Norm Beechey

Norm Beechey is a retired Australian race car driver, who was given the nickname "Stormin Norman" by his fans. To some, he was the closest thing Holden had to a star racing driver, before Peter Brock.[2] Beechey competed in the Australian Touring Car Championship from 1963 [3] to 1972 winning the title in 1965 driving a Ford Mustang and in 1970 at the wheel of a Holden Monaro.[4] Along the way, he achieved seven round wins, and one pole position. His championship win in 1970 was the first victory by a Holden driver in the Australian Touring Car Championship.

Norm Beechey
Nationality Australian
BornCirca 1932 [1]
Australian Touring Car Championship
Years active1963–1972
TeamsScuderia Veloce
Neptune Racing Team
Trident Racing
Shell Racing Team
Starts25
Wins7
Best finish1st in 1965 & 1970
Championship titles
1965
1970
Australian Touring Car Championship
Australian Touring Car Championship
Awards
2000V8 Supercars Hall of Fame

Career

Beechey began racing at the age of 22 in a Ford Customline V8. He came to prominence only a year later when he won the Olympic Touring Car Race at Albert Park, a support event at the Australian Grand Prix meeting which was held in conjunction with the 1956 Melbourne Olympic Games. As the expense of running this and two subsequent Customline V8s proved too prohibitive he reverted to a Holden 48-215 in 1959. After becoming part of David McKay’s Scuderia Veloce team he again returned to V8s, developing a Chevrolet Impala with which he won the New South Wales Touring Car Championship at Catalina Park. He progressed to a Ford Galaxie owned by Len Lukey and was then instrumental in forming the Neptune Racing Team in 1964. He raced a Holden EH S4 as part of that team alongside Jim McKeown’s Lotus Cortina and Peter Manton’s Morris Cooper S. He subsequently developed and raced a series of V8 powered Touring Cars with which he contested the Australian Touring Car Championship and other events. The first Ford Mustang to race in Australia was followed by a Chevrolet Chevy II Nova, a Chevrolet Camaro, a Holden Monaro GTS 327 and a Holden Monaro GTS 350.[5]

Beechey retired from racing at the end of the 1972 season.[6] He was inducted into the V8 Supercars Hall of Fame in 2000.

Career results

A recreation of the Chrysler VH Valiant Charger R/T E38 which was driven to 6th place in Class D of the 1971 Hardie-Ferodo 500 by Norm Beechey & Jim McKeown
Season Title Position Car Team
1964 Australian Touring Car Championship 2nd Holden EH Special S4 Neptune Racing Team
1965 Australian Touring Car Championship 1st Ford Mustang Neptune Racing Team
1966 Australian Touring Car Championship 2nd Chevrolet Chevy II Nova Neptune Racing Team
1969 Australian Touring Car Championship 3rd Holden HK Monaro GTS327 Norm Beechey
1970 Australian Touring Car Championship 1st Holden HT Monaro GTS350 Norm Beechey Shell Race Team
1971 Australian Touring Car Championship 5th Holden HT Monaro GTS350 Shell Racing
1972 Australian Touring Car Championship 13th Holden HT Monaro GTS350 Shell Racing

Complete Australian Touring Car Championship results

(key) (Races in bold indicate pole position) (Races in italics indicate fastest lap)

Year Team Car 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 DC Points
1963 Holden 48-215 MAL
Ret
NC -
1964 Neptune Racing Team Holden EH Special S4 LAK
2
2nd -
1965 Neptune Racing Team Ford Mustang SAN
1
1st -
1966 Neptune Racing Team Chevrolet Chevy II Nova BAT
2
2nd -
1967 Tridents Racing Team Chevrolet Chevy II Nova LAK
Ret
NC -
1968 Norm Beechey Chevrolet Camaro SS WAR
Ret
NC -
1969 Norm Beechey Holden HK Monaro GTS327 CAL
Ret
BAT
DNS
MAL
DNS
SUR
1
SYM
1
3rd 18
1970 Norm Beechey Shell Race Team Holden HT Monaro GTS350 CAL
8
BAT
1
SAN
1
MAL
2
WAR
Ret
LAK
1
SYM
DNS
1st 33
1971 Shell Racing Holden HT Monaro GTS350 SYM
Ret
CAL
1
SAN
Ret
SUR
Ret
MAL
Ret
LAK
4
ORA
Ret
5th 12
1972 Shell Racing Holden HT Monaro GTS350 SYM
Ret
CAL
Ret
BAT
Ret
SAN
3
AIR
DNS
WAR SUR
DNS
ORA 13th 6

Complete Phillip Island/Bathurst 500 results

Year Team Co-Driver Car Class Laps Overall
Position
Class
Position
1960 Australian Motor Industries John French Standard Vanguard D 162 5th 2nd
1961 W McB March Bill March Renault Gordini D 156 10th 2nd
1962 Continental and General Distributors Greg Cusack Citroën ID19 A 160 11th 3rd
1970 N Beechey Bruce Hindhaugh Chrysler VG Valiant Pacer 4 Barrell D 39 DNF DNF
1971 Shell Racing Jim McKeown Chrysler VH Valiant Charger R/T E38 D 127 12th 6th

References

  1. John Connolly, Stormin’ Norman set the race pace, 16 August 2014, www.theaustralian.com.au Retrieved 22 December 2018
  2. 2008 V8 Supercar Eastern Creek round official event programme
  3. Graham Howard & Stewart Wilson, The Australian Touring Car Championship, 30 fabulous years, 1990, page 47
  4. Series Champions - History - The Official Website of V8 Supercars Australia
  5. Australian Motor Racing Annual, 1971, pages 26-27
  6. Graham Howard & Stewart Wilson, The Australian Touring Car Championship, 30 fabulous years, 1990, page 111
Sporting positions
Preceded by
Ian Geoghegan
Winner of the Australian Touring Car Championship
1965
Succeeded by
Ian Geoghegan
Preceded by
Ian Geoghegan
Winner of the Australian Touring Car Championship
1970
Succeeded by
Bob Jane
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