Bathurst 1000
Encyclopedia
The Bathurst 1000 is a 1000 kilometres (621.4 mi) touring car
race held annually at Mount Panorama Circuit
in Bathurst, New South Wales
, Australia
. The race was traditionally run on the first Sunday in October but in recent years has been held on the second Sunday; the 2012 V8 Supercars race calendar returns the race to its traditional first Sunday of the month. The race traces its lineage to the 1960 Armstrong 500
. Since then 52 races have taken place under the combined history of two events at two venues in two states. It is known among fans and broadcasters as "The Great Race", and is widely regarded as the pinnacle of Australian motorsport. Since 2000, the race has been run exclusively for V8 Supercar
s and is now a round of the V8 Supercar Championship Series.
The race winners receive the Peter Brock Trophy which was introduced at the 2006 race in honour of deceased nine-time Bathurst winner Peter Brock
, most successful driver in the history of the race.
The race has a long and colourful history, having been conducted for numerous categories such as Series Production
, Group C
, Group A
, Super Touring and currently V8 Supercar
category.
Although the Bathurst 1000 is today run by just two marques, Ford
and Holden
, makes as diverse as Morris
, Jaguar
, BMW
, Nissan
and Volvo
have also tasted success at "The Mountain". Holden has the most victories at Bathurst with 25 wins, while Ford has 17 (or 18 if including the victory from the 1962 Phillip Island event).
over 500 miles (804.7 km) to determine which car had the best combination of speed, performance and reliability. It was also a tool for Armstrong to promote its products such as shock absorbers. Entry was limited to standard, unmodified production saloons built or assembled in Australia. The race was won by Frank Coad and John Roxburgh in a Vauxhall Cresta
, the only Vauxhall in a field of 45 cars.
In 1963, the race moved to the 6.2 kilometres (3.9 mi) Mount Panorama track at Bathurst
in New South Wales
(Australia), after the Phillip Island track’s surface had broken up and became unsuitable for safe production car racing after only just three years. However the production car endurance event now held at Bathurst kept the Armstrong 500 name. The race's popularity grew rapidly, as it became a means for car manufacturers to showcase their products as the cars on the track, which according to the rules, the cars that were raced had to be and thus were identical to those available in the showrooms of Australia. The first years on Mount Panorama were dominated by small cars, such as the Ford Cortina GT 500 and Mini Cooper.
In 1967 the rules of the race were changed to include a minimum number of pit stops. This rule took away the advantage of being economical on brakes and fuel that favoured the smaller cars and seemed designed to favour the larger Fords and Holdens as everyone had to have as least as many pitstops as the minimum number required by the big cars. The big engines were faster in a straight line but the Minis handled the corners brilliantly and went all day on a tank of gas. Later Ford's development and introduction of the 289 cubic inch V8 Ford Falcon GT
signaled the end of these small cars as outright contenders. The V8 Falcon claimed a surprise victory against the smaller Alfa GTVs and Mini Coopers, as the Falcon GT was unproven and the Alfas were picking up from where the Minis left off, with the new GTV highly regarded as the new emerging force in touring cars. The Falcon GT won however due to the fact that the GT's V8 power was well suited to and second to none on Mount Panorama, particularly on its long uphill and downhill straights. This led to the birth of the widely accepted adage stating that "there is no substitute for cubic inches on the Mountain", which would become synonymous and change the face of racing at Bathurst forever.
The popularity of the race continued to grow so rapidly during the 1960s that by 1966 most major manufacturers operating in the Australian market became heavily involved in what became known as "the Great Race". This is because an outright win in the long and tough race would add great credibility to the car and its brand, especially in proving the winning car-brand offered the best overall package in terms of performance, durability, reliability and image. This proved to be a great marketing opportunity to increase sales and market share in the local market, and so the famous "Win on Sunday, Sell on Monday" concept was born. Notably, it was during this period that the famous Holden-Ford-Chrysler rivalry originated. This Series Production battleground between the "Big Three" was fought at Bathurst, and soon spawned the introduction and development of Australia's most famous muscle cars which became affectingly known as "Bathurst specials". These included Ford's Falcon GT and later GT-HO, Holden's Monaro and Torana, and Chrysler’s Pacer and Charger models.
In 1966 and 67 a tobacco company sponsored and gave their name to the "Gallaher
500", then in 1968, sponsorship was taken over by a brake part manufacturer and the Hardie-Ferodo
(H-F) 500 name was coined. In response to Ford's successful 1967 Bathurst victory in a V8-powered Falcon GT, Holden entered the all new Monaro GTS. It was based on the HK-model four-door Kingswood family car of the time, yet was developed as a high-performance two-door, V8 coupe' that was fun and affordable to drive, whilst being engineered with the ability to win Bathurst. The Bathurst-bound Monaro GTS 327 had a 327 cubic inch Chevrolet-sourced V8 (as the 'GTS 327' name implies) which enabled the new hi-po coupe' to outperform the updated yet comparatively smaller engined 302 cubic inch Falcon GTs, and in the process the Monaro claimed a popular maiden victory on its debut as well as Holden's first ever Bathurst win.
For the following year, the 1969 H-F 500 saw the first of the three Ford Falcon GT-HOs. This Phase One GT-HO Bathurst special Falcon was powered with a 351 cubic inch V8 sourced from FoMoCo in the US, and with its 'HO' option included upgraded suspension and handling including front/rear stabiliser bars and special race tyres. Holden on the other hand upgraded the GTS 327 Monaro to the GTS 350, which included better race-style handling and a more powerful Chevrolet V8 engine of 350 cubic inches. The new GTS 350 Monaro, at the hands of Colin Bond, was once again able to hold out Ford to claim another famous victory for Holden
, after the Phase One's special tyres failed under the Falcon's heavy weight and great V8 power.
The 1969 race also saw the debut of Peter Brock, who would soon forge his own piece of history in the Great Race as 'King of the Mountain'. Brock and Bond were drivers for the Holden Dealer Team (HDT), which had been formed earlier in the year to take the fight to the factory Ford Special Vehicles division that was turning out the ever-evolving, race-ready GT-HO Falcons. The 'Old Fox' Harry Firth was the head of the HDT and would prove to be just as much as a thorn in Ford's side as he had been the founding father for Ford's Bathurst-bred Cortina/Falcon program.
1970 saw a change of pace as Holden decided to retire the well-proven V8 powered Monaro in favour of the smaller and more nimble Torana
GTR XU-1, which was a specially developed Bathurst version of the new and popular six-cylinder LC Torana mid-size car. Rather than continue the V8-power war with Ford, Holden adopted a more scientific and viable approach that would prove to be safer, cheaper and just as effective and fast as the GT-HO V8 steam roller. With triple carburetors and excellent power-to-weight ratio, the new Torana XU-1 was designed to be easier on brakes, tyres and fuel to enable it to minimise its required pit stops, whilst also having superior handling and braking to outperform the big and thirsty V8 Falcon GT-HOs. However, Ford refined the GT-HO to Phase Two specification, which included an even more powerful and better breathing 351 V8 and better-suited tyres. With so much power and torque, the GT-HO further proved the old "there is no substitute for cubic inches on the Mountain" saying by winning the 1970 H-F 500 as the small yet mighty Torana just could not compensate for the major power advantage that the Phase Two's had on the Bathurst straights.
The 1971 was a repeat Ford victory, which notably included the GT-HO development program had reached its peak with the XY-model Falcon GT
-HO Phase Three with further upgrades to engine power and aerodynamics, which proved to be the world’s fastest four-door production car. Chrysler also introduced its racy new two-door Charger to raise the stakes in the Great Race, and was powered by a triple Weber-carburetored 265ci inline HEMI six similar to the engine layout of the Torana XU-1. The Charger however was Australia’s fastest accelerating car at the time.
1972 was the ‘year of pressure’. For one, the media-driven “Supercar Scare” had accumulated enough political pressure to force Holden to postpone its introduction of the new V8 Torana by two years. Ford abandoned its newly developed Phase Four GT-HO based on the new XA-model Falcon, while Chrysler also followed suit with its V8-powered Charger. Secondly, the 1972 H-F 500 was the first Great Race to be run in wet weather. Allan Moffat, who had won the H-F 500 the previous two years in a row, was unable to withstand the immense pressure placed on him by Brock in his XU-1, in which the Torana proved more than a match for the ultimate Phase Three GT-HO in the atrocious conditions. Moffat, unable to fully exploit the Phase Three’s V8 power, spun early in the race (and suffered 2 one minute penalties for starting the engine while refueling) after being challenged furiously by Brock’s superbly-handling XU-1, and never really recovered. Brock meanwhile was able to hold off the Phase Three GT-HO of John French and the E49 Charger of Doug Chivas to win the 1972 H-F 500, thus dispelling the ‘no substitute for cubic inches’ theory as a myth. At the wheel of the new, upgraded LJ-model Torana GTR XU-1, Peter Brock had successfully exploited the car to its maximum effect to claim a victory significant for a number of reasons, the first being that it proved to be Brock’s first of nine Bathurst wins which would enable him to become the “King of the Mountain” and become known as “Peter Perfect”. It also signalled the first Bathurst victory for a six-cylinder engined car, an achievement that would not be repeated until the maiden win of the Nissan Skyline GT-R ‘Godzilla’ much later in 1991. Finally, it also began the Torana legend which would enable this innovative and unique muscle car to become one of Australia’s most successful touring cars ever.
. That same year, a new rule was implemented allowing modifications to be made to the cars, which meant that the Series Production racing category became replaced by the new Group C
category. Holden and Chrysler entered their XU-1 and Charger respectively, while Ford entered its new XA-model two-door, hard-top Ford Falcon
GT. This was not a GT-HO Phase Four officially, yet most hard-top GTs that raced incorporated many of the Phase Four’s components such as the specially built four-bolt 351 V8 engine. Brock and teammate Chivas were far out front in the lead and on track to score yet another victory for Holden’s ‘pocket rocket’ Torana XU-1, only to be beaten by Moffat’s hard-top GT after Chivas at the wheel of the XU-1 ran out of fuel. This was due to a miscalculation that originated from a broken fuel gauge and the team order to get maximum laps out of the little XU-1 before pitting. The XU-1 came to a halt just before pit straight, with Chivas pushing the XU-1 into the pits unable to be assisted by his pit-crew which under the rules would have resulted in the Brock/Chivas XU-1 being disqualified. By the time the XU-1 was refueled, Moffat had passed the stricken XU-1 and was gaining a sizable lead. After being released from pitlane, Brock set off in hot pursuit of the Moffat's Falcon GT. But Brock’s heroic effort, equal to that of Chivas’ pit-lane adventure, proved too little, too late. Brock’s XU-1 suffered a deflating tyre, thus enabling Moffat to hold on and claim yet another Falcon victory, his third in only four years. 1973 would also be the last competitive appearance for Chrysler, with the marque soon disappearing from the Group C category almost entirely.
For the remainder of the 1970s, Holden’s new 308 cubic inch V8-powered Toranas would score Bathurst victory another four times in 1975–76, and 1978–79, and Ford’s venerable 351 V8-powered Falcon GTs taking out the two remaining Bathurst wins in the rain-soaked 1974 H-F 1000, and its famous 1–2 form finish in 1977. Group C would also see in the new decade, but would soon be replaced by the new International Group A Touring car rules in 1985. Till then, Holden and Ford dominated the Great race and shared victories between them. However, both Australian manufacturers were facing increased foreign competition, notably from the new Mazda RX-7 that was adopted and affectionately raced by Moffat, and Kevin Bartlett's 350 V8 powered Chevrolet Camaro. The turbo powered Nissan Bluebird piloted by George Fury also threatened the V8 'Big Bangers', and signaled a sign of things to come during the soon-to-be-adopted Group A era. During the 1980s the Group C category was dominated by Peter Brock, having scored victories in 1980/82/83/84. Dick Johnson was the only winner for Ford during the 1980s Group C, with a victory in 1981 whilst at the wheel of the all-new XD-model Falcon. Ultimately, Peter Brock would prove to be the ace of the Group C era, by having achieved an incredible two Bathurst hat-tricks (three consecutive Bathurst wins twice) while at the wheel of both the Holden Torana and soon-to-be-released all new Commodore, in 1978–1980 and again in 1982–1984.
touring car rules. Imported turbocharged cars, most notably Ford Sierra RS Cosworth
s and Nissan Skyline GT-R
, dominated the racing during this period, with the Holden Commodore
managing to claim three wins during this era. Under the new Group A rules, local race teams in Australia could now compete against foreign racing teams and cars, both domestically and overseas. Holden-based race teams would continue to develop and race the 304 cubic inch V8-powered Commodore, with the HDT and later the Holden Racing Team (HRT) being at the forefront of the Commodores Group A development and race program. Ford-based teams had almost no factory support from Ford Australia, and without this vital financial and technical assistance, the development program of a competitive Group A Ford Falcon
never eventuated. As a result Ford teams, such as Dick Johnson Racing, quickly switched from V8 Falcon to the US-sourced V8 Mustang
for Group A racing. This was later followed by the adoption of the powerful Cosworth-turbo Ford Sierras, which were race-developed and available directly from Europe.
1985 would be the first year of the Bathurst 1000 being raced under Group A rules. This race was dominated by Tom Walkinshaw Racing
's V12 Jaguar XJ-S, with John Goss
and Armin Hahne
claiming Jaguar's first and only Bathurst win. The following year, the Group A VK-model Commodore V8 of privateer racer Allan Grice claimed the Bathurst honours, after enjoying an exciting racing campaign in Europe, alongside other Commodore drivers Peter Brock and his newly recruited HDT team mate, Allan Moffat.
In 1987, the race was a round of the short-lived World Touring Car Championship
, and competitors in that championship raced against local teams. The resulting culture clash was considerable; local scrutineers, who had been applying the Group A regulations as written, repeatedly disagreed with European teams (notably that of Rudi Eggenberger) and the global organising body (FISA
, the ancestor of the FIA) that were considerably more liberal with their interpretations. With the race run, it was still unclear as to who actually won. Although the Eggenberger's cars finished first and second, they were soon to be disqualified months later due to bodywork irregularities. The race win was eventually awarded to third-placed Peter Brock, who drove two of his VL-model Group A Commodore's in wet conditions to ultimately claim a ninth and final Bathurst victory. During the race, Brock's number '05' HDT Commodore had broken down during the race, and he switched to his back-up number '10' Commodore to finish third behind the two Eggenberger Sierras.
Local Sierra teams dominated and won the next two Bathurst 1000s, in 1988 and 1989. In 1990 however, the Sierras were again looking strong but lost to the HRT Holden Commodore
of Allan Grice and Win Percy. The winning VL-model 'SS Group A SV' Commodore was able to set a fast pace early on in the race which the turbo Sierras could not maintain, due to the high turbo boost pressures that gave the Sierras their power, but resulted in extreme engine heat that hindered engine reliability. The HRT's strategy had claimed a popular and long-awaited Bathurst victory for Holden, after three seasons of Sierra domination.
However a new and much more fierce opponent was awaiting both cars. Also in 1990, Nissan and team manager Fred Gibson
, had previously been running and developing its Skylines
in Australian touring car competition for a few years, and that year introduced its new R32 four-wheel drive
GT-R
. While it suffered from mechanical problems in the 1990 race, the R32 GT-R Skyline went on to win both the 1991 and 1992 races and dominated Group A racing worldwide, earning its nickname 'Godzilla'. With four-wheel-drive, four-wheel-steer, and a powerful turbo 2.6 litre six cylinder engine producing almost 600 hp, the RWD Sierras and Commodores simply could not equal or compensate for the Skyline's superior handling and power output.
The Skyline's 1992 victory was particularly controversial. Already disliked by a section of the parochial Bathurst crowd, who preferred the race to be a contest between the traditional V8 touring car marques of Holden
and Ford, the leading Skyline of Jim Richards
and Mark Skaife
was awarded victory after the race was stopped following a huge rainstorm that caused a number of crashes, including that of the winning car. In the event of a red flag results are declared at the last completed lap. As Richards had been leading the race in that lap his team was declared the winner. This was an unpopular decision with some race fans, who voiced their opinions loudly. Race winners Mark Skaife
and Jim Richards
were met with a large booing crowd on the winner's podium, prompting Richards to proclaim to the crowd "In all my years racing in Australia I've never seen anything like this. You're a pack of arseholes".
, with entry limited to only V8-powered Ford Falcon
s and Holden Commodore
s (with one exception for 1993 only; weight limited normally aspirated Group A cars like the BMW M3
run by the works BMW team run by Tony Longhurst and Frank Gardner. The new set of regulations also featured a second class for 2-litre cars, based on the BTCC's regulations of the time. This class banned turbocharging along with four-wheel-drive, and effectively banned Nissan's GT-R from competition. Almost immediately, Nissan pulled out of Australian motorsport.
In 1994, the 2-litre Super Touring championship split off from the ATCC, though these cars ran at Bathurst that year alongside the V8s, with a top placing of 10th outright for the works BMW of Paul Morris/Altfrid Heger. In 1995, however, due to fears about the speed differences between the V8s and the 2 litre cars, the Bathurst 1000 for the first time in its history became a one-class race, with just 32 Ford and Holden V8s facing the starter in what was at the time the smallest grid in the history of the race. This format continued in 1996.
In 1997, TEGA (who had been awarded the rights to market V8 touring cars by CAMS back in 1994) did a deal with IMG for market the class (newly renamed as V8Supercars). One of the first steps of the new joint venture company (called AVESCO) was to sign a new TV deal with the TEN Network in Australia for a much expanded coverage of the championship over previous years. This was fine for the ATCC races, but the Bathurst 1000, run by the ARDC, had a TV deal with Channel 7 (who had televised the race since in its inception at Bathurst in 1963) going forward into the 21st century. It was a stalemate, Channel 7 were not prepared to lose the race, and AVESCO, with a freshly signed TV deal with the TEN Network which required a Bathurst race to be part of the deal, not prepared to go to Bathurst with TEN.
Despite talks, a resolution was not met, AVESCO announced V8Supercars would not be competing in the traditional Bathurst 1000 held on the October long weekend, leaving the organisers without an entry field for the 1997 race. TOCA Australia filled the void with a 2-litre Super Touring field, featuring a number of British Touring Car Championship
drivers including Alain Menu
, John Cleland
and Rickard Rydell
. The race was won by Paul Morris
and Craig Baird
in a BMW 320i
run by BMW Motorsport Australia, however this team was disqualified as Baird had violated a race rule prohibiting drivers from driving more than 210 consecutive minutes in any one stint. The race was awarded to teammates David
and Geoff Brabham
.
This format continued for 1998, with Jim Richards
winning his 7th Bathurst 1000 in a Volvo S40
, beating his son Steven
in a Nissan Primera
.
In 1997 and 1998, the "Australian 1000 Classic" was run for V8Supercars. The 1997 edition was called the "Primus 1000 Classic" and held two weeks after the traditional race, whilst the 1998 "FAI 1000 Classic" was held in mid-November. Both races claimed to be the legitimate Bathurst 1000: the V8 Supercars' case was that they were the only truly Australian class of racing and the more popular of the two, while the Super Touring race was the official "Bathurst 1000" and was held on the traditional date of the first Sunday in October.
The fans voted with their feet and, due to a reducing number of competitors and spectators, the Super Touring class disappeared from Bathurst competition in 1999 and the race became exclusively for V8 Supercars.
, whose nine victories (1972, 1975, 1978–80, 1982–84 and 1987) earned him the nickname King of the Mountain.
Bob Jane
won the race four times in succession from 1961 to 1965. Jane's racing exploits assisted in the creation of his automotive businesses, originally with automotive vehicle dealerships, then later more prominently with a national chain of tyre retailers.
Jim Richards
won the race seven times (1978–80, 1991–92, 1998 and 2002) and also holds the record for the most starts (35) at this event. Larry Perkins
is the third most successful driver at Bathurst, with six victories (1982–84, 1993, 1995 and 1997). Both Richards and Perkins shared some of their victories as co-drivers with Brock.
Mark Skaife
has won six times, his first was in 1991, with a Nissan Skyline GT-R
. He also won in 1992 in the same car, and in 2001, 2002, 2005 and 2010 in a Holden Commodore
.
Canadian
-born Allan Moffat
is Ford's most successful Bathurst driver, winning the race four times (1970, 1971, 1973 and 1977). The 1977 race saw Moffat and team-mate Colin Bond
cross the finish line side by side after opening up an indomitable lead in the early laps.
New Zealand
-born Greg Murphy
has won the race four times (1996, 1999, 2003, 2004).
Dick Johnson first rose to fame during the 1980 race when his privately-entered Ford Falcon hit a rock that had fallen (or been pushed; the subject is still debated to this day) onto the track. Thanks to public donations of over A$
70,000 – and a matching donation from Ford Motor Company
– Johnson was able to rebuild his car and win the Bathurst race the following year. He went on to win twice more, in 1989 and 1994.
In 2008 Craig Lowndes
, who in many ways has become Australian touring car racing successor to Brock in terms of success and popularity, won the race for the fourth time, and with his co-driver Jamie Whincup
joined Jane, Harry Firth
, Brock, Richards and Perkins in an elite group of drivers to have won the race in three successive years. Only Jane went on to win a fourth. Lowndes won the race for the fifth time in 2010.
in his Ford BF Falcon in 2007, not to be confused with the fastest lap ever recorded, a 2:06.8012 set during practice in 2010 by Holden driver Craig Lowndes
.
The shortest race duration, with the full 1000 km completed, is 6h 12m 51.4153s, set by Craig Lowndes
and Mark Skaife
in their Holden VE Commodore in 2010
.
In 1986
, Sydney accountant and privateer entrant Mike Burgmann
became the first fatality in the race's history when his car (Holden VK Commodore), travelling at 268 km/h (166.5 mph), struck the tyre barrier at the base of recently constructed Bridgestone Bridge on the high-speed straight known as Conrod Straight. "The Chase", a large three-corner chicane
, added in 1987 to the straight was dedicated to Burgmann with a plaque embedded in the concrete barriers.
In 1992
, former Formula One
world champion Denny Hulme
, after complaining of blurred vision, suffered a heart attack at the wheel of his BMW M3 whilst travelling along Conrod Straight. After veering into the wall on the left side of the track, he managed to bring the car to a relatively controlled stop on the opposite side of the course. When marshals reached the scene they found Hulme dead at the wheel.
In 1994
, Melbourne
privateer entrant Don Watson died during practice when his car (Holden VP Commodore) left the circuit and hit a barrier on Conrod Straight.
Additionally the 2006 event was marred by the death of New Zealand driver Mark Porter in a Fujitsu V8 Supercar Series support race on the Friday of the meeting. Porter had been scheduled to compete in the 1000 as a driver for the Brad Jones Racing
team.
, V8 Supercars Australia announced that from 2006 onwards, the drivers in the Bathurst 1000 would be racing to win the Peter Brock Trophy. The 2006 race also honoured Brock with special tributes, such as the front row of the starting grid being left vacant, all cars bearing an '05' number made famous by Brock, and a champions' lap of honour featuring Brock's past co-drivers parading cars that Brock won Bathurst in.
The slimline cup mounted on polished hardwood, produced by Hardy Brothers Jewellers, took over 200 hours to construct and was only completed on 5 October, just three days before the race.
The trophy is inscribed with the words "King of the Mountain", a long-time nickname of Brock's, weighs 2.5 kg (6 lb) and stands 50 centimetres (19.7 in) tall.
Touring car racing
Touring car racing is a general term for a number of distinct auto racing competitions in heavily-modified street cars. It is notably popular in Argentina, Australia, Brazil, Germany, Japan, Scandinavia and Britain.-Characteristics of a touring car:...
race held annually at Mount Panorama Circuit
Mount Panorama Circuit
Mount Panorama Circuit is a motor racing track located in Bathurst, New South Wales, Australia. It is the home of the Bathurst 12 Hour motor race, held each February, and the Bathurst 1000 motor race, held each October...
in Bathurst, New South Wales
Bathurst, New South Wales
-CBD and suburbs:Bathurst's CBD is located on William, George, Howick, Russell, and Durham Streets. The CBD is approximately 25 hectares and surrounds two city blocks. Within this block layout is banking, government services, shopping centres, retail shops, a park* and monuments...
, Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
. The race was traditionally run on the first Sunday in October but in recent years has been held on the second Sunday; the 2012 V8 Supercars race calendar returns the race to its traditional first Sunday of the month. The race traces its lineage to the 1960 Armstrong 500
1960 Armstrong 500
The 1960 Armstrong 500 was an endurance motor race for Australian made or assembled standard production sedans. The event was held at the Phillip Island Grand Prix Circuit in Victoria on 20 November 1960 over a distance of 167 laps x 3.0 miles = 501 miles....
. Since then 52 races have taken place under the combined history of two events at two venues in two states. It is known among fans and broadcasters as "The Great Race", and is widely regarded as the pinnacle of Australian motorsport. Since 2000, the race has been run exclusively for V8 Supercar
V8 Supercar
V8 Supercars is a touring car racing category based in Australia and run as an International Series under Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile regulations...
s and is now a round of the V8 Supercar Championship Series.
The race winners receive the Peter Brock Trophy which was introduced at the 2006 race in honour of deceased nine-time Bathurst winner Peter Brock
Peter Brock
Peter Geoffrey Brock, AM otherwise known as "Peter Perfect", "The King of the Mountain" or simply as "Brocky" was one of Australia's best-known and most successful motor racing drivers. Brock was most often associated with Holden for almost 40 years, although he raced vehicles of other...
, most successful driver in the history of the race.
Mount Panorama
The race starts and finishes at different points in front of the pits. The first turn, Hell Corner, is a left-hander which has claimed a few scalps at the start (due to 'crush') and after safety car intervention. Mountain Straight, a 255 km/h (158.4 mph) gentle climb, leads into Griffin's Bend. Reid Park follows, a complex corner where many drivers spin after not shortshifting in the apex. The course continues down to Sulman Park and McPhillamy. Drivers cannot see the descending road but at 220 km/h (136.7 mph) enter Skyline and the Dipper, one of the best corners in Australian Motorsport. Cars then negotiate Forrest Elbow, the slowest part of the track, before powering down Conrod Straight, which at plus 300 km/h (186.4 mph) is the fastest section of the track. The Chase is a long sweeping type chicane where cars are on the limiter and at the same time braking to exit at 130 km/h (80.8 mph). Murrays is the 17th and final turn, on to the start/finish straight.Race history
Production car racing
Production car racing , Showroom stock racing Street Stock, Pure Stock, or U-Car racing includes all categories of auto racing where unmodified cars race each other, outright and also in classes. All cars usually have a protective roll cage and run race tires...
, Group C
Group C (Australia)
In relation to Australian motorsport, Group C refers to either of two sets of regulations devised by the Confederation of Australian Motor Sport for use in Australian touring car racing from 1965 to 1984...
, Group A
Group A
In relation to motorsport governed by the FIA, Group A referred to a set of regulations providing production-derived vehicles for outright competition. In contrast to the short-lived Group B and Group C, the Group A referred to production-derived vehicles limited in terms of power, weight, allowed...
, Super Touring and currently V8 Supercar
V8 Supercar
V8 Supercars is a touring car racing category based in Australia and run as an International Series under Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile regulations...
category.
Although the Bathurst 1000 is today run by just two marques, Ford
Ford Motor Company
Ford Motor Company is an American multinational automaker based in Dearborn, Michigan, a suburb of Detroit. The automaker was founded by Henry Ford and incorporated on June 16, 1903. In addition to the Ford and Lincoln brands, Ford also owns a small stake in Mazda in Japan and Aston Martin in the UK...
and Holden
Holden
GM Holden Ltd is an automaker that operates in Australia, based in Port Melbourne, Victoria. The company was founded in 1856 as a saddlery manufacturer. In 1908 it moved into the automotive field, before becoming a subsidiary of the U.S.-based General Motors in 1931...
, makes as diverse as Morris
Morris Motor Company
The Morris Motor Company was a British car manufacturing company. After the incorporation of the company into larger corporations, the Morris name remained in use as a marque until 1984 when British Leyland's Austin Rover Group decided to concentrate on the more popular Austin marque...
, Jaguar
Jaguar (car)
Jaguar Cars Ltd, known simply as Jaguar , is a British luxury car manufacturer, headquartered in Whitley, Coventry, England. It is part of the Jaguar Land Rover business, a subsidiary of the Indian company Tata Motors....
, BMW
BMW
Bayerische Motoren Werke AG is a German automobile, motorcycle and engine manufacturing company founded in 1916. It also owns and produces the Mini marque, and is the parent company of Rolls-Royce Motor Cars. BMW produces motorcycles under BMW Motorrad and Husqvarna brands...
, Nissan
Nissan Motors
, usually shortened to Nissan , is a multinational automaker headquartered in Japan. It was a core member of the Nissan Group, but has become more independent after its restructuring under Carlos Ghosn ....
and Volvo
Volvo Cars
Volvo Car Corporation, or Volvo Personvagnar AB, is a Swedish automobile manufacturer founded in 1927, in Gothenburg, Sweden. It is owned by Zhejiang Geely Holding Group. Volvo was originally formed as a subsidiary company to the ball bearing maker SKF. When Volvo AB was introduced on the Swedish...
have also tasted success at "The Mountain". Holden has the most victories at Bathurst with 25 wins, while Ford has 17 (or 18 if including the victory from the 1962 Phillip Island event).
Early years
The Armstrong 500, which became the Hardie Ferodo 500/1000 and later the Bathurst 1000, was first held on 20 November 1960 at Phillip Island in VictoriaVictoria (Australia)
Victoria is the second most populous state in Australia. Geographically the smallest mainland state, Victoria is bordered by New South Wales, South Australia, and Tasmania on Boundary Islet to the north, west and south respectively....
over 500 miles (804.7 km) to determine which car had the best combination of speed, performance and reliability. It was also a tool for Armstrong to promote its products such as shock absorbers. Entry was limited to standard, unmodified production saloons built or assembled in Australia. The race was won by Frank Coad and John Roxburgh in a Vauxhall Cresta
Vauxhall Cresta
The Vauxhall Cresta is a British car first introduced in 1954 by Vauxhall Motors as an upmarket version of the Vauxhall Velox . When the Wyvern was replaced in 1957 the new larger car took the Cresta name...
, the only Vauxhall in a field of 45 cars.
In 1963, the race moved to the 6.2 kilometres (3.9 mi) Mount Panorama track at Bathurst
Bathurst, New South Wales
-CBD and suburbs:Bathurst's CBD is located on William, George, Howick, Russell, and Durham Streets. The CBD is approximately 25 hectares and surrounds two city blocks. Within this block layout is banking, government services, shopping centres, retail shops, a park* and monuments...
in New South Wales
New South Wales
New South Wales is a state of :Australia, located in the east of the country. It is bordered by Queensland, Victoria and South Australia to the north, south and west respectively. To the east, the state is bordered by the Tasman Sea, which forms part of the Pacific Ocean. New South Wales...
(Australia), after the Phillip Island track’s surface had broken up and became unsuitable for safe production car racing after only just three years. However the production car endurance event now held at Bathurst kept the Armstrong 500 name. The race's popularity grew rapidly, as it became a means for car manufacturers to showcase their products as the cars on the track, which according to the rules, the cars that were raced had to be and thus were identical to those available in the showrooms of Australia. The first years on Mount Panorama were dominated by small cars, such as the Ford Cortina GT 500 and Mini Cooper.
In 1967 the rules of the race were changed to include a minimum number of pit stops. This rule took away the advantage of being economical on brakes and fuel that favoured the smaller cars and seemed designed to favour the larger Fords and Holdens as everyone had to have as least as many pitstops as the minimum number required by the big cars. The big engines were faster in a straight line but the Minis handled the corners brilliantly and went all day on a tank of gas. Later Ford's development and introduction of the 289 cubic inch V8 Ford Falcon GT
Ford Falcon GT
The Ford Falcon GT is an automobile which was produced by Ford Australia from 1967 to 1976 and 2003 to the present day with intermittent limited edition anniversary models offered in between. Since 2003 the car has been marketed as the FPV GT but FPV continue to release anniversary editions based...
signaled the end of these small cars as outright contenders. The V8 Falcon claimed a surprise victory against the smaller Alfa GTVs and Mini Coopers, as the Falcon GT was unproven and the Alfas were picking up from where the Minis left off, with the new GTV highly regarded as the new emerging force in touring cars. The Falcon GT won however due to the fact that the GT's V8 power was well suited to and second to none on Mount Panorama, particularly on its long uphill and downhill straights. This led to the birth of the widely accepted adage stating that "there is no substitute for cubic inches on the Mountain", which would become synonymous and change the face of racing at Bathurst forever.
The popularity of the race continued to grow so rapidly during the 1960s that by 1966 most major manufacturers operating in the Australian market became heavily involved in what became known as "the Great Race". This is because an outright win in the long and tough race would add great credibility to the car and its brand, especially in proving the winning car-brand offered the best overall package in terms of performance, durability, reliability and image. This proved to be a great marketing opportunity to increase sales and market share in the local market, and so the famous "Win on Sunday, Sell on Monday" concept was born. Notably, it was during this period that the famous Holden-Ford-Chrysler rivalry originated. This Series Production battleground between the "Big Three" was fought at Bathurst, and soon spawned the introduction and development of Australia's most famous muscle cars which became affectingly known as "Bathurst specials". These included Ford's Falcon GT and later GT-HO, Holden's Monaro and Torana, and Chrysler’s Pacer and Charger models.
In 1966 and 67 a tobacco company sponsored and gave their name to the "Gallaher
Gallaher Group
Gallaher Group is a major United Kingdom-based multinational tobacco company. It was traded on the London Stock Exchange and was a constituent of the FTSE 100 Index, prior to its April 2007 acquisition by Japan Tobacco.-History:...
500", then in 1968, sponsorship was taken over by a brake part manufacturer and the Hardie-Ferodo
James Hardie
James Hardie Industries Ltd. is an industrial building materials company headquartered in Ireland and listed on the Australian Securities Exchange which specialises in fibre cement products. James Hardie manufactures and develops technologies, materials and processes for the production of building...
(H-F) 500 name was coined. In response to Ford's successful 1967 Bathurst victory in a V8-powered Falcon GT, Holden entered the all new Monaro GTS. It was based on the HK-model four-door Kingswood family car of the time, yet was developed as a high-performance two-door, V8 coupe' that was fun and affordable to drive, whilst being engineered with the ability to win Bathurst. The Bathurst-bound Monaro GTS 327 had a 327 cubic inch Chevrolet-sourced V8 (as the 'GTS 327' name implies) which enabled the new hi-po coupe' to outperform the updated yet comparatively smaller engined 302 cubic inch Falcon GTs, and in the process the Monaro claimed a popular maiden victory on its debut as well as Holden's first ever Bathurst win.
For the following year, the 1969 H-F 500 saw the first of the three Ford Falcon GT-HOs. This Phase One GT-HO Bathurst special Falcon was powered with a 351 cubic inch V8 sourced from FoMoCo in the US, and with its 'HO' option included upgraded suspension and handling including front/rear stabiliser bars and special race tyres. Holden on the other hand upgraded the GTS 327 Monaro to the GTS 350, which included better race-style handling and a more powerful Chevrolet V8 engine of 350 cubic inches. The new GTS 350 Monaro, at the hands of Colin Bond, was once again able to hold out Ford to claim another famous victory for Holden
Holden
GM Holden Ltd is an automaker that operates in Australia, based in Port Melbourne, Victoria. The company was founded in 1856 as a saddlery manufacturer. In 1908 it moved into the automotive field, before becoming a subsidiary of the U.S.-based General Motors in 1931...
, after the Phase One's special tyres failed under the Falcon's heavy weight and great V8 power.
The 1969 race also saw the debut of Peter Brock, who would soon forge his own piece of history in the Great Race as 'King of the Mountain'. Brock and Bond were drivers for the Holden Dealer Team (HDT), which had been formed earlier in the year to take the fight to the factory Ford Special Vehicles division that was turning out the ever-evolving, race-ready GT-HO Falcons. The 'Old Fox' Harry Firth was the head of the HDT and would prove to be just as much as a thorn in Ford's side as he had been the founding father for Ford's Bathurst-bred Cortina/Falcon program.
1970 saw a change of pace as Holden decided to retire the well-proven V8 powered Monaro in favour of the smaller and more nimble Torana
Holden Torana
The Holden Torana is a car which was produced by General Motors–Holden's , the Australian subsidiary of General Motors from 1967 to 1980. The name comes from an Aboriginal word meaning "to fly". The first Torana appeared in 1967 and was a four-cylinder compact vehicle that had its origins in the...
GTR XU-1, which was a specially developed Bathurst version of the new and popular six-cylinder LC Torana mid-size car. Rather than continue the V8-power war with Ford, Holden adopted a more scientific and viable approach that would prove to be safer, cheaper and just as effective and fast as the GT-HO V8 steam roller. With triple carburetors and excellent power-to-weight ratio, the new Torana XU-1 was designed to be easier on brakes, tyres and fuel to enable it to minimise its required pit stops, whilst also having superior handling and braking to outperform the big and thirsty V8 Falcon GT-HOs. However, Ford refined the GT-HO to Phase Two specification, which included an even more powerful and better breathing 351 V8 and better-suited tyres. With so much power and torque, the GT-HO further proved the old "there is no substitute for cubic inches on the Mountain" saying by winning the 1970 H-F 500 as the small yet mighty Torana just could not compensate for the major power advantage that the Phase Two's had on the Bathurst straights.
The 1971 was a repeat Ford victory, which notably included the GT-HO development program had reached its peak with the XY-model Falcon GT
Ford XY Falcon GT
The Ford XY Falcon GT is an Australian built muscle car based on the Ford XY Falcon. Released in 1970 with the GTHO Phase III released in 1971. 1,557 units were produced from September 1970 to December 1971 with 300 GTHO Phase III's produced from May 1971 to November 1971...
-HO Phase Three with further upgrades to engine power and aerodynamics, which proved to be the world’s fastest four-door production car. Chrysler also introduced its racy new two-door Charger to raise the stakes in the Great Race, and was powered by a triple Weber-carburetored 265ci inline HEMI six similar to the engine layout of the Torana XU-1. The Charger however was Australia’s fastest accelerating car at the time.
1972 was the ‘year of pressure’. For one, the media-driven “Supercar Scare” had accumulated enough political pressure to force Holden to postpone its introduction of the new V8 Torana by two years. Ford abandoned its newly developed Phase Four GT-HO based on the new XA-model Falcon, while Chrysler also followed suit with its V8-powered Charger. Secondly, the 1972 H-F 500 was the first Great Race to be run in wet weather. Allan Moffat, who had won the H-F 500 the previous two years in a row, was unable to withstand the immense pressure placed on him by Brock in his XU-1, in which the Torana proved more than a match for the ultimate Phase Three GT-HO in the atrocious conditions. Moffat, unable to fully exploit the Phase Three’s V8 power, spun early in the race (and suffered 2 one minute penalties for starting the engine while refueling) after being challenged furiously by Brock’s superbly-handling XU-1, and never really recovered. Brock meanwhile was able to hold off the Phase Three GT-HO of John French and the E49 Charger of Doug Chivas to win the 1972 H-F 500, thus dispelling the ‘no substitute for cubic inches’ theory as a myth. At the wheel of the new, upgraded LJ-model Torana GTR XU-1, Peter Brock had successfully exploited the car to its maximum effect to claim a victory significant for a number of reasons, the first being that it proved to be Brock’s first of nine Bathurst wins which would enable him to become the “King of the Mountain” and become known as “Peter Perfect”. It also signalled the first Bathurst victory for a six-cylinder engined car, an achievement that would not be repeated until the maiden win of the Nissan Skyline GT-R ‘Godzilla’ much later in 1991. Finally, it also began the Torana legend which would enable this innovative and unique muscle car to become one of Australia’s most successful touring cars ever.
Group C era
In 1973, the race distance was changed from 500 miles (804.7 km) to 1,000 kilometres as Australia shifted towards the adoption of the metric systemMetric system
The metric system is an international decimalised system of measurement. France was first to adopt a metric system, in 1799, and a metric system is now the official system of measurement, used in almost every country in the world...
. That same year, a new rule was implemented allowing modifications to be made to the cars, which meant that the Series Production racing category became replaced by the new Group C
Group C (Australia)
In relation to Australian motorsport, Group C refers to either of two sets of regulations devised by the Confederation of Australian Motor Sport for use in Australian touring car racing from 1965 to 1984...
category. Holden and Chrysler entered their XU-1 and Charger respectively, while Ford entered its new XA-model two-door, hard-top Ford Falcon
Ford Falcon (Australia)
The Ford Falcon is a full-size car which has been manufactured by Ford Australia since 1960. Each model from the XA series of 1972 onward has been designed, developed and built in Australia and/or New Zealand, following the phasing out of the American Falcon of 1960–71 which had been re-engineered...
GT. This was not a GT-HO Phase Four officially, yet most hard-top GTs that raced incorporated many of the Phase Four’s components such as the specially built four-bolt 351 V8 engine. Brock and teammate Chivas were far out front in the lead and on track to score yet another victory for Holden’s ‘pocket rocket’ Torana XU-1, only to be beaten by Moffat’s hard-top GT after Chivas at the wheel of the XU-1 ran out of fuel. This was due to a miscalculation that originated from a broken fuel gauge and the team order to get maximum laps out of the little XU-1 before pitting. The XU-1 came to a halt just before pit straight, with Chivas pushing the XU-1 into the pits unable to be assisted by his pit-crew which under the rules would have resulted in the Brock/Chivas XU-1 being disqualified. By the time the XU-1 was refueled, Moffat had passed the stricken XU-1 and was gaining a sizable lead. After being released from pitlane, Brock set off in hot pursuit of the Moffat's Falcon GT. But Brock’s heroic effort, equal to that of Chivas’ pit-lane adventure, proved too little, too late. Brock’s XU-1 suffered a deflating tyre, thus enabling Moffat to hold on and claim yet another Falcon victory, his third in only four years. 1973 would also be the last competitive appearance for Chrysler, with the marque soon disappearing from the Group C category almost entirely.
For the remainder of the 1970s, Holden’s new 308 cubic inch V8-powered Toranas would score Bathurst victory another four times in 1975–76, and 1978–79, and Ford’s venerable 351 V8-powered Falcon GTs taking out the two remaining Bathurst wins in the rain-soaked 1974 H-F 1000, and its famous 1–2 form finish in 1977. Group C would also see in the new decade, but would soon be replaced by the new International Group A Touring car rules in 1985. Till then, Holden and Ford dominated the Great race and shared victories between them. However, both Australian manufacturers were facing increased foreign competition, notably from the new Mazda RX-7 that was adopted and affectionately raced by Moffat, and Kevin Bartlett's 350 V8 powered Chevrolet Camaro. The turbo powered Nissan Bluebird piloted by George Fury also threatened the V8 'Big Bangers', and signaled a sign of things to come during the soon-to-be-adopted Group A era. During the 1980s the Group C category was dominated by Peter Brock, having scored victories in 1980/82/83/84. Dick Johnson was the only winner for Ford during the 1980s Group C, with a victory in 1981 whilst at the wheel of the all-new XD-model Falcon. Ultimately, Peter Brock would prove to be the ace of the Group C era, by having achieved an incredible two Bathurst hat-tricks (three consecutive Bathurst wins twice) while at the wheel of both the Holden Torana and soon-to-be-released all new Commodore, in 1978–1980 and again in 1982–1984.
Group A era
From 1985 to 1992, the Great Race was run under international Group AGroup A
In relation to motorsport governed by the FIA, Group A referred to a set of regulations providing production-derived vehicles for outright competition. In contrast to the short-lived Group B and Group C, the Group A referred to production-derived vehicles limited in terms of power, weight, allowed...
touring car rules. Imported turbocharged cars, most notably Ford Sierra RS Cosworth
Ford Sierra RS Cosworth
The Ford Sierra RS Cosworth was a high-performance version of the Ford Sierra. It was the result of a Ford Motorsport project with the purpose of producing an outright winner for Group A racing in Europe.- Development :...
s and Nissan Skyline GT-R
Nissan Skyline GT-R
The Nissan Skyline GT-R is a Japanese sports car based on the Nissan Skyline range.The first GT-Rs were produced from 1969–1973. After a 16 year hiatus since the KPGC110 in 1972, the GT-R name was revived in 1989 with the Skyline R32. This car was nicknamed "Godzilla" by the Australian motoring...
, dominated the racing during this period, with the Holden Commodore
Holden Commodore
The Holden Commodore is an automobile manufactured since 1978 by the Holden subsidiary of General Motors in Australia, and, formerly, in New Zealand. In the mid-1970s, Holden established proposals to replace the long-serving Kingswood nameplate with a smaller, Opel-based model...
managing to claim three wins during this era. Under the new Group A rules, local race teams in Australia could now compete against foreign racing teams and cars, both domestically and overseas. Holden-based race teams would continue to develop and race the 304 cubic inch V8-powered Commodore, with the HDT and later the Holden Racing Team (HRT) being at the forefront of the Commodores Group A development and race program. Ford-based teams had almost no factory support from Ford Australia, and without this vital financial and technical assistance, the development program of a competitive Group A Ford Falcon
Ford Falcon (Australia)
The Ford Falcon is a full-size car which has been manufactured by Ford Australia since 1960. Each model from the XA series of 1972 onward has been designed, developed and built in Australia and/or New Zealand, following the phasing out of the American Falcon of 1960–71 which had been re-engineered...
never eventuated. As a result Ford teams, such as Dick Johnson Racing, quickly switched from V8 Falcon to the US-sourced V8 Mustang
Ford Mustang
The Ford Mustang is an automobile manufactured by the Ford Motor Company. It was initially based on the second generation North American Ford Falcon, a compact car. Introduced early on April 17, 1964, as a "1964½" model, the 1965 Mustang was the automaker's most successful launch since the Model A...
for Group A racing. This was later followed by the adoption of the powerful Cosworth-turbo Ford Sierras, which were race-developed and available directly from Europe.
1985 would be the first year of the Bathurst 1000 being raced under Group A rules. This race was dominated by Tom Walkinshaw Racing
Tom Walkinshaw Racing
Tom Walkinshaw Racing , was an auto racing team and engineering firm founded in 1976 by touring car racer Tom Walkinshaw.-History:TWR started by modifying BMW 3.0 CSLs, but soon was contracted to head Mazda's works program in the British Touring Car Championship. The TWR developed RX-7, with Win...
's V12 Jaguar XJ-S, with John Goss
John Goss (race driver)
John Goss is the only Australian racing driver to win Australia's two most prestigious races, the Bathurst 1000 , and the Australian Grand Prix .-Early career:...
and Armin Hahne
Armin Hahne
Armin Hahne is a German racing driver, best known for his exploits in touring car racing. The highpoint of his career was winning both the 1982 and 1983 Spa 24 Hours driving BMW's. Another highlight of his career was driving in the factory supported Tom Walkinshaw Racing run Jaguar Racing team...
claiming Jaguar's first and only Bathurst win. The following year, the Group A VK-model Commodore V8 of privateer racer Allan Grice claimed the Bathurst honours, after enjoying an exciting racing campaign in Europe, alongside other Commodore drivers Peter Brock and his newly recruited HDT team mate, Allan Moffat.
In 1987, the race was a round of the short-lived World Touring Car Championship
1987 World Touring Car Championship season
The 1987 World Touring Car Championship season was the inaugural World Touring Car Championship season. It commenced on March 22, 1987 and ended on November 15 after eleven races. The championship was open to Touring Cars complying with FIA Group A regulations.-Drivers and teams:Fifteen registered...
, and competitors in that championship raced against local teams. The resulting culture clash was considerable; local scrutineers, who had been applying the Group A regulations as written, repeatedly disagreed with European teams (notably that of Rudi Eggenberger) and the global organising body (FISA
Fédération Internationale du Sport Automobile
The Fédération Internationale du Sport Automobile was the governing body for motor racing events. The organisation's origins date from 1922, when the Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile delegated the organisation of automobile racing to the CSI , an autonomous committee that would later...
, the ancestor of the FIA) that were considerably more liberal with their interpretations. With the race run, it was still unclear as to who actually won. Although the Eggenberger's cars finished first and second, they were soon to be disqualified months later due to bodywork irregularities. The race win was eventually awarded to third-placed Peter Brock, who drove two of his VL-model Group A Commodore's in wet conditions to ultimately claim a ninth and final Bathurst victory. During the race, Brock's number '05' HDT Commodore had broken down during the race, and he switched to his back-up number '10' Commodore to finish third behind the two Eggenberger Sierras.
Local Sierra teams dominated and won the next two Bathurst 1000s, in 1988 and 1989. In 1990 however, the Sierras were again looking strong but lost to the HRT Holden Commodore
Holden Commodore
The Holden Commodore is an automobile manufactured since 1978 by the Holden subsidiary of General Motors in Australia, and, formerly, in New Zealand. In the mid-1970s, Holden established proposals to replace the long-serving Kingswood nameplate with a smaller, Opel-based model...
of Allan Grice and Win Percy. The winning VL-model 'SS Group A SV' Commodore was able to set a fast pace early on in the race which the turbo Sierras could not maintain, due to the high turbo boost pressures that gave the Sierras their power, but resulted in extreme engine heat that hindered engine reliability. The HRT's strategy had claimed a popular and long-awaited Bathurst victory for Holden, after three seasons of Sierra domination.
However a new and much more fierce opponent was awaiting both cars. Also in 1990, Nissan and team manager Fred Gibson
Fred Gibson
Fred Gibson is a former wide receiver and former NBA D-League guard.-College career:Gibson attended University of Georgia and majored in Speech Communications....
, had previously been running and developing its Skylines
Nissan Skyline
The first Skyline was introduced in April 1957, by the Prince Motor Company, and was marketed as a luxury car. It featured a 1.5 L GA-30 engine producing 44 kW @ 4400 rpm. It used a de Dion tube rear suspension and was capable of 140 km/h . The car weighed around 1300 kg...
in Australian touring car competition for a few years, and that year introduced its new R32 four-wheel drive
Four-wheel drive
Four-wheel drive, 4WD, or 4×4 is a four-wheeled vehicle with a drivetrain that allows all four wheels to receive torque from the engine simultaneously...
GT-R
Nissan Skyline GT-R
The Nissan Skyline GT-R is a Japanese sports car based on the Nissan Skyline range.The first GT-Rs were produced from 1969–1973. After a 16 year hiatus since the KPGC110 in 1972, the GT-R name was revived in 1989 with the Skyline R32. This car was nicknamed "Godzilla" by the Australian motoring...
. While it suffered from mechanical problems in the 1990 race, the R32 GT-R Skyline went on to win both the 1991 and 1992 races and dominated Group A racing worldwide, earning its nickname 'Godzilla'. With four-wheel-drive, four-wheel-steer, and a powerful turbo 2.6 litre six cylinder engine producing almost 600 hp, the RWD Sierras and Commodores simply could not equal or compensate for the Skyline's superior handling and power output.
The Skyline's 1992 victory was particularly controversial. Already disliked by a section of the parochial Bathurst crowd, who preferred the race to be a contest between the traditional V8 touring car marques of Holden
Holden
GM Holden Ltd is an automaker that operates in Australia, based in Port Melbourne, Victoria. The company was founded in 1856 as a saddlery manufacturer. In 1908 it moved into the automotive field, before becoming a subsidiary of the U.S.-based General Motors in 1931...
and Ford, the leading Skyline of Jim Richards
Jim Richards (race driver)
Jim Richards is a New Zealand racing driver who has spent most of his racing life in Australia. While retired from professional racing, Richards continues to compete in the historic category Touring Car Masters while running a team in the Australian GT Championship...
and Mark Skaife
Mark Skaife
Mark Stephen Skaife OAM is an Australian motor racing driver. Skaife is a five time winner of the V8 Supercar Championship Series, including its predecessor the Australian Touring Car Championship. He is also a six-time winner of Australia's most prestigious domestic motor race, the Bathurst 1000...
was awarded victory after the race was stopped following a huge rainstorm that caused a number of crashes, including that of the winning car. In the event of a red flag results are declared at the last completed lap. As Richards had been leading the race in that lap his team was declared the winner. This was an unpopular decision with some race fans, who voiced their opinions loudly. Race winners Mark Skaife
Mark Skaife
Mark Stephen Skaife OAM is an Australian motor racing driver. Skaife is a five time winner of the V8 Supercar Championship Series, including its predecessor the Australian Touring Car Championship. He is also a six-time winner of Australia's most prestigious domestic motor race, the Bathurst 1000...
and Jim Richards
Jim Richards (race driver)
Jim Richards is a New Zealand racing driver who has spent most of his racing life in Australia. While retired from professional racing, Richards continues to compete in the historic category Touring Car Masters while running a team in the Australian GT Championship...
were met with a large booing crowd on the winner's podium, prompting Richards to proclaim to the crowd "In all my years racing in Australia I've never seen anything like this. You're a pack of arseholes".
V8 Supercar/ 2-litre Super Tourer era
Group A as an international formula had ceased to exist at the end of 1988, and over the next few years all the major national touring car championships had dropped these regulations for something new. CAMS had originally planned to replace Group A at the end of 1991, but this was pushed back to the end of 1992 as they awaited FISA's new set of touring car regulations. These were very long in coming, and were unlikely to prove favourable (if they even fell within the regulations) for big engined cars, and it was decided that for 1993 Australia would go their own way. A new set of touring car regulations would be created that would later be renamed to V8SupercarV8 Supercar
V8 Supercars is a touring car racing category based in Australia and run as an International Series under Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile regulations...
, with entry limited to only V8-powered Ford Falcon
Ford Falcon (Australia)
The Ford Falcon is a full-size car which has been manufactured by Ford Australia since 1960. Each model from the XA series of 1972 onward has been designed, developed and built in Australia and/or New Zealand, following the phasing out of the American Falcon of 1960–71 which had been re-engineered...
s and Holden Commodore
Holden Commodore
The Holden Commodore is an automobile manufactured since 1978 by the Holden subsidiary of General Motors in Australia, and, formerly, in New Zealand. In the mid-1970s, Holden established proposals to replace the long-serving Kingswood nameplate with a smaller, Opel-based model...
s (with one exception for 1993 only; weight limited normally aspirated Group A cars like the BMW M3
BMW M3
The BMW M3 is a high-performance version of the BMW 3 Series, developed by BMW's in-house motorsport division, BMW M. M3 models have been derived from the E30, E36, E46 and E90/E92/E93 3-series, and sold with coupé, sedan and convertible body styles...
run by the works BMW team run by Tony Longhurst and Frank Gardner. The new set of regulations also featured a second class for 2-litre cars, based on the BTCC's regulations of the time. This class banned turbocharging along with four-wheel-drive, and effectively banned Nissan's GT-R from competition. Almost immediately, Nissan pulled out of Australian motorsport.
In 1994, the 2-litre Super Touring championship split off from the ATCC, though these cars ran at Bathurst that year alongside the V8s, with a top placing of 10th outright for the works BMW of Paul Morris/Altfrid Heger. In 1995, however, due to fears about the speed differences between the V8s and the 2 litre cars, the Bathurst 1000 for the first time in its history became a one-class race, with just 32 Ford and Holden V8s facing the starter in what was at the time the smallest grid in the history of the race. This format continued in 1996.
In 1997, TEGA (who had been awarded the rights to market V8 touring cars by CAMS back in 1994) did a deal with IMG for market the class (newly renamed as V8Supercars). One of the first steps of the new joint venture company (called AVESCO) was to sign a new TV deal with the TEN Network in Australia for a much expanded coverage of the championship over previous years. This was fine for the ATCC races, but the Bathurst 1000, run by the ARDC, had a TV deal with Channel 7 (who had televised the race since in its inception at Bathurst in 1963) going forward into the 21st century. It was a stalemate, Channel 7 were not prepared to lose the race, and AVESCO, with a freshly signed TV deal with the TEN Network which required a Bathurst race to be part of the deal, not prepared to go to Bathurst with TEN.
Despite talks, a resolution was not met, AVESCO announced V8Supercars would not be competing in the traditional Bathurst 1000 held on the October long weekend, leaving the organisers without an entry field for the 1997 race. TOCA Australia filled the void with a 2-litre Super Touring field, featuring a number of British Touring Car Championship
British Touring Car Championship
The British Touring Car Championship is a touring car racing series held each year in the United Kingdom. The Championship was established in 1958 as the British Saloon Car Championship and has run to various rules over the years – "production cars", then FIA Group 1 or 2 in the late 1960s...
drivers including Alain Menu
Alain Menu
Alain Menu is a Swiss racing driver. He was one of the most successful touring car drivers of the 1990s, winning the prestigious British Touring Car Championship twice . He currently races for Chevrolet in the World Touring Car Championship.- BTCC :He is the son of a farmer...
, John Cleland
John Cleland
John Cleland was an English novelist most famous and infamous as the author of Fanny Hill: or, the Memoirs of a Woman of Pleasure....
and Rickard Rydell
Rickard Rydell
Rickard Rydell is a Swedish racing driver. He won the 1998 British Touring Car Championship, the 2011 Scandinavian Touring Car Championship, and has also been a frontrunner in the European/World Touring Car Championship.-Early career:In the early 1990s, Rydell raced in various Formula Three series...
. The race was won by Paul Morris
Paul Morris (motorsport)
Paul Morris is a V8 Supercar racecar driver.-Early career:Paul Morris started his motor racing career at the age of 19 in 1987, driving in the Queensland Gemini Series. He won Rookie of the Year in his debut season, and won the state championship the following year. He spent the next three years...
and Craig Baird
Craig Baird
Craig George Baird MNZM is a race car driver. Baird is a very successful driver in his homeland, winning three consecutive New Zealand Formula Atlantic championship titles , and then four consecutive New Zealand Touring Car Championship titles .Since then Baird has raced in Australian Super...
in a BMW 320i
BMW E36
The BMW E36 is the third generation of the 3 Series compact executive cars produced by BMW. It was introduced in late 1990 for Europe and in late 1991 for US and Canada. It was the successor to the E30 3 Series and was eventually replaced by the E90 3 Series in 2005, though E36 coupes were still...
run by BMW Motorsport Australia, however this team was disqualified as Baird had violated a race rule prohibiting drivers from driving more than 210 consecutive minutes in any one stint. The race was awarded to teammates David
David Brabham
David Brabham is an Australian racing driver and one of the most successful and experienced specialists in sports car racing. He has won three international Sports Car series and is one of four Australians to have won the Le Mans 24 Hour sports car race, winning the event in...
and Geoff Brabham
Geoff Brabham
Geoff Brabham is an Australian racing driver. He is the son of three-time Formula One World Champion Jack Brabham. Brabham spent the majority of his racing career in the United States. He raced successfully in CART early in his career. In ten appearances in the Indianapolis 500, with a best result...
.
This format continued for 1998, with Jim Richards
Jim Richards (race driver)
Jim Richards is a New Zealand racing driver who has spent most of his racing life in Australia. While retired from professional racing, Richards continues to compete in the historic category Touring Car Masters while running a team in the Australian GT Championship...
winning his 7th Bathurst 1000 in a Volvo S40
Volvo S40
The Volvo S40 is a small family car produced by Volvo. It introduced the first generation S40 and V40 cars in 1995...
, beating his son Steven
Steven Richards
Steven Richards is a New Zealand racing driver, currently competing in the with the team. He previously raced in the V8 Supercar series for Ford Performance Racing....
in a Nissan Primera
Nissan Primera
The Nissan Primera is a medium sized family car produced by the Japanese automaker Nissan for the Japanese domestic and European markets.-Nissan Primera P10 :...
.
In 1997 and 1998, the "Australian 1000 Classic" was run for V8Supercars. The 1997 edition was called the "Primus 1000 Classic" and held two weeks after the traditional race, whilst the 1998 "FAI 1000 Classic" was held in mid-November. Both races claimed to be the legitimate Bathurst 1000: the V8 Supercars' case was that they were the only truly Australian class of racing and the more popular of the two, while the Super Touring race was the official "Bathurst 1000" and was held on the traditional date of the first Sunday in October.
The fans voted with their feet and, due to a reducing number of competitors and spectators, the Super Touring class disappeared from Bathurst competition in 1999 and the race became exclusively for V8 Supercars.
Famous winners
The most successful driver at Bathurst is Peter BrockPeter Brock
Peter Geoffrey Brock, AM otherwise known as "Peter Perfect", "The King of the Mountain" or simply as "Brocky" was one of Australia's best-known and most successful motor racing drivers. Brock was most often associated with Holden for almost 40 years, although he raced vehicles of other...
, whose nine victories (1972, 1975, 1978–80, 1982–84 and 1987) earned him the nickname King of the Mountain.
Bob Jane
Bob Jane
Robert "Bob" Jane is an Australian former race car driver and prominent businessman. A four-time winner of the Armstrong 500, the race that became the prestigious Bathurst 1000 and a four-time Australian Touring Car Champion, Jane is perhaps known best nowadays for his chain of tyre retailers,...
won the race four times in succession from 1961 to 1965. Jane's racing exploits assisted in the creation of his automotive businesses, originally with automotive vehicle dealerships, then later more prominently with a national chain of tyre retailers.
Jim Richards
Jim Richards (race driver)
Jim Richards is a New Zealand racing driver who has spent most of his racing life in Australia. While retired from professional racing, Richards continues to compete in the historic category Touring Car Masters while running a team in the Australian GT Championship...
won the race seven times (1978–80, 1991–92, 1998 and 2002) and also holds the record for the most starts (35) at this event. Larry Perkins
Larry Perkins
Larry Clifton Perkins is a former racing driver and V8 Supercar team owner from Australia.-Career:...
is the third most successful driver at Bathurst, with six victories (1982–84, 1993, 1995 and 1997). Both Richards and Perkins shared some of their victories as co-drivers with Brock.
Mark Skaife
Mark Skaife
Mark Stephen Skaife OAM is an Australian motor racing driver. Skaife is a five time winner of the V8 Supercar Championship Series, including its predecessor the Australian Touring Car Championship. He is also a six-time winner of Australia's most prestigious domestic motor race, the Bathurst 1000...
has won six times, his first was in 1991, with a Nissan Skyline GT-R
Nissan Skyline GT-R
The Nissan Skyline GT-R is a Japanese sports car based on the Nissan Skyline range.The first GT-Rs were produced from 1969–1973. After a 16 year hiatus since the KPGC110 in 1972, the GT-R name was revived in 1989 with the Skyline R32. This car was nicknamed "Godzilla" by the Australian motoring...
. He also won in 1992 in the same car, and in 2001, 2002, 2005 and 2010 in a Holden Commodore
Holden Commodore
The Holden Commodore is an automobile manufactured since 1978 by the Holden subsidiary of General Motors in Australia, and, formerly, in New Zealand. In the mid-1970s, Holden established proposals to replace the long-serving Kingswood nameplate with a smaller, Opel-based model...
.
Canadian
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
-born Allan Moffat
Allan Moffat
Allan George Moffat, OBE is an Australian racing driver known for his four wins in the Australian Touring Car Championship, six wins in the Sandown 500 and his four wins in the Bathurst 1000...
is Ford's most successful Bathurst driver, winning the race four times (1970, 1971, 1973 and 1977). The 1977 race saw Moffat and team-mate Colin Bond
Colin Bond
Colin John Bond is a retired Australian racing driver. Bond reached the highest levels in Australian motorsport in 1969 when he was recruited by Harry Firth to the newly formed Holden Dealer Team...
cross the finish line side by side after opening up an indomitable lead in the early laps.
New Zealand
New Zealand
New Zealand is an island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses and numerous smaller islands. The country is situated some east of Australia across the Tasman Sea, and roughly south of the Pacific island nations of New Caledonia, Fiji, and Tonga...
-born Greg Murphy
Greg Murphy
Greg Murphy is a racing driver, best known as a four-time winner of the Bathurst 1000. Greg Murphy joined Jeremy Clarkson and Richard Hammond presenting Top Gear, when it had its first international Live show at ASB Showgrounds in Auckland from February 12 - 15th 2009, and again when the show...
has won the race four times (1996, 1999, 2003, 2004).
Dick Johnson first rose to fame during the 1980 race when his privately-entered Ford Falcon hit a rock that had fallen (or been pushed; the subject is still debated to this day) onto the track. Thanks to public donations of over A$
Australian dollar
The Australian dollar is the currency of the Commonwealth of Australia, including Christmas Island, Cocos Islands, and Norfolk Island, as well as the independent Pacific Island states of Kiribati, Nauru and Tuvalu...
70,000 – and a matching donation from Ford Motor Company
Ford Motor Company
Ford Motor Company is an American multinational automaker based in Dearborn, Michigan, a suburb of Detroit. The automaker was founded by Henry Ford and incorporated on June 16, 1903. In addition to the Ford and Lincoln brands, Ford also owns a small stake in Mazda in Japan and Aston Martin in the UK...
– Johnson was able to rebuild his car and win the Bathurst race the following year. He went on to win twice more, in 1989 and 1994.
In 2008 Craig Lowndes
Craig Lowndes
Craig Lowndes is a multi-championship winning Australian racing driver. He is a three-time V8 Supercar champion and five-time winner of Australia's most famous motor race, the Bathurst 1000...
, who in many ways has become Australian touring car racing successor to Brock in terms of success and popularity, won the race for the fourth time, and with his co-driver Jamie Whincup
Jamie Whincup
Jamie Whincup is Australian auto racing driver who competes in the V8 Supercar, driving for TeamVodafone. He is a two-time V8 Supercars champion and three-time Bathurst 1000 winner.-Early career:...
joined Jane, Harry Firth
Harry Firth
Harry L. Firth is an Australian former racing driver and team manager. Firth was a leading race and rally driver during the 1950s and 1960s and continued as an influential team manager well into the 1970s...
, Brock, Richards and Perkins in an elite group of drivers to have won the race in three successive years. Only Jane went on to win a fourth. Lowndes won the race for the fifth time in 2010.
Race winners
| Phillip Island (500 Miles) | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960 Armstrong 500 1960 Armstrong 500 The 1960 Armstrong 500 was an endurance motor race for Australian made or assembled standard production sedans. The event was held at the Phillip Island Grand Prix Circuit in Victoria on 20 November 1960 over a distance of 167 laps x 3.0 miles = 501 miles.... |
 John RoxburghJohn Roxburgh (racing driver) John Roxburgh, was an Australian racing driver, and motor sports administrator.Roxburgh's career was highlighted by taking victory in the original 1960 Armstrong 500 , co-driving a Vauxhall Cresta with Frank Coad... Frank CoadFrank Coad Frank Coad, who was born on 3 September 1930, is a former Australian racing driver.Coad's career was highlighted by taking victory in the original 1960 Armstrong 500 Frank Coad, who was born on 3 September 1930, is a former Australian racing driver.Coad's career was highlighted by taking victory in... |
Vauxhall Cresta Vauxhall Cresta The Vauxhall Cresta is a British car first introduced in 1954 by Vauxhall Motors as an upmarket version of the Vauxhall Velox . When the Wyvern was replaced in 1957 the new larger car took the Cresta name... |
167 laps 8h 19m 99.1s |
96.56 km/h 60.00 mph |
| 1961 Armstrong 500 1961 Armstrong 500 The 1961 Armstrong 500 was an endurance motor race for standard production sedans. The event was held at the Phillip Island circuit in Victoria, Australia on 19 November 1961 over 167 laps of the 3.0 mile circuit, a total of 501 miles .... |
Bob Jane Bob Jane Robert "Bob" Jane is an Australian former race car driver and prominent businessman. A four-time winner of the Armstrong 500, the race that became the prestigious Bathurst 1000 and a four-time Australian Touring Car Champion, Jane is perhaps known best nowadays for his chain of tyre retailers,... Harry FirthHarry Firth Harry L. Firth is an Australian former racing driver and team manager. Firth was a leading race and rally driver during the 1950s and 1960s and continued as an influential team manager well into the 1970s... |
Mercedes-Benz 220SE Mercedes-Benz W111 The Mercedes-Benz W111 was a chassis code given to its top-range vehicles, including 4-door sedans, produced from 1959 to 1968, and 2-door coupes and cabriolets from 1961 to 1971. The W111, was initially attributed only to 6-cylinder cars with 2.2 litre engines. The luxury version with big-block 3... |
167 laps 8h 18m 0.0s |
96.95 km/h 60.24 mph |
| 1962 Armstrong 500 1962 Armstrong 500 The 1962 Armstrong 500 was an endurance race for Australian built production cars. The race was held at the Phillip Island circuit in Victoria, Australia on 21 October 1962 over 167 laps of the 3.0 mile circuit, a total of 501 miles. Cars competed in four classes based on the retail price of each... |
Harry Firth Harry Firth Harry L. Firth is an Australian former racing driver and team manager. Firth was a leading race and rally driver during the 1950s and 1960s and continued as an influential team manager well into the 1970s... Bob JaneBob Jane Robert "Bob" Jane is an Australian former race car driver and prominent businessman. A four-time winner of the Armstrong 500, the race that became the prestigious Bathurst 1000 and a four-time Australian Touring Car Champion, Jane is perhaps known best nowadays for his chain of tyre retailers,... |
Ford XL Falcon Ford XL Falcon The Ford XL Falcon is an automobile which was produced by Ford Australia from August 1962 to February 1964.-Introduction:The XL Falcon was introduced in August 1962, replacing the XK Falcon which had been in production since 1960... |
167 laps 8h 15m 16.0s |
97.48 km/h 60.57 mph |
| Mount Panorama (500 Miles) | ||||
| 1963 Armstrong 500 1963 Armstrong 500 The 1963 Armstrong 500 was the fourth running of the Armstrong 500 touring car race. It was held on 6 October 1963. After the 1962 race, the Phillip Island Grand Prix Circuit was too damaged to continue to stage the race, forcing it to move to a new location, the Mount Panorama Circuit just outside... |
Harry Firth Harry Firth Harry L. Firth is an Australian former racing driver and team manager. Firth was a leading race and rally driver during the 1950s and 1960s and continued as an influential team manager well into the 1970s... Bob JaneBob Jane Robert "Bob" Jane is an Australian former race car driver and prominent businessman. A four-time winner of the Armstrong 500, the race that became the prestigious Bathurst 1000 and a four-time Australian Touring Car Champion, Jane is perhaps known best nowadays for his chain of tyre retailers,... |
Ford Cortina Mk.I GT | 130 laps 7h 46m 99.1s |
103.39 km/h 64.24 mph |
| 1964 Armstrong 500 1964 Armstrong 500 The 1964 Armstrong 500 was a production car race held on 4 October 1964 at the Mount Panorama Circuit just outside Bathurst in New South Wales, Australia. The 500 mile race was open to Australian built production sedans of which 100 examples had been registered... |
Bob Jane Bob Jane Robert "Bob" Jane is an Australian former race car driver and prominent businessman. A four-time winner of the Armstrong 500, the race that became the prestigious Bathurst 1000 and a four-time Australian Touring Car Champion, Jane is perhaps known best nowadays for his chain of tyre retailers,... George ReynoldsGeorge Reynolds (racing driver) George Reynolds is a retired Australian racing driver.The career of Reynolds, who was born on 8 May 1928, extended from the late 1950s into the late 1960s... |
Ford Cortina Mk.I GT | 130 laps | |
| 1965 Armstrong 500 1965 Armstrong 500 The 1965 Armstrong 500 was the sixth running of the Bathurst 500 touring car race. It was held on 3 October 1965 at the Mount Panorama Circuit just outside Bathurst, New South Wales, Australia... |
Barry Seton Barry Seton Barry Seton , , is an Australian racing driver. He won the Bathurst 500 in 1965 with co-driver Midge Bosworth driving a Ford Cortina GT500. He has competed in the Bathurst 500 22 times, competing every year from 1963 to 1984, and completing the race in fifteen of those... Midge BosworthMidge Bosworth Midge Bosworth, , is a former Australian racing driver.Bosworth raced in the 1960s and is most remembered for winning the 1965 Bathurst 500, co-driving with Barry Seton in a Fairfield Motors entered Ford Cortina GT500... |
Ford Cortina Mk.I GT500 | 130 laps 7h 16m 45.1s |
110.54 km/h 68.69 mph |
| 1966 Gallaher 500 1966 Gallaher 500 The 1966 Gallaher 500 was an endurance motor race for production cars, held on 2 October 1966 at the Mount Panorama Circuit just outside Bathurst, New South Wales in Australia. It was the seventh running of the Bathurst 500 race and the first time that the event had been staged under the Gallaher... |
 Rauno AaltonenRauno Aaltonen Rauno August Aaltonen , also known as "The Rally Professor", is a Finnish former professional rally driver who competed in the World Rally Championship throughout the 1970s. Before WRC was established Aaltonen competed in the European Rally Championship. He won the championship in 1965, with Tony... Bob HoldenBob Holden (racing driver) Robin John Holden born December 1, 1932, is an Australian racing driver. Holden raced small-engined touring cars throughout his career, racing Peugeots in the early 1960s, establishing a reputation for himself which saw him become a regular part of BMC Australias racing program for Minis which... |
Morris Cooper S | 130 laps 7h 11m 29.1s |
111.89 km/h 69.53 mph |
| 1967 Gallaher 500 1967 Gallaher 500 The 1967 Gallaher 500 was the eighth running of the Bathurst 500 production car race. It was held on 1 October 1967 at the Mount Panorama Circuit just outside Bathurst. Cars competed in five classes based on purchase price of the vehicle.In a seminal moment for the race, the first Australian built... |
Harry Firth Harry Firth Harry L. Firth is an Australian former racing driver and team manager. Firth was a leading race and rally driver during the 1950s and 1960s and continued as an influential team manager well into the 1970s... Fred GibsonFred Gibson (motor racing) Fred Gibson is a former Australian racing driver and race team owner.-Competitor:After a career that began in small production sports cars, first an MGA, and later the first Lotus Elan to run in Australian competition , Gibson quickly moved up into the touring car ranks... |
Ford XR Falcon GT Ford XR Falcon The Ford XR Falcon is a car which was produced by the Ford Motor Company of Australia between 1966 and 1968.The XR series was introduced in September 1966. Styling was based on the third generation 1966 US Ford Falcon and it was promoted as the "Mustang bred Falcon". It was the first Australian... |
130 laps 6h 54m 99.1s |
116.34 km/h 72.29 mph |
| 1968 Hardie-Ferodo 500 1968 Hardie-Ferodo 500 The 1968 Hardie-Ferodo 500 was the ninth running of the Bathurst 500 production car race. It was held on 6 October 1968 at the Mount Panorama Circuit just outside Bathurst... |
Bruce McPhee Bruce McPhee Bruce Alexander McPhee was a former Australian motor racing driver.He is most famous for winning the 1968 Hardie-Ferodo 500 , defeating both the Holden and Ford factory teams. He drove a Holden Monaro GTS327 painted yellow and black stripes with the number 13... Barry MulhollandBarry Mulholland Barry Mulholland was an Australian racing driver.While a skilled racing driver, Mulholland was more infamously known as Bruce McPhee's 'contractual obligation' co-driver... |
Holden HK Monaro GTS327 | 130 laps 6h 44m 7.9s |
119.51 km/h 74.26 mph |
| 1969 Hardie-Ferodo 500 1969 Hardie-Ferodo 500 The 1969 Hardie-Ferodo 500 was the tenth running of the Bathurst 500 production car race. It was held on 5 October 1969 at the Mount Panorama Circuit just outside Bathurst... |
Colin Bond Colin Bond Colin John Bond is a retired Australian racing driver. Bond reached the highest levels in Australian motorsport in 1969 when he was recruited by Harry Firth to the newly formed Holden Dealer Team... Tony RobertsTony Roberts (racing driver) Anthony Roberts, , was an Australian race and rally driver.Roberts won the 1968 Sandown 3 Hours with Bob Watson, giving the Holden Monaro a debut victory... |
Holden HT Monaro GTS350 | 130 laps 6h 32m 25s |
123.16 km/h 76.53 mph |
| 1970 Hardie-Ferodo 500 1970 Hardie-Ferodo 500 The 1970 Hardie-Ferodo 500 was the twelfth running of the Bathurst 500 touring car race. It was held on 4 October 1970 at the Mount Panorama Circuit just outside Bathurst... |
 Allan MoffatAllan Moffat Allan George Moffat, OBE is an Australian racing driver known for his four wins in the Australian Touring Car Championship, six wins in the Sandown 500 and his four wins in the Bathurst 1000... |
Ford XW Falcon GTHO Phase II Ford XW Falcon -Introduction:The XW Falcon was released in June 1969 replacing the XT Falcon. The XW was an extensive facelift of the XT, featuring a new grille and tail lights... |
130 laps 6h 34m 26s 0.0s |
122.85 km/h 76.34 mph |
| 1971 Hardie-Ferodo 500 1971 Hardie-Ferodo 500 The 1971 Hardie-Ferodo 500 was the 13th running of the Bathurst 500 production car race. It was held on 3 October 1971 at the Mount Panorama Circuit just outside Bathurst in New South Wales, Australia. The race was open to production vehicles competing in showroom condition with the field divided... |
Allan Moffat Allan Moffat Allan George Moffat, OBE is an Australian racing driver known for his four wins in the Australian Touring Car Championship, six wins in the Sandown 500 and his four wins in the Bathurst 1000... |
Ford XY Falcon GTHO Phase III | 130 laps 6h 9m 49.5s |
130.55 km/h 81.12 mph |
| 1972 Hardie-Ferodo 500 1972 Hardie-Ferodo 500 The 1972 Hardie-Ferodo 500 was an endurance motor race open to Group E Series Production Touring Cars. The race was held on 1 October 1972 at the Mount Panorama Circuit just outside Bathurst in New South Wales, Australia... |
Peter Brock Peter Brock Peter Geoffrey Brock, AM otherwise known as "Peter Perfect", "The King of the Mountain" or simply as "Brocky" was one of Australia's best-known and most successful motor racing drivers. Brock was most often associated with Holden for almost 40 years, although he raced vehicles of other... |
Holden LJ Torana GTR XU-1 | 130 laps 6h 0m 99.1s |
133.74 km/h 83.10 mph |
| Mount Panorama (1,000 Kilometres) | ||||
| 1973 Hardie-Ferodo 1000 1973 Hardie-Ferodo 1000 The 1973 Hardie-Ferodo 1000 was the 15th running of the Bathurst 1000 touring car race. The was the first race to be held under the new metricised distance of 1000 kilometres, rather than the 500 miles previously contested. It was held on 30 September 1973 at the Mount Panorama Circuit just outside... |
Allan Moffat Allan Moffat Allan George Moffat, OBE is an Australian racing driver known for his four wins in the Australian Touring Car Championship, six wins in the Sandown 500 and his four wins in the Bathurst 1000... Ian GeogheganIan Geoghegan Ian "Pete" Geoghegan, was an Australian race car driver, known for a quick wit and natural driving skills. Geoghegan was one of the iconic characters of the 1960s and 1970s Australian motor racing scene... |
Ford XA Falcon GT Ford XA Falcon The Ford XA Falcon is an automobile which was produced by Ford Australia from March 1972 to September 1973. It replaced the XY series Falcon and was the first Falcon to be completely designed and manufactured in Australia, although it is generally accepted that the two-door Hardtop version's... |
163 laps 7h 20m 6.8s |
136.33 km/h 84.71 mph |
| 1974 Hardie-Ferodo 1000 1974 Hardie-Ferodo 1000 The 1974 Hardie-Ferodo 1000 was the 16th running of the Bathurst 1000 touring car race. It was held on 6 October 1974 at the Mount Panorama Circuit just outside Bathurst. The race was open to cars eligible to the locally developed CAMS Group C touring car regulations with four engine capacity based... |
John Goss Kevin Bartlett |
Ford XA Falcon GT Ford XA Falcon The Ford XA Falcon is an automobile which was produced by Ford Australia from March 1972 to September 1973. It replaced the XY series Falcon and was the first Falcon to be completely designed and manufactured in Australia, although it is generally accepted that the two-door Hardtop version's... |
163 laps 7h 50m 99.1s |
127.39 km/h 79.16 mph |
| 1975 Hardie Ferodo 1000 1975 Hardie Ferodo 1000 The 1975 Hardie-Ferodo 1000 was the 16th running of the Bathurst 1000 touring car race. It was an endurance race for Touring Cars complying with CAMS Group C regulations. The event was held at the Mount Panorama Circuit just outside Bathurst, New South Wales on 5 October 1975 over a distance of... |
Peter Brock Peter Brock Peter Geoffrey Brock, AM otherwise known as "Peter Perfect", "The King of the Mountain" or simply as "Brocky" was one of Australia's best-known and most successful motor racing drivers. Brock was most often associated with Holden for almost 40 years, although he raced vehicles of other... Brian SampsonBrian Sampson (racing driver) Brian Sampson is a retired Australian racing driver.Sampson had a long career throughout the 60s and 70s, which he still continues as a hobby... |
Holden LH Torana L34 | 163 laps 7h 19m 11.3s |
136.62 km/h 84.89 mph |
| 1976 Hardie-Ferodo 1000 1976 Hardie-Ferodo 1000 The 1976 Hardie-Ferodo 1000 was the 17th running of the Bathurst 1000 touring car race. It was held on 3 October 1976 at the Mount Panorama Circuit just outside Bathurst in New South Wales, Australia... |
Bob Morris John FitzpatrickJohn Fitzpatrick (racing driver) thumb|upright=0.7|John Fitzpatrick in 1972John Fitzpatrick is a former British racing driver, winning many titles throughout his career. He still works within motorsport as a consultant doing corporate events and driver management... |
Holden LH Torana L34 | 163 laps 7h 7m 12.0s |
140.45 km/h 87.27 mph |
| 1977 Hardie-Ferodo 1000 1977 Hardie-Ferodo 1000 The 1977 Hardie-Ferodo 1000 was the 18th running of the Bathurst 1000 touring car race. It was held on 2 October 1977 at the Mount Panorama Circuit just outside Bathurst... |
Allan Moffat Allan Moffat Allan George Moffat, OBE is an Australian racing driver known for his four wins in the Australian Touring Car Championship, six wins in the Sandown 500 and his four wins in the Bathurst 1000...  Jacky IckxJacky Ickx Jacques Bernard "Jacky" Ickx is a Belgian former racing driver who achieved 25 podium finishes in Formula One and six wins in the 24 hours of Le Mans.- Racing career :... |
Ford XC Falcon Ford XC Falcon The Ford XC Falcon is a car which was produced by Ford Australia between 1976 and 1979. It was a facelift of the XB Falcon, itself an upgrade of the XA Falcon which had entered production in 1972... |
163 laps 6h 59m 7.8s |
143.15 km/h 88.95 mph |
| 1978 Hardie-Ferodo 1000 1978 Hardie-Ferodo 1000 The 1978 Hardie-Ferodo 1000 was the 19th running of the Bathurst 1000 touring car race. It was held on October 1, 1978 at the Mount Panorama Circuit just outside Bathurst... |
Peter Brock Peter Brock Peter Geoffrey Brock, AM otherwise known as "Peter Perfect", "The King of the Mountain" or simply as "Brocky" was one of Australia's best-known and most successful motor racing drivers. Brock was most often associated with Holden for almost 40 years, although he raced vehicles of other...  Jim Richards |
Holden LX Torana A9X SS | 163 laps 6h 45m 53.9s |
147.82 km/h 91.85 mph |
| 1979 Hardie-Ferodo 1000 1979 Hardie-Ferodo 1000 The 1979 Hardie-Ferodo 1000 was the 20th running of the Bathurst 1000 touring car race. It was held on September 30, 1979 at the Mount Panorama Circuit just outside Bathurst... |
Peter Brock Peter Brock Peter Geoffrey Brock, AM otherwise known as "Peter Perfect", "The King of the Mountain" or simply as "Brocky" was one of Australia's best-known and most successful motor racing drivers. Brock was most often associated with Holden for almost 40 years, although he raced vehicles of other... Jim Richards |
Holden LX Torana A9X SS | 163 laps 6h 38m 15.8s |
150.65 km/h 93.61 mph |
| 1980 Hardie-Ferodo 1000 1980 Hardie-Ferodo 1000 The 1980 Hardie-Ferodo 1000 was the 21st running of the Bathurst 1000 touring car race. It was held on 5 October 1980 at the Mount Panorama Circuit just outside Bathurst in New South Wales, Australia... |
Peter Brock Peter Brock Peter Geoffrey Brock, AM otherwise known as "Peter Perfect", "The King of the Mountain" or simply as "Brocky" was one of Australia's best-known and most successful motor racing drivers. Brock was most often associated with Holden for almost 40 years, although he raced vehicles of other... Jim Richards |
Holden VC Commodore | 163 laps 6h 47m 52.7s |
147.10 km/h 91.41 mph |
| 1981 James Hardie 1000 1981 James Hardie 1000 The 1981 James Hardie 1000 was the 22nd running of the Bathurst 1000 touring car race. It was held on 4 October 1981 at the Mount Panorama Circuit just outside Bathurst... |
Dick Johnson John French John French (racing driver) John French is a retired Australian racing driver.French had a long career throughout the 60s and 70s and the early 80s. He won the 1962 Australian GT Championship driving a Centaur-Waggott and in 1969 French paired with Allan Moffat to win the Sandown Three Hour race in a Ford Falcon GTHO... |
Ford XD Falcon Ford XD Falcon The Ford XD Falcon is a car that was produced by the Ford Motor Company of Australia between 1979 and 1982.The XD series was introduced on 28 March 1979 and was initially offered in five models:* Falcon GL * Fairmont... |
120 laps 4h 53m 52.7s |
150.31 km/h 93.40 mph |
| 1982 James Hardie 1000 1982 James Hardie 1000 The 1982 James Hardie 1000 was the 23rd running of the Bathurst 1000 touring car race. It was held on 3 October 1982 at the Mount Panorama Circuit just outside Bathurst in New South Wales, Australia... |
Peter Brock Peter Brock Peter Geoffrey Brock, AM otherwise known as "Peter Perfect", "The King of the Mountain" or simply as "Brocky" was one of Australia's best-known and most successful motor racing drivers. Brock was most often associated with Holden for almost 40 years, although he raced vehicles of other... Larry PerkinsLarry Perkins Larry Clifton Perkins is a former racing driver and V8 Supercar team owner from Australia.-Career:... |
Holden VH Commodore Holden VH Commodore The Holden VH Commodore, an evolution of the previous Holden Commodore VC model, was released in October 1981. The frontal appearance was mildly facelifted with a new horizontal-slat grille and new lighting components designed to give a lower, wider look, and for interest of aerodynamics... |
163 laps 6h 32m 3.2s |
153.04 km/h 95.09 mph |
| 1983 James Hardie 1000 1983 James Hardie 1000 The 1983 James Hardie 1000 was the 24th running of the Bathurst 1000 touring car race. It was an endurance race for Touring Cars complying with CAMS Group C regulations. It was held on October 2, 1983 at the Mount Panorama Circuit just outside Bathurst and was Round 4 of the 1983 Australian... |
John Harvey Peter Brock Peter Brock Peter Geoffrey Brock, AM otherwise known as "Peter Perfect", "The King of the Mountain" or simply as "Brocky" was one of Australia's best-known and most successful motor racing drivers. Brock was most often associated with Holden for almost 40 years, although he raced vehicles of other... Larry PerkinsLarry Perkins Larry Clifton Perkins is a former racing driver and V8 Supercar team owner from Australia.-Career:... |
Holden VH Commodore Holden VH Commodore The Holden VH Commodore, an evolution of the previous Holden Commodore VC model, was released in October 1981. The frontal appearance was mildly facelifted with a new horizontal-slat grille and new lighting components designed to give a lower, wider look, and for interest of aerodynamics... |
163 laps 6h 28m 31.6s |
154.43 km/h 95.96 mph |
| 1984 James Hardie 1000 1984 James Hardie 1000 The 1984 James Hardie 1000 was the 25th running of the Bathurst 1000 touring car race. It was held on 30 September 1984 at the Mount Panorama Circuit just outside Bathurst in New South Wales, Australia and was Round 4 of the 1984 Australian Endurance Championship... |
Peter Brock Peter Brock Peter Geoffrey Brock, AM otherwise known as "Peter Perfect", "The King of the Mountain" or simply as "Brocky" was one of Australia's best-known and most successful motor racing drivers. Brock was most often associated with Holden for almost 40 years, although he raced vehicles of other... Larry PerkinsLarry Perkins Larry Clifton Perkins is a former racing driver and V8 Supercar team owner from Australia.-Career:... |
Holden VK Commodore Holden VK Commodore The Holden VK Commodore was introduced in 1984 and replaced the VH. It was the first Commodore to have plastic bumpers and introduced rear quarter windows for a six-window design as opposed to the four-window design on previous Commodore models... |
163 laps 6h 23m 13.6s |
156.57 km/h 97.29 mph |
| 1985 James Hardie 1000 1985 James Hardie 1000 The 1985 James Hardie 1000 was the 26th running of the Bathurst 1000 touring car race. It was held on 6 October 1985 at the Mount Panorama Circuit just outside Bathurst. It was the first time the race was held exclusively for cars complying with the Australian version of International Group A... |
John Goss Armin HahneArmin Hahne Armin Hahne is a German racing driver, best known for his exploits in touring car racing. The highpoint of his career was winning both the 1982 and 1983 Spa 24 Hours driving BMW's. Another highlight of his career was driving in the factory supported Tom Walkinshaw Racing run Jaguar Racing team... |
Jaguar XJ-S | 163 laps 6h 41m 30.19s |
149.44 km/h 92.86 mph |
| 1986 James Hardie 1000 1986 James Hardie 1000 The 1986 James Hardie 1000 was an endurance motor race held on 5 October 1986 at the Mount Panorama Circuit, just outside Bathurst in New South Wales, Australia... |
Allan Grice Allan Grice Allan Maxwell Grice OAM , known to motor-racing fans as Gricey, is an Australian former racing driver and politician, most famous for twice winning the prestigious Bathurst 1000 , and as a privateer driver of a Holden in the Australian Touring Car Championship.Grice also had a successful second... Graeme BaileyGraeme Bailey Graeme Alfred Bailey , was an Australian racing driver, best known as co-winner of the 1986 Bathurst 1000.... |
Holden VK Commodore SS Group A Holden VK Commodore The Holden VK Commodore was introduced in 1984 and replaced the VH. It was the first Commodore to have plastic bumpers and introduced rear quarter windows for a six-window design as opposed to the four-window design on previous Commodore models... |
163 laps 6h 30m 35.68s |
153.61 km/h 95.45 mph |
| 1987 James Hardie 1000 1987 James Hardie 1000 The 1987 James Hardie 1000 was the eighth round of the inaugural World Touring Car Championship, the first round to be held in the southern hemisphere. The race was held for cars eligible for Group A touring car regulations. It was the 25th anniversary of the original touring car endurance race... |
Peter McLeod Peter McLeod Peter Gerard McLeod , was an Australian racing driver, best known as co-winner of the 1987 James Hardie 1000 at Bathurst and for driving the distinctive yellow and black Slick 50 Mazda RX-7 Group C touring car during the early to mid 1980's.-Group C Touring Cars:McLeod began his racing career in... Peter BrockPeter Brock Peter Geoffrey Brock, AM otherwise known as "Peter Perfect", "The King of the Mountain" or simply as "Brocky" was one of Australia's best-known and most successful motor racing drivers. Brock was most often associated with Holden for almost 40 years, although he raced vehicles of other... David Parsons |
Holden VL Commodore SS Group A Holden VL Commodore The Holden VL Commodore and Calais were a range of mid-sized cars manufactured between 1986 and 1988 by the General Motors Australian arm, Holden... |
158 laps 7h 1m 8.4s |
139.82 km/h 86.88 mph |
| 1988 Tooheys 1000 1988 Tooheys 1000 The 1988 Tooheys 1000 was the 29th running of the Bathurst 1000 touring car race. It was held on 2 October 1988 at the Mount Panorama Circuit just outside Bathurst... |
Tony Longhurst Tony Longhurst Tony Longhurst is an Australian former racing driver and Australian Champion water skier. He is most noted for his career in the Australian Touring Car Championship and V8 Supercar series.... Tomas MezeraTomas Mezera Tomas Mezera, born November 5, 1958, in Czechoslovakia and now resides in Queensland, Australia. Mezera is best known as an Australian racing driver. Mezera's sporting career began as a downhill skier in his native Czechoslovakia, before he emigrated to Australia to be a ski instructor.-Formula... |
Ford Sierra RS500 Ford Sierra RS Cosworth The Ford Sierra RS Cosworth was a high-performance version of the Ford Sierra. It was the result of a Ford Motorsport project with the purpose of producing an outright winner for Group A racing in Europe.- Development :... |
161 laps 7h 2m 10.28s |
142.12 km/h 88.31 mph |
| 1989 Tooheys 1000 1989 Tooheys 1000 The 1989 Tooheys 1000 was the 30th running of the Bathurst 1000 touring car race. It was held on 1 October 1989 at the Mount Panorama Circuit just outside Bathurst, Australia. The race was held for cars eligible under International Group A touring car regulations with three engine capacity... |
Dick Johnson John Bowe John Bowe (racing driver) John Bowe is an Australian racing driver, presently racing a 1969 Ford Mustang in the historic series, Touring Car Masters.... |
Ford Sierra RS500 Ford Sierra RS Cosworth The Ford Sierra RS Cosworth was a high-performance version of the Ford Sierra. It was the result of a Ford Motorsport project with the purpose of producing an outright winner for Group A racing in Europe.- Development :... |
161 laps 6h 30m 53.44s |
153.50 km/h 95.38 mph |
| 1990 Tooheys 1000 1990 Tooheys 1000 The 1990 Tooheys 1000 was the 31st running of the Bathurst 1000 touring car race. It was held on 30 September 1990 at the Mount Panorama Circuit just outside Bathurst, New South Wales, Australia. The event was open to cars eligible under CAMS Group 3A regulations, commonly known as Group A Touring... |
Win Percy Win Percy Winston "Win" Percy is a former motor racing driver from England. He competed in many classes of motorsport during his long career, but is perhaps most famous as one of the greats of touring car racing. Joe Saward of Autosport magazine once described him as being "often regarded as the World's... Allan GriceAllan Grice Allan Maxwell Grice OAM , known to motor-racing fans as Gricey, is an Australian former racing driver and politician, most famous for twice winning the prestigious Bathurst 1000 , and as a privateer driver of a Holden in the Australian Touring Car Championship.Grice also had a successful second... |
Holden VL Commodore SS Group A SV | 161 laps 6h 40m 52.64s |
149.67 km/h 93.00 mph |
| 1991 Tooheys 1000 1991 Tooheys 1000 The 1991 Tooheys 1000 was the 32nd running of the Bathurst 1000 touring car race. It was held on 6 October 1991 at the Mount Panorama Circuit just outside Bathurst. The 1000 km race was held for cars complying with the provisions of Australian Group 3A Touring Car regulations with the field... |
Jim Richards Mark Skaife Mark Skaife Mark Stephen Skaife OAM is an Australian motor racing driver. Skaife is a five time winner of the V8 Supercar Championship Series, including its predecessor the Australian Touring Car Championship. He is also a six-time winner of Australia's most prestigious domestic motor race, the Bathurst 1000... |
Nissan Skyline BNR32 GT-R Nissan Skyline GT-R The Nissan Skyline GT-R is a Japanese sports car based on the Nissan Skyline range.The first GT-Rs were produced from 1969–1973. After a 16 year hiatus since the KPGC110 in 1972, the GT-R name was revived in 1989 with the Skyline R32. This car was nicknamed "Godzilla" by the Australian motoring... |
161 laps 6h 19m 14.80s |
158.21 km/h 98.31 mph |
| 1992 Tooheys 1000 1992 Tooheys 1000 The 1992 Tooheys 1000 was the 33rd running of the Bathurst 1000 touring car race. It was held on October 4, 1992 at the Mount Panorama Circuit just outside Bathurst... |
Mark Skaife Mark Skaife Mark Stephen Skaife OAM is an Australian motor racing driver. Skaife is a five time winner of the V8 Supercar Championship Series, including its predecessor the Australian Touring Car Championship. He is also a six-time winner of Australia's most prestigious domestic motor race, the Bathurst 1000... Jim Richards |
Nissan Skyline BNR32 GT-R Nissan Skyline GT-R The Nissan Skyline GT-R is a Japanese sports car based on the Nissan Skyline range.The first GT-Rs were produced from 1969–1973. After a 16 year hiatus since the KPGC110 in 1972, the GT-R name was revived in 1989 with the Skyline R32. This car was nicknamed "Godzilla" by the Australian motoring... |
143 laps 6h 27m 16.22s |
137.61 km/h 85.51 mph |
| 1993 Tooheys 1000 1993 Tooheys 1000 The 1993 Tooheys 1000 was the 34th running of the Bathurst 1000 touring car race. It was held on 3 October 1993 at the Mount Panorama Circuit just outside Bathurst, New South Wales, Australia... |
Larry Perkins Larry Perkins Larry Clifton Perkins is a former racing driver and V8 Supercar team owner from Australia.-Career:... Gregg HansfordGregg Hansford Gregg Hansford was an Australian motorcycle and touring car racer.-Racing career:Hansford began racing motorcycles in Australia, winning the 1973 500cc Unlimited title, as well as competing in the New Zealand Marlboro Series in 1975/76 and 1977/78 on Team Kawasaki 750s. He also won one leg of the... |
Holden VP Commodore Holden VP Commodore The Holden VP Commodore is an automobile which was produced by Australian automaker Holden from 1991 to 1993. It is the seventh generation Holden Commodore.... |
161 laps 6h 29m 6.69s |
154.19 km/h 95.81 mph |
| 1994 Tooheys 1000 1994 Tooheys 1000 The 1994 Tooheys 1000 was the 35th running of the Bathurst 1000 touring car race. It was held on 2 October 1994 at the Mount Panorama Circuit just outside Bathurst. The race was held for cars eligible for CAMS Group 3A touring car regulations, that later became known V8Supercars and for... |
Dick Johnson John Bowe John Bowe (racing driver) John Bowe is an Australian racing driver, presently racing a 1969 Ford Mustang in the historic series, Touring Car Masters.... |
Ford EB Falcon Ford EB Falcon The Ford EB Falcon is a car which was produced by the Ford Motor Company in Australia between 1991 and 1993.Visually the 1991 EB remained nearly identical to its predecessor. The most noticeable change was the transfer of the Ford emblem from the tip of the bonnet to the grille... |
161 laps 7h 3m 45.8425s |
141.5882 km/h 87.9788 mph |
| 1995 Tooheys 1000 1995 Tooheys 1000 The 1995 Tooheys 1000 was the 36th running of the Bathurst 1000 touring car race. It was held on October 1, 1995 at the Mount Panorama Circuit just outside Bathurst. The race was held for cars eligible under CAMS Group 3A 5.0 Litre Touring Car regulations, that later became known as V8Supercars... |
Larry Perkins Larry Perkins Larry Clifton Perkins is a former racing driver and V8 Supercar team owner from Australia.-Career:... Russell IngallRussell Ingall Russell Ingall is an Australian V8 Supercar driver. Ingall won the V8 Supercar Championship for the first time in 2005, he was also the Championship runner up in 1998, 1999 and 2001. Ingall has also won the Bathurst 1000 motor race twice, in 1995 and 1997... |
Holden VR Commodore Holden VR Commodore The Holden VR Commodore of July 1993 came with an updated, sleeker and more modern design, as well as safety enhancements such as anti-lock brakes . From the side, the biggest change was the use of a round rear wheelarch, instead of a squared-off shape used on the previous VN and VP model Commodores... |
161 laps 6h 20m 32.4766s |
157.6701 km/h 97.9717 mph |
| 1996 AMP Bathurst 1000 1996 AMP Bathurst 1000 The 1996 AMP Bathurst 1000 was the 37th running of the Bathurst 1000 touring car race. It was held on October 6, 1996 at the Mount Panorama Circuit just outside Bathurst... |
Craig Lowndes Craig Lowndes Craig Lowndes is a multi-championship winning Australian racing driver. He is a three-time V8 Supercar champion and five-time winner of Australia's most famous motor race, the Bathurst 1000... Greg MurphyGreg Murphy Greg Murphy is a racing driver, best known as a four-time winner of the Bathurst 1000. Greg Murphy joined Jeremy Clarkson and Richard Hammond presenting Top Gear, when it had its first international Live show at ASB Showgrounds in Auckland from February 12 - 15th 2009, and again when the show... |
Holden VR Commodore Holden VR Commodore The Holden VR Commodore of July 1993 came with an updated, sleeker and more modern design, as well as safety enhancements such as anti-lock brakes . From the side, the biggest change was the use of a round rear wheelarch, instead of a squared-off shape used on the previous VN and VP model Commodores... |
161 laps 7h 9m 28.3584s |
139.7062 km/h 86.8094 mph |
| 1997 AMP Bathurst 1000 1997 AMP Bathurst 1000 The 1997 AMP Bathurst 1000 was the 38th running of the annual Bathurst 1000 touring car race. It was held on 5 October 1997 at the Mount Panorama Circuit just outside Bathurst in New South Wales, Australia... |
Geoff Brabham Geoff Brabham Geoff Brabham is an Australian racing driver. He is the son of three-time Formula One World Champion Jack Brabham. Brabham spent the majority of his racing career in the United States. He raced successfully in CART early in his career. In ten appearances in the Indianapolis 500, with a best result... David BrabhamDavid Brabham David Brabham is an Australian racing driver and one of the most successful and experienced specialists in sports car racing. He has won three international Sports Car series and is one of four Australians to have won the Le Mans 24 Hour sports car race, winning the event in... |
BMW 320i BMW E36 The BMW E36 is the third generation of the 3 Series compact executive cars produced by BMW. It was introduced in late 1990 for Europe and in late 1991 for US and Canada. It was the successor to the E30 3 Series and was eventually replaced by the E90 3 Series in 2005, though E36 coupes were still... |
161 laps 6h 41m 25.4072s |
149.4681 km/h 92.8752 mph |
| 1997 Primus 1000 Classic 1997 Primus 1000 Classic The 1997 Primus 1000 Classic was the first running of the Australia 1000 race, sometimes known as the Bathurst Classic. The race was created in response to V8Supercar's need to hold an event at the massively popular Mount Panorama Circuit, without competing in the Bathurst 1000 as V8Supercar... |
Larry Perkins Larry Perkins Larry Clifton Perkins is a former racing driver and V8 Supercar team owner from Australia.-Career:... Russell IngallRussell Ingall Russell Ingall is an Australian V8 Supercar driver. Ingall won the V8 Supercar Championship for the first time in 2005, he was also the Championship runner up in 1998, 1999 and 2001. Ingall has also won the Bathurst 1000 motor race twice, in 1995 and 1997... |
Holden VS Commodore Holden VS Commodore The Holden VS Commodore, released in 1995, was the ninth model of the Holden Commodore, a large car built by Holden, the Australian subsidiary of General Motors. The VS Commodore served as a mechanical update of the second generation architecture, destined to assist sales before the all-new VT model... * |
161 laps 6h 21m 55.5483s |
157.0986 km/h 97.6165 mph |
| 1998 AMP Bathurst 1000 1998 AMP Bathurst 1000 The 1998 AMP Bathurst 1000 was the 39th running of the Bathurst 1000 touring car race. It was held on 4 October 1998 at the Mount Panorama Circuit just outside Bathurst. It was the second year of the controversial split between race organisers, the Australian Racing Drivers Club, and V8 Supercar,... |
 Rickard RydellRickard Rydell Rickard Rydell is a Swedish racing driver. He won the 1998 British Touring Car Championship, the 2011 Scandinavian Touring Car Championship, and has also been a frontrunner in the European/World Touring Car Championship.-Early career:In the early 1990s, Rydell raced in various Formula Three series... Jim Richards |
Volvo S40 Volvo S40 The Volvo S40 is a small family car produced by Volvo. It introduced the first generation S40 and V40 cars in 1995... |
161 laps 6h 54m 23.4756s |
144.7907 km/h 89.9688 mph |
| 1998 FAI 1000 1998 FAI 1000 The 1998 FAI 1000 Classic was the second running of the Australia 1000 race, first held after the organisational split over the Bathurst 1000 the previous year. It was the 41st race that traces its lineage back to the 1960 Armstrong 500 held at Phillip Island... |
Jason Bright Jason Bright Jason Bright is an Australian racing driver currently competing in the V8 Supercar series.-Australia:... Steven RichardsSteven Richards Steven Richards is a New Zealand racing driver, currently competing in the with the team. He previously raced in the V8 Supercar series for Ford Performance Racing.... |
Ford EL Falcon Ford EL Falcon The Ford EL Falcon is a full-size car that was manufactured by the Ford Motor Company of Australia between 1996 and 1998. The EL Falcon served as the final chapter of the fifth generation "E-series" architecture, which began with the EA of 1988. Ford discontinued the car in 1998, and replaced it... * |
161 laps 6h 42m 23.9039s |
149.1060 km/h 92.6501 mph |
| 1999 FAI 1000 1999 FAI 1000 The 1999 FAI 1000 was an endurance race for V8 Supercars. The event was held on November 14, 1999 at the Mount Panorama Circuit just outside Bathurst, New South Wales, Australia and was the thirteenth and final round of the 1999 Shell Championship Series.... |
Steven Richards Steven Richards Steven Richards is a New Zealand racing driver, currently competing in the with the team. He previously raced in the V8 Supercar series for Ford Performance Racing.... Greg MurphyGreg Murphy Greg Murphy is a racing driver, best known as a four-time winner of the Bathurst 1000. Greg Murphy joined Jeremy Clarkson and Richard Hammond presenting Top Gear, when it had its first international Live show at ASB Showgrounds in Auckland from February 12 - 15th 2009, and again when the show... |
Holden VT Commodore Holden VT Commodore The Holden VT Commodore, Berlina, and Calais are the tenth iteration of the Holden Commodore, a full-size car built by Holden, the Australian subsidiary of General Motors... |
161 laps 6h 51m 48.8354s |
145.6969 km/h 90.5318 mph |
| 2000 FAI 1000 2000 FAI 1000 The 2000 FAI 1000 was the fourth running of the Australia 1000 race, first held after the organisational split over the Bathurst 1000 that occurred in 1997. It was the 38th anniversary of the original touring car endurance race held at the Mount Panorama Circuit in 1963... |
Garth Tander Garth Tander Garth Tander is a multiple-championship winning Australian motor racing driver. Since 1998 Tander has been a competitor in touring car racing series V8 Supercar Championship Series. Tander was the 2007 series champion for the HSV Dealer Team and is a three-time winner in Australia's most... Jason BargwannaJason Bargwanna Jason Bargwanna is an Australian racing driver who competes in the V8 Supercar Championship Series.-Career history:Bargwanna commenced his racing career in the late 1980s, initially competing in the Formula Vee category... |
Holden VT Commodore Holden VT Commodore The Holden VT Commodore, Berlina, and Calais are the tenth iteration of the Holden Commodore, a full-size car built by Holden, the Australian subsidiary of General Motors... |
161 laps 7h 23m 30.2348s |
135.3259 km/h 84.0876 mph |
| 2001 V8Supercar 1000 2001 V8Supercar 1000 The 2001 V8 Supercar 1000 was the fifth running of the Australia 1000 race, first held after the organisational split over the Bathurst 1000 that occurred in 1997... |
Mark Skaife Mark Skaife Mark Stephen Skaife OAM is an Australian motor racing driver. Skaife is a five time winner of the V8 Supercar Championship Series, including its predecessor the Australian Touring Car Championship. He is also a six-time winner of Australia's most prestigious domestic motor race, the Bathurst 1000... Tony LonghurstTony Longhurst Tony Longhurst is an Australian former racing driver and Australian Champion water skier. He is most noted for his career in the Australian Touring Car Championship and V8 Supercar series.... |
Holden VX Commodore Holden VX Commodore The Holden VX Commodore, Berlina and Calais range of full-size cars were the eleventh instalment of Holden Commodore, a model manufactured by Holden, the Australian subsidiary of General Motors... |
161 laps 6h 50m 33.1789s |
146.1872 km/h 90.8365 mph |
| 2002 Bob Jane T-Marts 1000 2002 Bob Jane T-Marts 1000 The 2002 Bob Jane T-Marts Bathurst 1000 was the sixth running of the Australia 1000 race, first held after the organisational split over the Bathurst 1000 that occurred in 1997... |
Mark Skaife Mark Skaife Mark Stephen Skaife OAM is an Australian motor racing driver. Skaife is a five time winner of the V8 Supercar Championship Series, including its predecessor the Australian Touring Car Championship. He is also a six-time winner of Australia's most prestigious domestic motor race, the Bathurst 1000... Jim Richards |
Holden VX Commodore Holden VX Commodore The Holden VX Commodore, Berlina and Calais range of full-size cars were the eleventh instalment of Holden Commodore, a model manufactured by Holden, the Australian subsidiary of General Motors... |
161 laps 6h 58m 41.0260s |
143.3482 km/h 89.0724 mph |
| 2003 Bob Jane T-Marts 1000 2003 Bob Jane T-Marts 1000 The 2003 Bob Jane T-Marts Bathurst 1000 was the seventh running of the Australia 1000 race, first held after the organisational split over the Bathurst 1000 that occurred in 1997... |
Greg Murphy Greg Murphy Greg Murphy is a racing driver, best known as a four-time winner of the Bathurst 1000. Greg Murphy joined Jeremy Clarkson and Richard Hammond presenting Top Gear, when it had its first international Live show at ASB Showgrounds in Auckland from February 12 - 15th 2009, and again when the show... Rick KellyRick Kelly Rick Kelly is a current V8 Supercar racing driver, currently living in Melbourne, Victoria. He is the younger brother of former Bathurst 1000 champion, Todd Kelly... |
Holden VY Commodore | 161 laps 6h 32m 55.4044s |
152.7463 km/h 94.9121 mph |
| 2004 Bob Jane T-Marts 1000 2004 Bob Jane T-Marts 1000 The 2004 Bob Jane T-Marts Bathurst 1000 was the eighth running of the Australia 1000 race, first held after the organisational split over the Bathurst 1000 that occurred in 1997. The race was staged four days after the 41st anniversary of the original touring car endurance race held at the Mount... |
Greg Murphy Greg Murphy Greg Murphy is a racing driver, best known as a four-time winner of the Bathurst 1000. Greg Murphy joined Jeremy Clarkson and Richard Hammond presenting Top Gear, when it had its first international Live show at ASB Showgrounds in Auckland from February 12 - 15th 2009, and again when the show... Rick KellyRick Kelly Rick Kelly is a current V8 Supercar racing driver, currently living in Melbourne, Victoria. He is the younger brother of former Bathurst 1000 champion, Todd Kelly... |
|Holden VY Commodore | 161 laps 6h 29m 36.2055s |
154.0479 km/h 95.7209 mph |
| 2005 Supercheap Auto 1000 2005 Supercheap Auto 1000 The 2005 Supercheap Auto Bathurst 1000 was the ninth running of the Australia 1000 race, first held after the organisational split over the Bathurst 1000 that occurred in 1997. It was the 43rd anniversary of the original touring car endurance race held at the Mount Panorama Circuit in 1963... |
Mark Skaife Mark Skaife Mark Stephen Skaife OAM is an Australian motor racing driver. Skaife is a five time winner of the V8 Supercar Championship Series, including its predecessor the Australian Touring Car Championship. He is also a six-time winner of Australia's most prestigious domestic motor race, the Bathurst 1000... Todd KellyTodd Kelly Todd Kelly is a V8 Supercar racing driver, currently living in Melbourne, Victoria. He is the older brother of former V8 Supercar and Bathurst 1000 champion, Rick Kelly. He drove for the Holden Racing Team from 2003 until 2007, and Jack Daniel's Racing in 2008... |
Holden VZ Commodore | 161 laps 6h 37m 17.0012s |
151.0700 km/h 93.8705 mph |
| 2006 Supercheap Auto 1000 2006 Supercheap Auto 1000 The 2006 Super Cheap Auto Bathurst 1000 was the tenth running of the Australia 1000 race, first held after the organisational split over the Bathurst 1000 that occurred in 1997. It was the 44th anniversary of the original touring car endurance race held at the Mount Panorama Circuit in 1963... |
Craig Lowndes Craig Lowndes Craig Lowndes is a multi-championship winning Australian racing driver. He is a three-time V8 Supercar champion and five-time winner of Australia's most famous motor race, the Bathurst 1000... Jamie WhincupJamie Whincup Jamie Whincup is Australian auto racing driver who competes in the V8 Supercar, driving for TeamVodafone. He is a two-time V8 Supercars champion and three-time Bathurst 1000 winner.-Early career:... |
Ford BA Falcon Ford BA Falcon The Ford BA Falcon is a full-size car, produced by the Ford Motor Company of Australia between September 2002 and October 2005. The exterior styling of the BA was a substantial revision of that used for the preceding AU model. A new independent rear suspension setup was fitted to all sedan... |
161 laps 6h 59m 53.5852s |
142.9354 km/h 88.8159 mph |
| 2007 Supercheap Auto Bathurst 1000 2007 Supercheap Auto Bathurst 1000 The 2007 Supercheap Auto Bathurst 1000 was an endurance race for V8 Supercars, held on 7 October 2007 at the Mount Panorama Circuit near Bathurst in New South Wales, Australia... |
Craig Lowndes Craig Lowndes Craig Lowndes is a multi-championship winning Australian racing driver. He is a three-time V8 Supercar champion and five-time winner of Australia's most famous motor race, the Bathurst 1000... Jamie WhincupJamie Whincup Jamie Whincup is Australian auto racing driver who competes in the V8 Supercar, driving for TeamVodafone. He is a two-time V8 Supercars champion and three-time Bathurst 1000 winner.-Early career:... |
Ford BF Falcon Ford BF Falcon The Ford BF Falcon was a full-size car that was manufactured by the Ford Motor Company in Victoria, Australia. The BF Falcon started production in October 2005 and a MkII update was released in October 2006... |
161 laps 6h 29m 10.1985s |
154.2195 km/h 95.8275 mph |
| 2008 Supercheap Auto Bathurst 1000 2008 Supercheap Auto Bathurst 1000 The 2008 Supercheap Auto Bathurst 1000 was the twelfth running of the Australian 1000 race, first held after the organisational split over the Bathurst 1000 that occurred in 1997... |
Craig Lowndes Craig Lowndes Craig Lowndes is a multi-championship winning Australian racing driver. He is a three-time V8 Supercar champion and five-time winner of Australia's most famous motor race, the Bathurst 1000... Jamie WhincupJamie Whincup Jamie Whincup is Australian auto racing driver who competes in the V8 Supercar, driving for TeamVodafone. He is a two-time V8 Supercars champion and three-time Bathurst 1000 winner.-Early career:... |
Ford BF Falcon Ford BF Falcon The Ford BF Falcon was a full-size car that was manufactured by the Ford Motor Company in Victoria, Australia. The BF Falcon started production in October 2005 and a MkII update was released in October 2006... |
161 laps 6h 26m 00.4291s |
155.4831 km/h 96.6127 mph |
| 2009 Supercheap Auto Bathurst 1000 2009 Supercheap Auto Bathurst 1000 The 2009 Supercheap Auto Bathurst 1000 was a motor race for V8 Supercars. It was the thirteenth running of the Australian 1000 race, first held after the organisational split over the Bathurst 1000 that occurred in 1997... |
Will Davison Will Davison Will Davison is an Australian racing driver. He currently competes with Ford Performance Racing in the #6 Trading Post FPR Falcon, in the premier Australian touring car class, V8 Supercar.-Early career:... Garth TanderGarth Tander Garth Tander is a multiple-championship winning Australian motor racing driver. Since 1998 Tander has been a competitor in touring car racing series V8 Supercar Championship Series. Tander was the 2007 series champion for the HSV Dealer Team and is a three-time winner in Australia's most... |
Holden VE Commodore | 161 laps 6h 40m 02.4884s |
150.0284 km/h 93.2233 mph |
| 2010 Supercheap Auto Bathurst 1000 2010 Supercheap Auto Bathurst 1000 The 2010 Supercheap Auto Bathurst 1000 was a motor race for V8 Supercars. The race, which was held on Sunday, 10 October 2010 at the Mount Panorama Circuit just outside Bathurst, New South Wales, Australia was Race 18 of the 2010 V8 Supercar Championship Series... |
Craig Lowndes Craig Lowndes Craig Lowndes is a multi-championship winning Australian racing driver. He is a three-time V8 Supercar champion and five-time winner of Australia's most famous motor race, the Bathurst 1000... Mark SkaifeMark Skaife Mark Stephen Skaife OAM is an Australian motor racing driver. Skaife is a five time winner of the V8 Supercar Championship Series, including its predecessor the Australian Touring Car Championship. He is also a six-time winner of Australia's most prestigious domestic motor race, the Bathurst 1000... |
Holden VE Commodore | 161 laps 6h 12m 51.4153s |
160.9668 km/h 100.0201 mph |
| 2011 Supercheap Auto Bathurst 1000 2011 Supercheap Auto Bathurst 1000 The 2011 Supercheap Auto Bathurst 1000 was an Australian touring car motor race for V8 Supercars. The race was on Sunday, 9 October 2011 at the Mount Panorama Circuit just outside Bathurst, New South Wales, Australia and was Race 20 of the 2011 International V8 Supercars Championship... |
Garth Tander Garth Tander Garth Tander is a multiple-championship winning Australian motor racing driver. Since 1998 Tander has been a competitor in touring car racing series V8 Supercar Championship Series. Tander was the 2007 series champion for the HSV Dealer Team and is a three-time winner in Australia's most... Nick PercatNick Percat Nick Percat is an Australian racing driver and reigning Bathurst 1000 champion. Percat currently races V8 Supercars in the Fujitsu V8 Supercar Series driving a Holden Commodore for Walkinshaw Performance supported Jay Motorsport team... |
Holden VE Commodore | 161 laps 6h 26m 52.2691s |
155.0904 km/h 96.3294 mph |
Multiple race winners
| Wins | Driver |
|---|---|
| 9 | Peter Brock Peter Brock Peter Geoffrey Brock, AM otherwise known as "Peter Perfect", "The King of the Mountain" or simply as "Brocky" was one of Australia's best-known and most successful motor racing drivers. Brock was most often associated with Holden for almost 40 years, although he raced vehicles of other... |
| 7 | Jim Richards Jim Richards (race driver) Jim Richards is a New Zealand racing driver who has spent most of his racing life in Australia. While retired from professional racing, Richards continues to compete in the historic category Touring Car Masters while running a team in the Australian GT Championship... |
| 6 | Larry Perkins Larry Perkins Larry Clifton Perkins is a former racing driver and V8 Supercar team owner from Australia.-Career:... |
| Mark Skaife Mark Skaife Mark Stephen Skaife OAM is an Australian motor racing driver. Skaife is a five time winner of the V8 Supercar Championship Series, including its predecessor the Australian Touring Car Championship. He is also a six-time winner of Australia's most prestigious domestic motor race, the Bathurst 1000... |
|
| 5 | Craig Lowndes Craig Lowndes Craig Lowndes is a multi-championship winning Australian racing driver. He is a three-time V8 Supercar champion and five-time winner of Australia's most famous motor race, the Bathurst 1000... |
| 4 | Bob Jane Bob Jane Robert "Bob" Jane is an Australian former race car driver and prominent businessman. A four-time winner of the Armstrong 500, the race that became the prestigious Bathurst 1000 and a four-time Australian Touring Car Champion, Jane is perhaps known best nowadays for his chain of tyre retailers,... |
| Harry Firth Harry Firth Harry L. Firth is an Australian former racing driver and team manager. Firth was a leading race and rally driver during the 1950s and 1960s and continued as an influential team manager well into the 1970s... |
|
| Allan Moffat Allan Moffat Allan George Moffat, OBE is an Australian racing driver known for his four wins in the Australian Touring Car Championship, six wins in the Sandown 500 and his four wins in the Bathurst 1000... |
|
| Greg Murphy Greg Murphy Greg Murphy is a racing driver, best known as a four-time winner of the Bathurst 1000. Greg Murphy joined Jeremy Clarkson and Richard Hammond presenting Top Gear, when it had its first international Live show at ASB Showgrounds in Auckland from February 12 - 15th 2009, and again when the show... |
|
| 3 | Dick Johnson |
| Jamie Whincup Jamie Whincup Jamie Whincup is Australian auto racing driver who competes in the V8 Supercar, driving for TeamVodafone. He is a two-time V8 Supercars champion and three-time Bathurst 1000 winner.-Early career:... |
|
| Garth Tander Garth Tander Garth Tander is a multiple-championship winning Australian motor racing driver. Since 1998 Tander has been a competitor in touring car racing series V8 Supercar Championship Series. Tander was the 2007 series champion for the HSV Dealer Team and is a three-time winner in Australia's most... |
|
| 2 | John Goss John Goss (race driver) John Goss is the only Australian racing driver to win Australia's two most prestigious races, the Bathurst 1000 , and the Australian Grand Prix .-Early career:... |
| Allan Grice Allan Grice Allan Maxwell Grice OAM , known to motor-racing fans as Gricey, is an Australian former racing driver and politician, most famous for twice winning the prestigious Bathurst 1000 , and as a privateer driver of a Holden in the Australian Touring Car Championship.Grice also had a successful second... |
|
| John Bowe John Bowe (racing driver) John Bowe is an Australian racing driver, presently racing a 1969 Ford Mustang in the historic series, Touring Car Masters.... |
|
| Russell Ingall Russell Ingall Russell Ingall is an Australian V8 Supercar driver. Ingall won the V8 Supercar Championship for the first time in 2005, he was also the Championship runner up in 1998, 1999 and 2001. Ingall has also won the Bathurst 1000 motor race twice, in 1995 and 1997... |
|
| Steven Richards Steven Richards Steven Richards is a New Zealand racing driver, currently competing in the with the team. He previously raced in the V8 Supercar series for Ford Performance Racing.... |
|
| Tony Longhurst Tony Longhurst Tony Longhurst is an Australian former racing driver and Australian Champion water skier. He is most noted for his career in the Australian Touring Car Championship and V8 Supercar series.... |
|
| Rick Kelly Rick Kelly Rick Kelly is a current V8 Supercar racing driver, currently living in Melbourne, Victoria. He is the younger brother of former Bathurst 1000 champion, Todd Kelly... |
Number of victories by vehicle brand
| Wins | Manufacturer |
|---|---|
| 28 | Holden Holden GM Holden Ltd is an automaker that operates in Australia, based in Port Melbourne, Victoria. The company was founded in 1856 as a saddlery manufacturer. In 1908 it moved into the automotive field, before becoming a subsidiary of the U.S.-based General Motors in 1931... |
| 18 | Ford Ford Motor Company Ford Motor Company is an American multinational automaker based in Dearborn, Michigan, a suburb of Detroit. The automaker was founded by Henry Ford and incorporated on June 16, 1903. In addition to the Ford and Lincoln brands, Ford also owns a small stake in Mazda in Japan and Aston Martin in the UK... |
| 2 | Nissan Nissan Motors , usually shortened to Nissan , is a multinational automaker headquartered in Japan. It was a core member of the Nissan Group, but has become more independent after its restructuring under Carlos Ghosn .... |
| 1 | Vauxhall Vauxhall Motors Vauxhall Motors is a British automotive company owned by General Motors and headquartered in Luton. It was founded in 1857 as a pump and marine engine manufacturer, began manufacturing cars in 1903 and was acquired by GM in 1925. It has been the second-largest selling car brand in the UK for... |
| Mercedes-Benz Mercedes-Benz Mercedes-Benz is a German manufacturer of automobiles, buses, coaches, and trucks. Mercedes-Benz is a division of its parent company, Daimler AG... |
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| Morris Morris Motor Company The Morris Motor Company was a British car manufacturing company. After the incorporation of the company into larger corporations, the Morris name remained in use as a marque until 1984 when British Leyland's Austin Rover Group decided to concentrate on the more popular Austin marque... |
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| Jaguar Jaguar (car) Jaguar Cars Ltd, known simply as Jaguar , is a British luxury car manufacturer, headquartered in Whitley, Coventry, England. It is part of the Jaguar Land Rover business, a subsidiary of the Indian company Tata Motors.... |
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| BMW BMW Bayerische Motoren Werke AG is a German automobile, motorcycle and engine manufacturing company founded in 1916. It also owns and produces the Mini marque, and is the parent company of Rolls-Royce Motor Cars. BMW produces motorcycles under BMW Motorrad and Husqvarna brands... |
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| Volvo Volvo Cars Volvo Car Corporation, or Volvo Personvagnar AB, is a Swedish automobile manufacturer founded in 1927, in Gothenburg, Sweden. It is owned by Zhejiang Geely Holding Group. Volvo was originally formed as a subsidiary company to the ball bearing maker SKF. When Volvo AB was introduced on the Swedish... |
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- Outright race winner was not official recognised until 1965, with official results indicated four or five class races occurring simultaneously rather than a single race. The first car across the finish line has been retroactively recognised outright race winner since then.
Records
The lap record for the race is the 2:08.4651 recorded by Jamie WhincupJamie Whincup
Jamie Whincup is Australian auto racing driver who competes in the V8 Supercar, driving for TeamVodafone. He is a two-time V8 Supercars champion and three-time Bathurst 1000 winner.-Early career:...
in his Ford BF Falcon in 2007, not to be confused with the fastest lap ever recorded, a 2:06.8012 set during practice in 2010 by Holden driver Craig Lowndes
Craig Lowndes
Craig Lowndes is a multi-championship winning Australian racing driver. He is a three-time V8 Supercar champion and five-time winner of Australia's most famous motor race, the Bathurst 1000...
.
The shortest race duration, with the full 1000 km completed, is 6h 12m 51.4153s, set by Craig Lowndes
Craig Lowndes
Craig Lowndes is a multi-championship winning Australian racing driver. He is a three-time V8 Supercar champion and five-time winner of Australia's most famous motor race, the Bathurst 1000...
and Mark Skaife
Mark Skaife
Mark Stephen Skaife OAM is an Australian motor racing driver. Skaife is a five time winner of the V8 Supercar Championship Series, including its predecessor the Australian Touring Car Championship. He is also a six-time winner of Australia's most prestigious domestic motor race, the Bathurst 1000...
in their Holden VE Commodore in 2010
2010 Supercheap Auto Bathurst 1000
The 2010 Supercheap Auto Bathurst 1000 was a motor race for V8 Supercars. The race, which was held on Sunday, 10 October 2010 at the Mount Panorama Circuit just outside Bathurst, New South Wales, Australia was Race 18 of the 2010 V8 Supercar Championship Series...
.
Deaths
In nearly 45 years of racing, three drivers have died while competing in the Bathurst 1000.In 1986
1986 James Hardie 1000
The 1986 James Hardie 1000 was an endurance motor race held on 5 October 1986 at the Mount Panorama Circuit, just outside Bathurst in New South Wales, Australia...
, Sydney accountant and privateer entrant Mike Burgmann
Mike Burgmann
Michael Burgmann was a Sydney accountant and racing car driver who was involved in a fatal accident at the Bathurst 1000 race held at the Mount Panorama Circuit in New South Wales in 1986....
became the first fatality in the race's history when his car (Holden VK Commodore), travelling at 268 km/h (166.5 mph), struck the tyre barrier at the base of recently constructed Bridgestone Bridge on the high-speed straight known as Conrod Straight. "The Chase", a large three-corner chicane
Chicane
A chicane is an artificial feature creating extra turns in a road, used in motor racing and on city streets to slow cars to lower speeds.- Motor Racing :...
, added in 1987 to the straight was dedicated to Burgmann with a plaque embedded in the concrete barriers.
In 1992
1992 Tooheys 1000
The 1992 Tooheys 1000 was the 33rd running of the Bathurst 1000 touring car race. It was held on October 4, 1992 at the Mount Panorama Circuit just outside Bathurst...
, former Formula One
Formula One
Formula One, also known as Formula 1 or F1 and referred to officially as the FIA Formula One World Championship, is the highest class of single seater auto racing sanctioned by the Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile . The "formula" designation in the name refers to a set of rules with which...
world champion Denny Hulme
Denny Hulme
Denis Clive "Denny" Hulme, OBE was a New Zealand racing driver, the 1967 Formula One World Champion for the Brabham team....
, after complaining of blurred vision, suffered a heart attack at the wheel of his BMW M3 whilst travelling along Conrod Straight. After veering into the wall on the left side of the track, he managed to bring the car to a relatively controlled stop on the opposite side of the course. When marshals reached the scene they found Hulme dead at the wheel.
In 1994
1994 Tooheys 1000
The 1994 Tooheys 1000 was the 35th running of the Bathurst 1000 touring car race. It was held on 2 October 1994 at the Mount Panorama Circuit just outside Bathurst. The race was held for cars eligible for CAMS Group 3A touring car regulations, that later became known V8Supercars and for...
, Melbourne
Melbourne
Melbourne is the capital and most populous city in the state of Victoria, and the second most populous city in Australia. The Melbourne City Centre is the hub of the greater metropolitan area and the Census statistical division—of which "Melbourne" is the common name. As of June 2009, the greater...
privateer entrant Don Watson died during practice when his car (Holden VP Commodore) left the circuit and hit a barrier on Conrod Straight.
Additionally the 2006 event was marred by the death of New Zealand driver Mark Porter in a Fujitsu V8 Supercar Series support race on the Friday of the meeting. Porter had been scheduled to compete in the 1000 as a driver for the Brad Jones Racing
Brad Jones Racing
Brad Jones Racing is an Australian motor racing team centred around brothers Kim and Brad Jones and is based in Albury, New South Wales. Presently the team compete in the V8 Supercar Series, which they joined in 2000. Recently they have also returned to the Australian Formula Ford Championship...
team.
Peter Brock Trophy
Following Brock's death in an accident during a rally (Targa West Event) in Western AustraliaWestern Australia
Western Australia is a state of Australia, occupying the entire western third of the Australian continent. It is bounded by the Indian Ocean to the north and west, the Great Australian Bight and Indian Ocean to the south, the Northern Territory to the north-east and South Australia to the south-east...
, V8 Supercars Australia announced that from 2006 onwards, the drivers in the Bathurst 1000 would be racing to win the Peter Brock Trophy. The 2006 race also honoured Brock with special tributes, such as the front row of the starting grid being left vacant, all cars bearing an '05' number made famous by Brock, and a champions' lap of honour featuring Brock's past co-drivers parading cars that Brock won Bathurst in.
The slimline cup mounted on polished hardwood, produced by Hardy Brothers Jewellers, took over 200 hours to construct and was only completed on 5 October, just three days before the race.
The trophy is inscribed with the words "King of the Mountain", a long-time nickname of Brock's, weighs 2.5 kg (6 lb) and stands 50 centimetres (19.7 in) tall.
See also
- List of Bathurst 1000 vehicles
- National Motor Racing MuseumNational Motor Racing MuseumThe National Motor Racing Museum is located in the regional New South Wales city of Bathurst, approximately 200 km west of Sydney. The museum is situated adjacent to the Mount Panorama motor racing circuit at the end of Conrod Straight, close to the city.The museums purpose is to display and...
is a museum located adjacent to the racing circuit exhibiting racing memorabilia