What Really Happened!   Nick Munting - 1979    Used with permission of Nick Munting – as appeared in Chequered Flag, April 1979       Allan Moffat, beyond all others, is the most controversial driver in Australia. He is the doyen of the professional race car drivers, indeed, the first in Australia.       He has raced for ten years…all of them for, or in, Fords. Starting with a Cortina, and with a long history in Mustangs, Falcons, and a brief stint with the fabulous Chevy Monza, Moffat has dominated touring car racing in this country, if not on the track, then in the media.       His face is as familiar to the TV addict as it is to the most ardent track fan, and he can be found in any area of motorsport with a paved surface, from Speedway to Bathurst.       He is a business man, a race driver, a tyre dealer and a family man. He is also the man who currently lies in the middle of the Ford vs motorsport sandwich…once again as a privateer…       Chequered Flag spoke to Allan at his debut in the South Pacific Touring Car Championship with the new Camel Filters Falcon. Our office? The cockpit of the Falcon. The questions? Obviously what happened, how and what happens now…The answers? Straight, to the point, and an exclusive eye-witness account by Allan of the fateful months of late ’78 and the dramatic start to 1979.       Chequered Flag: How has the current situation come about and what really happened in the latter half of last year?       Allan Moffat: It was clear to us towards the later half of ‘78, probably after Bathurst, that the Ford dealers would not continue to support motor racing. It was also imperative for us to attempt to stay in business. We had the unequivocal support of Reynolds Tobacco, and well in advance. It certainly wasn’t done in sympathy. Harvey Slater advised me, just about Bathurst time, that whatever we wanted to do in ’79 was fine, subject to the normal company procedures and going through the budgets that were necessary, and although it was only mooted by Ford executives that there would not be any dealer support, it was mooted in tones that I didn’t have to be Einstein to figure out.       There were a number of dealers going around crying that we weren’t doing the job: a lot of them were crying that it was too much money, and that did not particularly bother me – we had had Ford dealer support off and on for ten years, it seems – but what really started to rot the apples in the barrel was the development of negotiations between the company (Ford) and CAMS (Confederation of Australian Motorsport) to try and homologate the Blackwood (XD). Although these started promising a lot, they seemed to bog down and became worse and worse…There were discussions between Mr. Ford and the president of CAMS but this did not seem to influence either party. Neither seemed to be in a compromising position. I don’t think CAMS were concerned whether the company was having difficulties or not, and I don’t think the company was concerned whether CAMS had difficulties – from a philosophical point of view, or for what they were trying to do for 1980.       I must say, for my part, I went from one end of the scale to the other, in sympathy and regard for both parties to the complete opposite … I considered myself the meat in the sandwich.       Ford is not a philanthropic society: they could not come to grips with a project that was realistic, in their opinion, for the XD. But it was necessary for us to continue racing. It is very hard to be a racing team and only do shopping centre promotions, so we elected to run the current XC Falcon. It’s had a lot of miles, a lot of development in it. It’s got one hell of a lot of money poured into it; and we’ll have to see the future from here…       CF: A lot of controversy, sensationalism and rumours appeared in all forms of the Australian media over the supposed split between Allan Moffat Racing and Colin Bond and the Moffat Ford Dealer team…What were the real facts?       AM: I have found that the people who know the least are the ones who do the most talking! My regard for the freelance press of this country is now just about zero. I think that, apart from being completely inept, they are bordering on being morally inept. One certain Melbourne paper thought it was a joke to virtually forecast a complete scenario of what was going to take place, and it was all hypothetical. They had no difficulty using Mr. Ford’s name; no difficulty in using my name, and no difficulty in using Colin’s name. And then, when all the other “sheep” started picking up this rumour as fact, and running with it, they went mad on radio and made front-page news in a number of Sydney and Melbourne dailies… It did an absolutely incredible amount of harm.       CF: What then was the real story in the “split” with Colin Bond? I take it there was never an actual “sacking”…       AM: That’s right. I don’t think there was any point in disguising the fact that I was unhappy with Colin Bond’s attitude towards season’s end, which I believe, was probably his dismay in hearing the same rumours that I was, about the withdrawal of the sponsorship of the Ford factory. But, this was certainly never to the point where it would or could have altered our working relationship, had the funds been there to promote the team. I think a few people would realise that with the combined resources of all our sponsors, we barely had enough to do the job, and certainly had to win a goodly number of races just to keep the wolf from the door or just to keep going the level of development that was necessary.       We lost the Oran Park 500 when in a winning position. We lost upwards of $50,000 at Bathurst. It all starts to put one helluva hole in an operation, and I don’t think there would ever have been the cries of a split between Colin and myself if the freelance press had not used it in such a sensational manner. I’ve no doubt that certain parties ferreted certain information from here and there. They were even able to gain some good quotes from some Ford executives…and it all happened from there.       I was overseas at the time of the actual front-page stories and did not even have much chance to refute any of the rumours. I believe it is reasonable for most people to understand that without any funds I would not able to, or have even have the opportunity to offer Colin a job, and that is basically the situation. Colin was not driving for me because he liked the colour of my eyes - he was a paid driver, and without anything to offer him, he’s not likely to drive for nothing. Without a budget to race two cars, it becomes very hard to split one of them.       CF: How do you feel the current situation will affect your career, and motor racing within Australia?       AM: I don’t know about my career, but I certainly feel it will set motor racing in Australia back a bit. It was very evident to us in ’76 when we started the Moffat Ford Dealer Team, and really started to give the HDT a run for their money, that the crowds went up. In 1977, with Colin and two cars, the HDT were forced to run a strong two-car team and the crowd figures really went up and up – and in ’78 they continued to climb. I think it’s only conjecture to say what will happen now and in the future, but we’re hurting badly in one area and that is that we’ve been running this car since 1972. We were always quite limited in homologated options compared to, say, the L34 Torana, let alone the A9X, and I think that it is worth mentioning that it took the A9X, a fully homologated special, to really beat us.       My career, I think, will depend on the vehicles I get in. I don’t think anybody wants to see Allan Moffat out there flying a flag and coming sixth or seventh. I don’t get too excited about it myself.       CF: Does this mean the Monza will return to the track in Australia?       AM: Well, the Monza was the finest car of its type made at the time, and I don't think its exactly gone rusty…we’ll have to use it. Yes!       CF: And the Capri?       AM: I don’t think the Capri will be competitive, but I also don’t think this means my career is in jeopardy. We have some tremendous friends in BP, Dow Corning and Goodyear, not to mention the full support of Reynolds Tobacco through the Camel Filters brand name. This means we can at least prepare and maintain some cars in which we are capable of doing a good job. If we can’t, then that is the day when you begin to see less and less of me.       CF: You recently stated that in ’79 Allan Moffat will be competing oversees, but you intimated that this was not your happiest choice of working environment.       AM: Well, actually I consider it, to a degree, a waste of time. Australia is my home. I’ve been racing here for ten years and I like it. To do well at anything, one has to have consistency of purpose and a determination to follow that purpose through. I don’t see myself as an American GT Champion because I don’t have the time to go over there and park myself for 12 months – back where I started.       If I can’t do anything worthwhile here, and I can earn some money in the States, then I may see that that is the way to go…       CF: Finally, what are your feelings over the current situation? You sit here as a privateer, with Colin Bond now receiving factory help as leader of the Ford Escort Rally team.       AM: I think it is rather ironical that that is the situation, but I’m not unhappy. We’re all racers, and we all need the best support we can get. Colin did a good job for Ford in the rally team, and that is an area in which they feel they have an opportunity to budget for. No, to be honest, I consider it Colin’s good luck. But, at the same time, it is rather ironical that that is the only thing the factory can do in ’79.       And that is the story so far: Allan Moffat back to the ranks as a privateer; the pending emergence of the Chevy Monza, certain to arouse massive public attention in the sports sedan area once again – to the detriment of the currently all-powerful touring cars…and Allan Moffat? He’ll be racing as hard as ever.