Bowe inducted into Australian Motor Sport Hall of Fame

The two-time Bathurst 1000 winner and 1995 Australian Touring Car Champion will be formally inducted into the HoF during a Gala event on the Friday night of the Australian Grand Prix in March.

He joins fellow Aussie Touring Car stars Harry Firth, Bob Jane, Peter Brock, former team boss Dick Johnson, and Allan Moffat on the honour role, and is the second advance inductee for this year following the announcement of Mark Webber's induction back in December.

“To be honest, I am slightly overwhelmed,” said Bowe.

“When you are 35 [years old] awards mean nothing, but to be recognised by the industry and your peers at this stage of my career is really very humbling.

“It has certainly been a great journey since I started racing a Formula Vee at Baskerville in Tasmania at the age of 15.

“I was proud to be included in the Supercars Hall of Fame, but to be recognised alongside the greatest this country has produced across all facets of the sport in the Australian Motor Sport Hall of Fame is something else.

“I have turned plenty of laps since those Baskerville days, but I still have a desire to be out there racing and being as competitive as possible.

“I am honoured to be included in this year’s list of inductees along with Mark Webber and I look forward to seeing the remaining 18 recipients awarded on the night, which really has become one of the highlights on the Australian motorsport calendar.”

Bowe is best-known for an 11-year stint at Dick Johnson Racing, which yielded two Bathurst 1000 wins – one in a Group A Sierra in 1989 and another in a V8-powered Falcon in 1994 – and the '95 ATCC title.

The Tasmanian also enjoyed a five-year stint at Brad Jones Racing, before retiring from Supercars at the end of 2007 after a season with the single-car Paul Cruickshank Racing outfit.

Bowe also has a pair of Australian Driver's Championship titles to his name (1984 and 1985), as well as two Bathurst 12 Hour wins.

He is currently one of the front-runners in the popular Touring Car Masters series in Australia.

“John Bowe has been one of the real achievers in Australian motorsport and his passion is obvious when you consider that he is still racing and winning on race tracks around the country,” said HoF chairman Garry Connelly.

“Not only has JB always been fast, but his ability to adapt to such a vast array of machinery has been one of his great skills."