INTO his 19th season in the Repco Supercars Championship, Tim Edwards is well known as the man calling the shots at stalwart Ford squad Tickford Racing.
What’s not so well known is his family’s Great Race history.
John Edwards, Tim’s father, raced in the second and third editions of the event’s history, back when it was known as the Armstrong 500.
Those came in 1961 and 1962 at Phillip Island.
Edwards Sr placed seventh in Class D in ’61, driving a Viscount Motors Pty Ltd Ford Anglia.
The following year he was further towards the front, sharing an XL Falcon with Alan Caelli and John Bodinnar in Class B.
The privateer trio placed third in class – behind two factory-backed Fords (the first of those was driven by Harry Firth and Bob Jane) – and fourth of all cars.
Edwards Jr opened up via the V8 Sleuth Podcast about his father’s role in sparking his own interest in motorsport.
“Prior to my birth, my Dad used to race,” he said.
“He retired from racing when his first child came along: me.
“But then as I grew up we would go to Sandown. That was sort of the place that we frequented.
“I can’t even remember going to Phillip Island but we used to go to Sandown regularly and that’s where my interest in motorsport came from.
“I never raced four wheels myself, when I was a kid I raced motocross so I was more of a two-wheel man and I still am today, I love my motorbikes.”
Edwards went on to oversee Great Race wins for Tickford Racing in 2013 (Mark Winterbottom/Steve Richards) and 2014 (Chaz Mostert/Paul Morris).
In the podcast, he also revealed a figurehead of a current rival team as being one of his childhood heroes.
“I do remember when I was about 18 years old and my parents moved to Queensland, I ended up renting a house with some mates and the framed picture I had on my wall was Dick Johnson,” he recalled.
In Part 1 of the episode, released yesterday, Edwards discusses his journey into international motorsport and Formula 1, his dealings with the likes of Michael Schumacher and Eddie Jordan, his experience at the infamous 1994 San Marino Grand Prix, and much more.
