Francis Anthony Matich (25 January 1935[1] – 11 May 2015) was an Australian racing car driver. A highly successful motor racing competitor in the 1960s and 1970s, Matich built his own range of Matich sports cars and open wheel cars, mainly to support his own career, but some cars found success with other drivers. In these and other makes he won five Tasman Series races, two Australian Grands Prix, the 1972 Australian Drivers' Championship and a number of other Australian motor racing titles.[2]
| Frank Matich | |
|---|---|
| Nationality |  Australian |
| Born | 25 January 1935 |
| Died | 11 May 2015 (aged 80 years) |
| Retired | 1974 |
| Tasman Series | |
| Years active | 1964-74 |
| Teams | Total Team Rothmans Team Matich |
| Wins | 5 |
| Best finish | 2nd in 1970 & 1971 Tasman Series |
| Previous series | |
| 1959, 63-5, 71-72 1961 1962 1964-68 1969-70 | Australian Drivers' Champ. Australian GT Champ. Australian Formula Junior Australian Tourist Trophy Australian Sports Car Chp. |
| Championship titles | |
| 1961 1962 1964 1966 1967 1968 1969 1970 1970 1971 1972 | Australian GT Champ. Australian Formula Junior Chp. Australian Tourist Trophy Australian Tourist Trophy Australian Tourist Trophy Australian Tourist Trophy Australian Sports Car Chp. New Zealand Grand Prix Australian Grand Prix Australian Grand Prix Australian Drivers' Champ. |
In April 1970, Frank Matich was appointed as a Director of Lambretta (Australasia) Pty Ltd, and was to assemble McLaren racing cars in the Lambretta site in Artarmon, Sydney.[3]
Matich, who suffered major electrical burns in a boating accident in 1973, retired from racing in 1974 in order to spend more time with his family and his business. His son Kris Matich became a leading Formula Ford driver in Sydney during the late 1980s.[4]
Career results
edit
A summary of some of his motor racing achievements is given in the table below:[5]
Complete Tasman Series results
edit| Year | Team | Car | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | Rank | Points |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1964 | Total Team | Repco Brabham BT7A Coventry Climax | LEV | PUK Ret |
WIG | TER | SAN Ret |
WAR Ret |
LAK Ret |
LON 3 |
10th | 4 |
| 1965 | Total Team | Repco Brabham BT7A Coventry Climax | PUK | LEV | WIG | TER | WAR 3 |
SAN Ret |
LON Ret |
10th | 4 | |
| 1970 | Rothmans Team Matich | McLaren M10A Chevrolet | LEV 3 |
PUK 1 |
WIG 1 |
TER | SUR 4 |
WAR Ret |
SAN Ret |
2nd | 25 | |
| 1971 | Rothmans Team Matich | McLaren M10B Repco Holden | LEV Ret |
PUK 2 |
WIG 2 |
TER 2 |
WAR Ret |
SAN 3 |
SUR 1 |
2nd | 31 | |
| 1972 | Frank Matich Pty Ltd | Matich A50 Repco Holden | PUK Ret |
LEV 2 |
WIG 12 |
TER 4 |
SUR 3 |
WAR 1 |
SAN Ret |
AIR Ret |
4th | 22 |
| 1973 | Frank Matich Racing Pty Ltd Frank Matich |
Matich A50 Repco Holden | PUK Ret |
LEV 2 |
WIG 4 |
TER Ret |
SUR 1 |
WAR 2 |
SAN 4 |
AIR Ret |
3rd | 27 |
| 1974 | Frank Matich | Matich A53 Repco Holden | LEV | PUK | WIG | TER | ORA | SUR 3 |
SAN Ret |
AIR 4 |
11th | 7 |
Australian Grand Prix
edit| Title[5] | Venue | Car |
| 1970 Australian Grand Prix | Warwick Farm | McLaren M10B Repco Holden |
| 1971 Australian Grand Prix | Warwick Farm | Matich A50 Repco Holden |
References
edit- ^ C. Max Stahl, Sydney Morning Herald, 27 July 2015, page 28
- ^ Woods, Bill (29 September 2004). Legends Of Speed. Harper Collins Publishers. Archived from the original on 15 September 2007. Retrieved 21 March 2007.
- ^ "Lambretta (Australasia) Pty Ltd News letter April 1970". April 1970.[permanent dead link]
- ^ Phil Branagan (12 May 2015). "Obituary: Frank Matich 1935-2015". AUTOSPORT.com.
- ^ a b Records, Titles & Awards Retrieved from the CAMS Online Manual of Motor Sport on 18 August 2008
- ^ Formula A and Formula 5000 in America.: Race by Race. By Wolfgang Klopfer Retrieved from books.google.com.au on 22 May 2010
- ^ a b 1973 SCCA L&M Championship Review (Part 1), www.myf5000.com Archived 6 August 2022 at the Wayback Machine Retrieved on 26 April 2014
- ^ L&M Championship Entry List, www.myf5000.com Retrieved on 26 April 2014
Further reading
edit- James Cockington, Can-Am's Oz Invader, Australian Motorsport News, No 395, May 2010, pages 58–62