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John Goss (race driver)
Encyclopedia
John Goss is the only Australia
n racing driver to win Australia's two most prestigious races, the Bathurst 1000
(twice, in 1974 and 1985
), and the Australian Grand Prix
(1976
).
s and Ford Customline
s. He then built his own sports car, the Tornado Ford, which he took to the mainland with some success, scoring points in the Australian Sports Car Championship
in both 1969
and 1970
. He also raced Ford Falcon GTHOs
in production car racing from 1969 and stayed loyal to Ford for much of his career.
driving a McLeod Ford (with its distinctive yellow/black chequer windscreen strip) sponsored Ford Falcon GTHO
, but Goss's co-driver Dennis Cribbin crashed the Falcon at Forrest Elbow. In 1970
John Goss posted the fastest lap during the Bathurst 500 in his XW Falcon GTHO Phase II
. The following year Goss won two rounds of the Toby Lee Series
at Oran Park
against such opposition as Colin Bond
and Fred Gibson
.
Goss won the 1972 South Pacific Touring Car Series
and the 1972 Sandown 250
endurance race, both in Series Production
Ford XY Falcon GTHO Phase III's
. He also put his Falcon on the front row of the grid at the 1972 Hardie-Ferodo 500
, qualifying second fastest behind the Works GTHO
of expat-Canadian Allan Moffat
. Engine failure after splashing around for 24 wet laps ended Goss' race.
With the Series Production class being replaced by the new Group C Touring Car
class in 1973, Goss was the first driver to develop and race the new Ford Falcon XA GT Hardtop
. Unlike Series Production, the new Group C rules allowed considerable modifications. Goss obtained sponsorship from Shell
and Max McLeod, a prominent Ford dealer in Rockdale, New South Wales
– known for his "Horn car
s" – as well as obtaining factory assistance from Ford Australia
, who provided Goss with purpose-built XA racing chassis. Goss was actually the first to race the XA Hardtop in the 1973 ATCC
, even before the Works team who used a modified Phase III GTHO and didn't make the switch to the Hardtop until the Endurance races
later in the year. Goss and Kevin Bartlett
teamed up for the 1973 Hardie-Ferodo 1000
at Bathurst and qualified on pole position
with a time of 2:33.4 (it was to be Goss' only pole at Bathurst) ahead of the GTR-XU1 Holden Torana of Peter Brock
and Doug Chivas
. Goss started and built up a good lead which was kept until he was involved in a crash at The Cutting which damaged his front end. The Falcon suffered radiator damage which later caused its retirement on lap 110 of the now 163 lap race (prior to 1973 race distance was 500 miles and ran only 130 laps.
The pair returned to Bathurst for the 1974 Hardie-Ferodo 1000
in the same car – repainted from yellow to blue after losing Shell
as their major sponsor – and proved to have the reliability needed to last through a race marred by driving rain, finishing first. To celebrate the victory, Ford Australia
released a limited edition XB Falcon Hardtop
in 1975 called the John Goss Special
. Actual production numbers of these cars were never released by Ford, but estimates range anywhere between 260 and 800 – they are now considered collectible.
round of the 1975 Tasman Series
and the 1976 Australian Grand Prix
at Sandown Park in Victoria, driving an Australian built Matich A53 Repco Holden in both events. During the mid-1970 Goss was concentrating his racing efforts more on the F5000 than his Croup C Falcons and ever loyal to Ford tried to run the A53 with a 5.0L Ford V8 but the concept had little success and replaced by the Repco Holden.
winner Henri Pescarolo
as co-driver. In the 1977 Hardie-Ferodo 1000
he ran a second team car for Australia's three time Formula One World Champion Jack Brabham
and Jack's son Geoff
. Then in 1980 Goss began campaigning the Jaguar XJS
at Bathurst at first with no luck. In the 1980 race
he started what was basically a standard car in 58th but lasted only 14 laps before retiring with gearbox failure. In 1981
he teamed with 1965
winner Barry Seton
in the V12 Jag and after an improved qualifying effort (19th) they weren't classified as finishers of the crash shortened race having completed only 73 of the 120 laps and being caught up in the crash on the top of the mountain. Goss returned with a better prepared effort in 1982
sharing the driving with American
Jaguar racer Bob Tullius who also assisted with technical info for the car and engine. Goss qualified the car 14th with a time of 2:22.3 but once again the big cat failed to finish following suspension failure on lap 119.
Goss missed the 1983 James Hardie 1000
but returned in 1984
for the last year of Australia's Group C racing sharing a drive with TWR
team owner Tom Walkinshaw
. Waklinshaw, who ran the V12 XJS' in the European Touring Car Championship
(and would win that title in 1984) added a lot of technical assistance to the team with revised suspension and the use of one of TWR's own 5.3-litre V12 engines. Despite trouble in qualifying with no suitable rear tyres arriving in time to use, the Scot
qualified the car in 8th with a 2:16.09 lap (faster than Peter Brock's 1983 pole time) before falling to 10th in the Hardies Heroes top ten run-off with a 2:18.96. Walkinshaw also started the race but in fact never left the line. The Jags clutch had gone leaving Walkinshaw stranded with his arm out the window warning other drivers he was stationery. Unfortunately in the dust kicked up off the start, the Chevrolet Camaro of John Tesoriero coming through at speed could not avoid the #12 Jag and hit it in the rear. The Camaro was then hit by the Toyota Celica Supra of Peter Williamson causing a start line pile up. This caused the race to be stopped as the track was completely blocked. It would be the only time the race has ever been re-started in its history.
Australian Touring Car racing changed to International Group A rules in 1985 and Goss scored his second Bathurst victory in 1985
with co-driver Armin Hahne
of West Germany
in one of a three-car assault on the Great Race by Tom Walkinshaw's TWR team using the 1984 ETCC-winning V12 Jaguar XJS'. Goss, lead driver of the teams third car (#10) actually qualified fastest going into Hardies Heroes, giving lie to those who believed he was past his best as a driver. He ended up 6th in the Top Ten run-off and for most of the race was in second place behind Walkinshaw. Goss and Hahne's job was made all the more difficult by the driver's seat of their car having completely broken at the base of the back, giving the driver very little support despite efforts by the team to hold it in place with cable ties to the roll cage. The #10 car took the lead on about lap 120 following oil problems with the Walkinshaw/Percy car. Goss, unable to drive the car hard through the corners due to the broken seat had to use the Jags superior power on Mountain and Conrod straights to keep up lap times with both Brock in the HDT
Commodore
and Roberto Ravaglia
in a Schnitzer Motorsport
BMW 635 CSi
closing in over the closing laps. The chase effectively ended with Brock's engine failure on lap 160 allowing Goss to back off over the last 3 laps. Team owner Walkinshaw who qualified on pole following the Top Ten, finished third with Win Percy
, the pair crossing the finish line together.
After Jaguar Rover Australia declined to help fund a return effort by TWR in 1986
Goss returned with his own privately entered XJ-S backed by Citibank Australia
and co-driven by veteran Bob Muir
. After numerous problems in qualifying the pair started 26th, slower than the only other XJS in the race, a private effort driven by Garry Willmington and Peter Janson. Electrical troubles in the race resulting in a flat battery saw them complete 140 laps and finish 24th outright. Goss missed both the 1987
and 1988
races but returned to drive for Glenn Seton Racing
at the 1989 Tooheys 1000
in a Ford Sierra RS500. Originally teamed with with Tony Noske in the team's second car, they were joined during the race by team leader Glenn Seton
after his own car had failed and the trio to finish 20th outright after the car started 17th.
Goss' final Bathurst 1000 came in 1990
when he paired with Phil Ward in a Mercedes 190E to finish 12th outright and a class win after starting 38th.
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
n racing driver to win Australia's two most prestigious races, the Bathurst 1000
Bathurst 1000
The Bathurst 1000 is a touring car race held annually at Mount Panorama Circuit in Bathurst, New South Wales, Australia...
(twice, in 1974 and 1985
1985 James Hardie 1000
The 1985 James Hardie 1000 was the 26th running of the Bathurst 1000 touring car race. It was held on 6 October 1985 at the Mount Panorama Circuit just outside Bathurst. It was the first time the race was held exclusively for cars complying with the Australian version of International Group A...
), and the Australian Grand Prix
Australian Grand Prix
The Australian Grand Prix is a motor race held annually and is held to be the pinnacle of motor racing in Australia. The Grand Prix is the oldest surviving motor racing competition held in Australia having been held 76 times since it was first run at Phillip Island in 1928. Since 1985 the race has...
(1976
1976 Australian Grand Prix
The 1976 Australian Grand Prix was a Formula 5000 race held at the Sandown International Raceway and was held on 12 September.It was the forty first Australian Grand Prix and doubled as round one of the 1976 Australian Drivers' Championship...
).
Early career
Born and raised in Hobart, Tasmania, Goss began racing in his home state in Holden FJHolden FJ
The Holden FJ series is a range of motor vehicles which was produced in Australia by General Motors-Holden’s from 1953 to 1957. The FJ was the second model of an "all Australian car" manufactured by Holden and was based upon the established 48-215 series, commonly referred to as the “FX”...
s and Ford Customline
Ford Customline
Ford's mid-range trim from 1952 through 1956 was called Customline. The Customline was more expensive than the Mainline but less expensive than the Crestline or, later, the Fairlane.See also:* 1952–1954 Ford Customline* 1955–1956 Ford Customline...
s. He then built his own sports car, the Tornado Ford, which he took to the mainland with some success, scoring points in the Australian Sports Car Championship
Australian Sports Car Championship
The Australian Sports Car Championship was the CAMS sanctioned national title for Sports Car drivers in the years from 1969 to 1988. Each championship was contested over a series of races with the exception of the 1975 title, which was awarded on the results of a single race held at the Phillip...
in both 1969
1969 Australian Sports Car Championship
The 1969 Australian Sports Car Championship was a CAMS sanctioned motor racing title for drivers of Group A Sports Cars, Group B Improved Production Sports Cars and Group D Series Production Sports Cars...
and 1970
1970 Australian Sports Car Championship
The 1970 Australian Sports Car Championship was a CAMS sanctioned national motor racing title for drivers of Group A Sports Cars, Group B Improved Production Sports Cars and Group D Series Production Sports Cars...
. He also raced Ford Falcon GTHOs
Ford Falcon (Australia)
The Ford Falcon is a full-size car which has been manufactured by Ford Australia since 1960. Each model from the XA series of 1972 onward has been designed, developed and built in Australia and/or New Zealand, following the phasing out of the American Falcon of 1960–71 which had been re-engineered...
in production car racing from 1969 and stayed loyal to Ford for much of his career.
McLeod Ford
Goss debuted at the Bathurst 500 in 19691969 Hardie-Ferodo 500
The 1969 Hardie-Ferodo 500 was the tenth running of the Bathurst 500 production car race. It was held on 5 October 1969 at the Mount Panorama Circuit just outside Bathurst...
driving a McLeod Ford (with its distinctive yellow/black chequer windscreen strip) sponsored Ford Falcon GTHO
Ford XW Falcon
-Introduction:The XW Falcon was released in June 1969 replacing the XT Falcon. The XW was an extensive facelift of the XT, featuring a new grille and tail lights...
, but Goss's co-driver Dennis Cribbin crashed the Falcon at Forrest Elbow. In 1970
1970 Hardie-Ferodo 500
The 1970 Hardie-Ferodo 500 was the twelfth running of the Bathurst 500 touring car race. It was held on 4 October 1970 at the Mount Panorama Circuit just outside Bathurst...
John Goss posted the fastest lap during the Bathurst 500 in his XW Falcon GTHO Phase II
Ford XW Falcon
-Introduction:The XW Falcon was released in June 1969 replacing the XT Falcon. The XW was an extensive facelift of the XT, featuring a new grille and tail lights...
. The following year Goss won two rounds of the Toby Lee Series
Toby Lee Series
The Toby Lee Series was an Australian motor racing series run at Oran Park Raceway in Sydney, between 1970 and 1975.In 1970 Oran Park, with backing from sponsors Toby Lee and department store Grace Brothers, launched a new series of races for Group E Series Production sedans...
at Oran Park
Oran Park Raceway
Oran Park Raceway was a motor racing circuit at Narellan in southwestern Sydney, New South Wales, Australia which was operational from 1962 to 2010....
against such opposition as Colin Bond
Colin Bond
Colin John Bond is a retired Australian racing driver. Bond reached the highest levels in Australian motorsport in 1969 when he was recruited by Harry Firth to the newly formed Holden Dealer Team...
and Fred Gibson
Fred Gibson (motor racing)
Fred Gibson is a former Australian racing driver and race team owner.-Competitor:After a career that began in small production sports cars, first an MGA, and later the first Lotus Elan to run in Australian competition , Gibson quickly moved up into the touring car ranks...
.
Goss won the 1972 South Pacific Touring Car Series
South Pacific Touring Series
The South Pacific Touring Series was an Australian touring car series held during the 1970s and run in conjunction with the famous open-wheeler Tasman Series.The South Pacific Series was held between 1970 and 1975 during the month of February...
and the 1972 Sandown 250
1972 Sandown 250
The 1972 Sandown 250 was an endurance motor race for Group E Series Production Touring Cars. It was held on 10 September 1972 over 130 laps of the Sandown circuit in Victoria, Australia, a total distance of 250 miles...
endurance race, both in Series Production
Group E Series Production Touring Cars
Group E Series Production Touring Cars was an Australian motor racing category for production based sedans competing with limited modifications. It was current from 1964 to 1972....
Ford XY Falcon GTHO Phase III's
Ford XY Falcon GT
The Ford XY Falcon GT is an Australian built muscle car based on the Ford XY Falcon. Released in 1970 with the GTHO Phase III released in 1971. 1,557 units were produced from September 1970 to December 1971 with 300 GTHO Phase III's produced from May 1971 to November 1971...
. He also put his Falcon on the front row of the grid at the 1972 Hardie-Ferodo 500
1972 Hardie-Ferodo 500
The 1972 Hardie-Ferodo 500 was an endurance motor race open to Group E Series Production Touring Cars. The race was held on 1 October 1972 at the Mount Panorama Circuit just outside Bathurst in New South Wales, Australia...
, qualifying second fastest behind the Works GTHO
Ford Works Team (Australia)
The Ford Works Team was a former Australian motor racing team that was supported by the Ford Motor Company of Australia. The team was formed in 1962 and was wound up when Ford withdrew from motor racing at the end of 1973...
of expat-Canadian Allan Moffat
Allan Moffat
Allan George Moffat, OBE is an Australian racing driver known for his four wins in the Australian Touring Car Championship, six wins in the Sandown 500 and his four wins in the Bathurst 1000...
. Engine failure after splashing around for 24 wet laps ended Goss' race.
With the Series Production class being replaced by the new Group C Touring Car
Group C (Australia)
In relation to Australian motorsport, Group C refers to either of two sets of regulations devised by the Confederation of Australian Motor Sport for use in Australian touring car racing from 1965 to 1984...
class in 1973, Goss was the first driver to develop and race the new Ford Falcon XA GT Hardtop
Ford XA Falcon
The Ford XA Falcon is an automobile which was produced by Ford Australia from March 1972 to September 1973. It replaced the XY series Falcon and was the first Falcon to be completely designed and manufactured in Australia, although it is generally accepted that the two-door Hardtop version's...
. Unlike Series Production, the new Group C rules allowed considerable modifications. Goss obtained sponsorship from Shell
Royal Dutch Shell
Royal Dutch Shell plc , commonly known as Shell, is a global oil and gas company headquartered in The Hague, Netherlands and with its registered office in London, United Kingdom. It is the fifth-largest company in the world according to a composite measure by Forbes magazine and one of the six...
and Max McLeod, a prominent Ford dealer in Rockdale, New South Wales
Rockdale, New South Wales
Rockdale is a suburb in southern Sydney, in the state of New South Wales, Australia. Rockdale is located 13 kilometres south of the Sydney central business district and is part of the St George area...
– known for his "Horn car
Horn car
Horn cars was a name given to a range of dealer-modified passenger cars, usually Ford Falcons, sold at Australian Ford dealerships in the 1970s. The term "Horn car" comes from the Horn Car Accessories company which supplied the parts used to modify these cars.Horn cars were an initiative taken by...
s" – as well as obtaining factory assistance from Ford Australia
Ford Australia
Ford Australia is the Australian subsidiary of Ford Motor Company and was founded in Geelong, Victoria, in 1925 as an outpost of Ford Motor Company of Canada, Limited. At that time, Ford Canada was a separate company from Ford USA...
, who provided Goss with purpose-built XA racing chassis. Goss was actually the first to race the XA Hardtop in the 1973 ATCC
1973 Australian Touring Car Championship
The 1973 Australian Touring Car Championship was the 14th running of the Australian Touring Car Championship. It began at Symmons Plains on 5 March 1973 and ended at Warwick Farm after eight rounds. The series was won by Allan Moffat in a Ford Falcon GTHO Phase III.-Teams and drivers:The following...
, even before the Works team who used a modified Phase III GTHO and didn't make the switch to the Hardtop until the Endurance races
1973 Australian Manufacturers' Championship
The 1973 Australian Manufacturers' Championship was a CAMS sanctioned motor racing title for automobile manufacturers. It was the third Australian Manufacturers' Championship and the first to be contested with Group C Touring Cars.-Calendar:...
later in the year. Goss and Kevin Bartlett
Kevin Bartlett (race driver)
Kevin Bartlett , often known by his nickname "KB", is an Australian former open wheel and touring car racing driver who won the CAMS Gold Star in 1968 and 1969, as well as the prestigious Bathurst 1000. Bartlett was named in Wheels magazine's annual yearbook in 2004 as one of Australia's 50...
teamed up for the 1973 Hardie-Ferodo 1000
1973 Hardie-Ferodo 1000
The 1973 Hardie-Ferodo 1000 was the 15th running of the Bathurst 1000 touring car race. The was the first race to be held under the new metricised distance of 1000 kilometres, rather than the 500 miles previously contested. It was held on 30 September 1973 at the Mount Panorama Circuit just outside...
at Bathurst and qualified on pole position
Pole position
The term "pole position", as used in motorsports, comes from the horse racing term where the number one starter starts on the inside next to the inside pole. The term made its way, along with several other customs, to auto racing. In circuit motorsports, a driver has pole position when he or she...
with a time of 2:33.4 (it was to be Goss' only pole at Bathurst) ahead of the GTR-XU1 Holden Torana of Peter Brock
Peter Brock
Peter Geoffrey Brock, AM otherwise known as "Peter Perfect", "The King of the Mountain" or simply as "Brocky" was one of Australia's best-known and most successful motor racing drivers. Brock was most often associated with Holden for almost 40 years, although he raced vehicles of other...
and Doug Chivas
Doug Chivas
Doug Chivas was an Australian rally and racing car driver. Chivas drove the first Lotus Mark 6 in Australia in the early 1950s winning many races....
. Goss started and built up a good lead which was kept until he was involved in a crash at The Cutting which damaged his front end. The Falcon suffered radiator damage which later caused its retirement on lap 110 of the now 163 lap race (prior to 1973 race distance was 500 miles and ran only 130 laps.
The pair returned to Bathurst for the 1974 Hardie-Ferodo 1000
1974 Hardie-Ferodo 1000
The 1974 Hardie-Ferodo 1000 was the 16th running of the Bathurst 1000 touring car race. It was held on 6 October 1974 at the Mount Panorama Circuit just outside Bathurst. The race was open to cars eligible to the locally developed CAMS Group C touring car regulations with four engine capacity based...
in the same car – repainted from yellow to blue after losing Shell
Royal Dutch Shell
Royal Dutch Shell plc , commonly known as Shell, is a global oil and gas company headquartered in The Hague, Netherlands and with its registered office in London, United Kingdom. It is the fifth-largest company in the world according to a composite measure by Forbes magazine and one of the six...
as their major sponsor – and proved to have the reliability needed to last through a race marred by driving rain, finishing first. To celebrate the victory, Ford Australia
Ford Australia
Ford Australia is the Australian subsidiary of Ford Motor Company and was founded in Geelong, Victoria, in 1925 as an outpost of Ford Motor Company of Canada, Limited. At that time, Ford Canada was a separate company from Ford USA...
released a limited edition XB Falcon Hardtop
Ford XB Falcon
The Ford XB Falcon is a car which was produced by Ford Australia between 1973 and 1976 and was built exclusively in Australia. It bore minor cosmetic differences to the preceding model, the XA, aimed at giving the car a more muscular stance...
in 1975 called the John Goss Special
John Goss Special
The John Goss Special was a limited edition of the Ford Falcon released by Ford Australia in August 1975 to commemorate John Goss' win in the prestigious Bathurst 1000 endurance race the previous year....
. Actual production numbers of these cars were never released by Ford, but estimates range anywhere between 260 and 800 – they are now considered collectible.
Formula 5000
Goss won the Sandown ParkSandown Raceway
Sandown International Raceway is a motor racing circuit in Melbourne, Victoria, approximately south east of the city centre. It is considered a power circuit with its front straight being 899m long and back straight 910m long.-History:...
round of the 1975 Tasman Series
1975 Tasman Series
The 1975 Tasman Series was the twelfth and final in the series, beginning on 5 January and ending on 23 February after eight races.The series was won by Australian driver Warwick Brown in his fifth year of Formula 5000 racing with the Pat Burke Racing team, driving a Lola T332 Chevrolet...
and the 1976 Australian Grand Prix
1976 Australian Grand Prix
The 1976 Australian Grand Prix was a Formula 5000 race held at the Sandown International Raceway and was held on 12 September.It was the forty first Australian Grand Prix and doubled as round one of the 1976 Australian Drivers' Championship...
at Sandown Park in Victoria, driving an Australian built Matich A53 Repco Holden in both events. During the mid-1970 Goss was concentrating his racing efforts more on the F5000 than his Croup C Falcons and ever loyal to Ford tried to run the A53 with a 5.0L Ford V8 but the concept had little success and replaced by the Repco Holden.
Jaguar
From 1977 to 1979 Goss registered three 'Did Not Finish' results at Bathurst with 24 Hours of Le Mans24 Hours of Le Mans
The 24 Hours of Le Mans is the world's oldest sports car race in endurance racing, held annually since near the town of Le Mans, France. Commonly known as the Grand Prix of Endurance and Efficiency, race teams have to balance speed against the cars' ability to run for 24 hours without sustaining...
winner Henri Pescarolo
Henri Pescarolo
Henri Pescarolo is a former racing driver from France. He participated in 64 Formula One World Championship Grands Prix, debuting on 22 September 1968. He achieved one podium, and scored a total of 12 championship points...
as co-driver. In the 1977 Hardie-Ferodo 1000
1977 Hardie-Ferodo 1000
The 1977 Hardie-Ferodo 1000 was the 18th running of the Bathurst 1000 touring car race. It was held on 2 October 1977 at the Mount Panorama Circuit just outside Bathurst...
he ran a second team car for Australia's three time Formula One World Champion Jack Brabham
Jack Brabham
Sir John Arthur "Jack" Brabham, AO, OBE is an Australian former racing driver who was Formula One champion in , and . He was a founder of the Brabham racing team and race car constructor that bore his name....
and Jack's son Geoff
Geoff Brabham
Geoff Brabham is an Australian racing driver. He is the son of three-time Formula One World Champion Jack Brabham. Brabham spent the majority of his racing career in the United States. He raced successfully in CART early in his career. In ten appearances in the Indianapolis 500, with a best result...
. Then in 1980 Goss began campaigning the Jaguar XJS
Jaguar XJS
The Jaguar XJ-S is a luxury grand tourer produced by the British manufacturer Jaguar from 1975 to 1996. The XJ-S replaced the E-Type in September 1975, and was based on the XJ saloon. It had been developed as the XK-F, though it was very different in character from its predecessor...
at Bathurst at first with no luck. In the 1980 race
1980 Hardie-Ferodo 1000
The 1980 Hardie-Ferodo 1000 was the 21st running of the Bathurst 1000 touring car race. It was held on 5 October 1980 at the Mount Panorama Circuit just outside Bathurst in New South Wales, Australia...
he started what was basically a standard car in 58th but lasted only 14 laps before retiring with gearbox failure. In 1981
1981 James Hardie 1000
The 1981 James Hardie 1000 was the 22nd running of the Bathurst 1000 touring car race. It was held on 4 October 1981 at the Mount Panorama Circuit just outside Bathurst...
he teamed with 1965
1965 Armstrong 500
The 1965 Armstrong 500 was the sixth running of the Bathurst 500 touring car race. It was held on 3 October 1965 at the Mount Panorama Circuit just outside Bathurst, New South Wales, Australia...
winner Barry Seton
Barry Seton
Barry Seton , , is an Australian racing driver. He won the Bathurst 500 in 1965 with co-driver Midge Bosworth driving a Ford Cortina GT500. He has competed in the Bathurst 500 22 times, competing every year from 1963 to 1984, and completing the race in fifteen of those...
in the V12 Jag and after an improved qualifying effort (19th) they weren't classified as finishers of the crash shortened race having completed only 73 of the 120 laps and being caught up in the crash on the top of the mountain. Goss returned with a better prepared effort in 1982
1982 James Hardie 1000
The 1982 James Hardie 1000 was the 23rd running of the Bathurst 1000 touring car race. It was held on 3 October 1982 at the Mount Panorama Circuit just outside Bathurst in New South Wales, Australia...
sharing the driving with American
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
Jaguar racer Bob Tullius who also assisted with technical info for the car and engine. Goss qualified the car 14th with a time of 2:22.3 but once again the big cat failed to finish following suspension failure on lap 119.
Goss missed the 1983 James Hardie 1000
1983 James Hardie 1000
The 1983 James Hardie 1000 was the 24th running of the Bathurst 1000 touring car race. It was an endurance race for Touring Cars complying with CAMS Group C regulations. It was held on October 2, 1983 at the Mount Panorama Circuit just outside Bathurst and was Round 4 of the 1983 Australian...
but returned in 1984
1984 James Hardie 1000
The 1984 James Hardie 1000 was the 25th running of the Bathurst 1000 touring car race. It was held on 30 September 1984 at the Mount Panorama Circuit just outside Bathurst in New South Wales, Australia and was Round 4 of the 1984 Australian Endurance Championship...
for the last year of Australia's Group C racing sharing a drive with TWR
TWR
TWR may mean:*Tom Walkinshaw Racing, a racing team founded in 1976*Trans World Radio, a multinational Christian evangelistic broadcaster*Traveling wave reactor, a type of nuclear reactor that would convert fertile material into fissile fuel...
team owner Tom Walkinshaw
Tom Walkinshaw
Tom Walkinshaw was a Scottish racing car driver and the founder of the racing team Tom Walkinshaw Racing...
. Waklinshaw, who ran the V12 XJS' in the European Touring Car Championship
European Touring Car Championship
The European Touring Car Championship was an international touring car racing series organised by the FIA. It had two incarnations, the first one between 1963 and 1988, and the second between 2000 and 2004...
(and would win that title in 1984) added a lot of technical assistance to the team with revised suspension and the use of one of TWR's own 5.3-litre V12 engines. Despite trouble in qualifying with no suitable rear tyres arriving in time to use, the Scot
Scottish people
The Scottish people , or Scots, are a nation and ethnic group native to Scotland. Historically they emerged from an amalgamation of the Picts and Gaels, incorporating neighbouring Britons to the south as well as invading Germanic peoples such as the Anglo-Saxons and the Norse.In modern use,...
qualified the car in 8th with a 2:16.09 lap (faster than Peter Brock's 1983 pole time) before falling to 10th in the Hardies Heroes top ten run-off with a 2:18.96. Walkinshaw also started the race but in fact never left the line. The Jags clutch had gone leaving Walkinshaw stranded with his arm out the window warning other drivers he was stationery. Unfortunately in the dust kicked up off the start, the Chevrolet Camaro of John Tesoriero coming through at speed could not avoid the #12 Jag and hit it in the rear. The Camaro was then hit by the Toyota Celica Supra of Peter Williamson causing a start line pile up. This caused the race to be stopped as the track was completely blocked. It would be the only time the race has ever been re-started in its history.
Australian Touring Car racing changed to International Group A rules in 1985 and Goss scored his second Bathurst victory in 1985
1985 James Hardie 1000
The 1985 James Hardie 1000 was the 26th running of the Bathurst 1000 touring car race. It was held on 6 October 1985 at the Mount Panorama Circuit just outside Bathurst. It was the first time the race was held exclusively for cars complying with the Australian version of International Group A...
with co-driver Armin Hahne
Armin Hahne
Armin Hahne is a German racing driver, best known for his exploits in touring car racing. The highpoint of his career was winning both the 1982 and 1983 Spa 24 Hours driving BMW's. Another highlight of his career was driving in the factory supported Tom Walkinshaw Racing run Jaguar Racing team...
of West Germany
West Germany
West Germany is the common English, but not official, name for the Federal Republic of Germany or FRG in the period between its creation in May 1949 to German reunification on 3 October 1990....
in one of a three-car assault on the Great Race by Tom Walkinshaw's TWR team using the 1984 ETCC-winning V12 Jaguar XJS'. Goss, lead driver of the teams third car (#10) actually qualified fastest going into Hardies Heroes, giving lie to those who believed he was past his best as a driver. He ended up 6th in the Top Ten run-off and for most of the race was in second place behind Walkinshaw. Goss and Hahne's job was made all the more difficult by the driver's seat of their car having completely broken at the base of the back, giving the driver very little support despite efforts by the team to hold it in place with cable ties to the roll cage. The #10 car took the lead on about lap 120 following oil problems with the Walkinshaw/Percy car. Goss, unable to drive the car hard through the corners due to the broken seat had to use the Jags superior power on Mountain and Conrod straights to keep up lap times with both Brock in the HDT
Holden Dealer Team
The Holden Dealer Team was Holden’s semi-official racing team from 1969 until 1987, primarily contesting Australian Touring Car events but also rallying, rallycross and sports sedans during the 1970s...
Commodore
Holden VK Commodore
The Holden VK Commodore was introduced in 1984 and replaced the VH. It was the first Commodore to have plastic bumpers and introduced rear quarter windows for a six-window design as opposed to the four-window design on previous Commodore models...
and Roberto Ravaglia
Roberto Ravaglia
Roberto Ravaglia is a former auto racing driver, who currently runs ROAL Motorsport, who operate the BMW Team Italy-Spain operation in the World Touring Car Championship...
in a Schnitzer Motorsport
Schnitzer Motorsport
Schnitzer Motorsport is a motorsport team based in Freilassing near Munich, Germany. From the early days of its establishment, the team has operated an automobile racing squad for BMW, and has remarkable results in touring car and sports car racing scenes....
BMW 635 CSi
BMW E24
The BMW E24 series was the first BMW 6 Series coupé, produced by the German automaker BMW between the 1976 and 1989 model years. The 6 Series name reappeared with the BMW E63 chassis beginning in the 2004 model year. The E24 borrowed heavily from contemporary 5-series cars .- Model history :The...
closing in over the closing laps. The chase effectively ended with Brock's engine failure on lap 160 allowing Goss to back off over the last 3 laps. Team owner Walkinshaw who qualified on pole following the Top Ten, finished third with Win Percy
Win Percy
Winston "Win" Percy is a former motor racing driver from England. He competed in many classes of motorsport during his long career, but is perhaps most famous as one of the greats of touring car racing. Joe Saward of Autosport magazine once described him as being "often regarded as the World's...
, the pair crossing the finish line together.
After Jaguar Rover Australia declined to help fund a return effort by TWR in 1986
1986 James Hardie 1000
The 1986 James Hardie 1000 was an endurance motor race held on 5 October 1986 at the Mount Panorama Circuit, just outside Bathurst in New South Wales, Australia...
Goss returned with his own privately entered XJ-S backed by Citibank Australia
Citibank Australia
Citibank Australia was opened in 1985 and was one of the first foreign banks to be granted a banking license in Australia, besides being one of the largest international banks in the country. With its head office in Sydney, Citibank currently has major centers in Melbourne, Perth, Booragoon and...
and co-driven by veteran Bob Muir
Bob Muir
Bob Muir is the name of:*Bob Muir , American swimming coach in the International Swimming Hall of Fame*Bob Muir , Australian rules footballer*Bob Muir , Australian Bathurst 1000 race car driver...
. After numerous problems in qualifying the pair started 26th, slower than the only other XJS in the race, a private effort driven by Garry Willmington and Peter Janson. Electrical troubles in the race resulting in a flat battery saw them complete 140 laps and finish 24th outright. Goss missed both the 1987
1987 James Hardie 1000
The 1987 James Hardie 1000 was the eighth round of the inaugural World Touring Car Championship, the first round to be held in the southern hemisphere. The race was held for cars eligible for Group A touring car regulations. It was the 25th anniversary of the original touring car endurance race...
and 1988
1988 Tooheys 1000
The 1988 Tooheys 1000 was the 29th running of the Bathurst 1000 touring car race. It was held on 2 October 1988 at the Mount Panorama Circuit just outside Bathurst...
races but returned to drive for Glenn Seton Racing
Glenn Seton Racing
Glenn Seton Racing was a V8 Supercar racing team that competed in the V8 Supercar series in Australia.Glenn Seton formed his own team in 1989, using Ford Sierras. Seton had been a protege of the works Nissan team, and took the Peter Jackson cigarette sponsorship of that team with him. Former F1...
at the 1989 Tooheys 1000
1989 Tooheys 1000
The 1989 Tooheys 1000 was the 30th running of the Bathurst 1000 touring car race. It was held on 1 October 1989 at the Mount Panorama Circuit just outside Bathurst, Australia. The race was held for cars eligible under International Group A touring car regulations with three engine capacity...
in a Ford Sierra RS500. Originally teamed with with Tony Noske in the team's second car, they were joined during the race by team leader Glenn Seton
Glenn Seton
Glenn Seton is an Australian racing driver.Seton, father of Courtney and Aaron Seton and husband to Jayne Seton, retired from full time racing after the 2005 V8 Supercar season, and is only one of five drivers to have competed in over 200 rounds in the series. The other drivers are Dick Johnson ,...
after his own car had failed and the trio to finish 20th outright after the car started 17th.
Goss' final Bathurst 1000 came in 1990
1990 Tooheys 1000
The 1990 Tooheys 1000 was the 31st running of the Bathurst 1000 touring car race. It was held on 30 September 1990 at the Mount Panorama Circuit just outside Bathurst, New South Wales, Australia. The event was open to cars eligible under CAMS Group 3A regulations, commonly known as Group A Touring...
when he paired with Phil Ward in a Mercedes 190E to finish 12th outright and a class win after starting 38th.
Career results
| Season | Series | Position | Car | Team |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1969 1969 Australian Sports Car Championship The 1969 Australian Sports Car Championship was a CAMS sanctioned motor racing title for drivers of Group A Sports Cars, Group B Improved Production Sports Cars and Group D Series Production Sports Cars... |
Australian Sports Car Championship Australian Sports Car Championship The Australian Sports Car Championship was the CAMS sanctioned national title for Sports Car drivers in the years from 1969 to 1988. Each championship was contested over a series of races with the exception of the 1975 title, which was awarded on the results of a single race held at the Phillip... |
9th | Tornado Ford | John Goss Racing |
| 1970 1970 Australian Sports Car Championship The 1970 Australian Sports Car Championship was a CAMS sanctioned national motor racing title for drivers of Group A Sports Cars, Group B Improved Production Sports Cars and Group D Series Production Sports Cars... |
Australian Sports Car Championship Australian Sports Car Championship The Australian Sports Car Championship was the CAMS sanctioned national title for Sports Car drivers in the years from 1969 to 1988. Each championship was contested over a series of races with the exception of the 1975 title, which was awarded on the results of a single race held at the Phillip... |
10th | Tornado Ford | McLeod Ford |
| 1972 | South Pacific Touring Series South Pacific Touring Series The South Pacific Touring Series was an Australian touring car series held during the 1970s and run in conjunction with the famous open-wheeler Tasman Series.The South Pacific Series was held between 1970 and 1975 during the month of February... |
1st | Ford XY Falcon GTHO Phase III | McLeod Ford |
| 1972 1972 Australian Touring Car Championship The 1972 Australian Touring Car Championship was a CAMS sanctioned national motor racing title open to Group C Improved Production Touring Cars and Group E Series Production Touring Cars. The championship, which was the 13th running of the Australian Touring Car Championship, began at Symmons... |
Australian Touring Car Championship Australian Touring Car Championship The Australian Touring Car Championship is a touring car racing award held in Australia since 1960. The series itself is no longer contested, but the title lives on, with the winner of the V8 Supercar Championship Series awarded the trophy and title of Australian Touring Car Champion.-History:The... |
11th | Ford XY Falcon GTHO Phase III | McLeod Ford |
| 1973 1973 Australian Touring Car Championship The 1973 Australian Touring Car Championship was the 14th running of the Australian Touring Car Championship. It began at Symmons Plains on 5 March 1973 and ended at Warwick Farm after eight rounds. The series was won by Allan Moffat in a Ford Falcon GTHO Phase III.-Teams and drivers:The following... |
Australian Touring Car Championship | 14th | Ford XA Falcon GT Hardtop Ford XA Falcon The Ford XA Falcon is an automobile which was produced by Ford Australia from March 1972 to September 1973. It replaced the XY series Falcon and was the first Falcon to be completely designed and manufactured in Australia, although it is generally accepted that the two-door Hardtop version's... |
McLeod Ford |
| 1974 | South Pacific Touring Series | 2nd | Ford XA Falcon GT Hardtop Ford XA Falcon The Ford XA Falcon is an automobile which was produced by Ford Australia from March 1972 to September 1973. It replaced the XY series Falcon and was the first Falcon to be completely designed and manufactured in Australia, although it is generally accepted that the two-door Hardtop version's... |
McLeod Ford |
| 1974 | Toby Lee Sports Sedan Series Toby Lee Series The Toby Lee Series was an Australian motor racing series run at Oran Park Raceway in Sydney, between 1970 and 1975.In 1970 Oran Park, with backing from sponsors Toby Lee and department store Grace Brothers, launched a new series of races for Group E Series Production sedans... |
7th | Ford XA Falcon GT Hardtop Ford XA Falcon The Ford XA Falcon is an automobile which was produced by Ford Australia from March 1972 to September 1973. It replaced the XY series Falcon and was the first Falcon to be completely designed and manufactured in Australia, although it is generally accepted that the two-door Hardtop version's... |
McLeod Ford |
| 1974 1974 Australian Drivers' Championship The 1974 Australian Drivers' Championship was a CAMS sanctioned national motor racing title for drivers of Australian Formula 1 and Australian Formula 2 racing cars with the championship winner awarded the 1974 CAMS "Gold Star".-Calendar:... |
Australian Drivers' Championship Australian Drivers' Championship The Australian Drivers' Championship is a motor racing championship which has been contested annually since 1957 by drivers of cars complying with Australia's premier open-wheeler racing category as determined by the Confederation of Australian Motor Sport. Since 2005 this category has been Formula... |
9th | Matich A53 Repco Holden | John Goss Racing |
| 1975 1975 Tasman Series The 1975 Tasman Series was the twelfth and final in the series, beginning on 5 January and ending on 23 February after eight races.The series was won by Australian driver Warwick Brown in his fifth year of Formula 5000 racing with the Pat Burke Racing team, driving a Lola T332 Chevrolet... |
Tasman Series Tasman Series The Tasman Series was a motor racing series held from 1964 to 1975, in Australia and New Zealand, and named after the Tasman Sea between the two countries... |
6th | Matich A53 Repco Holden | John Goss Racing |
| 1975 | Toby Lee Formula 5000 Series Toby Lee Series The Toby Lee Series was an Australian motor racing series run at Oran Park Raceway in Sydney, between 1970 and 1975.In 1970 Oran Park, with backing from sponsors Toby Lee and department store Grace Brothers, launched a new series of races for Group E Series Production sedans... |
2nd | Matich A53 Repco Holden | John Goss Racing |
| 1975 1975 Australian Drivers' Championship The 1975 Australian Drivers' Championship was the nineteenth Australian Drivers' Championship. It was contested by drivers of Australian Formula 1 and Australian Formula 2 Racing cars over a five round series with points awarded on a 9, 6, 4, 3, 2, 1 basis to the top six placegetters in each... |
Australian Drivers' Championship | 13th | Matich A53 Repco Holden | John Goss Racing |
| 1976 | Australian Drivers' Championship | 6th | Matich A53 Repco Holden | John Goss Racing |
| 1976 | Rothmans International Series Rothmans International Series The Rothmans International Series was an Australian Formula 5000 motor racing series which ran from 1976 to 1979.-History:When the joint Australian-New Zealand open-wheeler series, the Tasman Series was discontinued after the 1975 series, the four Australian former Tasman races became the Rothmans... |
5th | Matich A53 Repco Holden | John Goss Racing |
| 1977 | Rothmans International Series | 5th | Matich A53 Repco Holden | John Goss Racing |
| 1977 1977 Australian Touring Car Championship The 1977 Australian Touring Car Championship was a CAMS sanctioned motor racing championship open to Group C Touring Cars. It was the 18th running of the Australian Touring Car Championship and it began at Symmons Plains Raceway on 7 March and ended at the Phillip Island Grand Prix Circuit on 20... |
Australian Touring Car Championship | 28th | Ford XB Falcon GT Hardtop Ford XB Falcon The Ford XB Falcon is a car which was produced by Ford Australia between 1973 and 1976 and was built exclusively in Australia. It bore minor cosmetic differences to the preceding model, the XA, aimed at giving the car a more muscular stance... Ford XC Falcon Hardtop Ford XC Falcon The Ford XC Falcon is a car which was produced by Ford Australia between 1976 and 1979. It was a facelift of the XB Falcon, itself an upgrade of the XA Falcon which had entered production in 1972... |
John Goss Racing |
| 1978 1978 Australian Touring Car Championship The 1978 Australian Touring Car Championship was the 19th running of the Australian Touring Car Championship. It began at Symmons Plains and ended at Adelaide International Raceway after eight rounds... |
Australian Touring Car Championship | 30th | Ford XC Falcon Hardtop Ford XC Falcon The Ford XC Falcon is a car which was produced by Ford Australia between 1976 and 1979. It was a facelift of the XB Falcon, itself an upgrade of the XA Falcon which had entered production in 1972... |
John Goss Racing |
| 1985 1985 Australian Endurance Championship The 1985 Australian Endurance Championship was a CAMS sanctioned motor racing title for drivers of Touring Cars complying with an Australian version of FIA Group A Touring Car regulations... |
Australian Endurance Championship Australian Endurance Championship The Australian Endurance Championship was first contested in 1981, as a CAMS sanctioned national motor racing title for car manufacturers. Replacing the Australian Championship of Makes , it was decided over a series of endurance races for touring cars complying with CAMS Group C regulations.In the... |
10th | Jaguar XJS | JRA Ltd Tom Walkinshaw Racing Tom Walkinshaw Racing , was an auto racing team and engineering firm founded in 1976 by touring car racer Tom Walkinshaw.-History:TWR started by modifying BMW 3.0 CSLs, but soon was contracted to head Mazda's works program in the British Touring Car Championship. The TWR developed RX-7, with Win... |
Complete 24 Hours of Le Mans Results
| Year | Pos | Class | No | Team | Drivers | Chassis | Engine | Laps |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1976 1976 24 Hours of Le Mans The 1976 24 Hours of Le Mans was the 44th Grand Prix of Endurance, and took place on June 12 and 13 1976.-Race:The regulations for Le Mans were changed again, with the fuel limitations removed and Group 5 cars were allowed to compete with Group 6 cars. Porsche entered two 936s and one 935, while... |
27 | GT | 70 |  "Beurlys" |
John Blaton Nick Faure |
Porsche 934 Porsche 934 The Porsche 934 was a racing version of the Porsche 911 Turbo, prepared to FIA Group 4 rules, similar to the Porsche 935 which was prepared to FIA Group 5 rules.-History:... |
Porsche Porsche Porsche Automobil Holding SE, usually shortened to Porsche SE a Societas Europaea or European Public Company, is a German based holding company with investments in the automotive industry.... 3.0L Turbo Flat-6 |
168 |