Falcon: EL
Round Results:
Round 1 Calder Park - 2nd
Round 2 Phillip Island - 5th
Round 3 Sandown - 1st
Round 4 Symmons Plains - 3rd
Round 5 Winton - 3rd
Round 6 Eastern Creek - 1st
Round 7 Lakeside - 9th
Round 8 Waneroo (Barbagallo) - 7th
Round 9 Mallala - 3rd
Round 10 Oran Park - 2nd
ENDURANCE ROUNDS - Co Driver: SKIPPY PARSONS
Tickford Sandown 500 - 11th
AMP Bathurst 1000 - DNF
SPECIAL EVENTS
Albert Park Forumla 1 Circut - 13th
Surfers Paradise Street Circut - DNS
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One year had passed and GSR was out to prove something. Craig Lowndes the rookie sensation had wrapped up 1996 with a championship win, 1997 saw Graig dissappear to Europe in a ill fated Tom Walkinshaw attempt to race F3000. With Craig gone, Glenn had a score to settle with John Bowe who at the time was the last Ford driver to win a championship.
Calder Park netted Glenn a race win and a duel with Wayne Gardner with two races held under lights.
Phillip Island again gave Glenn a solid points haul but was stopped short when his engine gave out at the beginning of race 3. Good news for the Perkins crew with a one two round finish, Larry and Russell Ingall would however not repeat the feat. The round was punctuated with a nightmare crash involving HRT's Greg Murphy, a burst Bridgestone tyre forced the Commodore to leave the circut at great speed finally being arrested by a earth wall. Thanks to the leaps and bounds in racing safety Greg was able to walk away from the accident.
Sandown saw Glenn battle John Bowe for the majority of the race only to see Glenn finish up with a clean sweep of race wins.
Difficult conditions at Symmons Plains saw Peter Brock shine in one of his final drives that year, winning race one. Team mate Greg Murphy scored a round win tkaing out races two and three.
No big suprises this round at Winton with a solid points haul for Glenn.
A very solid weekend not only for Glenn but for Ford. Black flagged for jumping the start Mark Skaife was forced to relinquish his early lead. Glenn took out both first and second races, in the third race Bowe lead for the majority, however in the closing laps Glenn made a dive under brakes for the win. Funnily enough if Seton stayed where he was, he'd have still won the round.
Ford had a clean sweep of the podium as well, with Dick Johnson rounding it out. This was the last all Ford podium until Eastern Creek 2003 where Marcos Ambrose, Craig Lowndes and Russell Ingall cemented the reputation of the BA as a Falcon that was finally able to match the Commodore performance wise.
Given the circumtances the weekends result was good at Lakeside, the GSR Falcon clouting a earth wall with some major force added some competition in the top echelon of the championship. It was revealed that Seton's foot slipped off the brake and onto the accelerator. Though he walked away with the first win of the day.
Barbagallo was not favoured by the GSR Falcon and Glenn was forced home in 7th position.
Oran Park was the final championship round for retiring legend Peter Brock, it was looking like a round win for the Bathurst master but it didn't end up in his favour, nor did it with Alan Jones with a great car for a change challenging the front runners only finishing with a motor problems. Glenn's closest rival for the championship Russell Ingall bowed out with an accident with ended his weekend and poor performance from John Bowe cemented a final championship win for the Baby Faced Assassin.
1997 also marked the first year of being telecast on Channel 10 and Tony Cochrane emerged as someone with the vision of expanding the series. 1997 was the first step in the rapidly changing world of Australian Touring Car racing.
