Robbie Francevic

Career

Robbie Francevic got his start in motorsport back in 1966, when he and his crew built a car they called the "Colour Me Gone" Custaxie. That machine carried him to twenty race wins and the 1967 New Zealand Saloon Car Championship. Through the 1970s, he was a familiar face in Formula 5000, running in both the Tasman Series and the Rothmans International Series. He took the 1983 Benson & Hedges touring car title in New Zealand.

After the 1985 Wellington 500, Francevic, who still lived in Auckland, jumped into the Australian Touring Car Championship driving a Volvo 240T for his friend and team owner Mark Petch. Even though he had shown real pace in New Zealand and the Volvos were winning in Europe, he caught Australian fans off guard by beating legends like Peter Brock, Dick Johnson, and Jim Richards to win the third round at Symmons Plains in Tasmania. He then dominated the final round at Oran Park in Sydney. Jim Richards was the only other driver to win multiple races that season, taking seven victories; Francevic had two, and Brock had one.

After the ATCC, at Francevic's suggestion, Mark Petch brought in John Bowe, the 1984 and 1985 Australian Drivers' Champion, to co-drive with Francevic in the 1985 Castrol 500 at Sandown in Melbourne. The car ran strongly but finished with a seized differential, and Bowe had to guide it to the pit entrance, where it was pushed into pitlane with a jack holding the rear wheels off the ground.

Bathurst 1000

In 1985, Robbie Francevic shared a Volvo with John Bowe at the Bathurst 1000. They qualified fifth overall. During the Hardies Heroes top ten shootout, Francevic’s chance at pole was ruined when a flat tyre struck his second flying lap as he tried to better his first. The Volvo was fast, and both drivers—each making their first appearance at Mount Panorama—were strong.

Bowe matched Francevic’s pace until a late qualifying-tyre run gave the Kiwi the quicker time. The pair were considered pre-race favourites alongside the Tom Walkinshaw Racing Jaguar XJSs, because many believed the turbocharged Volvo was the only car that could keep up with the V12 Jaguars. Early in the race, Francevic held second place behind leader Tom Walkinshaw, but a failed alternator diode cost them several laps. The car finally stopped on lap 122 after running out of fuel climbing Mountain Straight.

After winning the 1986 Australian Touring Car Championship and a highly publicised split with the Volvo Dealer Team, Francevic drove a Ford Sierra XR4Ti that Andy Rouse had used to win the 1985 British Touring Car Championship. The car was entered by former Volvo team owner Mark Petch. Francevic teamed with fellow Kiwi Leo Leonard for the 1986 Bathurst 1000, but the result was poor: terminal electrical problems ended their race on lap 26. Before the event, Francevic boldly predicted the turbo Ford would claim pole position.

However, after a troubled practice and qualifying session—despite the car running almost perfectly in pre-race testing—the pair could only manage 21st on the grid with a time of 2:23.05. That was 5.89 seconds behind Gary Scott’s pole-winning Nissan Skyline and 6.89 seconds slower than Allan Grice’s Commodore, which had set provisional pole. Francevic based his prediction on the speed the 2.3-litre turbo Sierras had shown in the FIA Touring Car Championship in Europe, run by Eggenberger Motorsport, and on Rouse’s BTCC title with the same car.

Did You Know?

• At the 1985 Bathurst 1000, Francevic and co-driver John Bowe were both making their first visit to Mount Panorama.
• Francevic was fired from the Volvo Dealer Team on 15 September 1986, the day after the Sandown 500.