Francis Anthony Matich (25 January 1935[1] – 11 May 2015) was an Australian racing car driver. A highly successful motor racing competitor in the 1960s and 1970s, Matich built his own range of Matich sports cars and open wheel cars, mainly to support his own career, but some cars found success with other drivers. In these and other makes he won five Tasman Series races, two Australian Grands Prix, the 1972 Australian Drivers' Championship and a number of other Australian motor racing titles.[2]

Frank Matich
NationalityAustralia Australian
Born25 January 1935
Died11 May 2015 (aged 80 years)
Retired1974
Tasman Series
Years active1964-74
TeamsTotal Team
Rothmans Team Matich
Wins5
Best finish2nd in 1970 & 1971 Tasman Series
Previous series
1959, 63-5, 71-72
1961
1962
1964-68
1969-70
Australian Drivers' Champ.

Australian GT Champ.
Australian Formula Junior
Australian Tourist Trophy
Australian Sports Car Chp.
Championship titles
1961
1962
1964
1966
1967
1968
1969
1970
1970
1971
1972
Australian GT Champ.
Australian Formula Junior Chp.
Australian Tourist Trophy
Australian Tourist Trophy
Australian Tourist Trophy
Australian Tourist Trophy
Australian Sports Car Chp.
New Zealand Grand Prix
Australian Grand Prix
Australian Grand Prix
Australian Drivers' Champ.

In April 1970, Frank Matich was appointed as a Director of Lambretta (Australasia) Pty Ltd, and was to assemble McLaren racing cars in the Lambretta site in Artarmon, Sydney.[3]

Matich, who suffered major electrical burns in a boating accident in 1973, retired from racing in 1974 in order to spend more time with his family and his business. His son Kris Matich became a leading Formula Ford driver in Sydney during the late 1980s.[4]

Career results

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Matich won all three rounds of the 1969 Australian Sports Car Championship in the Matich SR4 Repco
 
Matich in his A50 on the way to winning the Australian Drivers' Championship at Surfers Paradise in August 1972.

A summary of some of his motor racing achievements is given in the table below:[5]

Season Title / Series Position Car Entrant
1958 Australian Tourist Trophy 4th Jaguar C-Type Leaton Motors Pty Ltd
1959 Australian Drivers' Championship 15th Jaguar D-Type Leaton Motors
1960 Australian Tourist Trophy 3rd Jaguar D-Type
1961 Australian Tourist Trophy 2nd Jaguar D-Type
1961 Australian GT Championship 1st Jaguar D-Type Team Leaton
1962 Australian Formula Junior Championship 1st Elfin FJ-Ford Cosworth F Matich
1963 Australian Drivers' Championship 7th Elfin Catalina Ford Team Total
1964 Tasman Series 10th Brabham BT7A Climax FPF Team Total
1964 Australian Drivers' Championship 4th Brabham BT7A Climax FPF Team Total
1964 Australian Tourist Trophy 1st Lotus 19B Climax FPF Total Team
1965 Tasman Series 10th Brabham BT7A Climax FPF Team Total
1965 Australian Drivers' Championship 6th Brabham BT7A Climax FPF Team Total
1966 Australian Tourist Trophy 1st Elfin 400 Traco-Oldsmobile Laurie O'Neil
1967 Australian Tourist Trophy 1st Matich SR3 Traco-Oldsmobile
1968 Australian Tourist Trophy 1st Matich SR3 Repco Frank Matich Pty Ltd
1969 Australian Sports Car Championship 1st Matich SR4 Repco Rothmans Team Matich
1970 Tasman Series 2nd McLaren M10A Chevrolet Rothmans Team Matich
1970 Australian Sports Car Championship 6th Matich SR4 Repco Rothmans Team Matich
1971 Tasman Series 2nd McLaren M10B Repco Holden Rothmans Team Matich
1971 SCCA L&M 5000 Continental Championship 6th[6] McLaren M10B Repco Holden Rothmans Team Matich
1971 Australian Drivers' Championship 8th McLaren M10C Repco Holden Rothmans Team Matich
1972 Tasman Series 4th Matich A50 Repco Holden Frank Matich Pty Ltd
1972 Australian Drivers' Championship 1st Matich A50 Repco Holden Frank Matich Racing
1973 Tasman Series 3rd Matich A50 Repco Holden
Matich A51 Repco Holden
Frank Matich
1973 SCCA L&M Championship 16th[7] Matich A51 Repco Holden[7] Early Racing Ent. Inc.[8]
1974 Tasman Series 11th Matich A53 Repco Holden Frank Matich Racing

Complete Tasman Series results

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Year Team Car 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 Rank Points
1964 Total Team Repco Brabham BT7A Coventry Climax LEV PUK
Ret
WIG TER SAN
Ret
WAR
Ret
LAK
Ret
LON
3
10th 4
1965 Total Team Repco Brabham BT7A Coventry Climax PUK LEV WIG TER WAR
3
SAN
Ret
LON
Ret
10th 4
1970 Rothmans Team Matich McLaren M10A Chevrolet LEV
3
PUK
1
WIG
1
TER SUR
4
WAR
Ret
SAN
Ret
2nd 25
1971 Rothmans Team Matich McLaren M10B Repco Holden LEV
Ret
PUK
2
WIG
2
TER
2
WAR
Ret
SAN
3
SUR
1
2nd 31
1972 Frank Matich Pty Ltd Matich A50 Repco Holden PUK
Ret
LEV
2
WIG
12
TER
4
SUR
3
WAR
1
SAN
Ret
AIR
Ret
4th 22
1973 Frank Matich Racing Pty Ltd
Frank Matich
Matich A50 Repco Holden PUK
Ret
LEV
2
WIG
4
TER
Ret
SUR
1
WAR
2
SAN
4
AIR
Ret
3rd 27
1974 Frank Matich Matich A53 Repco Holden LEV PUK WIG TER ORA SUR
3
SAN
Ret
AIR
4
11th 7

Australian Grand Prix

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Title[5] Venue Car
1970 Australian Grand Prix Warwick Farm McLaren M10B Repco Holden
1971 Australian Grand Prix Warwick Farm Matich A50 Repco Holden

References

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  1. ^ C. Max Stahl, Sydney Morning Herald, 27 July 2015, page 28
  2. ^ Woods, Bill (29 September 2004). Legends Of Speed. Harper Collins Publishers. Archived from the original on 15 September 2007. Retrieved 21 March 2007.
  3. ^ "Lambretta (Australasia) Pty Ltd News letter April 1970". April 1970.[permanent dead link]
  4. ^ Phil Branagan (12 May 2015). "Obituary: Frank Matich 1935-2015". AUTOSPORT.com.
  5. ^ a b Records, Titles & Awards Retrieved from the CAMS Online Manual of Motor Sport on 18 August 2008
  6. ^ Formula A and Formula 5000 in America.: Race by Race. By Wolfgang Klopfer Retrieved from books.google.com.au on 22 May 2010
  7. ^ a b 1973 SCCA L&M Championship Review (Part 1), www.myf5000.com Archived 6 August 2022 at the Wayback Machine Retrieved on 26 April 2014
  8. ^ L&M Championship Entry List, www.myf5000.com Retrieved on 26 April 2014

Further reading

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  • James Cockington, Can-Am's Oz Invader, Australian Motorsport News, No 395, May 2010, pages 58–62
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Sporting positions
Preceded by Winner of the Australian Grand Prix
1970 and 1971
Succeeded by
Preceded by Winner of the New Zealand Grand Prix
1970
Succeeded by
Preceded by Winner of the Australian Drivers' Championship
1972
Succeeded by