A Life Of Two Harves

John Harvey was not only a champion race driver but also a pioneer of Australia’s fast-car business

- David Hassall

IT SAYS ALL you need to know about John Harvey that he raced for more than 30 years without actually owning any of the 55 race cars he estimated he drove. He had gifted hands, ones worthy of being entrusted with some of the most valuable race cars on the planet. He rewarded their owners with multiple speedway titles, a circuit racing openwheeler championship, two sports car titles and a world championship race. And as a member of the mighty Marlboro Holden Dealer Team, he rightfully claimed his place in the pantheon of the sport by climbing to the top of the mountain, winning the Bathurst 1000 alongside his mate Peter Brock.

The fact that so many owners were prepared to hand over their cars also says much of John Harvey the man, for he was almost universally popular – not an easy task in a dog-eat-dog sport where even the smallest opportunity must be taken to eke out an advantage over your rivals. This was the tough world in which a gentle soul chose to express his gift, find his fame and carve out a living. He did it with grace and style, defying the odds to not only survive but prosper, forging a solid family unit that endured to his final day in December 2020.

They say you should never meet your heroes because the legend often fails to live up to the myth, but Harvey was just as affable and charming to strangers as he was his closest friends. When people gathered to send off this mighty warrior after his cancer-ridden lungs drew their final breath at the age of 82, the word most commonly used to describe their friend was ‘gentleman’. It’s not a common description of people these days, let alone in motorsport, but perfectly applies in this case.