A Social Evening with Kris Matich, Tuesday 20 February

Join us Tuesday 20 February from 6pm at Ryde-Eastwood Leagues Club for a social dinner featuring our first guest speaker of the year – Kris Matich. Kris is the son of Australian racing legend Frank Matich, and will share some stories of his dad, potentially mentioning:

• Frank being arguably Australia’s first full time professional racing driver
• How Frank managed his roles as team owner, driver, commercial manager, designer and constructor simultaneously
• On top of that he was running a number of businesses and was father to four children, Kris being the eldest
• Frank’s overall approach to motorsport, considering the cars, race wins and events
• Kris observed all this from the pits, where his mother was apparently active in the game as the ‘data recorder’

Of course, Kris may have even more to say in his dad’s honour.

Frank Matich raced a great range of cars from C and D Type Jaguars, was a Formula Junior champion in an Elfin FJ Cosworth, won four sportscar championships in a row, lastly with Repco engines, built Matich F5000s and won a drivers’ championship in 1972. Who remembers seeing an SR3 Matich Sports outside Frank’s servo on Eastern Valley Way, Castle Cove?

Kris himself became a leading Formula Ford driver in Sydney during the late 1980s and will bring memorabilia of Frank’s racing career, of which he is now the custodian, including the Gold Star and Frank’s medal for winning the Australian GP (twice in 1970 and 71).  Frank passed away in 2015 at age 80 years. Vale Frank Matich.

Please join us for a nostalgic evening on Tuesday 20 February from 6pm at Ryde-Eastwood Leagues Club, 117 Ryedale Rd, West Ryde NSW 2114. Dinner will follow in the bistro from about 6:45pm.