JOHN BOWE TROPHY TO BE AWARDED AT SANDOWN

The John Bowe Trophy will be contested at Sandown. Image: Supplied

To mark the first round where the S5000 Australian Drivers’ Championship supports Supercars this weekend, the John Bowe Trophy will be awarded to the winner.

By HEATH McALPINE

A driver with history in both the Australian Drivers’ Championship and Australian Touring Car Championship, Bowe is a previous winner of each having started his career in open-wheelers before transferring to tin-tops.

A winner of back-to-back Gold Stars in 1984 and 1985, Bowe won 14 Australian Drivers’ Championship races and was runner up in the 1979 Australian Grand Prix driving for the factory Ansett Team Elfin squad.

Bowe narrowly lost two Gold Stars during its Formula 5000 era to Alfredo Costanzo, who was honoured last week at Phillip Island.

Later on in his career, Bowe formed a winning partnership with Ford great Dick Johnson and won the 1995 Australian Touring Car Championship.

“Back then, I went from racing a Formula 3 with 130hp, to an F5000 with way over 500hp. Put it this way, it got my attention!” Bowe said.

“I think S5000 is the epitome of what F5000 would have evolved into had it continued.

“The ground shakes, and you just know they are serious race cars. It’s the best thing to happen for open-wheeler racing in over 30 years.

“I’m honoured to put my name to the trophy at Sandown. Driving those big powerful cars was one of the most exciting and challenging times in my career, and so it’s good to see Australia’s young up-and-coming drivers looking towards that same challenge, and a potential career, in S5000.”

S5000 category development manager Chris Lambden said Bowe was the perfect ambassador for Sandown.

“Right now, we couldn’t think of anyone more appropriate to have their name on an S5000 trophy,” said Lambden.

“Apart from the obvious on-track background – which is still going on – JB’s current public confrontation with prostate cancer, and his use of that to send a message to men about it, makes it doubly appropriate.

“JB is an ongoing Legend of Australian motorsport, so whoever ends up with this trophy on their cabinet will have a very worthwhile piece of memorabilia!”

Bowe is the third great to be honoured after John McCormack was at Symmons Plains and Costanzo last week.

Round 3 of the S5000 Australian Drivers’ Championship returns to Sandown where the category debuted in September 2019.

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