Garry Rogers

29/7/1945

Record updated 29-Jul-06

Garry left school at the age of 15 to become an apprentice motor mechanic at Neals Motor Truck Sales in Ingles Street Port Melbourne.  This was the beginning of a life long involvement in the motor vehicle industry that would see Garry become one of the country's most respected car dealers and motorsport identities.

Garry's first racing car was a 1948 Series Holden that was road registered (OL 606) that he used to drive to school.  He used to tinker with it as often as possible and spent all his pocket money getting it ready to race.

He took it to Winton for the first time in 1962 and won his very first race in the car storming through the field to win the last race of the day.

Through the sixties, Garry raced almost every second month on tracks that became his second home like Winton, Calder, Sandown, Hume Weir, Oran Park and Phillip Island.

He raced against the likes of Peter Marchiori, Charlie Occupinti, Norm Gown, Bruce Hindaugh, Midge Bosworth, Brian Muir and Graham Ryan.

Garry did most of the mechanical work on his own cars although he was helped by Russell Brown, Alan Bumpstead and Colin Bickley - all mates of his from Coffeys.

The greatest memory in Garry's early racing days was the fun that he had with so many different people.  It was the sleeping in sleeping bags at race meetings, the spare parts in the boot of the car, the tool box, the bag of rags and the partying that went on after a good day's racing.

Then he went back to work the next day!

Garry would prepare his cars from a workshop in his home.  He'd rush home at lunchtime to do a bit and then late into the nights.  He also did his testing in the neighbourhood - racing around the block!

His favourite early race car was his 1969 EH Holden.  This car gave him great success but it also met an untimely ending at Sandown.  It burst a brake drum and hit the causeway landing in the dam where it sank.  Garry escaped unscathed but the car was never the same again.

Garry continued to race successfully into the late nineties and established Garry Rogers Motorsport which has enjoyed considerable success in more than ten categories of Australian motorsport.