18 Facts About Harry Firth

Harry Firth was a leading race and rally driver during the 1950s and 1960s and continued as an influential team manager with first the Ford works team and then the famed Holden Dealer Team well into the 1970s.

Harry Firth's nickname was "the fox", implying his use of cunning ploys as a team manager.

Harry Firth won the Bathurst 500, including its predecessor at Phillip Island, four times.

Harry Firth won the Southern Cross Rally and the Australian Rally Championship.

Harry Firth was inducted into the Supercars Hall of Fame in 2007.

Harry Firth was awarded the Medal of the order of Australia on 26th January 1999 for services to Motor Racing as a driver, team manager and engineer.

Harry Firth enlisted in the Australian Army on 23 October 1939 and was assigned to the 1st Corps of Signals.

Harry Firth was discharged at the end of the war on 3 October 1945.

Harry Firth was involved in preparing the winning BMW 328 for the 1948 Australian Grand Prix.

Harry Firth had a great record in the Alpine Rally winning the event five times between 1953 and 1962.

Harry Firth then teamed with Bob Jane in a Mercedes-Benz 220SE to win the 1961 Armstrong 500 at Philip Island.

Harry Firth won the 1964 Lowood 4 Hour with John Raeburn in a Ford Cortina GT.

Harry Firth won the rally in question, the inaugural Southern Cross Rally, with navigator Graham Hoinville, driving a Ford Cortina GT.

The Ford works team didn't enter any cars for the 1966 Gallaher 500 at Bathurst and Harry Firth teamed with Ern Abbott in a Morris Cooper S to finish in 6th place.

Harry Firth wouldn't have minded so much on missing out on the driving talents of Frank Matich as he was always of the belief that drivers used to being able to drive their specially built race cars hard weren't well suited to Series Production racing where you had to be much easier on what was really a road going car.

Matich then recommended Gibson for the drive, with Harry Firth meeting Gibson for the first time at a Bathurst hotel on the Friday before the race.

Harry Firth won the 1968 Australian Rally Championship driving a Ford Cortina Lotus.

In 1969, Harry Firth was considered by those at Ford to be 'too old' and was replaced as Ford Works Team boss by Al Turner, an American more known in Drag racing than circuit racing.