It is the 58th time Darren Smith and Garry O’Brien have had the opportunity to corner someone to tell their story. It generally starts with how they fell for the sport and then the progression from there.
Our guest on this episode has retired from motor racing but remains active with business interests and a keen interest in the sport.
In an illustrious career, he competed in touring car events both locally and internationally and co-drove with two World Champions. He was a privateer Torana XU-1 driver that took on the might of the Holden Dealer Team and did more than match them in a car that did not have their outright speed.
Graham Moore’s beginnings date back to the early 1960s where he took his road going Holden FJ to Warwick Farm racetrack, borrowed a set of tyres from a mate and came away with some handy results.
It was enough to inspire him to continue to race the Humpy and his performances caught the eye of a Bathurst 500 Mini Cooper S entrant who offered him a co-drive in 1965. In his first time there as a driver, they finished eighth.
He returned four years later for a string of Mt Panorama enduros where over a 15-year period, he competed in a class Torana, an outright Torana, Valian Charger, Triumph Dolomite, Ford Capri, Ford XC Falcon, XE Falcon, Chev Camaro and Mazda RX7.
The advent of Group A saw him in a Mitsubishi Starion before an enterprise with his own Holden Commodore team that would include 1987 World Motorcycle Champion Wayne Gardner. Later he brought the Williams Renault Lagunas to Australia to compete in the 1997 AMP Bathurst 1000 for Super Tourers.
While he would also take in several overseas events, Graham Moore’s story is one of hard work and to never give up. There is humour as well as an incident he never gave much thought to but would come back to haunt him years later.
Also catch up on the other 57 Grassroots Racing Podcasts from those who started there and talk through their racing careers.
Discussion about this post