JPS Team BMW
| Manufacturer | BMW |
|---|---|
| Team Principal | Frank Gardner |
| Race Drivers |
 Allan Grice Jim Richards Tony Longhurst Neville Crichton
|
| Chassis |
BMW 635 CSi (1981-1986) BMW 323i (1985) BMW 325i (1986) BMW M3 (1987) |
| Debut | 1981 |
| Drivers' Championships | 2 (1985, 1987) |
| Round wins | 12 |
| 1987 position | 2nd (team) |
JPS Team BMW is a former Australian motor racing team that ran from 1981-1987. The team's main focus was touring car racing but also ran in sports sedans and GT cars as well. The team, under the management of former British Touring Car Champion and Formula One racer Frank Gardner, was based in Sydney and completed almost all of their testing at the old Amaroo Park circuit with Gardner himself doing most of the test miles in the various BMW's the team raced.
The team was born out of Allan Grice's Craven Mild Racing which had run Holden Torana's and Holden Commodore's in the mid to late 1970s and into 1980. In 1981 CMR became the factory operation for BMW Australia running a Group C version of the 3.5 litre, 6cyl, BMW 635 CSi. The car would have a new paint scheme as well with the red, white and gold of Craven Mild replaced by the black and gold of John Player & Sons. Over the next seven seasons the sinister looking black BMW's would become one of the most recognisable cars in Australian Touring Car Racing, with the 635 often used in adverts by both BMW Australia and sponsors JPS in the days before the government ban on Tobacco advertising in Australia.
For 1981, Allan Grice was the teams lead driver in the 635 CSi. Grice finished 2nd in the Amaroo Park based AMSCAR Series for cars with a maximum engine capacity of 3.5 litres (which excluded the V8 Commodores and Ford Falcons), and then went on to finish 7th in the crash shortened James Hardie 1000 partnered by British sports car driver David Hobbs. The relationship between Grice and Gardner had deteriorated during their six-year association which led to Gricey's removal from the team at the end of 1981 (most of the animosity was from Gardner allegedly not having a high opinion of Grice's aggressive driving style with Gardner preferring a more sensible approach. However in many ways Grice's style was ahead of its time in Australia). Grice also claimed that Gardner used his influence to steal his long-time backer Craven Mild. Gardner then signed triple Bathurst 1000 winner, New Zealander Jim Richards, who would remain the teams lead driver until Gardner shut down operations at the end of 1987. This also left Grice without a drive and he later admitted he contemplated retirement until he was thrown a lifeline by Re-Car team owner Alan Browne in mid-1982.
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