COLIN BOND TURNS 80
Australian motorsport icon Colin Bond celebrates his 80th birthday today.
There is not a lot that Bond did not accomplish over his three-decade long motorsport career in Australia, winning the Australian Rally Championship three times, Australian Touring Car Championship and Bathurst 500.
In fact, Bond is the only person to have won both the ATCC and ARC, a testament to his versatility.
Entering the scene in his 20s, Bond made a name for himself as a hillclimber, scoring three consecutive NSW Hillclimb titles between 1965-67.
Holden’s man in rallying and touring cars, Bond hit the big time in 1969, winning the Bathurst 500 alongside Tony Roberts in a Holden HT Monaro GTS350.
Bond won his only ATCC as the number one driver at Holden Dealer Team in the new L34 SL/R 5000 Torana, topping off a superb 1975 year with his second South Pacific Touring Car Series title.
More history was created by Bond at Mount Panorama in 1977, when he ran second in the famous 1-2 formation finish led by his teammate Alan Moffat.
Bond continued to race through the 80s and early 90s, taking on a wide variety of challenges. He continued in the ATCC and ARC, while adding the likes of the Australian GT Championship, Australian Super Series and Australian Endurance Championship to his resume.
After his career on track came to a close in the mid-1990s, Bond was inducted in the V8 Supercars Hall of Fame in 2002.
AUTO ACTION joins the motorsport community in wishing Colin a happy birthday.
