Jason Bargwanna


Jason Bargwanna is an Australian motor racing driver. Best known as a Supercars Championship competitor, Bargwanna raced in the series for 15 years, the pinnacle of which was winning, with Garth Tander, the 2000 Bathurst 1000 in a Garry Rogers Motorsport prepared Holden Commodore VT. Bargwanna was the Driving Standards Observer for the Supercars Championship from 2014 until 2016 and on the Karting Australia Events and Sporting Committee.

Career history

Bargwanna commenced his racing career in the late 1980s, initially competing in the Formula Vee category. He made his Bathurst 1000 début while still a teenager in 1990 and won the 1992 Bathurst 1600 cc class at 20, with his cousin Scott, however a lack of funding limited his motor sport participation for the next few seasons and he pursued a career in the financial sector.
His career finally started to move forward in 1995, racing in the Australian Formula Ford Championship. He impressed in his seven-year-old Reynard, racing against younger drivers with the latest cars from Van Diemen and Swift and against drivers of the caliber of Jason Bright and Mark Webber. His 1995 showing allowed him to attract the budget to run a campaign with late model equipment in 1996 and he finished second in the championship to Van Diemen's factory supported driver, David Besnard. He also represented Australia in the EFDA Nations Cup in both 1995 and 1996. A move to Formula Holden resulted in second place in the 1997 Australian Drivers' Championship with SH Racing.

V8 Supercars

As a member of the Holden Young Lions V8 Supercar program in 1997, he surprised many by taking provisional pole position in the #97 Holden Commodore at the Bathurst 1000 Classic only to damage the car beyond repair in a race day warm up accident. His career further advanced in 1998 with a move full-time to Garry Rogers Motorsport, where he stayed for five years. Bargwanna is best known for winning the 2000 Bathurst 1000 with Garth Tander for that team. He also scored two round wins at the Winton event in 1999 and 2000 and at the inaugural championship round supporting the Gold Coast Indy 300, the V8 Supercar Challenge, in 2002.
In 2003, Bargwanna switched to Ford and drove for Larkham Motor Sport from 2003 to 2005. In 2006, Larkham Motor Sport merged with WPS Racing, the team folding immediately prior to the 2008 season and leaving Bargwanna without a full-time drive. He did however co-drove a Holden Commodore VE for Rod Nash Racing alongside Tony D'Alberto in the 2008 Phillip Island 500 and the Bathurst 1000 endurance races.
Bargwanna joined Tasman Motorsport for 2009 and, following the closure of that team at the end of the season, he joined Kelly Racing for 2010. He was also voted in the top 50 all time Australian Touring car drivers in 2010.
In 2011 Bargwanna drove a Brad Jones Racing Commodore alongside his junior open-wheel rival, Jason Bright.
In 2014, Bargwanna was appointed as the Driver Standards Observer for the Supercars Championship. Bargwanna left the post at the end of 2016.

New Zealand V8

In late 2011, Bargwanna left the V8 Supercars Australia and joined the New Zealand V8. He resulted runner-up in the 2011/12 season behind Angus Fogg, collecting a round win and podiums in the six rounds driving a Tulloch Ford Falcon. The team switched to a Holden Commodore for the 2013 season. The driver won nine out of 15 races and got the TLX title.

Personal life

Bargwanna is married to former Peter Brock employee Debbie has two children Jake and Ben and lives in Warragul, Victoria. His father, Harry Bargwanna, himself an Australian champion racing driver, owns and operates a mechanical repair shop in the Southern Sydney suburb of Engadine. His uncle Alf and cousin Scott are also national level race drivers. Bargwanna attended Heathcote High School in Sydney. Bargwanna owns two Red Rooster franchises in Hastings and Pakenham, Victoria.

Career results

SeasonSeriesPositionCarTeam
1994Australian Formula Ford Championship18thReynard FF88 FordUgly Kid Racing
1995Australian Formula Ford Championship9thReynard FF88 FordUgly Kid Racing
1995EFDA Nations Cup11th †Van Diemen – OpelTeam Australia
1996Australian Formula Ford Championship2ndSpectrum 05c FordTeam Arrow
1996EFDA Nations Cup8th †Van Diemen – OpelTeam Australia
1997Australian Drivers' Championship2ndReynard 92D HoldenSH Racing
1998Australian Touring Car Championship7thHolden VS CommodoreGarry Rogers Motorsport
1999Shell Championship Series11thHolden VT CommodoreGarry Rogers Motorsport
2000Shell Championship Series7thHolden VT CommodoreGarry Rogers Motorsport
2001Shell Championship Series15thHolden VX CommodoreGarry Rogers Motorsport
2002V8 Supercar Championship Series13thHolden VX CommodoreGarry Rogers Motorsport
2003V8 Supercar Championship Series14thFord AU Falcon
Ford BA Falcon		Larkham Motor Sport
2004V8 Supercar Championship Series8thFord BA FalconLarkham Motor Sport
2005V8 Supercar Championship Series26thFord BA FalconLarkham Motor Sport
2006V8 Supercar Championship Series14thFord BA FalconWPS Racing
2007V8 Supercar Championship Series18thFord BF FalconWPS Racing
2008Australian Mini Challenge4thMini CooperBargwanna Motorsport
2008V8 Supercar Championship Series61stHolden VE CommodoreTony D'Alberto Racing
2009V8 Supercar Championship Series25thHolden VE CommodoreTasman Motorsport
2010V8 Supercar Championship Series24thHolden VE CommodoreKelly Racing
2010-11New Zealand V8 Touring Cars11thFord BA FalconTulloch Motorsport
2011International V8 Supercars Championship22ndHolden VE CommodoreBrad Jones Racing
2011-12New Zealand V8 Touring Cars2ndFord BA FalconTulloch Motorsport
2013New Zealand V8 Touring Cars - TLX Class1stHolden VE CommodoreTulloch Motorsport
2013–14New Zealand V8 Touring Cars - TLX Class2ndToyota CamryRichards Team Motorsport
2014–15New Zealand V8 Touring Cars - TLX Class1stToyota CamryRichards Team Motorsport
2015–16New Zealand Touring Cars - Class one4thToyota CamryRichards Team Motorsport
2016–17New Zealand Touring Cars - Class one3rdFord FG Falcon
Toyota Camry		Richards Team Motorsport
2017–18New Zealand Touring Cars - Class one2ndToyota CamryRichards Team Motorsport

† team result

Complete Bathurst 1000 results

Complete Bathurst 12 Hour results