Frank Gardner OAM (1 October 1930 - 29 August 2009)

ASSA (Vic) is saddened by the passing of former Australian Sports Sedan Champion and esteemed motor sport personality Frank Gardner.
  
Frank, 78, will be remembered for his illustrious career which spanned over 40 years, with 20 of those based in England, where he built a reputation driving and developing race cars on the tough European and American circuits. 

Some of Frank’s achievements include competing in the Formula 1 World Championship, winning the British Touring car Championship on three occasions (1967, 68, 73) and winning the European Formula 5000 Championship (1971).  He also had great success in Australia winning the 1977 Australian Sports Sedan Championship before going on to become Development Engineer and Team Manager for the JPS BMW team in the 1980s.   During that time his team won the 1985 and 1987 Australian Touring Car Championships with Jim Richards. The following year he guided Tony Longhurst and Tomas Mezera to a Bathurst win.

But for us it will be his return to Australia in the mid-1970s when Frank Gardner won the 1977 Australian Sports Sedan Championship driving a highly modified and controversy Chevrolet Corvair that we will remember him for.