The Legends Of Both Two And Four Wheels

With the mi-bike Motorcycle Insurance Australian Superbike Championship (ASBK) round running alongside the Repco Supercars Championship at Hidden Valley this weekend, we thought it timely to reflect on the legends who have competed at the top level on both two and four wheels. From MA.

ASBK head to Hidden Valley for the first time since 2018 this weekend, be sure to catch all the fast pace action.

By any measure, the most successful racer across both disciplines of the sport was John Surtees, who took out four 500cc Motorcycle World Championships in 1956, 1958, 1959 and 1960, after which he immediately switched to Formula 1. It took Surtees little time to find his feet on four wheels; he finished second in the 1960 British Grand Prix.

By 1963, Surtees had converted his allegiances to the famous red hues of Ferrari, and won the F1 World Championship for the Italian manufacturer in 1964. Surtees, who passed away in 2017, remains the only racer to win World Championships at the top levels of both two and four-wheeled categories.

Barry Sheene had a brief career in car racing too. Unfortunately, not seeing the same success as motorcycles.

The likes of Barry Sheene and Johnny Cecotto are among the other internationals with accomplishments on bikes and in cars, but Australia has also produced its share of successful cross-category racers.

The Aussie who set a trend for others to follow was Gregg Hansford, who achieved top-three finishes in the 250cc and 350cc Motorcycle World Championships in 1978 and ’79, before returning home to race touring cars. Hansford drove Ford Sierras for Dick Johnson, Allan Moffat and Glenn Seton before swapping to Holdens with Larry Perkins in 1993. The change of scenery yielded immediate success, Perkins and Hansford winning the Bathurst 1000 in ’93 and finishing third in ’94.

Wayne Gardner was one of the most recognisable Australian legends to make the switch into car racing.

Following in Hansford’s footsteps was Wayne Gardner, who enjoyed immense motorcycling success throughout the 1980s, highlighted by his 500cc world title aboard the Rothmans Honda in 1987. Upon returning to Australia, Gardner landed one of the most coveted drives in the Australian Touring Car Championship, joining the factory Holden Racing Team for the 1993 season. While his debut car racing season was somewhat inconsistent, he ended it on a high note by finishing on the podium at Bathurst.

Gardner subsequently formed his own two-car team (with Coca Cola sponsorship), achieving another Bathurst podium alongside Neil Crompton in 1995, before shifting his attention to the All Japan Grand Touring Car Championship from 1996 onwards. However, he was still a regular visitor to Australia for the V8 Supercars endurance races and qualified on pole at Bathurst in 2000.

His trophy cabinet grew larger with the addition of a Bathurst podium alongside Neil Crompton in 1995.

They may not have committed to full seasons of car racing like Hansford and Gardner, but Daryl Beattie (500cc World Motorcycle runner-up in 1995) and Troy Bayliss (World Superbike Champion and MotoGP race winner) are worthy of mention for their one-off Bathurst 1000 appearances, in 2002 and ’09 respectively. Beattie drove alongside Tyler Mecklem for the privateer Imrie Motorsport team, while Bayliss teamed up with Dean Fiore. Unfortunately, neither Beattie nor Bayliss made it to the chequered flag in their respective races.

Casey Stoner’s results in MotoGP racing are well documented: 38 race wins, 39 pole positions, 69 podium finishes and two world titles in 2007 and 2011. In 2013, the lure of driving a former Bathurst-winning Holden VE Commodore for the dominant Triple 8 organisation proved too much for Stoner to resist, and he competed in the Dunlop Super2 Series. Stoner demonstrated glimpses of potential, especially in qualifying, and achieved a best race result of fifth at Queensland Raceway, but called quits on his car racing endeavours at the end of the season.

Casey Stoner is the most recent name to give the Australian Supercar series a go after his retirement from MotoGP.

Be sure to catch all the fast paced action at Hidden Valley this weekend. To keep up to date with the latest news on the mi-bike Motorcycle Insurance Australian Superbike Championship, presented by Motul, via their website and following ASBK on Facebook and Instagram.