Barry Seton


Barry Seton,, is an Australian racing driver. He won the Bathurst 500 in 1965 with co-driver Midge Bosworth driving a Ford Cortina GT500. He has competed in the Bathurst 500 22 times, competing every year from 1963 to 1984, and completing the race in fifteen of those. In addition to his outright win in 1965, he won his class at Bathurst in 1976, 1977 and 1980.
Seton, who suffered from Polio as a child, was particularly noted for his mastery of the Ford Capri in the mid-1970s, registering not only the class wins at Bathurst, but also winning the Sun-7 Rothmans 3-Litre Series at Amaroo Park.
For his 21st Bathurst start in 1983, his co-driver was his son, Glenn Seton making the first of so far 25 Great Race starts and who would go on to become a two time ATCC winner. The pair were leading Class B by over a lap when their Ford Capri blew its engine resulting in a DNF.
His last start, in the 1984 James Hardie 1000 was driving a Group A Ford Mustang paired with longtime co-driver Don Smith. The pair finished 20th outright and 3rd in Group A.
He later became known as an engine builder, firstly with the Peter Jackson Nissan Team building their turbocharged engines from 1986 until 1988 before Glenn formed his own team, Glenn Seton Racing in 1989. Seton joined his son and was chief engine builder of the teams Ford Sierra RS500s until the team switched to racing the V8 Ford Falcon in late 1992. Seton also built a number of customer engines mostly for privateer V8 Supercar teams. He left his son's team after 1995 in order to give himself a new challenge and was immediately snapped up by Longhurst Racing as their chief engine builder from 1996.
Bo Seton no longer competes at the top level, but still competes in some historic touring car races with his Historic Touring Car Mk.I Ford Capri as well as building both Capri and Holden Torana engines for various cars in Group 2 of the Touring Car Masters series, including the engine for so Glenn's Group 1 1973 Ford Falcon XB Hardtop.

Career results

Complete Bathurst 500/1000 results

YearTeamCo-DriversCarClassLaps
1963 Herb TaylorMorris 850A112NA7th
1964 Fairfield Motors Pty Ltd Herb TaylorFord Cortina Mk.I GTC1302nd2nd
1965 Fairfield Motors Pty Ltd Midge BosworthFord Cortina Mk.I GT500D1301st1st
1966 B Arentz Barry ArentzMorris Cooper SC1258th8th
1967 C Smith Charlie SmithMorris Cooper SC1276th2nd
1968 Ford Motor Company of Australia Fred GibsonFord XT Falcon GTD11331st11th
1969 Ford Motor Company of Australia Fred GibsonFord XW Falcon GTHOD93DNFDNF
1970 Ford Motor Co of Australia Fred GibsonFord XW Falcon GTHO Phase IIE33DNFDNF
1971 Road & Track Auto Services Fred GibsonFord XY Falcon GTHO Phase IIIE32DNFDNF
1972 Finnie Ford Pty Ltd Herb TaylorFord Escort GT 1600 Mk.IB11615th4th
1973 Ford Australia Fred GibsonFord XA Falcon GT HardtopD17DNFDNF
1974 WH Motors Pty Ltd Don SmithHolden LC Torana GTR2001 – 3000cc56DNFDNF
1975 B Benson Don SmithFord Capri Mk.I GT 3000C13815th3rd
1976 Barry Benson Don SmithFord Capri Mk.I2001cc - 3000cc1568th1st
1977 Amco Pty Limited Don SmithFord Capri Mk.I2001cc – 3000cc1546th1st
1978 Amco Pty Limited Don SmithHolden LX Torana SS A9X HatchbackA1528th8th
1979 Unipart Australia Don SmithHolden LX Torana SS A9X HatchbackA1487th7th
1980 Don Smith Don SmithFord Capri Mk.III2001-3000cc1568th1st
1981 John Goss Racing John GossJaguar XJS8 Cylinder & Over73DNFDNF
1982 Barry Seton Don SmithFord Capri Mk.IIIB14712th2nd
1983 Barry Seton Glenn SetonFord Capri Mk.IIIB134DNFDNF
1984 Nu-Truck Spares Don SmithFord Mustang GTGroup A13620th3rd