Muscle Man: David Seldon

David Seldon was never a big name but he enjoyed some pretty good drives and made 12 Great Race starts - without ever having to field his own vehicle. Clearly ‘Seldo’ knew a thing or two about driving - even if Allan Moffat didnt think so...

He wasn’t a star name but David Seldon was a solid and respected Bathurst performer even if he probably wasn’t on Allan Moffat’s Christmas card list...

Sometimes it can be hard to evaluate how good a driver was in his/her career. Did the quality of their machinery atter their ability? Or was the competition below par? In the days where there were few fulltime professionals and plenty of aspiring amateurs or weekend warriors it is even harder. One indicator is how you are rated by your peers, being asked back to drive – without having to bring money – is one way of gauging a driver’s ability.

David Seldon certainly ts into that category. In a career that spanned twenty years he raced at Bathurst twelve times in someone else’s car, albeit some were entered by dealerships that he had a nancial interest in. He was always quick and often unlucky. He never shied away from a stoush and sometimes came off second best, with the scars to prove it!

Seldon sold cars for a living and saw value in the ‘win on Sunday, sell on Monday’ mantra. It certainly was the guiding light when racing Volvos in Improved Production in the 1960s and was still relevant through the Group C era with various European marques and then Group E Series Production in the 1980s. There were diversions, such as two successful seasons racing in the clubman series and even a sports sedan.

He was always there, or there abouts, punching above his weight in class cars, but there was one ‘wouldacoulda-shoulda’ moment, where he felt he was on the cusp of moving to the next level. That was Bathurst 1972, where he believed that he had the fastest Torana GTR XU-1 on the day only to crash out late in the race. The jury may be out on Seldon’s racing skill, but that is not the case with his ability to tell a great story. Read on to learn more about ‘Seldo.’