John French

John French (28 November 1930 – 12 March 2025) was an Australian racing driver.

Biography French was born in Millaa Millaa, Queensland, and his long career lasted from the 1960s to the early 1980s. He won the 1962 Australian GT Championship driving a Centaur-Waggott and in 1969 French paired with Allan Moffat to win the Sandown Three Hour race in a Ford Falcon GTHO Phase I. French was a well-known multi-franchise car dealer selling BMC vehicles, Alfa Romeo, Renault, Peugeot and Subaru in Brisbane. Many of the marques he sold featured prominently in his professional racing career.

Nationally however, French was best remembered as Dick Johnson's co-driver to win the crash-shortened 1981 Bathurst 1000 (French was driving the #17 Ford XD Falcon when the race was stopped, but wasn't one of the cars in the accident). He regularly drove the works Ford Falcon GTHO's alongside Allan Moffat, and also drove Moffat's and Ian Geoghegan's Improved Production Ford Falcon GTHOs in the Australian Touring Car Championship rounds when Moffat and Geoghegan were driving their Mustangs.

French died in Brisbane, Queensland on 12 March 2025, at the age of 94.

Gallery

Career results Season Series Position Car Entrant 1962 Australian GT Championship 1st Centaur Waggott GP Cars Racing Team 1964 Australian Touring Car Championship 8th Morris Cooper S Peter Uscinski P/L 1966 Australian Touring Car Championship 6th Morris Cooper S J. French 1967 Australian Touring Car Championship 8th Morris Cooper S J. French 1969 Australian Touring Car Championship 10th Alfa Romeo 1750 GTV Alec Mildren Racing 1970 Australian Touring Car Championship 12th Morris Cooper S British Leyland Racing Team 1971 Australian Touring Car Championship 6th Ford XY Falcon GTHO Phase III Allan Moffat RacingGeoghegans Sporty Cars 1972 South Pacific Touring Series 10th Ford Falcon GTHO Ford Motor Company of Australia Ltd. 1972 Australian Touring Car Championship 23rd Ford XY Falcon GTHO Phase III Bryan Byrt Ford 1974 Australian Touring Car Championship 10th Alfa Romeo 2000 GTV 1975 Australian Touring Car Championship 9th Alfa Romeo 2000 GTV Alfa Romeo Dealers Aust. 1980 Australian Touring Car Championship 24th Alfa Romeo 2000 GTV 1982 Australian Endurance Championship NC Ford XE Falcon Palmer Tube Mills 1983 Australian Endurance Championship NC Nissan Bluebird Turbo Nissan Motor Co. Australia P/L 1984 Australian Endurance Championship NC Ford XE Falcon Palmer Tube Mills 1985 Australian Endurance Championship NC Holden VK Commodore Alf Grant 1986 Australian Endurance Championship NC Holden VK Commodore SS Group A Dulux Auto Colour 1987 World Touring Car Championship NC Mitsubishi Starion Turbo Ralliart Australia

Complete World Touring Car Championship results (key) (Races in bold indicate pole position) (Races in italics indicate fastest lap) Year Team Car 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 DC Points 1987 Ralliart Australia Mitsubishi Starion Turbo MNZ JAR DIJ NUR SPA BNO SIL BATDND* CLD WEL FJI NC 0 French was listed as a driver in the #16 Ralliart Australia Starion, though he did not drive in the race.

Complete Phillip Island/Bathurst 500/1000 results Year Team Co-drivers Car Class Laps Overallposition Classposition 1960 Australian Motor Industries Norm Beechey Standard Vanguard D 162 5th 2nd 1964 Ron Hodgson Motors Pty Ltd Ron Hodgson Ford Cortina Mk.I GT C 127 5th 4th 1965 BMC John Harvey Morris Cooper S C 24 DNF DNF 1966 BMC Australia Steve Harvey Morris Cooper S C 127 8th 8th 1967 BMC Works Team Timo Mäkinen Morris Cooper S C 127 7th 3rd 1968 Alec Mildren (Qld) Frank Gardner Alfa Romeo 1750 GTV E DSQ DSQ 1969 Alec Mildren Alfa Romeo Doug Chivas Alfa Romeo 1750 GTV E 0 DNF DNF 1971 Ford Motor Co of Australia Ford XY Falcon GT-HO Phase III E 129 5th 4th 1972 Bryan Byrt Ford Pty Ltd Ford XY Falcon GT-HO Phase III D 129 2nd 1st 1973 Bryan Byrt Ford Bob Skelton Ford XA Falcon GT Hardtop D 91 DNF DNF 1974 John French Pty Ltd Dick Johnson Alfa Romeo 2000 GTV 1301 – 2000cc 71 DNF DNF 1978 Bryan Byrt Ford Warwick Brown Ford XC Falcon GS500 Hardtop A 57 DNF DNF 1979 Thompson Ford Colin Bond Ford XC Falcon GS500 Hardtop A 23 DNF DNF 1980 Palmer Tube Mills Dick Johnson Ford XD Falcon 3001-6000cc 17 DNF DNF 1981 Palmer Tube Mills Dick Johnson Ford XD Falcon 8 Cylinder & Over 120 1st 1st 1982 Palmer Tube Mills Dick Johnson Ford XE Falcon A 160 DSQ DSQ 1983 Nissan Motor Co. Australia P/L Fred Gibson Nissan Bluebird Turbo A 134 22nd 20th 1984 Palmer Tube Mills Dick Johnson Ford XE Falcon Group C 107 DNF DNF Dick Johnson Ford Mustang GT Group A - DNS DNS 1985 Alf Grant Alf Grant Holden VK Commodore C 0 DNF DNF 1986 Dulux Auto Colour Alf Grant Holden VK Commodore SS Group A C 11 DNF DNF 1987 Ralliart Australia Gary Scott Akihiko Nakaya Mitsubishi Starion Turbo 1 154 5th(DND)* 4th(DND)* In 1987 French was listed to drive and qualified the #16 Ralliart Starion, but never got to drive in the race