Norm Beechey
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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.[1] Beechey competed in the Australian Touring Car Championship from 1963[2] to 1972 winning the title in 1965 driving a Ford Mustang and in 1970 at the wheel of a Holden Monaro.[3] 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.[4]
Beechey retired from racing at the end of the 1972 season.[5] 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 RetScript error: No such module "Check for unknown parameters". |
NC | - | ||||||||
| 1964 | Neptune Racing Team | Holden EH Special S4 | LAK 2Script error: No such module "Check for unknown parameters". |
2nd | - | |||||||
| 1965 | Neptune Racing Team | Ford Mustang | SAN 1Script error: No such module "Check for unknown parameters". |
1st | - | |||||||
| 1966 | Neptune Racing Team | Chevrolet Chevy II Nova | BAT 2Script error: No such module "Check for unknown parameters". |
2nd | - | |||||||
| 1967 | Tridents Racing Team | Chevrolet Chevy II Nova | LAK RetScript error: No such module "Check for unknown parameters". |
NC | - | |||||||
| 1968 | Norm Beechey | Chevrolet Camaro SS | WAR RetScript error: No such module "Check for unknown parameters". |
NC | - | |||||||
| 1969 | Norm Beechey | Holden HK Monaro GTS327 | CAL RetScript error: No such module "Check for unknown parameters". |
BAT DNSScript error: No such module "Check for unknown parameters". |
MAL DNSScript error: No such module "Check for unknown parameters". |
SUR 1Script error: No such module "Check for unknown parameters". |
SYM 1Script error: No such module "Check for unknown parameters". |
3rd | 18 | |||
| 1970 | Norm Beechey Shell Race Team | Holden HT Monaro GTS350 | CAL 8Script error: No such module "Check for unknown parameters". |
BAT 1Script error: No such module "Check for unknown parameters". |
SAN 1Script error: No such module "Check for unknown parameters". |
MAL 2Script error: No such module "Check for unknown parameters". |
WAR RetScript error: No such module "Check for unknown parameters". |
LAK 1Script error: No such module "Check for unknown parameters". |
SYM DNSScript error: No such module "Check for unknown parameters". |
1st | 33 | |
| 1971 | Shell Racing | Holden HT Monaro GTS350 | SYM RetScript error: No such module "Check for unknown parameters". |
CAL 1Script error: No such module "Check for unknown parameters". |
SAN RetScript error: No such module "Check for unknown parameters". |
SUR RetScript error: No such module "Check for unknown parameters". |
MAL RetScript error: No such module "Check for unknown parameters". |
LAK 4Script error: No such module "Check for unknown parameters". |
ORA RetScript error: No such module "Check for unknown parameters". |
5th | 12 | |
| 1972 | Shell Racing | Holden HT Monaro GTS350 | SYM RetScript error: No such module "Check for unknown parameters". |
CAL RetScript error: No such module "Check for unknown parameters". |
BAT RetScript error: No such module "Check for unknown parameters". |
SAN 3Script error: No such module "Check for unknown parameters". |
AIR DNSScript error: No such module "Check for unknown parameters". |
WAR | SUR DNSScript error: No such module "Check for unknown parameters". |
ORA | 13th | 6 |
Complete Phillip Island/Bathurst 500 results
| Year | Team | Co-driver | Car | Class | Laps | Overall position |
Class position |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960 | Template:Flagicon Australian Motor Industries | Template:Flagicon John French | Standard Vanguard | D | 162 | 5th | 2nd |
| 1961 | Template:Flagicon W McB March | Template:Flagicon Bill March | Renault Gordini | D | 156 | 10th | 2nd |
| 1962 | Template:Flagicon Continental and General Distributors | Template:Flagicon Greg Cusack | Citroën ID19 | A | 160 | 11th | 3rd |
| 1970 | Template:Flagicon N Beechey | Template:Flagicon Bruce Hindhaugh | Chrysler VG Valiant Pacer 4 Barrell | D | 39 | DNF | DNF |
| 1971 | Template:Flagicon Shell Racing | Template:Flagicon Jim McKeown | Chrysler VH Valiant Charger R/T E38 | D | 127 | 12th | 6th |
References
<templatestyles src="Reflist/styles.css" />
- ↑ 2008 V8 Supercar Eastern Creek round official event programme
- ↑ Graham Howard & Stewart Wilson, The Australian Touring Car Championship, 30 fabulous years, 1990, page 47
- ↑ Series Champions - History - The Official Website of V8 Supercars Australia
- ↑ Australian Motor Racing Annual, 1971, pages 26-27
- ↑ Graham Howard & Stewart Wilson, The Australian Touring Car Championship, 30 fabulous years, 1990, page 111
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External links
- Norm Beechey racing images; retrieved 12 September 2008
- 1970 ATCC film clips featuring Norm Beechey; retrieved 12 September 2008.