Driver, team owner and administrator Garry Rogers has passed away, aged 80.
A Melbourne car dealer, Rogers was involved in Australian motorsport for more than 60 years in a variety of positions albeit his role as team owner is his most known.
A competitor in Sports Sedans, Touring Cars and later AUSCAR, Rogers enjoyed a long career behind the wheel including as a gun for hire at Bathurst where he scored a best finish of fourth in the shortened 1981 edition in which he was involved in the race-ending crash.
Joining the likes of Re-Car Racing and Peter Janson during the Group C era, Rogers gained a reputation for not just being quick, but as a reliable co-driver.
Transitioning to BMW for Group A, Rogers joined noted Melbourne privateer Jim Keogh in 1985 before going out on his own in an ex-JPS 635csi in which he had limited success sporting Bob Jane T-Marts sponsorship.
Rogers early flair for pleasing the sponsors came in 1988 when he invited Mario Andretti to join him at the Bathurst 1000 in a Les Small-built Holden VL Commodore SS Group A SV, but instead the racing great sent him in the direction of nephew John.
Ending his Bathurst run as a gun for hire, Rogers was part of Colin Bond’s Caltex CXT Race Team and privateer Terry Finnigan’s efforts before calling it a day in the early-1990s.
A long association with oil brand Valvoline began around this time as did Rogers’ talent spotting skills.
Runs in the early Bathurst 12 Hours using Nissan product led to drivers including Possum Bourne and Melinda Price making their first starts at Mount Panorama.
Rogers’ first success story was Steven Richards, who win the Formula Ford title, was successful in AUSCAR and Super Touring driving an Alfa Romeo.
Supported by Valvoline in all of these programs, Richards and Rogers moved into the Australian Touring Car Championship full-time in 1996 where the partnership won the Privateers Cup.
Although Richards moved on to a factory Nissan testing role in the British Touring Car Championship, Rogers trialed Formula Ford gun Jason Bright and later Jason Bargwanna.
The big break for Bargwanna was rewarded by securing Garry Rogers Motorsport’s first ATCC victory at Calder Park after expanding to two Holden VS Commodores to accommodate reigning Australian Formula Ford Championship winner Garth Tander.
Tander added to the winner’s list in 1999 and with Bargwanna took the ultimate success for the team when it took victory in the 2000 Bathurst 1000.
It was this year Tander also challenged for the V8 Supercar title, narrowly losing out to Mark Skaife.
Following such a successful season, there was a drop in results leading to Bargwanna’s departure following the 2002 season.
In this time, Holden had contacted the team to mount an attack on the Bathurst 24 Hours using the Monaro and GRM successful took both events run including a final Mountain success for Peter Brock.
Rising stars including Jamie Whincup, Lee Holdsworth, Dean Canto, Andrew Jones, Michael Caruso, Frenchman Alex Premat and New Zealander Scott McLaughlin all came through GRM’s doors.
It was McLaughlin leading the team when it became Volvo’s factory Supercars team in 2014, emerging as a title contender in each of the three seasons for the program.
A return to Holden followed in 2017, which aligned with Tander’s homecoming in the same year.
GRM’s penchant for picking up and coming drivers made a comeback in 2018 when James Golding joined Tander.
A sponsorship change forced Tander out and Richie Stanaway replaced the veteran to partner Golding for 2019.
However, GRM’s Supercars journey came to an end when it announced its withdrawal from the category citing rising costs.
Making a one-off Wildcard entry in the 2020 Bathurst 1000 drew the curtain on GRM’s Supercars involvement.
Rogers was involved with the Australian Racing Group in later life to become the driving force behind the S5000, TCR Australia and Trans Am Series categories.
He was inducted into the Supercars Hall of Fame in 2015.
The Repco Garage sends its sincerest condolences to the Rogers family, his friends, GRM employees past and present, plus fans.