Two Bowes equals a lifetime achievment.

The name Bowe is synonymous with Tasmanian and Australian motorsport - but before current V8 Supercar star John Bowe, there was Brian, the father of John and a Tassie racing legend all the same.

Brian was the force behind his son's passion and ultimately his success in the sport, and today the ever-thankful son got to repay his dad in a small way.

It all started when John was just 11. He had calculated in his head that his dad's race car at the time, an Elfin Catalina, could reach the magical 100mph at 4600 rpm and was dying to find out if he was right. He pestered his dad to let him go for a drive but of course not telling him what he wanted to achieve.

On that day Brian let his sprightly son go for a drive and his cunning offspring proved that indeed the Elfin reached 100 mph at 4600 rpm. His son also felt what it was like to get a decent scorning for being so stupid.

After being involved in motorsport together for the last forty years, the Bowe's finally got the chance to spend time in the same race car as John took his 73 year old dad for three laps of the Symmons Plains circuit in his 630 hp OzEmail Falcon.

"I was hoping that he wasn't going to have a heart attack", he joked. "Seriously though, this is a lifetime ambition for me. Dad has been an enormous influence in my life, especially my motor racing and it was great to be able to share this with him today.

"The last time we shared something was the purchase of my first race car in 1972. The family had a bit of a relationship with Elfin, so dad and I went halves in an Elfin Formula Vee. It cost us 800 bucks each and that was the true start to my career..

Back in Brian's day, there weren't a lot of purpose built race circuits, so most of the races were held on airfields. Brian, did however, compete at the very first race meeting at Symmons Plains, the venue for this weekend's penultimate round of the 2004 V8 Supercar Championship.

"They [The organisers] have made a fair few improvements to the circuit since I first raced here, it used to be just the track and a dirt paddock area," he said. "I'm delighted that the government has bought the V8's back here. It's good for the sport and good for Tasmania.

"My last race car was a Formula 2 Elfin 600, which I sold to Marcos Ambrose's father, Ross in 1970. It seemed much easier to drive than these V8 Supercars but the power and brakes of these modern race cars are very good."