Eighties decadence
The 1980s would see Stewart graduate to the outright class where he would be mixing with the biggest names in the game.
Prominent Sydney privateer Steve Masterton expanded his Capri team to two cars in 1980 and enlisted frontline racer Colin Bond to steer the second car. Come Bathurst, Masterton and Bond teamed up and enlisted Stewart and Cam Worner to steer the second car. Stewart found his feet with the young Masterton team.
“They were very professional,” he recalls. “There was never any issue about spending money.” Still, Stewart was very much aware he was in the second car.
“We were coming second in class when I handed over to Worner. He did six laps before coming in saying he couldn’t drive it. It had broken an axle but there were no spares. I said to Jim (Masterton, team owner) let me get out there and see what it was like. With a solid diff and broken axle it was only driving one wheel. It always wanted to turn the other way. I drove 60 laps like that. I didn’t want a DNF, I just drove to nish.”
Masterton was impressed and as a result Stewart found himself co-driving with Masterton – for the next ve Bathurst 1000s! In 1981 the duo had an uneventful run in the shortened race, nishing 11th outright. This was the last outing in the Capri; from hereon in Stewart would steer Masterton’s XE Falcon.
The Masterton Falcon promised much but ultimately delivered little in the endurance races over its three frontline seasons. From a Bathurst perspective, the best year was 1982, the year when American racing legend Carroll Smith oversaw their campaign. Masterton and Stewart nished seventh outright.
“We had no major problems in the race, but Carroll couldn’t work out what was wrong with the
car. The rear end was steering it and it was not comfortable to drive fast. It turned out the Watts-linkage (that was new for the XE) was incorrectly set up by the factory on the road cars. In a right-hand turn the diff would rollsteer to the left. It kept us on our toes!”
In 1983 and 1984, Stewart wouldn’t get to drive in either Bathurst 1000 race. In 1983 the Falcon succumbed to overheating after 17 laps and in 1984 Masterton crashed after a mere 16 laps. Thirty-three years on it still rankles Stewart.
“That Falcon was the best car I ever drove at Bathurst. It was really quick. Steve was right up there at the time and had all day to pass lapped traffic, but he was impatient that year. It was the really good result that got away…”
As for Bathurst 1985 and the Masterton VK Commodore, the less said the better. Qualifying stone-motherless-last, the car circulated slowly during the race and completed insufficient laps to be classi ed.