the Le Mans 24 Hour five-times with a best finish of 15th outright.

During the close of the 1980s, Crang became a Life Member of the British Racing Drivers Club and returned to Australia where he continued to compete in events including Targa Tasmania.

Auto Action sends its condolences to Crang’s wife Dianne, their four children and his many friends.