Racing Career
Though Grice did race, and win, for Holden factory teams in ATCC (most famously in the Bathurst 1000 in 1990), he spent much of his career as a privateer racing in a Holden against the Holden works teams (typically driven by Peter Brock).
Early in his career, Grice was the first racing driver to race the iconic Holden Torana LH SLR/5000 V8 (though he raced the road-version, L31, not the race-bred, Bathurst winning version, L34).
In 1974 Grice began driving for the Craven Mild Racing team and the following year he won a number of rounds in the Australian Touring Car Championship in his L34 Torana. 1978 saw Grice break through with a placing in the Bathurst 1000 when he came second behind Peter Brock in a Craven Mild Racing Holden Torana LX A9X SS Hatchback.
Allan Grice was the winner of the 1978 and 1979 Australian Sports Sedan Championship's driving Frank Gardner's Chevrolet Corvair. In 1980 the Craven Mild team began driving a BMW 318i Turbo in the Sports Sedan series, first in his usual Craven Mild colours, but later in the black and gold of the JPS Team BMW. Grice had little success with the car, constantly battling its handling which wasn't up to the power of the turbocharged engine. Grice's relationship with team manager Gardner had also deteriorated by this time, resulting in his sacking from the JPS team at the end of 1981.
After contemplating giving away racing, with no prospects of a competitive drive, Grice was thrown a lifeline by Re-Car owner Alan Brown. Grice was listed to drive with Browne at Bathurst in 1982 and Grice qualified fastest in the teams Holden VH Commodore. He and Browne would go on to finish second after a blisteringly fast duel with the similar Commodore of Peter Brock in the early laps. The following year Grice finished third at Bathurst in a STP sponsored Commodore shared with Colin Bond.
Allan Grice holds the distinction of winning the last ever ATCC race held under CAMS locally developed Group C rules when he won the final race of the 1984 ATCC at the Adelaide International Raceway. In a closely fought race, Grice finished less than one second in front of Brock's HDT Commodore, with series champion Dick Johnson 3rd in his Ford Falcon, less than a second behind Brock.
Grice then went on to easily win the 1984 Australian GT Championship driving the ex-Bob Jane Chevrolet Monza. In late 1984 Grice was joined by fellow touring car star Dick Johnson and driver/engineer Ron Harrop, when they contested the 1000km of Sandown as part of the 1984 World Endurance Championship, in the Monza. The race was the first ever World Championship road race held in Australia. Running in the special "AC Class" (for cars in the Australian GT and Sports Car championships), Grice qualified the car 18th, but they were eventually disqualified from the race for receiving outside assistance.
During 1984 Grice also competed in the 24 Hours of Le Mans. Driving a Charles Ivey Racing prepared Porsche 956, with co-drivers Alain de Cadenet and Chris Craft, the car was qualified 32nd, but was a DNF with engine failure after 274 laps.
Though best remembered for his endurance race feats, Grice was a very fast driver. Driving as a privateer, he was the first driver to record a 100 mph laps around Bathurst in both a Group C car 1982 and in a Group A car 1986 (that time on his way to winning Bathurst).
In 1987 Grice became the first Australian driver to qualify for NASCAR's Coca-Cola 600 at the Charlotte Motor Speedway. Gricey was also prominent in the early NASCAR races held in Australia, held in 1988 at the then new, A$54 million Calder Park Thunderdome owned by former racer and prominent businessman Bob Jane.
In 1988, thanks to his friendship with his 1987 James Hardie 1000 co-driver Win Percy, Grice was drafted into the Nissan Motorsport Europe team for the European Touring Car Championship, driving a Nissan Skyline HR31 GTS-R. Percey, Grice, and Swedish driver Anders Olofsson, drove the car to 6th outright in the 1988 Spa 24 Hours. The Nissan Europe team was managed by former Ford Works Team and later Nissan Australia team boss from the Australian Group C days, Howard Marsden.
Grice ended his career having won 10 rounds in the Australian Touring Car Championship (equal 12th on list of round winners).
Allan Grice was also the winner of the 1991 James Hardie 12 Hour held at Bathurst.
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