On Friday 28 August 2009, a part of the GT40 story came to a close with the passing of Mr Frank Gardner, OAM.
Frank was famous for his pragmatic approach to the business of racing, and was paid very well by Ford NOT to drive in F1.
Among his famously dry quotes were; "I never wanted to be the fastest driver in the world, just the oldest", and regarding Porsche 917, "The computer reckoned 8 inch tyres were wide enough, but the computer wasn't trying to steer the thing around the Eifel Mountains".
After a European career spanning over 15 years, Frank returned to Australia and as a driver, engineer and team owner, played a major role in Australian racing for another 15 years, playing a significant role in the careers of Alan Grice, Jim Richards and Tony Longhurst.
Vale Frank.
Frank was famous for his pragmatic approach to the business of racing, and was paid very well by Ford NOT to drive in F1.
Among his famously dry quotes were; "I never wanted to be the fastest driver in the world, just the oldest", and regarding Porsche 917, "The computer reckoned 8 inch tyres were wide enough, but the computer wasn't trying to steer the thing around the Eifel Mountains".
After a European career spanning over 15 years, Frank returned to Australia and as a driver, engineer and team owner, played a major role in Australian racing for another 15 years, playing a significant role in the careers of Alan Grice, Jim Richards and Tony Longhurst.
Vale Frank.