30 YEARS ON, BOWE REUNITED WITH A DJR SIERRA FOR PUKEKOHE SUPERCARS

In what will be an historic twist of fate, John Bowe is to be reunited with an old friend in the form of a Dick Johnson Racing, Ford Sierra RS500, 30 years after he last raced it.

With Supercars announcing the Historic Touring Cars will run at Pukekohe as a support category, Bathurst legends Bowe, Greg Murphy, Steven Richards and Paul Radisich, will all partake in the 33 car HTC field.

Between the four of them, they share an impressive 11 Bathurst titles, including 26 podiums.

The ex-Dick Johnson Racing Sierra was the last of its kind built, with Bowe and Johnson racing it at Bathurst in ’91 and ’92.

Bowe also contested the ’88, ’89 & ’90 Touring Car Championships in a DJR Sierra, when the varied nature of the racing made it one of the great times in Australian motorsport; when ATCC competitors ran against each other on a mix of Dunlop, Bridgestone and Yokohama tyres, and drove them to within an inch of their life.

 The car is currently owned by New Zealander Lance Coupland, and will be prepared for racing by Formula Ford stalwart, Nigel Barclay, who worked with Bowe preparing a Ferrari 458 in the Australian GT Championships in 2013-14. 

“It’s really something you know, It’s been thirty years,” Bowe told AUTO ACTION.

“The Sierra’s finished racing in Group A in 1992, so to be reunited with a car that I have such fond memories of is something that I really can’t wait to do. Dick and I were, and still are, great friends – and it was just such a good era of competitive racing, so it’s gonna be great fun… and let’s face it, any day at the track is a good day.”

For what will be the last ever Supercars race at Pukekohe due to its 2023 closure, Bowe also has fond memories of racing there for what will most likely be his last time around the NZ circuit.

“I haven’t raced Pukekohe since they put the new bit in down the back straight, but it’s likely to be my last time around it. I’ve had some great times there… and some not so great times I might add, but that’s racing when you’ve spent as much time driving about as I have.”

AUTO ACTION also spoke with the historic cars owner, Nigel Coupland, who’s elated to own such a great piece of racing history.

“it’s coming-up on three years of owning it now, and these kind of cars just don’t come about so regularly,” said Coupland.

“It’s pretty great thing to own, and now to be doing this with it! I absolutely love Sierra’s, and actually, although I’ve driven it myself, I also had Greg Murphy have a go in it a year ago to show what it could do, which was really something special.”

“I’ve never met John directly, but Nigel Barclay recommended that I put him in the car at Pukekohe, so I rang him and he said – ‘I’m as keen as a green bean,’ to quote him directly.

“I just hope he brings it back in one piece is all…you know, gets it out front and stays there,” Coupland quipped.

Murphy will also be in somewhat of a familiar machine – his own Peanut Slab Sierra Group A car – which he raced at Pukekohe in 1992, and is now owned by Peter Sturgeon.

Murphy’s HTC running also comes ahead of him racing as wildcard for Erebus Motorsport in the upcoming Bathurst 1000 with Richie Stanaway.

Radisich, who won eight races between 2000-01 for DJR, will be driving in a Wolf Ford Mondeo, and five-time Bathurst winner, Richards, will be in a Murray Sinclair-owned Nissan Primera Super Tourer, a car he last raced in the 1997 Australian Super Touring championship.

The Supercars Pukekohe farewell will be held on 9-11 of September.

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