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Bowe compares return to Torana like “slipping into an old pair of shoes”
John Bowe has made a return to the race track, driving his Touring Car Masters Holden Torana in a test day at Winton Raceway.
For a driver who has spent the better part of 50 years at racing circuits, it had been eight long months since he was last in a race car, and the Australian touring car hero compared the experience to “slipping into an old pair of shoes.”
The two-time Bathurst 1000 winner will compete in his #18 Paynter Dixon Torana in the 2021 Gulf Western Oil Touring Car Masters, starting in his home state of Tasmania at Symmons Plains in January.
“It has been a difficult 2020. I’ve had track days booked and cancelled, and like most, I haven’t driven a race car for eight months,” he said.
“I got back in the Torana and, honestly, it felt like slipping into an old pair of shoes. By the third lap, I was back on the pace.
“And it was just great to be back at a race track. I was thrilled, and so were all of the guys who work on my car. I’ve been racing at Winton since 1979 and I love the place. The track is great, the people are friendly, the only downside is the drive from Melbourne up the Hume Highway! But in all seriousness, I love going up there.”
Bowe will aim to claim his 100th TCM race win at Symmons Plains Raceway, becoming the first driver in the category to achieve the feat.
He says that the test was important for the upcoming season.
“It’s a huge credit to Bendigo Retro Muscle Cars and Synergy Race Engines who look after the Torana and engine – they do a superb job,” he said.
“This coming 2021 season I hope to achieve my 100th Touring Car Masters win and that does not happen without the very best people around me. I’m so indebted to all of them over so many years.
“The Paynter-Dixon / PAYCE A9X ran faultlessly and we actually found a couple of tweaks that I think will help us over the coming season. Fingers crossed.”
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