Seton Fanatic
New member
As Glenn Seton approaches the 200 start milestone at Symmons Plains, I thought it appropriate that an appreciation of Glenn Seton, the man, the driver and the champion be written.
Take your mind back to 1965, or for those like me, not old enough to remember, look at some photos of Liverpool. Here was a suburb and a district that was on the verge of massive change that is still in progress today. Suburbs such as Lurnea, Sadleir, Green Valley, Ashcroft, Moorebank and Hammondville had not had the infrastructure or the population that exists today, and the newer suburbs such as Cecil Hills, Hinchinbrook and Prestons were very much farmland, with planning only a twinkle in the town planner's eyes. Liverpool itself was considered the 'terminus' of the Sydney metropolitan area, before Campbelltown's massive infrastructure change in the 1970's and 1980's
It was this setting that Glenn Seton, son of soon-to-be Bathurst 500 winner, Barry Seton was born on May 5, 1965 in Liverpool. Early family success was immediate with Barry winning the Bathurst 500 with co-driver Midge Bosworth. There apparently exists a photo of a nearly five-month old Glenn with the winner's garland around him. As we all well know, that would be the first and last time to date the Seton family has worn the outright winner's garland at Bathurst. Was this a case of success coming too soon for young Glenn?
As Barry continued building a popular and successful career, with near misses in regards to outright wins in 1968 and 1969, Glenn and family moved first, to the Campbelltown suburb of Glenfield, then onwards to Moorebank, where Australian motor racing history would be made with the Ford Capri, which Barry Seton was undoubtedly the doyen.
Glenn attended many motor races, particularly at Amaroo Park and Bathurst as a child, and into his teenage years, following his father's mega-successful exploits in the British-imported Ford Capri, in the Better Brakes Series for under three-litre cars at Amaroo, and class successes at Bathurst. Here, friendships with the likes of Mark Skaife were formed. this would prove to be a deep friendship that lasts to this day. One presumes that the Seton mentality of having fun with friends while racing was formulated back in those three-litre days.
Glenn started racing in 1979 in karts, proving successful from the off, with runner-up positions in the 1980 and 1981 Australian Junior Karting Championships. A serious accident in 1982 at the Oran Park kart track, which provided some back damage was the catalyst for the start of one of Australia's most successful touring car careers, with Barry Seton prompting the move, by building Glenn a Ford Escort, which he made his debut in at Oran Park.
Glenn instantly proved his skill in sedans, by proving to be unbeatable in his class in the NSW Road Racing Championships throughout 1983 in the Escort. It was a mad rush around Amaroo Park and Oran Park to participate in race meetings to obtain his licence to compete at Mount Panorama for the 1983 Bathurst 1000, alongside his father, who had lost his regular co-driver, fellow Moorebank resident, Don Smith to Capri aficionado John Craft.
At a mere 18 years of age, Glenn Seton drove with his father in the 1983 Bathurst 1000. The Alpha Couriers Ford Capri qualified 41st with Barry Seton at the wheel, although Glenn's first-ever laps of Bathurst were in the wet (not Glenn's forte, despite some masterclasses of driving over the years), on the Wednesday, with Barry Seton not exactly sympathetic to his cause. The Capri would lead its class for most of Sunday, with Glenn at the wheel for the important final stint, with a sizeable advantage to Alan Cant/Les Grose in another Ford Capri, Things were running smoothly, with Glenn nice and neat behind the wheel, until a mechanical failure ruined the day for Glenn and Barry. This was the forerunner to the 1995 race, which proved, sadly that history does repeat, despite the pleading of Split Enz.
1984 saw Glenn's first taste of ATCC action at Surfers Paradise, a round famous for the incident between Garry Willmington and Allan Moffat, which put Moffat into hospital with a broken sternum and other injuries. Seton finished 14th in his Ford Capri. Other ATCC and AEC action followed, with Seton seemingly almost certain to be driving the Mustang owned by Don Smith at Bathurst alongside his father again. But, alas, a spanner came into the works. Nissan Australia and Howard Marsden, a man who features far more negatively later on in this post, gave Glenn his first big break by giving Glenn a seat in the uncompetitive and unreliable Nissan EXA, alongside arguably Australia's greatest-ever female driver, Christine Gibson.
Gibson would qualify the car 26th, but it was Seton who made the big impression, by hauling the car up to 16th, ahead of more other fancied entries, before the car unsurprisingly failed. This Bathurst 1000 would mark the end of Barry Seton's competitive driving career, and he and Don Smith would have a frustrating weekend in the Ford Mustang, getting it to the finish, but not before a multitude of mechanical problems.
1985 saw a career-changing move to Melbourne, for Glenn and Barry, with both having been offered deals by Fred Gibson and Howard Marsden to develop the new Nissan Skyline, which had been slated for debut in 1985, but was moved back to 1986. Glenn would take a hands-on role as well as driving, while Barry would be the team's engine man.
1986 saw Glenn Seton's debut in truly competitive machinery at the Sandown round of the ATCC in 1986. While teammate George Fury dominated the race, Seton prompted a multi-car collision that included Dick Johnson and John Harvey among the notables involved. Seton would finish 14th, two laps down.
The rest of 1986 would be punctuated by inconsistency, with Seton throwing away a win at Calder, and showing well in other rounds. Seton would win three enduros in 1986 - the Surfers Paradise 300, the Sandown 500 and the Calder 300, all alongside George Fury whose mystifying pace in 1986 was not rewarded with the ATCC or Bathurst. Bathurst was marred by tyre problems due to a new chassis, which spoiled a very good chance for Glenn and George Fury to win the 1000, after good pace in practice.
1987 was the year that Glenn Seton came of age as one of Australia's best race drivers. A strong run in the ATCC nearly yielded a title; only denied by a fiercely determined Jim Richards, despite an exceptional display of race driving at Oran Park, with the title up for grabs.
The 1987 Bathurst 1000 will be remembered as perhaps the greatest ever drive from Glenn Seton. All his stints were strong, with the best coming in that brief period of showers where Glenn demonstrated to the world, once and for all, that he had inherited his father's talent and also, had demonstrated his sheer capabilities as a race driver. Only an inopportune Safety Car denied him and John Bowe in a chaotic and unhappy race, but it appeared that the child prodigy was on his way to certain and immediate greatness.
The recognition of greatness would not bestow itself on Glenn in the next five years. The period between 1988-1992, before the current prolonged drought, stood as the least successful period of Glenn Seton's career, punctuated by an uncompetitive Skyline and development problems with the GSR-built Ford Sierra.
1988 would prove to be a frustrating year for Glenn. With the Ford Sierra having now been developed to fever pitch by DJR and other Ford teams, there were slim pickings for the other manufacturers. Nissan wrongfooted themselves by developing a new Skyline, which proved to be unreliable and slow. As a result, Glenn Seton's race drives in the Skyline were limited to a few ATCC rounds and the enduros, which proved frustrating after the successes of 1986-1987. As some sort of compensation, Nissan gave Glenn a drive in a Ralt-Nissan for the 1988 AF2 championship. Glenn proved an instant hit in openwheelers, winning two times. It would be the first and last time Glenn drove openwheelers competitively.
Despite rumours of an international career with Nissan (Glenn had driven a Skyline at Suzuka, and the Le Mans program was nearing), Glenn, in what proved to be a fateful political move, took the Peter Jackson cigarette sponsorship from Nissan, who were going tobacco-free, and set up his own team for 1989, alongside his father. Originally, the team were to be based in Sydney, but premises were found in Dandenong for a one-car Ford Sierra effort, with two cars for Bathurst.
1989 proved to be a tough year for Glenn. Despite some promising initial results, Glenn was set back by the now infamous 'fireball' incident at Lakeside, which forced Glenn and GSR to miss a couple of rounds, which put the exhausting development process of the Ford Sierra back. Results were wafer-thin for the rest of the year, with perhaps the highlight of the year being a superb drive in the Leyton House Honda CRX at the Winton 300 for Production Cars, where Glenn set a lap record for the short Winton layout which will stand forever.
1990 would prove to be another frustrating year for GSR, with the cars unable to run competitvely for an entire race distance without tyre problems. Increased car speed in the latter half of 1990, saw GSR for the first time get within striking distance of the standard-setters of the Sierra brigade, DJR. A victory in the Sandown 500 and the AGP suport race would prove to be just reward for the hard work of the development process of the GSR-built Sierras. Glenn Seton also added the Australian Endurance Championship to his resume, with first at Sandown and second at Eastern Creek.
Unfortunately, just as GSR were looking to get their act together, the Nissan GTR simply obliterated the opposition in 1991 and 1992. Seton was arguably the best performed of the Ford punters, with convincing car speed in 1991, but with little luck, while in 1992, Seton was a championship contender and a round winner at Symmons Plains, until focusing on the new Group A regulations for 1993 and beyond.
Seton and GSR made a very smart political decision by deciding in late 1991 to build a Ford Falcon and focus on the development of that, rather than the outdated Sierra. It showed Seton's adeptness as a politician, despite his easy-going personality. This offered GSR a performance advantage, along with the added bonus of Alan Jones as a second driver for 1993.
1993 saw a GSR rout, with Glenn and Alan Jones finishing 1-2 in the championship. The cars were the fastest in the field, and both drivers gelled with each other, making a harmonious partnership. At 28, Glenn Seton had finally won the title that he nearly won at the tender age of 22. He was now entering his most successful period in his career.
Despite Bathurst being a Holden rout, thanks to performance adjustments approved by CAMS, Glenn looked good for 1994, with a stable driver lineup and secure sponsorship deals. He would finish second in the championship, behind Mark Skaife who was the class of the field in the early rounds. Seton's fast finish in the championship left him as one of the favourites for the enduros. Despite a Sandown retirement, Glenn and Paul Radisich dominated practice for the 1994 Bathurst 1000, with Glenn earning an emotional pole position, with some classic in-car footage after his hot lap. The race would be a disappointment, with a now customary Seton retirement.
1995 was the start of the decay of Glenn Seton's career, although no one associated with the Seton setup, or his loyal supporters could have suspected this at the time. After a slow start in the championship, Glenn finished second in the championship, with John Bowe's consistency in the aftermath of the Kobe earthquake proving trumps for his only ATCC.
Behind the scenes, ructions were beginning to emerge in the Seton camp. Thanks to legislation formulated in 1992, cigarette sponsorship in sport would be rendered illegal for 1996 and beyond. Seton declined Peter Jackson's offer (rumoured to be a reduced offer) for sponsorship for 1996 and beyond. Alan Jones, sensing an opportunity, swooped on the PJ deal, and did the whip-around, recruiting some impressive people, including the Stone Brothers for his own team. Sadly, fron the Seton supporter's perspective, theis was to prove the forerunner of Stone Brothers Racing, a team which would prove to be the Ford standard bearers from 2001 onwards.
Thanks to this move, the atmosphere in GSR was frosty, evidenced at Sandown, with a more forceful pass tha normal by Jones on Seton for the lead of the race. This also ensured that GSR faced an uncertain future, and sponsors were not exactly flocking to GSR desperate to spend their money.
Bathurst was a massive disappointment for everyone. Seton qualified well and raced well, despite a much-discussed incident with John Bowe. Everything looked perfect at the last Safety Car. Seton had the pace. He was looking strong. He had it in the bag, and then the engine went 'off song'. This Seton supporter was nearing a general store with Peter Jackson signage at the time. The emotions were devastating for everyone. Glenn came close to crying during the in-car conversation, and Barry Seton burst into tears. It was a day that will never, ever be forgotten.
Afterwards, Barry Seton split from GSR, for reasons that are not well known to this Seton supporter. This would prove to be a massive blow, as evidenced in the years to come, GSR would need that help desperately.
Despite rumours of sponsorship deals with Miller Brewing and McDonalds, a sponsor had not come on board, and things were looking grim for 1996. Suddenly, on Christmas Eve, 1995, Glenn landed Ford Credit, Ford's finance arm, as a sponsor, thanks to the intervention of Ford, who did not want their main man going to Holden. This was a low-key version of the FTR setup.
1996 went reasonably well, considering the circumstances, with Glenn third in the championship. New John Sidney engines provided a power boost for the enduros, with a convincing pole position at Bathurst, depite the considerable opposition of Lowndes/Murphy for pole. Sadly, on race day, Glenn had an engine problem causing him and David Parsons to finish 15th, while in a sad irony, Tony Longhurst/Steven Ellery in a Barry Seton-powered engine finished third.
1997 would prove the stuff of legends. Glenn Seton won his second ATCC on 15 percent of the budget of the top teams. This barebones effort cemented Seton's place in history, for not only did he win the title, he was again the best driver, with the most race wins of the year (10). The decider at Oran Park was gripping stuff, and proved Seton's ability under the most extreme pressure. The enduros would prove to be unsuccessful for Glenn, but the columnists were already speculating whether Seton would go on to more success. Their answer would be provided, and hit Seton and his supporters hard in the face.
1998 was a disastrous year, compared to recent years. The cars lacked pace most of the time, and it was not surprising to see Seton in 10th on the grid, behind others he would normally have eaten for breakfast. How Seton finished sixth in the championship still baffles me.
1999 saw the creation of the FTR setup, and the promise of bigger and better things from Ford. Sadly, those promises were never fulfilled thanks to the boardrooms of Detroit and, later on, Broadmeadows. The AU proved to be not that competitive, and through consistency, Seton finsihed equal third in the title chase with Mark Skaife.
2000 began disastrously, with Seton's car not responding to the Bridgestone compound, and lacking outright pace. The introduction of a new Bridgestone compound redressed matters and put Seton back on the pace and in championship contention. Relationships with Neil Crompton, his teammate were thawing on a professional level, prompting Crompton to leave at the end of the year for pastures new. Seton scored his last ever win and pole to date at Winton, on a weekend that he should have won.
Glenn's accident at Phillip Island was huge. I could not beileve the twisted metal afterwards. I remember thinking there goes his career. Thankfully, Seton returned for Bathurst, but according to some, he has not been the same driver since, with a loss of drive. Bathurst that year was a disgrace. Matt Neal ruined the race for Seton/Crompton and Lowndes/Skaife with his stupidity. FTR's dummy spit in the pits was well justified.
2001 was frustrating. Craig Lowndes signed for Ford, and in an act of treachery, Geoff Polites and Howard Marsden fawned themselves over Lowndes, while Seton was left exposed in the open, having metaphorically been stripped of his robes. Ford should have invested more in FTR, but they did not, preferring the shared team approach, at the expense of the 'factory' team.
On the track, Glenn finished in 16th in the championship, despite having the car to win 3-4 rounds. It was frustrating to watch Glenn getting punted or FTR making a stupid strategy mistake. All these disasters reinforced the feeling that Glenn and FTR were losing the plot, and that Ford's decision had been well-timed.
For 2002, GSR pared back to one car. With a hideous paint scheme, it was almost inevitable that Glenn was going to have a bad year. And have a bad year, he did. Glenn's driving style was (still is) not suited to the Dunlops, robbing the famed 'Silver Streak' of its once-awesome pace, and forcing it into mind-boggling understeer and oversteer. Topping off a year to forget, Glenn hit the wall at Adelaide hard which forced GSR to bench the car for a few rounds.
It was patently obvious that Glenn needed some luck to come his way, and indeed, right on Christmas, the British company, Prodrive agreed terms to purchase GSR and its assets, making Glenn a wealthy man, and giving him a much-needed lifeline.
2003 would be an okayish year, with Glenn finishing second at Bathurst alongside Craig Lowndes. It was becoming apparent towards the end of the year that Glenn was getting the old aggression back, after a few years of 'bus-driving'.
Optimism reigned high for 2004, with a solid run in the championship expected, but FPR sat on its heels during summer, ensuring a disastrous run in the championship for both Glenn and Lowndes. Second at Bathurst was again the highlight, but despite being treated as a no.2 at FPR, Glenn beat Craig Lowndes in the championship, proving his continued strength as a driver.
Glenn joined DJR in a surprising move for 2005. His driving in 2005 has been superb with aggression and consistent results having made this an enjoyable year. The recent rumours have soured a lot of the good memories of this year, and it's sad to mark Glenn Seton's 200th championship start at Symmons Plains on the back of these rumours.
Despite the rumours, Glenn have a happy 200th start. You deserve it! You have done Liverpool proud!
Take your mind back to 1965, or for those like me, not old enough to remember, look at some photos of Liverpool. Here was a suburb and a district that was on the verge of massive change that is still in progress today. Suburbs such as Lurnea, Sadleir, Green Valley, Ashcroft, Moorebank and Hammondville had not had the infrastructure or the population that exists today, and the newer suburbs such as Cecil Hills, Hinchinbrook and Prestons were very much farmland, with planning only a twinkle in the town planner's eyes. Liverpool itself was considered the 'terminus' of the Sydney metropolitan area, before Campbelltown's massive infrastructure change in the 1970's and 1980's
It was this setting that Glenn Seton, son of soon-to-be Bathurst 500 winner, Barry Seton was born on May 5, 1965 in Liverpool. Early family success was immediate with Barry winning the Bathurst 500 with co-driver Midge Bosworth. There apparently exists a photo of a nearly five-month old Glenn with the winner's garland around him. As we all well know, that would be the first and last time to date the Seton family has worn the outright winner's garland at Bathurst. Was this a case of success coming too soon for young Glenn?
As Barry continued building a popular and successful career, with near misses in regards to outright wins in 1968 and 1969, Glenn and family moved first, to the Campbelltown suburb of Glenfield, then onwards to Moorebank, where Australian motor racing history would be made with the Ford Capri, which Barry Seton was undoubtedly the doyen.
Glenn attended many motor races, particularly at Amaroo Park and Bathurst as a child, and into his teenage years, following his father's mega-successful exploits in the British-imported Ford Capri, in the Better Brakes Series for under three-litre cars at Amaroo, and class successes at Bathurst. Here, friendships with the likes of Mark Skaife were formed. this would prove to be a deep friendship that lasts to this day. One presumes that the Seton mentality of having fun with friends while racing was formulated back in those three-litre days.
Glenn started racing in 1979 in karts, proving successful from the off, with runner-up positions in the 1980 and 1981 Australian Junior Karting Championships. A serious accident in 1982 at the Oran Park kart track, which provided some back damage was the catalyst for the start of one of Australia's most successful touring car careers, with Barry Seton prompting the move, by building Glenn a Ford Escort, which he made his debut in at Oran Park.
Glenn instantly proved his skill in sedans, by proving to be unbeatable in his class in the NSW Road Racing Championships throughout 1983 in the Escort. It was a mad rush around Amaroo Park and Oran Park to participate in race meetings to obtain his licence to compete at Mount Panorama for the 1983 Bathurst 1000, alongside his father, who had lost his regular co-driver, fellow Moorebank resident, Don Smith to Capri aficionado John Craft.
At a mere 18 years of age, Glenn Seton drove with his father in the 1983 Bathurst 1000. The Alpha Couriers Ford Capri qualified 41st with Barry Seton at the wheel, although Glenn's first-ever laps of Bathurst were in the wet (not Glenn's forte, despite some masterclasses of driving over the years), on the Wednesday, with Barry Seton not exactly sympathetic to his cause. The Capri would lead its class for most of Sunday, with Glenn at the wheel for the important final stint, with a sizeable advantage to Alan Cant/Les Grose in another Ford Capri, Things were running smoothly, with Glenn nice and neat behind the wheel, until a mechanical failure ruined the day for Glenn and Barry. This was the forerunner to the 1995 race, which proved, sadly that history does repeat, despite the pleading of Split Enz.
1984 saw Glenn's first taste of ATCC action at Surfers Paradise, a round famous for the incident between Garry Willmington and Allan Moffat, which put Moffat into hospital with a broken sternum and other injuries. Seton finished 14th in his Ford Capri. Other ATCC and AEC action followed, with Seton seemingly almost certain to be driving the Mustang owned by Don Smith at Bathurst alongside his father again. But, alas, a spanner came into the works. Nissan Australia and Howard Marsden, a man who features far more negatively later on in this post, gave Glenn his first big break by giving Glenn a seat in the uncompetitive and unreliable Nissan EXA, alongside arguably Australia's greatest-ever female driver, Christine Gibson.
Gibson would qualify the car 26th, but it was Seton who made the big impression, by hauling the car up to 16th, ahead of more other fancied entries, before the car unsurprisingly failed. This Bathurst 1000 would mark the end of Barry Seton's competitive driving career, and he and Don Smith would have a frustrating weekend in the Ford Mustang, getting it to the finish, but not before a multitude of mechanical problems.
1985 saw a career-changing move to Melbourne, for Glenn and Barry, with both having been offered deals by Fred Gibson and Howard Marsden to develop the new Nissan Skyline, which had been slated for debut in 1985, but was moved back to 1986. Glenn would take a hands-on role as well as driving, while Barry would be the team's engine man.
1986 saw Glenn Seton's debut in truly competitive machinery at the Sandown round of the ATCC in 1986. While teammate George Fury dominated the race, Seton prompted a multi-car collision that included Dick Johnson and John Harvey among the notables involved. Seton would finish 14th, two laps down.
The rest of 1986 would be punctuated by inconsistency, with Seton throwing away a win at Calder, and showing well in other rounds. Seton would win three enduros in 1986 - the Surfers Paradise 300, the Sandown 500 and the Calder 300, all alongside George Fury whose mystifying pace in 1986 was not rewarded with the ATCC or Bathurst. Bathurst was marred by tyre problems due to a new chassis, which spoiled a very good chance for Glenn and George Fury to win the 1000, after good pace in practice.
1987 was the year that Glenn Seton came of age as one of Australia's best race drivers. A strong run in the ATCC nearly yielded a title; only denied by a fiercely determined Jim Richards, despite an exceptional display of race driving at Oran Park, with the title up for grabs.
The 1987 Bathurst 1000 will be remembered as perhaps the greatest ever drive from Glenn Seton. All his stints were strong, with the best coming in that brief period of showers where Glenn demonstrated to the world, once and for all, that he had inherited his father's talent and also, had demonstrated his sheer capabilities as a race driver. Only an inopportune Safety Car denied him and John Bowe in a chaotic and unhappy race, but it appeared that the child prodigy was on his way to certain and immediate greatness.
The recognition of greatness would not bestow itself on Glenn in the next five years. The period between 1988-1992, before the current prolonged drought, stood as the least successful period of Glenn Seton's career, punctuated by an uncompetitive Skyline and development problems with the GSR-built Ford Sierra.
1988 would prove to be a frustrating year for Glenn. With the Ford Sierra having now been developed to fever pitch by DJR and other Ford teams, there were slim pickings for the other manufacturers. Nissan wrongfooted themselves by developing a new Skyline, which proved to be unreliable and slow. As a result, Glenn Seton's race drives in the Skyline were limited to a few ATCC rounds and the enduros, which proved frustrating after the successes of 1986-1987. As some sort of compensation, Nissan gave Glenn a drive in a Ralt-Nissan for the 1988 AF2 championship. Glenn proved an instant hit in openwheelers, winning two times. It would be the first and last time Glenn drove openwheelers competitively.
Despite rumours of an international career with Nissan (Glenn had driven a Skyline at Suzuka, and the Le Mans program was nearing), Glenn, in what proved to be a fateful political move, took the Peter Jackson cigarette sponsorship from Nissan, who were going tobacco-free, and set up his own team for 1989, alongside his father. Originally, the team were to be based in Sydney, but premises were found in Dandenong for a one-car Ford Sierra effort, with two cars for Bathurst.
1989 proved to be a tough year for Glenn. Despite some promising initial results, Glenn was set back by the now infamous 'fireball' incident at Lakeside, which forced Glenn and GSR to miss a couple of rounds, which put the exhausting development process of the Ford Sierra back. Results were wafer-thin for the rest of the year, with perhaps the highlight of the year being a superb drive in the Leyton House Honda CRX at the Winton 300 for Production Cars, where Glenn set a lap record for the short Winton layout which will stand forever.
1990 would prove to be another frustrating year for GSR, with the cars unable to run competitvely for an entire race distance without tyre problems. Increased car speed in the latter half of 1990, saw GSR for the first time get within striking distance of the standard-setters of the Sierra brigade, DJR. A victory in the Sandown 500 and the AGP suport race would prove to be just reward for the hard work of the development process of the GSR-built Sierras. Glenn Seton also added the Australian Endurance Championship to his resume, with first at Sandown and second at Eastern Creek.
Unfortunately, just as GSR were looking to get their act together, the Nissan GTR simply obliterated the opposition in 1991 and 1992. Seton was arguably the best performed of the Ford punters, with convincing car speed in 1991, but with little luck, while in 1992, Seton was a championship contender and a round winner at Symmons Plains, until focusing on the new Group A regulations for 1993 and beyond.
Seton and GSR made a very smart political decision by deciding in late 1991 to build a Ford Falcon and focus on the development of that, rather than the outdated Sierra. It showed Seton's adeptness as a politician, despite his easy-going personality. This offered GSR a performance advantage, along with the added bonus of Alan Jones as a second driver for 1993.
1993 saw a GSR rout, with Glenn and Alan Jones finishing 1-2 in the championship. The cars were the fastest in the field, and both drivers gelled with each other, making a harmonious partnership. At 28, Glenn Seton had finally won the title that he nearly won at the tender age of 22. He was now entering his most successful period in his career.
Despite Bathurst being a Holden rout, thanks to performance adjustments approved by CAMS, Glenn looked good for 1994, with a stable driver lineup and secure sponsorship deals. He would finish second in the championship, behind Mark Skaife who was the class of the field in the early rounds. Seton's fast finish in the championship left him as one of the favourites for the enduros. Despite a Sandown retirement, Glenn and Paul Radisich dominated practice for the 1994 Bathurst 1000, with Glenn earning an emotional pole position, with some classic in-car footage after his hot lap. The race would be a disappointment, with a now customary Seton retirement.
1995 was the start of the decay of Glenn Seton's career, although no one associated with the Seton setup, or his loyal supporters could have suspected this at the time. After a slow start in the championship, Glenn finished second in the championship, with John Bowe's consistency in the aftermath of the Kobe earthquake proving trumps for his only ATCC.
Behind the scenes, ructions were beginning to emerge in the Seton camp. Thanks to legislation formulated in 1992, cigarette sponsorship in sport would be rendered illegal for 1996 and beyond. Seton declined Peter Jackson's offer (rumoured to be a reduced offer) for sponsorship for 1996 and beyond. Alan Jones, sensing an opportunity, swooped on the PJ deal, and did the whip-around, recruiting some impressive people, including the Stone Brothers for his own team. Sadly, fron the Seton supporter's perspective, theis was to prove the forerunner of Stone Brothers Racing, a team which would prove to be the Ford standard bearers from 2001 onwards.
Thanks to this move, the atmosphere in GSR was frosty, evidenced at Sandown, with a more forceful pass tha normal by Jones on Seton for the lead of the race. This also ensured that GSR faced an uncertain future, and sponsors were not exactly flocking to GSR desperate to spend their money.
Bathurst was a massive disappointment for everyone. Seton qualified well and raced well, despite a much-discussed incident with John Bowe. Everything looked perfect at the last Safety Car. Seton had the pace. He was looking strong. He had it in the bag, and then the engine went 'off song'. This Seton supporter was nearing a general store with Peter Jackson signage at the time. The emotions were devastating for everyone. Glenn came close to crying during the in-car conversation, and Barry Seton burst into tears. It was a day that will never, ever be forgotten.
Afterwards, Barry Seton split from GSR, for reasons that are not well known to this Seton supporter. This would prove to be a massive blow, as evidenced in the years to come, GSR would need that help desperately.
Despite rumours of sponsorship deals with Miller Brewing and McDonalds, a sponsor had not come on board, and things were looking grim for 1996. Suddenly, on Christmas Eve, 1995, Glenn landed Ford Credit, Ford's finance arm, as a sponsor, thanks to the intervention of Ford, who did not want their main man going to Holden. This was a low-key version of the FTR setup.
1996 went reasonably well, considering the circumstances, with Glenn third in the championship. New John Sidney engines provided a power boost for the enduros, with a convincing pole position at Bathurst, depite the considerable opposition of Lowndes/Murphy for pole. Sadly, on race day, Glenn had an engine problem causing him and David Parsons to finish 15th, while in a sad irony, Tony Longhurst/Steven Ellery in a Barry Seton-powered engine finished third.
1997 would prove the stuff of legends. Glenn Seton won his second ATCC on 15 percent of the budget of the top teams. This barebones effort cemented Seton's place in history, for not only did he win the title, he was again the best driver, with the most race wins of the year (10). The decider at Oran Park was gripping stuff, and proved Seton's ability under the most extreme pressure. The enduros would prove to be unsuccessful for Glenn, but the columnists were already speculating whether Seton would go on to more success. Their answer would be provided, and hit Seton and his supporters hard in the face.
1998 was a disastrous year, compared to recent years. The cars lacked pace most of the time, and it was not surprising to see Seton in 10th on the grid, behind others he would normally have eaten for breakfast. How Seton finished sixth in the championship still baffles me.
1999 saw the creation of the FTR setup, and the promise of bigger and better things from Ford. Sadly, those promises were never fulfilled thanks to the boardrooms of Detroit and, later on, Broadmeadows. The AU proved to be not that competitive, and through consistency, Seton finsihed equal third in the title chase with Mark Skaife.
2000 began disastrously, with Seton's car not responding to the Bridgestone compound, and lacking outright pace. The introduction of a new Bridgestone compound redressed matters and put Seton back on the pace and in championship contention. Relationships with Neil Crompton, his teammate were thawing on a professional level, prompting Crompton to leave at the end of the year for pastures new. Seton scored his last ever win and pole to date at Winton, on a weekend that he should have won.
Glenn's accident at Phillip Island was huge. I could not beileve the twisted metal afterwards. I remember thinking there goes his career. Thankfully, Seton returned for Bathurst, but according to some, he has not been the same driver since, with a loss of drive. Bathurst that year was a disgrace. Matt Neal ruined the race for Seton/Crompton and Lowndes/Skaife with his stupidity. FTR's dummy spit in the pits was well justified.
2001 was frustrating. Craig Lowndes signed for Ford, and in an act of treachery, Geoff Polites and Howard Marsden fawned themselves over Lowndes, while Seton was left exposed in the open, having metaphorically been stripped of his robes. Ford should have invested more in FTR, but they did not, preferring the shared team approach, at the expense of the 'factory' team.
On the track, Glenn finished in 16th in the championship, despite having the car to win 3-4 rounds. It was frustrating to watch Glenn getting punted or FTR making a stupid strategy mistake. All these disasters reinforced the feeling that Glenn and FTR were losing the plot, and that Ford's decision had been well-timed.
For 2002, GSR pared back to one car. With a hideous paint scheme, it was almost inevitable that Glenn was going to have a bad year. And have a bad year, he did. Glenn's driving style was (still is) not suited to the Dunlops, robbing the famed 'Silver Streak' of its once-awesome pace, and forcing it into mind-boggling understeer and oversteer. Topping off a year to forget, Glenn hit the wall at Adelaide hard which forced GSR to bench the car for a few rounds.
It was patently obvious that Glenn needed some luck to come his way, and indeed, right on Christmas, the British company, Prodrive agreed terms to purchase GSR and its assets, making Glenn a wealthy man, and giving him a much-needed lifeline.
2003 would be an okayish year, with Glenn finishing second at Bathurst alongside Craig Lowndes. It was becoming apparent towards the end of the year that Glenn was getting the old aggression back, after a few years of 'bus-driving'.
Optimism reigned high for 2004, with a solid run in the championship expected, but FPR sat on its heels during summer, ensuring a disastrous run in the championship for both Glenn and Lowndes. Second at Bathurst was again the highlight, but despite being treated as a no.2 at FPR, Glenn beat Craig Lowndes in the championship, proving his continued strength as a driver.
Glenn joined DJR in a surprising move for 2005. His driving in 2005 has been superb with aggression and consistent results having made this an enjoyable year. The recent rumours have soured a lot of the good memories of this year, and it's sad to mark Glenn Seton's 200th championship start at Symmons Plains on the back of these rumours.
Despite the rumours, Glenn have a happy 200th start. You deserve it! You have done Liverpool proud!
