Best Driver of all Times

[drof]

After this years Great Race I am of the opinion that Jim Richards is Australia's or should I say New Zealand's best ever Touring Car Driver. He has won the Touring Car Title 4 times, and after the weekend, Bathurst 7 times. I think if he can still pick up the Drives for the Top Teams , he will beat or equal PB's Bathurst wins, and overthrow him as the Best ever Touring Car Driver. Gee it's great to be a Kiwi!!

Dave from Kiwiland!!

[loste_treasures]

wasnt jim richards abit shy when he accepted the trophy at bathurst???

especially when the commentator asked him to make some comments about the crowd (remember the last time he won bathurst?)

moral here is never say anything that might bite you in the backside down the track......

[Graeme]

I don't think Jimbo's comment in 1992 did him any harm; it spawned a great range of t-shirts :
"I'm an a***hole - Jim said so" was one I remember.

I'd jump in line to put money on Jimbo - the old boy ( and he looks ten years younger than he is ) can race anything well. It's a pity Brock wasn't sharing #1 with Jim; what a great sign off that would've been.

[brchi17]

To pick the best driver of all time is such a tough task as you'll never please everybody.

Jim Richards has got to be up there due to his abality to drive the wheels of anything.

Dick Johnson was an all round legend with 5 ATCC's which while he won 2 in the dominant Sierra's, he was always competitive when ever he raced, unless he was racing at Winton!!!!

Peter Brock is and always will be the 'king of the mountain' but would he be, if the rules about changing car mid-race wern't around ?

To be the best I believe you have to meet the following critera
1. Be consistantly quick over a peroid of time greater than 10 years.
2. Win races.
3. Perform 'special' things when called upon eg. Brock in 87 driving the wheels off that 'uncompetitive' commodore across the mountain in the wet on slicks.

Being a very bais Dick Johnson supporter I find it hard to go past Dick as being the greatest touringcar driver, however Jimmy would be my pick due his abality to win in almost every car he drives - be it the best or most average car in the field.

[wesley charles]

I don't know about you but throwing those big falcons around the mountain at Bathurst must of been a hell of a task especially in the early days, these cars were mere road going versions with very little done in the way of suspension mods, what skaife and his opposition drive today are a purpose built racing chassis with factory 1/4 panels and door skins attached .
To make comparisons does no justice to who is the best driver of all time, every one has the view that Brock was unbeatable and the best driver to boo because he one 9 Bathurst’s , but you need to except that 3 of those race wins were as follows 1 by default and 2 by hopping in another car after his cracked up, Nothing unusual for a Holden engine back in those days , and the fact that he had a swag of money behind him with General Motors Holden backing him most of that time and the fact that all he ever did was turn up and drive the thing where others didn't get that financial support and had further responsibilities in running their teams.
How many more Bathurst’s would of Moffat won if Ford had not chosen to withdraw from motor racing and the building performance road cars at the end of 1974 and had continued to support Moffat and motor racing to the extent that GMH had with Brock.
Moffat had it all over Brock as a driver, he was a great tactician, a master strategist who new how to crush the opposition and when, where Brock was smooth and fast as moffat yet lacked those things above that would of really counted in a 2 horse race
By the way can any one remember when Moffat drove Harvey's A9X at Sandown in the eighties , it was a sort of match race between Brock and Moffat , Moffat could pass him at will on many different parts of the circuit , and he had never driven the car before, he let Brock pass him onto the main finish straight on the last lap to not embarrass him to much .
When they got out of their cars Brock was totally exhausted and unapproachable where Moffat was all smiles and very relaxed . To drive those big heavy Falcons around those race circuits against smaller and lighter well handling V8 Holden Toranas was no mean task, if Brock had any balls he would of taken up the challenge,
Skaife I don’t like because he thinks he is so good just like Brock, Brock couldn't win a single race in over 10 years when he had to compete in a simular car as the rest .
Skaife is a bit like Moffat, he is a real thinker a tactician , he's different from the rest just as Lowndes is , its not all just good luck, you make a lot of it yourself good or bad ,yet Skaife does seem to get more than his share .
Maybe God is on his side without him knowing it , not that the LORD would drive a Holden, the LORD drives a FORD .
Johnson and Richards are in my eyes great drivers, they have proved it in good and bad times, Johnson had to do it the hard way from being an Aussie battler in the 70s to running a very successful race team in the late 80s and 90s he had lots of aggression and great skills yet lacked strategy, where Richards who I also don’t like is the master when it comes to touring car racing , win in anything anywhere but just like Brock hasn't had any of the pressures to go with it .
Perkins is up there with the best, very quick in his day, fast and smooth and careful on the machinery a great strategist and a real thinker, deserves the credit for the wins at Bathurst that Brock gets.
SO THERE YOU HAVE IT some of the best .
Bradman as a cricketer was in a class of his own, he hadn’t much money ,he didn't have a better bat but he excelled above the rest.
Moffat had to race the same car as Gibson, M'cFee ,French ,Goss and Carter, factory built cars. he had great opposition from GMH with Brock , Bond and Harvey in light weight Toranas on many circuits that did not suit the big Falcons, except Bathurst.
When you look at the figures Brock won more races that Moffat and more pole positions, both were factory drivers.
Moffat, Australia's first paid professional race driver had to endure most of his years in a under funded , undeveloped race car thanks to Fords decision. he didn't leave Ford as has always been stated.
To drive a Mazda was part of the deal when Ford bought into the company he didn't have much choice in the matter.
Yet Moffat still managed to beat them even if it was only in a Mazda and his 1-2 victory was up with the best in 1977.
Who knows what may of eventuated if Ford hadn't pulled out of racing in 1974 , how many more Bathurst's could he of won if he had full factory backing and development as Brock had.
Taking into account all of the above I would have to say that Moffat was in a class of his own , shear brilliance, he out classed his rivals and those who drove simular makes, he gets my vote not because he has the most runs on the board, Brock has that, but because of what he could of been, what he could of achieved if Ford had not taken a wrong turn back in 1974.
Skaife is very simular very professional very quick very smooth, knows how to look after his tyres as did Moffat and is a great thinker and tactician out on the track.
Moffat wasn't the greatest person to be around at the track thought he became a very humble and gentle man as he matured but he was the greatest driver in his day.
Brock had it all handed to him on a plate when Ford pulled out of racing , Brock's final 10 years proved that he wasn't as good as the records show, very good but not the best.
Skaife may probably be better but than lets put them all in Falcons and see if they can drive them better than Lowndes.

[ferrari fan]

Formula Worldchampionships won by Australians!!!
Best driver of whatever time?!
Do I hear any bells ringing?
one Sir did it even in his own car and developed even his own engine!and comes from and still does lives in AUSTRALIA
The other driver that did succeed did it on his own steam and followed the path set by his father
Hello there ;anybody home??????????
to choose the best one has to look at the whole forrest not at an antshill so to speak I do admire most drivers. Results do speak very much in favour of any of these two drivers above ,who took on the world succesfully, over the other also great drivers that competed on our national battlegrounds.
:)

[Graeme]

I'd like to know the name of the drug and the dosage taken by our friend Wesley Charles.

And Mr Ferrari Fan, I know of Black Jack and the Jones Boys, but Dave from Kiwiland was asking for opinions regarding the best touring car drivers. Mind you, anyone remember AJ blitzing the field at Bathurst in the Pack Leader Falcon, until it went up in smoke ?