Norm Beechey

Norman Edward Beechey (born 9 July 1932) is a retired Australian race car driver, who was given the nickname "Stormin Norman" by his fans. To some, he was the closest thing Holden had to a star racing driver, before Peter Brock. Beechey competed in the Australian Touring Car Championship from 1963 to 1972 winning the title in 1965 driving a Ford Mustang and in 1970 at the wheel of a Holden Monaro. Along the way, he achieved seven round wins, and one pole position. His championship win in 1970 was the first victory by a Holden driver in the Australian Touring Car Championship.

Career Beechey began racing at the age of 22 in a Ford Customline V8. He came to prominence only a year later when he won the Olympic Touring Car Race at Albert Park, a support event at the Australian Grand Prix meeting which was held in conjunction with the 1956 Melbourne Olympic Games. As the expense of running this and two subsequent Customline V8s proved too prohibitive he reverted to a Holden 48-215 in 1959. After becoming part of David McKay’s Scuderia Veloce team he again returned to V8s, developing a Chevrolet Impala with which he won the New South Wales Touring Car Championship at Catalina Park. He progressed to a Ford Galaxie owned by Len Lukey and was then instrumental in forming the Neptune Racing Team in 1964. He raced a Holden EH S4 as part of that team alongside Jim McKeown’s Lotus Cortina and Peter Manton’s Morris Cooper S. He subsequently developed and raced a series of V8 powered Touring Cars with which he contested the Australian Touring Car Championship and other events. The first Ford Mustang to race in Australia was followed by a Chevrolet Chevy II Nova, a Chevrolet Camaro, a Holden Monaro GTS 327 and a Holden Monaro GTS 350.

Beechey retired from racing at the end of the 1972 season. He was inducted into the V8 Supercars Hall of Fame in 2000.

Career results

Season Title Position Car Team 1964 Australian Touring Car Championship 2nd Holden EH Special S4 Neptune Racing Team 1965 Australian Touring Car Championship 1st Ford Mustang Neptune Racing Team 1966 Australian Touring Car Championship 2nd Chevrolet Chevy II Nova Neptune Racing Team 1969 Australian Touring Car Championship 3rd Holden HK Monaro GTS327 Norm Beechey 1970 Australian Touring Car Championship 1st Holden HT Monaro GTS350 Norm Beechey Shell Race Team 1971 Australian Touring Car Championship 5th Holden HT Monaro GTS350 Shell Racing 1972 Australian Touring Car Championship 13th Holden HT Monaro GTS350 Shell Racing

Complete Australian 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 DC Points 1963 Holden 48-215 MAL NC - 1964 Neptune Racing Team Holden EH Special S4 LAK 2nd - 1965 Neptune Racing Team Ford Mustang SAN 1st - 1966 Neptune Racing Team Chevrolet Chevy II Nova BAT 2nd - 1967 Tridents Racing Team Chevrolet Chevy II Nova LAK NC - 1968 Norm Beechey Chevrolet Camaro SS WAR NC - 1969 Norm Beechey Holden HK Monaro GTS327 CAL BAT MAL SUR SYM 3rd 18 1970 Norm Beechey Shell Race Team Holden HT Monaro GTS350 CAL BAT SAN MAL WAR LAK SYM 1st 33 1971 Shell Racing Holden HT Monaro GTS350 SYM CAL SAN SUR MAL LAK ORA 5th 12 1972 Shell Racing Holden HT Monaro GTS350 SYM CAL BAT SAN AIR WAR SUR ORA 13th 6

Complete Phillip Island/Bathurst 500 results Year Team Co-driver Car Class Laps Overallposition Classposition 1960 Australian Motor Industries John French Standard Vanguard D 162 5th 2nd 1961 W McB March Bill March Renault Gordini D 156 10th 2nd 1962 Continental and General Distributors Greg Cusack Citroën ID19 A 160 11th 3rd 1970 N Beechey Bruce Hindhaugh Chrysler VG Valiant Pacer 4 Barrell D 39 DNF DNF 1971 Shell Racing Jim McKeown Chrysler VH Valiant Charger R/T E38 D 127 12th 6th