Harry Firth
Encyclopedia
Harry L. Firth is an Australian former racing driver and team manager. Firth was a leading race and rally driver during the 1950s and 1960s and continued as an influential team manager well into the 1970s. Firth’s nickname was "the fox", implying his use of cunning ploys as a team manager.
Firth won the Bathurst 500 (including its predecessor at Phillip Island
) four times. He also won the Southern Cross Rally
and the Australian Rally Championship
. He was inducted into the V8 Supercar Hall of Fame
in 2007.
for the 1948 Australian Grand Prix
(driven by Frank Pratt). In the 1950s Firth successfully competed in Porsche 356
’s in races and hillclimbs. Firth had a great record in the Alpine Rally winning the event five times between 1953 and 1962. In 1961 Firth teamed with Bob Jane
in a Mercedes-Benz 220SE
to win the Armstrong 500 at Philip Island.
(Melbourne
) became the base for the Ford works team
. Firth and Jane drove a Ford works team Ford Falcon
to victory in the Armstrong 500 at Philip Island and repeated the effort the following year in a Ford Cortina
GT at Bathurst (the Armstrong 500 having moved to Bathurst that year). In 1964 Firth won the Ampol Around Australia Trial in a Cortina GT.
In 1966 Firth and his navigator Graham Hoinville won the inaugural Southern Cross Rally in a Ford Cortina. 1967 saw Firth notching up another victory at the Bathurst 500 with co-driver Fred Gibson
in a Ford Falcon GT and the following year Firth and Hoinville won the Australian Rally Championship
.
, which despite the name was actually a works team backed by Holden
and set up by GMH executive John Bagshaw. The team operated out of Firth’s Auburn workshop.
That year Firth was instrumental in launching the professional careers of two soon to be famous drivers – talented up and coming rally driver Colin Bond
and young tearaway Peter Brock
whose feats in an Austin A30
had brought him to Firth’s attention. Bond and Tony Roberts
won the 1969 Bathurst race for Firth’s Holden team in a Monaro GTS350
with Des West and Brock finishing third in a similar car.
Over the next eight years the Holden Dealer Team under Firth achieved many notable race and rally victories and championship wins. Included among these are:
At the end of the 1977 season Harry Firth retired as manager of the Holden team but continued his involvement in motor racing as National Chief Scrutineer in 1979-1981.
Firth won the Bathurst 500 (including its predecessor at Phillip Island
Phillip Island Grand Prix Circuit
The Phillip Island Grand Prix Circuit is a motor racing racing circuit on Phillip Island, Victoria, Australia. The circuit was opened in 1956.-Road circuit:...
) four times. He also won the Southern Cross Rally
Southern Cross Rally
The Southern Cross Rally was a major international rally mainly held in the Port Macquarie region of New South Wales, Australia, between 1966 and 1980. The rally attracted many of the world's leading rally drivers and factory teams....
and the Australian Rally Championship
Australian Rally Championship
The Australian Rally Championship is a 6 Round National motorsport Championship run in forested countryside throughout Australia.-Current Competition:...
. He was inducted into the V8 Supercar Hall of Fame
V8 Supercar Hall of Fame
The V8 Supercar Hall of Fame was instituted in 1999 with the first running of the V8 Supercars Championship Series, initially known as the Shell Championship Series. It was established to recognise the efforts of past champions and prominent figures within the sport. The initial inductees were...
in 2007.
Early years
After returning from service in World War II, Firth turned his attention to motorsport. He was involved in preparing the winning BMW 328BMW 328
The BMW 328 is a sports car made by BMW between 1936 and 1940, with the body design credited to Peter Szymanowski, who became BMW chief of design after World War II ....
for the 1948 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...
(driven by Frank Pratt). In the 1950s Firth successfully competed in Porsche 356
Porsche 356
The Porsche 356 was the company's first production automobile. It was a lightweight and nimble handling rear-engine rear-wheel-drive 2 door sports car available in hardtop coupe and open configurations. Design innovations continued during the years of manufacture, contributing to its motorsports...
’s in races and hillclimbs. Firth had a great record in the Alpine Rally winning the event five times between 1953 and 1962. In 1961 Firth teamed with Bob Jane
Bob Jane
Robert "Bob" Jane is an Australian former race car driver and prominent businessman. A four-time winner of the Armstrong 500, the race that became the prestigious Bathurst 1000 and a four-time Australian Touring Car Champion, Jane is perhaps known best nowadays for his chain of tyre retailers,...
in a Mercedes-Benz 220SE
Mercedes-Benz W111
The Mercedes-Benz W111 was a chassis code given to its top-range vehicles, including 4-door sedans, produced from 1959 to 1968, and 2-door coupes and cabriolets from 1961 to 1971. The W111, was initially attributed only to 6-cylinder cars with 2.2 litre engines. The luxury version with big-block 3...
to win the Armstrong 500 at Philip Island.
Ford works team
In 1962 the Firth Motors workshop at Queens Avenue, AuburnAuburn, Victoria
Auburn is an unbounded neighbourhood of the suburb of Hawthorn, Melbourne, Australia, in the state of Victoria. Its postcode is 3123.It is in the local government areas of the City of Boroondara....
(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...
) became the base for the Ford works team
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...
. Firth and Jane drove a Ford works team Ford Falcon
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...
to victory in the Armstrong 500 at Philip Island and repeated the effort the following year in a Ford Cortina
Ford Cortina
As the 1960s dawned, BMC were revelling in the success of their new Mini – the first successful true minicar to be built in Britain in the postwar era...
GT at Bathurst (the Armstrong 500 having moved to Bathurst that year). In 1964 Firth won the Ampol Around Australia Trial in a Cortina GT.
In 1966 Firth and his navigator Graham Hoinville won the inaugural Southern Cross Rally in a Ford Cortina. 1967 saw Firth notching up another victory at the Bathurst 500 with co-driver 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...
in a Ford Falcon GT and the following year Firth and Hoinville won the Australian Rally Championship
Australian Rally Championship
The Australian Rally Championship is a 6 Round National motorsport Championship run in forested countryside throughout Australia.-Current Competition:...
.
Holden Dealer Team
In 1969 Harry Firth left the Ford works team to become manager of the fledgling Holden Dealer TeamHolden 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...
, which despite the name was actually a works team backed by Holden
Holden
GM Holden Ltd is an automaker that operates in Australia, based in Port Melbourne, Victoria. The company was founded in 1856 as a saddlery manufacturer. In 1908 it moved into the automotive field, before becoming a subsidiary of the U.S.-based General Motors in 1931...
and set up by GMH executive John Bagshaw. The team operated out of Firth’s Auburn workshop.
That year Firth was instrumental in launching the professional careers of two soon to be famous drivers – talented up and coming rally driver 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 young tearaway 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...
whose feats in an Austin A30
Austin A30
The A30 was a compact car produced by Austin Motor Company in the 1950s. Introduced in 1951 as the "New Austin Seven", it was Austin's answer to the Morris Minor...
had brought him to Firth’s attention. Bond and Tony Roberts
Tony Roberts (racing driver)
Anthony Roberts, , was an Australian race and rally driver.Roberts won the 1968 Sandown 3 Hours with Bob Watson, giving the Holden Monaro a debut victory...
won the 1969 Bathurst race for Firth’s Holden team in a Monaro GTS350
Holden Monaro
The Holden Monaro is an automobile that was produced by GM Holden Ltd, an Australian subsidiary of General Motors, between 1968 and 1977 and between 2001 and 2005...
with Des West and Brock finishing third in a similar car.
Over the next eight years the Holden Dealer Team under Firth achieved many notable race and rally victories and championship wins. Included among these are:
- another Bathurst crown in 1972 with Peter Brock driving a Holden Torana GTR XU-1Holden ToranaThe Holden Torana is a car which was produced by General Motors–Holden's , the Australian subsidiary of General Motors from 1967 to 1980. The name comes from an Aboriginal word meaning "to fly". The first Torana appeared in 1967 and was a four-cylinder compact vehicle that had its origins in the...
. - Australian Touring Car ChampionshipAustralian Touring Car ChampionshipThe 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...
titles in 1974 (Brock) and 1975 (Bond). - Australian Rally ChampionshipAustralian Rally ChampionshipThe Australian Rally Championship is a 6 Round National motorsport Championship run in forested countryside throughout Australia.-Current Competition:...
wins by Colin Bond in 1971, 1972 and 1974 and by Peter Lang in 1973. - Southern Cross RallySouthern Cross RallyThe Southern Cross Rally was a major international rally mainly held in the Port Macquarie region of New South Wales, Australia, between 1966 and 1980. The rally attracted many of the world's leading rally drivers and factory teams....
wins in 1970 (Barry Ferguson) and 1971 (Bond). - Sandown 250Sandown 500The 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,...
wins in 1971 (Bond) and 1973 (Brock). - and Holden Dealer Team drivers secured the Australian Manufacturers' ChampionshipAustralian Manufacturers' ChampionshipThe Australian Manufacturers' Championship is a motor racing title awarded by the Confederation of Australian Motor Sport to the winning car manufacturer in a series of races held throughout Australia...
for GMH in 1971, 1973 and 1974.
At the end of the 1977 season Harry Firth retired as manager of the Holden team but continued his involvement in motor racing as National Chief Scrutineer in 1979-1981.
Career results
| Season | Title | Position | Car | Entrant |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1963 1963 Australian Touring Car Championship The 1963 Australian Touring Car Championship was the fourth running of the Australian Touring Car Championship. It was a CAMS sanctioned motor racing title for drivers of Appendix J Touring Cars, contested over a single 25 lap, 50 mile race at the Mallala Motor Sport Park in South Australia on 15... |
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... |
4th | Ford Cortina GT Mk.I Ford Cortina As the 1960s dawned, BMC were revelling in the success of their new Mini – the first successful true minicar to be built in Britain in the postwar era... |
Ford Motor Co. 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... |
| 1964 1964 Australian Touring Car Championship The 1964 Australian Touring Car Championship was a CAMS sanctioned national motor racing title for drivers of Appendix J Touring Cars and Group E Series Production Touring Cars. The championship was contested over a single race staged at the Lakeside circuit in Queensland, Australia on 26 July 1964... |
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... |
10th | Ford Cortina GT Mk.I Ford Cortina As the 1960s dawned, BMC were revelling in the success of their new Mini – the first successful true minicar to be built in Britain in the postwar era... |
Ford Motor Co. 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... |
| 1968 | Australian Rally Championship Australian Rally Championship The Australian Rally Championship is a 6 Round National motorsport Championship run in forested countryside throughout Australia.-Current Competition:... |
1st | Ford Cortina GT Mk.II Ford Cortina As the 1960s dawned, BMC were revelling in the success of their new Mini – the first successful true minicar to be built in Britain in the postwar era... |
|