Falcon Man’s Commodore Plunge

Australian Manufacturers Championship regular and Production Car specialist Chris Delfsma will forsake his Century 21 Ford Falcon BF XR8 race car in favour of a Holden Commodore at Winton Raceway this weekend. The 2008 Class B winner is suiting up to co-drive a Commodore Cup car in the two one hour endurances races at the rural Victorian race track, teaming up with series regular Denis Pana.

The married (to Renee) Real Estate Office proprietor from Hazelbrook in the Blue Mountains of New South Wales is overjoyed at his first opportunity to race outside his usual Australian Production Car category. “I have never been to Winton and I have only had one test in the Holden,” he said. “But that was a good workout for me and I finished the session right on the times Denis was circulating in.”

After some go karting in his youth, Delfsma only seriously became involved in motor racing in 2006 where he raced a Falcon XR8 in the Australian Production Car Championship. The campaign came to an abrupt halt at Symmons Plains when brake failure caused a huge accident that made the tabloids’ front page across Tasmania.

Unhurt and unnerved Delfsma was back in 2007 with a new car and new resolve, taking second in class for the season before going one better the following year where he also gain outright podium results at Symmons Plains and Sandown in Victoria.

The highlight of ’07 would have been teaming up with Australian Touring Car Champion and Bathurst 1000 winner John Bowe, and Rugby League star come V8 Ute Racing star Jack Elsegood, in the rebirth of the Bathurst 12 Hour. The trio won their class and finished ninth outright in the Falcon.

The Ford was plagued with mechanicals at the same event a year later and with the talented Paul Stubber instead of Elsegood battled through to finish 24th overall. For this year’s third attempt on the 12 Hour Delfsma joined the Wilson Brothers Racing squad to co drive one of their three Subaru Impreza WRXs, putting in an impressive stint that lifted his car eleven places to 13th before one of his team mates crashed out.

Having previously worked five years with Sinclair Ford, there is a lot of blue blood running through Delfsma’s veins. “I grew up in a Ford family and with my dad being a car restorer of such things as single spinner utes, Customlines and XW Falcons, it sort of gets passed down to you – I am currently working on an XP ute with a 289 V8 engine fitted in it,” he said.

“I have never been much for open wheeler type racing but my kids will be in karts and Formula Ford before their feet can touch the peddles,” he added. “Personally I have a hankering to try the Utes or even the Development Series – but that will mean putting a lot of things into place first – and this weekend’s enduros could well be the first step.”
 

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