| Manufacturer | Ford |
|---|---|
| Team Principal | Tony Longhurst |
| Race Drivers | Tony Longhurst (1995-99) Wayne Park (1995) Steven Ellery (1996-97) Charlie O'Brien (1997) Alan Jones (1998) Geoff Brabham (1998) Adam Macrow (1998-99) |
| Chassis | Falcon EF Falcon EL Falcon AU |
| Debut | 1995 |
Longhurst Racing[1] was an Australian motor racing team that competed in theV8 Supercar series between1995 and1999.
At the end of 1994,Tony Longhurst sold his share inLoGaMo Racing, the team he had established in 1988 withFrank Gardner, to Gardner and Terry Morris. This was driven by Longhurst's desire to remain in theAustralian Touring Car Championship series while his fellow shareholders wanted to compete inSuper Touring.[2]
With the support ofCastrol andFord, Longhurst established a new team on theGold Coast to race in the1995 Australian Touring Car season, with aFord Falcon EF. Longhurst finished in 11th place. He then teamed with Wayne Park to finish 4th at theSandown 500 but the pair could only manage 9th at theBathurst 1000.[3]
In1996, the team expanded to two cars with the addition of a customer Falcon EL forSteven Ellery. Longhurst would again finish in 11th place. He then teamed with Ellery to again finish in 4th place at theSandown 500. The pair then went on to finish 3rd at theBathurst 1000.[4]
In1997, the team again fielded two cars, but a mid-season split with Ellery saw the team return to a one car operation.[5] In1998,Alan Jones joined the team, however it would be round 3 before he debuted while a newFord Falcon EL was built.[6] In1999, the team only ran a single car again, aFord Falcon AU.[7]
At the end of 1999, Longhurst sold the team toBrad Jones Racing and moved toStone Brothers Racing as an employed driver.[8]
Longhurst attempted to re-enter the championship in2005 by purchasing a licence fromTeam Dynamik, resulting in a lengthy legal battle.[9]