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Over the weekend of the 11th to 13th of March, the 2016 Phillip Island Classic will unleash a mighty 540 historic racing and sports cars on Australia’s classic Phillip Island circuit.
Perhaps mightiest of them all will be the record field of Heritage Touring Cars competitors, who will contest the first round of their 2016 series over the weekend.
Inspiring joy in the hearts of Ford fans around the country, Ed Singleton will be bringing the ’77 John Goss Racing Ford Falcon XC out to play for the first time in the series.
The car was built in 1977 and debuted in the Hardie-Ferodo 1000 driven by John Goss and Henri Pescarolo. The pair qualified 16th but would leave the race 113 laps in with gearbox issues.
Goss went on to race the car for the rest of the ’77 Australian Touring Car Championship, taking an eighth in Adelaide, sixth at Surfers Paradise and retiring from the season finale at Phillip Island.
He brought the car out again for Bathurst in 1978, although he and Pescarolo once again suffered technical difficulties on the punishing track and did not complete the race.
1979 saw the Falcon gain K-Tel backing when it ran once again at Bathurst.
Ed Singleton purchased the car two years ago and displayed it alongside his signature STP VH Commodore ‘Elvis’ at the 2014 Muscle Car Masters round of Heritage Touring Cars.
From there the car underwent a full twelve-month restoration. This year’s Phillip Island Classic will see it hit the track in anger for the first time since that rebuild, when Ed Singleton pilots it during round one of the 2016 Heritage Touring Cars series.
“I am particularly excited as this will be my first opportunity to race the ex-John Goss XC Falcon Coupe since I purchased it in 2014 and undertook a twelve-month restoration back to its familiar ‘Goss Blue’ livery.”
“Former HDT and Perkins engine builder Neil Burns has weaved his magic over the original 351 Cleveland, so the big Ford is now every bit as tough as it looks!”
“I reckon it’s going to startle a few people as it stretches its legs down the Phillip Island straight – but probably startle me more as I try to pull up 1700kg of Henry’s finest into turn one!”
“Regardless, I can’t wait to fire it up and get it out on the track this weekend.”
“Our Heritage Touring Car competitors are really looking forward to our return to the Phillip Island Classic this weekend, after our Australian Grand Prix duties in 2015.”
Competition gets under way at Phillip Island on Friday the 11th of March and will run all weekend long. The Heritage Touring Cars series will field a record 47 historic Australian Touring Cars in racing that’ll have you reliving the glory days of the sport.
For more information on the Heritage Touring Cars series head to www.heritagetouringcars.com.au. Further details about the VHRR and Phillip Island Classic can be found at www.vhrr.com.
Image thanks to Australian Muscle Car Magazine
