Phillip Island Classic
6-9 March 2025
Report by Darren Knight. Pics by Phil Wisewould
It was the turn of historic touring cars to be rostered down to one group in 2025, but with more than 30-pus cars from all over Australia (only the NT was missing) and polenty of depth and variety it was great racing throughout the field. Just the one grid this year for the JUST CARS Historic Tourers at the Classic but it was a very healthy entry of 30 plus cars with plenty of depth and the usual variety.
Long time visitor West Aussie Paul Stubber demonstrated the ‘ol number 31 Camaro is only getting faster with a pole time under own his own lap record he lowered at Island Magic last November. Gear shifting issues late in the session necessitated a gearbox change before the opening race on Friday afternoon.
Friday: Race One
Stubber got the jump once the lights went green for the rolling start to grab the lead from Group N debutant Brendan Woods (guest steering Joe Calleja’s Fastback Mustang which Brendan usually wields the spanners on) and the ’69 Camaro of Aldo De Paoli. Mid pack the four door 1300cc Escort of Tassie Lachlan Thomas was showing great speed, not far behind the BDA version of Queenslander Morne Lombard on his first visit to the Island. David Brown suffered a diff issue in his Datsun 1600 that pitched him into the tyre barriers at thankfully relatively low speed but he was now out for the duration. Stubber had his own drama as he suddenly slowed on the front straight with the Chev not wanting to engage fourth gear, falling behind David Murphy (debuting a quick-out-of-the-box Torana built up over several years) in sixth. De Paoli meanwhile had snuck past the very impressive Woods and went to win the short, sharp four lapper with the Camaros of Adrian Moyle and Geoff Munday in third and fourth. Stubber ended up fifth in front of Murphy and the Mustangs of Graeme Woolhouse and Ben Wilkinson.
Saturday: Race Two
A post-race repair to the actual shifter in the Stubber machine cured the Camaro’s woes and the West Australian was soon back at the pointy end in R2. De Paoli maintained the pressure in second place as Spencer Rice (Alfa) vaulted into the top ten, holding out the Mustang of Darren Jones. Recently crowned ‘Three Pete’ Club Champ Pete Meuleman had a ding dong battle with Woolhouse as Phil Barrow (FJ), Don Knight (Cortina) and Jim Schilling (Volvo) had a similar stoush, the Scandi Box quick on the straights but not so the twisty bits or under brakes. Team Fairlam had a shocker with Richard’s EH running out of brakes and Peter Knight parking the 308 powered HQ after a power steering belt departed. The Mini of Francis Meier had an almighty duel with Tasmanian Adrian Wilson (Cortina Mk II) who was finally getting race laps in after his first visit to the Island didn’t go further than Friday morning. Stubber utilised the cooler morning conditions to re-set the lap record again (a 1:44.8323) on his way to the win from De Paoli and Woods.
Race Three
Stubber led early as Wilkinson in his 68 302 Mustang closed up on the Camaros ahead of him, the much improved 68 of Geoff Munday soon coming under fire. De Paoli retired whilst in second place with a driveline issue, the Camaro likely to be parked for a while as the West Australian embarks on a TCM campaign at the wheel of an Ian Woodward-built TCM spec 69 Camaro. The exhaust on the Thomas Escort (affectionately known as “Gorbie” due to its green paintjob) fell off as SA’s Stuart Barnes locked horns with Knight for pushrod Corty honours whilst Peter Knight (no relation) had the HQ absolutely flying off the back of the grid and into the top ten. Moyle fell off at the top of Lukey Heights and had to call upon all his old rally driving expertise to execute a perfect 360 degree loop on the grass right next to the unforgiving earthen bank, re-joining without a scratch at the bottom of the hill (check it out on the inter web – absolute pisser). The seven-lap journey meant lapped cars came into the picture near the end but race leader Stubber had time in hand to back off before the flag, allowing the warring Cortina duo of Barnes and Knight just ahead of him to continue their entertaining scrap for one more lap as he took the chequer behind them. Woods posted another excellent podium in the unfamiliarStang whilst action man Moyle recovered to nab third place from Munday and Wilkinson. “Three Pete” bested Woolhouse for Nb honours in sixth outright.
Sunday: Race Four
Wilkinson rolled to a stop before the green flag waved after the clutch let go with Munday making a great start to slot into third behind race leader Stubber and Woods. Moyle again found the grass but only briefly this time and only with two wheels on the exit of Doohan Corner as he harassed Munday for third, eventually getting past. Fairlam was slicing through from the back with the EH finally playing ball at the same time as the team’s HQ was doing likewise with Peter Knight holding out Murphy for sixth. The incredible FJ of Barrow again kept all the Cortinas at bay, bar the rapid Lotus version of Chris Dubois who had a solid run mid-pack. After three days of track sullying action there were to be no more lap records in danger as Stubber took another win with Woods second but never far away, followed by Moyle, Munday and Meuleman.
Race Five
It was business as usual at the front for Stubber though Woods tried hard early and posted his second fastest lap time of the weekend on lap two. Murphy also had great early pace but had to back off after the Chev’s temp gauge crept up to noticeable levels. Lombard’s great debut meeting at the Island came to an end after a slave cylinder cried enough as Meuleman closed right up on fourth placed man Munday. Bill Trengrove chased Jones but just missed out on his first top ten of the weekend but at least the Mustang provided completed race finishes which the ex-Bill Meeke Falcon Sprint seems determined to deprive Bill of. Anyone know a good Exorcist? Woods demonstrated why he was awarded the Driver of the Meeting post-race by keeping Stubber in touching distance (and not allowing the traditional Hoosier sideways sacrifice Stubber has been known to commit!) and collecting a strong second place behind the number 31 Chevy followed by Moyle collecting his fourth podium of the weekend.