Robbie Francevic
Encyclopedia
Robert James Francevic, was a touring car
racing driver in New Zealand
and Australia
in the 1970s and 1980s. He won the inaugural Nissan-Cue 500
(later Nissan Mobil 500) street race in Wellington, New Zealand in 1985 driving a Volvo 240 Turbo
.
Following the Nissan series, Robbie, while still living in Auckland, contested the 1985 Australian Touring Car Championship
driving the Volvo 240T for owner and friend Mark Petch. Francevic shocked the established stars in Peter Brock
, Dick Johnson and Jim Richards by winning the third round of the series at Symmons Plains
in Tasmania
before going on to dominate the final round at Oran Park
in Sydney
. Other than Richards, Francevic was the only multiple race winner in the championship (Richards won 7, Francevic 2 and Brock just one). The Mark Petch team recruited 1984
and 1985
Australian Drivers' Champion
John Bowe
to partner Francevic in the 1985 Castrol 500
at Sandown
in Melbourne
. After a strong showing, he car finished its race with Bowe at the wheel at the entrance to the pits with a seized diff.
In 1986 Francevic became the first New Zealand resident to win the ATCC
, becoming the second New Zealander (after Jim Richards
) to win the series and recording the only win for Volvo
. Francevic won the first two races of the season at Amaroo Park
and Symmons Plains, finished 2nd at Sandown to the Nissan Skyline of George Fury
and won again at Adelaide
. This was his last win for the series and coincided with new team management. Gone was team owner Petch and in charge was former Holden Dealer Team
boss from the late '70s George Shepherd. The Volvo was overtaken in speed by the Nissan turbo's and and despite a newly built 240T appearing mid-season, Francevic was often slower than Bowe in qualifying but still scored enough points to win the championship from Fury by just 5 points.
Following the ATCC, Francevic wasn't happy. He was happy to have won the championship but wanted to win from the front and driving for points like he was forced to over the latter part of the championship wasn't his style. Tensions between Francevic and team boss Shepherd came to a head at the 1986 Castrol 500
at Sandown. With the Volvo he was to drive with fellow Kiwi Graham McRae
not having practiced due to the late build time, Francevic refused to race the car believing it (and the teams second car which was in the same situation) would not be competitive. While the John Bowe / Alfredo Costanzo
Volvo failed to finish its fastest lap was the same as the winning Nissan Skyline. Following his refusal to drive the car, Francevic was fired from the Volvo Dealer Team on 15 September 1986, the day after the Sandown 500
.
at Bathurst
, Francevic teamed with John Bowe in the Volvo and qualified the car an excellent 5th, his run in the Hardies Heroes top 10 run-off for pole position was thwarted by a flat tyre on his second run while trying to improve on his first run. After a strong early showing in the race in which Francevic had held 2nd for some time behind early leader Tom Walkinshaw
, a failed alternator diode put them many laps down. The car finally retired on lap 122 when it ran out of fuel.
After winning the 1986 ATCC and his much publicised falling out with the Volvo Dealer Team, Francevic drove a Ford Sierra XR4Ti
for former Volvo team owner Mark Petch to little success in the 1986 James Hardie 1000
with fellow Kiwi
Leo Leonard and suffering terminal electrical problems on lap 26. After publicly predicting the Ford would take pole position for the race but Francevic could only manage 21st on the grid with a time of 2:23.05, some 5.89 seconds slower than the Skyline of Gary Scott after a troubled practice and qualifying trying to get the car to run properly.
He then landed a co-driving role in the 1987 race for Frank Gardner
's JPS Team BMW in a BMW M3 finishing 6th outright and 2nd in class with Ludwig Finauer. For 1988 Francevic and long time backer Mark Petch secured a Ford Sierra RS500 from Walter Wolf Racing
in Germany
to run in the ATCC
but only started one race (Round 3 at Winton
) due to illegal build components on the Sierra and the championship run was abandoned in the effort to get the car right. The problems were fixed in time for the 1988 Tooheys 1000
at Bathurst where he teamed with German ace, and 1985
winner, Armin Hahne
. Overheating finished their race on lap 103 while running well in the top 5 most of the race after qualifying 14th. He teamed with Italian racer Gianfranco Brancatelli
in the Sierra in 1989
, qualifying 15th but didn't get a drive the right front wheel fell off the car on lap 14 when going across the top of the Mountain
. His last start was in 1990
with fellow Kiwi racer Andrew Bagnall
in another Sierra RS500. They qualified 17th and drove well all day to finish 7th outright in a race in which many of the big budget teams failed to finish.
Francevic was an inaugural member of the MotorSport New Zealand Wall of Fame in 1994.
Touring car
A touring car, or tourer, is an open car seating five or more. Touring cars may have two or four doors. Often, the belt line is lowered in the front doors to give the car a more sportive character. They were often fitted with a folding roof and side curtains. Engines on early models were either in...
racing driver in New Zealand
New Zealand
New Zealand is an island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses and numerous smaller islands. The country is situated some east of Australia across the Tasman Sea, and roughly south of the Pacific island nations of New Caledonia, Fiji, and Tonga...
and Australia
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...
in the 1970s and 1980s. He won the inaugural Nissan-Cue 500
Wellington 500
The Wellington 500 was a street race for touring cars which took place at Wellington City in Wellington, New Zealand. The race was first proposed in 1984 and first took place a year later with a different layout from that to the original proposal....
(later Nissan Mobil 500) street race in Wellington, New Zealand in 1985 driving a Volvo 240 Turbo
Volvo 200 series
The Volvo 200 series is a range of large family cars , produced by Volvo from 1974 to 1993, with more than 2.8 million units sold worldwide. The 200 series was essentially an updated version of the 140; both were designed by Jan Wilsgaard. It shared the same body, but included a number of...
.
Following the Nissan series, Robbie, while still living in Auckland, contested the 1985 Australian Touring Car Championship
1985 Australian Touring Car Championship
The 1985 Australian Touring Car Championship was a CAMS sanctioned motor racing title for drivers of Touring Cars. It was the 26th running of the Australian Touring Car Championship and the first to be contested using regulations based on the FIA's International Group A regulations...
driving the Volvo 240T for owner and friend Mark Petch. Francevic shocked the established stars in 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...
, Dick Johnson and Jim Richards by winning the third round of the series at Symmons Plains
Symmons Plains Raceway
Symmons Plains Raceway is a motor racing circuit in Australia, located about 30 kilometres south of Launceston, Tasmania. Since the closure of the Longford circuit in the 1960s it has been Tasmania's premier motor racing facility...
in Tasmania
Tasmania
Tasmania is an Australian island and state. It is south of the continent, separated by Bass Strait. The state includes the island of Tasmania—the 26th largest island in the world—and the surrounding islands. The state has a population of 507,626 , of whom almost half reside in the greater Hobart...
before going on to dominate the final round 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....
in Sydney
Sydney
Sydney is the most populous city in Australia and the state capital of New South Wales. Sydney is located on Australia's south-east coast of the Tasman Sea. As of June 2010, the greater metropolitan area had an approximate population of 4.6 million people...
. Other than Richards, Francevic was the only multiple race winner in the championship (Richards won 7, Francevic 2 and Brock just one). The Mark Petch team recruited 1984
1984 Australian Drivers' Championship
The 1984 Australian Drivers' Championship was a CAMS sanctioned national motor racing title open to drivers of racing cars complying with Formula Mondial regulations. The winner of the title, which was the 28th Australian Drivers' Championship, was awarded the 1984 CAMS Gold Star...
and 1985
1985 Australian Drivers' Championship
The 1985 Australian Drivers' Championship was a CAMS sanctioned national motor racing title for drivers of cars conforming to Australian Formula 1 regulations, which in 1985 corresponded to Formula Mondial, an evolution of Formula Atlantic. The title was contested over a five race series with the...
Australian Drivers' Champion
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...
John Bowe
John Bowe (racing driver)
John Bowe is an Australian racing driver, presently racing a 1969 Ford Mustang in the historic series, Touring Car Masters....
to partner Francevic in the 1985 Castrol 500
1985 Castrol 500
The 1985 Castrol 500 was an endurance race for "Group A" Touring Cars staged at the Sandown International Motor Racing Circuit in Victoria on 15 September 1985...
at Sandown
Sandown 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:...
in Melbourne
Melbourne
Melbourne is the capital and most populous city in the state of Victoria, and the second most populous city in Australia. The Melbourne City Centre is the hub of the greater metropolitan area and the Census statistical division—of which "Melbourne" is the common name. As of June 2009, the greater...
. After a strong showing, he car finished its race with Bowe at the wheel at the entrance to the pits with a seized diff.
In 1986 Francevic became the first New Zealand resident to win the ATCC
1986 Australian Touring Car Championship
The 1986 Australian Touring Car Championship was the 27th running of the Australian Touring Car Championship. It began on 2 March 1986 at Amaroo Park and ended on 13 July at Oran Park Raceway after ten rounds....
, becoming the second New Zealander (after Jim Richards
Jim Richards (race driver)
Jim Richards is a New Zealand racing driver who has spent most of his racing life in Australia. While retired from professional racing, Richards continues to compete in the historic category Touring Car Masters while running a team in the Australian GT Championship...
) to win the series and recording the only win for Volvo
Volvo
AB Volvo is a Swedish builder of commercial vehicles, including trucks, buses and construction equipment. Volvo also supplies marine and industrial drive systems, aerospace components and financial services...
. Francevic won the first two races of the season at Amaroo Park
Amaroo Park
Amaroo Park was a motor racing circuit located in Annangrove, New South Wales, in the present-day western suburbs of Sydney, Australia. It opened in 1967, hosting its first motorcycle meeting on 26 February with a 30 lap production race won by Larry Simons on a BSA Spitfire in heavy rain. The...
and Symmons Plains, finished 2nd at Sandown to the Nissan Skyline of George Fury
George Fury
George Fury is a retired Australian rally and racing car driver. For the majority of his career Fury was associated with Nissan, twice winning the Australian Rally Championship, and twice runner up in the Australian Touring Car Championship.-Rallying:Born in Hungary, Fury rose to prominence during...
and won again at Adelaide
Adelaide International Raceway
The Adelaide International Raceway is a permanent circuit owned by Australian Motorsport Club Limited under the auspices of the Bob Jane Corporation. It is located on Port Wakefield Road at Virginia, a small town just north of Adelaide, South Australia, and is round the corner from Speedway City...
. This was his last win for the series and coincided with new team management. Gone was team owner Petch and in charge was former Holden Dealer Team
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...
boss from the late '70s George Shepherd. The Volvo was overtaken in speed by the Nissan turbo's and and despite a newly built 240T appearing mid-season, Francevic was often slower than Bowe in qualifying but still scored enough points to win the championship from Fury by just 5 points.
Following the ATCC, Francevic wasn't happy. He was happy to have won the championship but wanted to win from the front and driving for points like he was forced to over the latter part of the championship wasn't his style. Tensions between Francevic and team boss Shepherd came to a head at the 1986 Castrol 500
1986 Castrol 500
The 1986 Castrol 500 was an endurance race for cars complying with CAMS Touring Car regulations, which were based on FIA Group A rules. The event was staged on 14 September 1986 over 129 laps of the 3.9 km Sandown circuit in Victoria, Australia, a total distance of 503 km...
at Sandown. With the Volvo he was to drive with fellow Kiwi Graham McRae
Graham McRae
Graham McRae is a former racing driver from New Zealand.McRae's single outing in the Formula One World Championship was at the 1973 British Grand Prix on 14 July 1973, where he retired in the first lap...
not having practiced due to the late build time, Francevic refused to race the car believing it (and the teams second car which was in the same situation) would not be competitive. While the John Bowe / Alfredo Costanzo
Alfredo Costanzo
Alfredo Costanzo is a retired Australian racing driver.The Italian-Australian was Australia's foremost domestic open wheeler driver in the late 70s and early 80s, proving equally adapt at winning races in the powerful Formula 5000 class as much as the nimble Formula Pacific cars that replaced them...
Volvo failed to finish its fastest lap was the same as the winning Nissan Skyline. Following his refusal to drive the car, Francevic was fired from the Volvo Dealer Team on 15 September 1986, the day after the Sandown 500
Sandown 500
The Sandown 500 is an endurance motor race staged at the Sandown Raceway, near Melbourne in Victoria, Australia between 1964 and 2011. It was typically held in September, the month before Australia’s premier endurance race, the Bathurst 1000. The “500” was not run in 1966, 1967, 1999, 2000, 2008,...
.
Bathurst 1000
At the 1985 James Hardie 10001985 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...
at Bathurst
Bathurst, New South Wales
-CBD and suburbs:Bathurst's CBD is located on William, George, Howick, Russell, and Durham Streets. The CBD is approximately 25 hectares and surrounds two city blocks. Within this block layout is banking, government services, shopping centres, retail shops, a park* and monuments...
, Francevic teamed with John Bowe in the Volvo and qualified the car an excellent 5th, his run in the Hardies Heroes top 10 run-off for pole position was thwarted by a flat tyre on his second run while trying to improve on his first run. After a strong early showing in the race in which Francevic had held 2nd for some time behind early leader Tom Walkinshaw
Tom Walkinshaw
Tom Walkinshaw was a Scottish racing car driver and the founder of the racing team Tom Walkinshaw Racing...
, a failed alternator diode put them many laps down. The car finally retired on lap 122 when it ran out of fuel.
After winning the 1986 ATCC and his much publicised falling out with the Volvo Dealer Team, Francevic drove a Ford Sierra XR4Ti
Merkur XR4Ti
The Merkur XR4Ti was a short-lived United States and Canada-market version of the European Ford Sierra XR4i. It was the brainchild of then Ford Vice President Bob Lutz. It was sold in the US from 1985 to 1989. It was the first vehicle of Ford's Merkur range, followed in 1988 by the Merkur Scorpio...
for former Volvo team owner Mark Petch to little success in the 1986 James Hardie 1000
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...
with fellow Kiwi
New Zealand
New Zealand is an island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses and numerous smaller islands. The country is situated some east of Australia across the Tasman Sea, and roughly south of the Pacific island nations of New Caledonia, Fiji, and Tonga...
Leo Leonard and suffering terminal electrical problems on lap 26. After publicly predicting the Ford would take pole position for the race but Francevic could only manage 21st on the grid with a time of 2:23.05, some 5.89 seconds slower than the Skyline of Gary Scott after a troubled practice and qualifying trying to get the car to run properly.
He then landed a co-driving role in the 1987 race for Frank Gardner
Frank Gardner (driver)
Frank Gardner OAM was a racing driver from Australia. He was best known as a Touring car racing and Sports car racing driver. He also participated in nine World Championship Formula One Grands Prix, debuting on 11 July 1964. He scored no championship points...
's JPS Team BMW in a BMW M3 finishing 6th outright and 2nd in class with Ludwig Finauer. For 1988 Francevic and long time backer Mark Petch secured a Ford Sierra RS500 from Walter Wolf Racing
Walter Wolf Racing
Walter Wolf Racing was a Formula One constructor from 1977 to 1980, notable for winning the very first race the team entered.-1975-77:In 1975, the Slovenian-Austrian-Canadian businessman Walter Wolf had started to appear at many of the F1 races during the season. A year later, he bought 60% of...
in Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
to run in the ATCC
1988 Australian Touring Car Championship
The 1988 Australian Touring Car Championship was a CAMS sanctioned motor racing title for drivers of Group 3A Touring Cars. It was the 29th running of the Australian Touring Car Championship. Promoted as the “1988 Shell Ultra Australian Touring Car Championship”, it began on 6 March at Calder Park...
but only started one race (Round 3 at Winton
Winton Motor Raceway
Winton Motor Raceway is a Motor Racing track in Winton, near Benalla, Victoria, Australia.-History:The Benalla Auto Club began planning for a permanent racing track around 1958. In 1960 it was decided to build the track at Winton Recreation Reserve and was completed in twelve months...
) due to illegal build components on the Sierra and the championship run was abandoned in the effort to get the car right. The problems were fixed in time for the 1988 Tooheys 1000
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...
at Bathurst where he teamed with German ace, 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...
winner, 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...
. Overheating finished their race on lap 103 while running well in the top 5 most of the race after qualifying 14th. He teamed with Italian racer Gianfranco Brancatelli
Gianfranco Brancatelli
Gianfranco Brancatelli is a former racing driver from Italy. His racing career began in 1973, in the Formula Abarth series. In 1975, he advanced to Italian Formula 3 racing...
in the Sierra in 1989
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...
, qualifying 15th but didn't get a drive the right front wheel fell off the car on lap 14 when going across the top of the Mountain
Mount Panorama Circuit
Mount Panorama Circuit is a motor racing track located in Bathurst, New South Wales, Australia. It is the home of the Bathurst 12 Hour motor race, held each February, and the Bathurst 1000 motor race, held each October...
. His last start was 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...
with fellow Kiwi racer Andrew Bagnall
Andrew Bagnall
Andrew Bagnall is a motor racing driver born in Wellington, New Zealand on 14 February 1947. He raced in Australian Touring Car Championship in the late 1980s, and in the New Zealand Touring Car Championship in 1990 and in some races of the 1997 and 1998 FIA GT Championship seasons...
in another Sierra RS500. They qualified 17th and drove well all day to finish 7th outright in a race in which many of the big budget teams failed to finish.
Francevic was an inaugural member of the MotorSport New Zealand Wall of Fame in 1994.