Bowe Times Two Equals Lifetime Achievement
26/11/2004 22:19 (Press Release) -
The name Bowe is synonymous with Tasmanian and Australian motorsport. But
before John Bowe, there was Brian, the father of John and a Tassie racing
legend all the same.
Brian was the force behind his son’s passion and ultimately his success in
the sport, and today the ever-thankful son got to repay his dad in a small
way.
It all started when John was just 11. He had calculated in his head that
his dad’s race car at the time, an Elfin Catalina, could reach the magical
100 mph at 4600 rpm and was dying to find out if he was right. He pestered
his dad to let him go for a drive but of course not telling him what he
wanted to achieve.
On that day Brian let his sprightly son go for a drive and his cunning
offspring proved that indeed the Elfin reached 100 mph at 4600 rpm. His son
also felt what it was like to get a decent scorning for being so stupid.
After being involved in motorsport together for the last forty years, the
Bowe’s finally got the chance to spend time in the same race car. John Bowe
has today taken his 73 year old dad for three laps of the Symmons Plains
circuit in his 630 hp OzEmail Falcon.
“I was hoping that he wasn’t going to have a heart attack”, joked JB.
“Seriously though, this is a lifetime ambition for me. Dad has been an
enormous influence in my life, especially my motor racing and it was great
to be able to share this with him today.”
“The last time we shared something was the purchase of my first race car in
1972. The family had a bit of a relationship with Elfin, so dad and I went
halves in an Elfin Formula Vee. It cost us 800 bucks each and that was the
true start to my career,” JB added.
Back in Brian’s day, there weren’t a lot of purpose built race circuits, so
most of the races were held on airfields. Brian, did however, compete at
the very first race meeting at Symmons Plains, the venue for this weekend’s
penultimate round of the 2004 V8 Supercar Championship.
“They [The organisers] have made a fair few improvements to the circuit
since I first raced here, it used to be just the track and a dirt paddock
area. I’m delighted that the government has bought the V8’s back here. It’
s good for the sport and good for Tasmania,” said Brian Bowe.
Commenting on the hotlaps with his son, Brian added – “My last race car was
a Formula 2 Elfin 600, which I sold to Marcos Ambrose’s father, Ross in
1970. It seemed much easier to drive than these V8 Supercars but the power
and brakes of these modern race cars are very good.”
Racing starts tomorrow at Symmons Plain for the V8 Supercars with a single
100 km race, followed by two more, equal distance races, on Sunday. John
Bowe will join team mate Brad Jones in their OzEmail Falcons attempting to
repeat their Bathurst podium result.
Release Date: 12/11/2004
Brad Jones Racing
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