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Outside of Moffat, Jane and Geoghegan, there didn't seem to be anyone capable of winning an ATCC round outright and, with each of them having had a win from the former three rounds, the fourth round at Sandown Park was the opportunity for one of them to take the lead in the series.
The race was to be Moffat's 100th start since he began campaigning the TransAm Mustang at this same circuit three years beforehand.
If he could win, and he dearly wanted to win that 100th start, it would be his 58th victory in the car. Using the 302 engine on a circuit where power is a distinct advantage, Moffat still managed to take pole position. Alongside him was Ian 'Pete' Geoghegan, while Bob Jane and Norm Beechey in Chev Camaro and Holden Monaro respectively made up the second row of the grid.
Moffat led from the start, tailed by Geoghegan, Beechey and Jane, with a long gap back to the rest led by Clive Green's Mustang.
Jane passed Beechey on lap three and the driver of the big yellow Monaro decided to drive at his own pace and preserve the car — a style which does not come easily to the man who was once the most spectacular and colourful character in Australian touring car racing, but one which was necessary in a car which was neither fully competitive nor reliable.
Jane then set about to overhaul the white Falcon from Sydney, which he did on lap six, and he then set his sights on the leading TransAm. Moffat, however, had the situation well under control, and was not planning on relinquishing even some of the lead he had built up.
He held out for a lead of almost 10 seconds right to the finish, and there was little that Jane could do about it. Moffat had won at his 100th start.
At around the halfway mark in the 26 lap race, there was a fearful-looking though fortunately injury-free crash, when Phil Brock's Charger ploughed into the side of Norm Gown's EH Holden, and the race was slowed somewhat in the vicinity while the wreckage was cleared.
'Pete' Geoghegan's race came to an end on lap 17 when he retired with a recurrence of his lack of oil pressure problem, and Norm Beechey was able to canter home in third place.
The much-touted Falcon GTHO of Kingsley Hibbard, former Holden and Formula Junior driver out of a lengthy retirement, finished in fourth place ahead of Clive Green's Mustang,
Ted Brewster's XU-1 Torana, and Mike Stillwell. Stillwell was once again victorious in the under 2-litre class, and was now the leader in the pointscore with 36 points from four class wins, to the 35 of Moffat, 31 of Jane, and 19 of Geoghegan.
(Australian Motoring Yearbook 1973)
Edited by LC69GTR, 21 January 2022 - 11:32 AM.
