Norm Beechey


Norm Beechey is a retired Australian race car driver, who was given the nickname "Stormin Norman" by his fans. To some, he was the closest thing Holden had to a star racing driver, before Peter Brock. Beechey competed in the Australian Touring Car Championship from 1963 to 1972 winning the title in 1965 driving a Ford Mustang and in 1970 at the wheel of a Holden Monaro. Along the way, he achieved seven round wins, and one pole position. His championship win in 1970 was the first victory by a Holden driver in the Australian Touring Car Championship.

Career

Beechey began racing at the age of 22 in a Ford Customline V8. He came to prominence only a year later when he won the Olympic Touring Car Race at Albert Park, a support event at the Australian Grand Prix meeting which was held in conjunction with the 1956 Melbourne Olympic Games. As the expense of running this and two subsequent Customline V8s proved too prohibitive he reverted to a Holden 48-215 in 1959. After becoming part of David McKay’s Scuderia Veloce team he again returned to V8s, developing a Chevrolet Impala with which he won the New South Wales Touring Car Championship at Catalina Park. He progressed to a Ford Galaxie owned by Len Lukey and was then instrumental in forming the Neptune Racing Team in 1964. He raced a Holden EH S4 as part of that team alongside Jim McKeown’s Lotus Cortina and Peter Manton’s Morris Cooper S. He subsequently developed and raced a series of V8 powered Touring Cars with which he contested the Australian Touring Car Championship and other events. The first Ford Mustang to race in Australia was followed by a Chevrolet Chevy II Nova, a Chevrolet Camaro, a Holden Monaro GTS 327 and a Holden Monaro GTS 350.
Beechey retired from racing at the end of the 1972 season. He was inducted into the V8 Supercars Hall of Fame in 2000.

Career results

SeasonTitlePositionCarTeam
1964Australian Touring Car Championship2ndHolden EH Special S4Neptune Racing Team
1965Australian Touring Car Championship1stFord MustangNeptune Racing Team
1966Australian Touring Car Championship2ndChevrolet Chevy II NovaNeptune Racing Team
1969Australian Touring Car Championship3rdHolden HK Monaro GTS327Norm Beechey
1970Australian Touring Car Championship1stHolden HT Monaro GTS350Norm Beechey Shell Race Team
1971Australian Touring Car Championship5thHolden HT Monaro GTS350Shell Racing
1972Australian Touring Car Championship13thHolden HT Monaro GTS350Shell Racing

Complete Australian Touring Car Championship results

YearTeamCar12345678DCPoints
1963Holden 48-215MAL
Ret		NC-
1964Neptune Racing TeamHolden EH Special S4LAK
2		2nd-
1965Neptune Racing TeamFord MustangSAN
1		1st-
1966Neptune Racing TeamChevrolet Chevy II NovaBAT
2		2nd-
1967Tridents Racing TeamChevrolet Chevy II NovaLAK
Ret		NC-
1968Norm BeecheyChevrolet Camaro SSWAR
Ret		NC-
1969Norm BeecheyHolden HK Monaro GTS327CAL
Ret		BAT
DNS		MAL
DNS		SUR
1		SYM
1		3rd18
1970Norm Beechey Shell Race TeamHolden HT Monaro GTS350CAL
8		BAT
1		SAN
1		MAL
2		WAR
Ret		LAK
1		SYM
DNS		1st33
1971Shell RacingHolden HT Monaro GTS350SYM
Ret		CAL
1		SAN
Ret		SUR
Ret		MAL
Ret		LAK
4		ORA
Ret		5th12
1972Shell RacingHolden HT Monaro GTS350SYM
Ret		CAL
Ret		BAT
Ret		SAN
3		AIR
DNS		WARSUR
DNS		ORA13th6

Complete Phillip Island/Bathurst 500 results