Falcon: EF
Round Results:
Round 1 Eastern Creek (Short Circut) - 4th
Round 2 Sandown - 2nd
Round 3 Bathurst (Championship Race) - 6th
Round 4 Symmons Plains - 4th
Round 5 Phillip Island - 2nd
Round 6 Calder Park - 3rd
Round 7 Lakeside - 6th
Round 8 Wanneroo (Barbagello) - 2nd
Round 9 Mallala - 13th
Round 10 Oran Park - 2nd
ENDURANCE ROUNDS - Co Driver: SKIPPY PARSONS
Tickford Sandown 500 - 2nd
AMP Bathurst 1000 - 15th
SPECIAL EVENTS
Albert Park Forumla 1 Circut - 3rd
Surfers Paradise Street Circut - 8th
Pukekohe Pk Raceway - 4th
Wellington Street Circut - 5th
- -
1996 saw the infliction of anti-tobacco advertising, as a result long time GSR sponser Peter Jackson dissappeared along with a sizeable budget to a new outfit put together by former F1 champ Alan Jones the Pack Leader racing team. Glenn withdrew the #35 car and decided on a single car assualt. Such a move today would be seen as unprofessional decision given the value of data gathering.
Luckily for Glenn Seton, Ford Credit stepped in as title sponser of the once powerful team. This marked the first year of a 9 relationship between Glenn and the Ford Motor Company's financial arm.
David "Skippy" Parsons was lined up to partner Glenn for the year, however funding forced David to sit out on the sideline.
Rumoured sponsers for GSR were: Miller Brewing and McDonalds (a minor sponser of GSR in 1995, look closely on the incar video at Bathurst and the golden arches appear). Funnily enough McDonalds was associated again in 2001 as a sponser of Gibson Motorsport, but again failed to provide full support.
Glenn Seton set the fastest qualifying time at the time at Mt. Panorama of 2.10.0003 on the Friday. (A time since eclipsed by Greg Murphy with a 2.06.859 during the 2003 Bathurst 1000 top ten shootout.) Glenn Seton would later claim his second pole position at the Mountain, reaching a record speed of 302 km/h on Conrod Straight. Glenn achieved the feat with his helmet straps flapping in the wind, he recieved a stern reprimand for the incident later from officials.
During the race, the John Sidney developed Windsor V8 developed problems on lap 29 of 161. Strangely enough the other John Sidney powered Falcon, the EF of Max Dumesny and Kerry Baily finished 12th, the highest placed privateer team. And the Barry Seton powered Castrol Falcon of Tony Longhurst and Steve Ellery finished 3rd, after the pairs split over the Bathurst 1000 of the previous year.
However scattered podium appearances assured Glenn of a 3rd in the championship, two spots behind young gun Craig Lowndes from the Holden Racing Team.
