I had always had an interest in motor sport, but always as a spectator. In 1996 I was transferred by my employer to take over a senior executive position in the Sydney head office. I was soon approached to join a local club. The club was the Southern Sporting Car Club based in the southern suburbs of Sydney.
My early involvement was as support crew for other members, however I soon decided to get more involved. I purchased a MK2 Escort four door sedan from a family whose father had decided to hand in his licence. Whilst it was an older vehicle it was basically sound and did not take a lot of restoration to bring it up to competition standard. The car was very quick and in the early days was still road registered and could be driven to events. In later years modifications meant that it could no longer be registered and it had to be trailered. In one event at Amaroo Park, whilst at full speed, the rear axle broke and inconveniently released one of the rear wheels. The car rolled seven times and was extensively damaged, except for the passenger side rear door, which was unmarked. I escaped with only minor bruising from the harness, but the car was a write-off.
Given that the mechanical components were all still in good working order, the search commenced for a donor shell. A two door shell was located and the process of transferring and restoring the mechanical components commenced. During the rebuild a 5 speed Sierra gearbox was fitted which lifted the top speed from 147kph to around 160kph. The engine was 2litres which had been modified, however still within standard regulations.
My early involvement was as support crew for other members, however I soon decided to get more involved. I purchased a MK2 Escort four door sedan from a family whose father had decided to hand in his licence. Whilst it was an older vehicle it was basically sound and did not take a lot of restoration to bring it up to competition standard. The car was very quick and in the early days was still road registered and could be driven to events. In later years modifications meant that it could no longer be registered and it had to be trailered. In one event at Amaroo Park, whilst at full speed, the rear axle broke and inconveniently released one of the rear wheels. The car rolled seven times and was extensively damaged, except for the passenger side rear door, which was unmarked. I escaped with only minor bruising from the harness, but the car was a write-off.
Given that the mechanical components were all still in good working order, the search commenced for a donor shell. A two door shell was located and the process of transferring and restoring the mechanical components commenced. During the rebuild a 5 speed Sierra gearbox was fitted which lifted the top speed from 147kph to around 160kph. The engine was 2litres which had been modified, however still within standard regulations.
I competed in many events including 6 Hour Relay events in NSW in 1998 and 1999 and at Winton in 1998 . I received a number of awards during my amateur racing career. In 1997 I was awarded the Club Encouragement Award and ran second for the Club Circuit Championship. In 1999 I won the Club Circuit Championship and also the Race Series Award. Also in 1999 I won the Driver Performance Award during the Six Hour Relay in Sydney. This award was won from over 240 drivers who competed in this event. The Six Hour Relays are the largest participant events in Australia, even bigger than Bathurst. The Escort is still in the club and on its fourth owner and still winning events and championships.
I branched out into tarmac rally events, but not with the Escort. A Falcon GT replica was located and converted into a very competitive tarmac rally car. We competed in the Indycar Rally in 1998, 1999 and 2000, when the event ceased due to regulations and insurance problems. We were placed in class in two of these events.
My CAMS driver’s licence lapsed in 2004, but I still hold a CAMS Official’s licence.
Not many people would believe that I once swapped my business suit for a race suit on weekends.
Barry O’Connor.
April 2016.
Not many people would believe that I once swapped my business suit for a race suit on weekends.
Barry O’Connor.
April 2016.
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