Known for his quirky character and humour, Rogers’ involvement in the sport stretched over 60 years and included periods as a driver, team owner and series administrator.
Rogers raced Sports Sedan across the 1960s and 70s before moving into touring cars and made a total of 14 Bathurst 1000 starts as a driver between 1978 and 1993.
Rogers’ biggest impact on the sport came as a team owner, which included running his eponymous squad in the ATCC/Supercars Championship from 1996-2019.
Garry Rogers Motorsport won the Bathurst 1000 in 2000 with Garth Tander and Jason Bargwanna – two of many youngsters to get their big career break with Rogers.
Others included Steven Richards, Lee Holdsworth and Scott McLaughlin, who spearheaded GRM’s period as the Volvo factory team in Supercars from 2014-16.
Jamie Whincup too had his first Supercars season with Rogers, albeit he was sacked after a difficult rookie campaign in 2003.
GRM also competed in other classes alongside its early Supercars efforts, most famously running Holden’s Bathurst 24 Hour-winning Monaro project across 2002-03.
The team left Supercars at the end of 2019 and focused its efforts on Australian Racing Group categories, which Rogers co-owned for a period.
Rogers handed day-to-day control of GRM to son Barry in recent years and the team currently fields cars in the Trans Am and TCR Australia Series.
GRM has released a statement paying tribute to the team’s founder.
“Today we’re mourning the passing of our founder and leader Garry Rogers. But more than that we’re celebrating his incredible life,” it reads.
“His mantra was always to press on and get on with things, and that’s exactly what we will be doing.
“Garry was an amazing man with a deep love for his family, his horses and his motorsport.
“He lived a fast life, but always had time for his family, his kids and his grandchildren. He put others first and was generous with his time and in so many other ways.
“Garry was a strong supporter of the Fred Hollows Foundation – if you’d like to donate in memory of Garry, we’d be so very appreciative.
“Our thoughts are with Garry’s family, his wife Kaye, son Barry and daughters Michelle and Krissie.”
‘A titan of the industry’: Tributes flow following death of Garry Rogers
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