Frank Matich

Frank Matich
NationalityAustralia Australian
Born25 January 1935
Died11 May 2015 (aged 80 years)
Retired1974
Tasman Series
Years active1964-74
TeamsTotal Team
Rothmans Team Matich
Wins5
Best finish2nd in 1970 & 1971 Tasman Series
Previous series
1959, 63-5, 71-72
1961
1962
1964-68
1969-70
Australian Drivers' Champ.

Australian GT Champ.
Australian Formula Junior
Australian Tourist Trophy
Australian Sports Car Chp.
Championship titles
1961
1962
1964
1966
1967
1968
1969
1970
1970
1971
1972
Australian GT Champ.
Australian Formula Junior Chp.
Australian Tourist Trophy
Australian Tourist Trophy
Australian Tourist Trophy
Australian Tourist Trophy
Australian Sports Car Chp.
New Zealand Grand Prix
Australian Grand Prix
Australian Grand Prix
Australian Drivers' Champ.

Francis Anthony Matich (25 January 1935[1] – 11 May 2015) was an Australian racing car driver. A highly successful motor racing competitor in the 1960s and 1970s, Matich built his own range of Matich sports cars and open wheel cars, mainly to support his own career, but some cars found success with other drivers. In these and other makes he won five Tasman Series races, two Australian Grands Prix, the 1972 Australian Drivers' Championship and a number of other Australian motor racing titles.[2]

In April 1970, Frank Matich was appointed as a Director of Lambretta (Australasia) Pty Ltd, and was to assemble McLaren racing cars in the Lambretta site in Artarmon, Sydney.[3]

Matich, who suffered major electrical burns in a boating accident in 1973, retired from racing in 1974 in order to spend more time with his family and his business. His son Kris Matich became a leading Formula Ford driver in Sydney during the late 1980s.[4]

  1. ^ C. Max Stahl, Sydney Morning Herald, 27 July 2015, page 28
  2. ^ Woods, Bill (29 September 2004). Legends Of Speed. Harper Collins Publishers. Archived from the original on 15 September 2007. Retrieved 21 March 2007.
  3. ^ "Lambretta (Australasia) Pty Ltd News letter April 1970". April 1970.[permanent dead link]
  4. ^ Phil Branagan (12 May 2015). "Obituary: Frank Matich 1935-2015". AUTOSPORT.com.