1994 The Year That Was

The Ford Falcon and Holden Commodore V8 era launched in 1993 but it truly hit top gear in 1994, with Holden taking the honours in the championship, Ford in the endurance events and the fans witnessing a transition period for the drivers.

When looking back at the history of Australian touring cars, the 1994 season features a number of significant moments.

It was the second season of the Ford Falcon and Holden Commodore V8 era with the grace period for other manufacturers coming to end and forcing them into what would become the Super Touring championship. And while the likes of Peter Brock, Dick Johnson and Larry Perkins were still at the forefront of the category, a new generation of younger drivers was about to burst through for a changing of the guard in the coming years.

Fans had been won over by the return of Falcon and Commodore V8s in 1993 but parity between the two cars was still being worked out following a season in which the Falcon dominated in the championship and the Commodore cruised to victory at Bathurst.

Ford entrants were given longer rear wings and winglets on the front spoilers on their Falcons, though they were still significantly outnumbered by Commodores. Dick Johnson Racing and Glenn Seton Racing remained as the sole Ford teams amongst the full-time entrants, while Holden’s numbers swelled.

The likes of Gibson Motorsport, Holden Racing Team and Perkins Engineering were joined by Wayne Gardner Racing and Tony Longhurst Racing running Commodores. Tony Longhurst opted for Commodores in the transition from BMWs, which he continued to run in the new Super Touring category, while Wayne Gardner set up his own team following his split with the Holden Racing Team. Peter Brock returned to the factory Holden team, officially ending his infamous split with General Motors from back in 1987.