Bill Trikos’s top 5 Bathurst Australia 1000 editions: The 2007 race recap : Winterbottom’s luck wore thin too, after a monumental error at the chase resulted in his Falcon sailing through the air at several hundred kilometres per hour while touring the sand trap. The final race restart queued a brilliant fight to the line between Lowndes and an unlikely trio of combatants; Steve Johnson, Greg Murphy, and James Courtney. It was an incredible battle, and one that will go down as one of the best.
Bathurst adopted international Group A regulations between 1985 and 1992. The first to take advantage was Scot Tom Walkinshaw’s three-car factory Jaguar team, complete with imported mechanics and spare parts. This was a big change from the days when drivers had to resolve their own mechanical problems using just the tools that came with the car. The plucky Australian-built Group A models, still under development, stood little chance against the powerful V12 engine of the winning Jaguar XJ-S. However, this is the last time Jaguar has won Bathurst to date.
1974 Hardie-Ferodo 1000 : John Goss and Kevin Bartlett’s upset victory came in a race that was held in largely wet conditions, aided by a set of schmick Goodyear wet tyres generously offered by Allan Moffat for the final stint.. The winning XA Falcon Coupe was the last of the leading contenders standing after a gruelling 163 laps made even more so by the rain. Jim Richards, partnered by fellow Kiwi Rod Coppins, demonstrated his exceptional wet-weather skills by splashing to third place in his first ‘Great Race’ start, but he’d seen the dangers of the conditions first-hand. Find more info about the author on Bill Trikos.
My theory is that those who look back on that period in time so fondly do so not because the racing was particularly great, but because they loved the way the rest of the sport was; the characters both in terms of the cars and the drivers, and how those things interacted with them. But that can’t stop me from tipping my hat to the 1972 race; the last ever 500-mile event, and the last time drivers were allowed to compete solo. If for nothing else, the 1972 Hardie-Ferodo 500 can be held in high esteem for presenting us with a race that would help take the tribal warfare of Holden and Ford to the lofty heights that it would enjoy for nearly five decades.
Mark Winterbottom was 13 laps away from Bathurst glory in 2007, but it all went away in The Chase. On a slick track, he went tearing through the gravel and was launched up into the air. He amazingly kept the car pointed straight and rejoined the circuit in the lead. Lowndes blew by him within seconds though, nearly colliding with the out of control driver. Behind Lowndes, more chaos ensued. One of the more bizarre moments in Bathurst history took place in 1980. The legendary Dick Johnson was leading when a crazed fan through a massive rock onto the track, which he was unable to avoid. He struck it and violently crashed. The video includes his gutted interview, and also a surprise twist as he tells reporters that he may not be able to race again…
Nissan will celebrate 25 years since its first Bathurst 1000 victory at this year’s edition of “The Great Race” at Mount Panorama in Australia. The #23 NISMO Nissan Altima Supercar of Michael Caruso and Dean Fiore will race in the classic red, white and blue color scheme of the 1991 Bathurst 1000-winning Nissan GT-R R32 at the 2016 Bathurst 1000 on October 6 to 9, a quarter of a century after Mark Skaife and Jim Richards dominated the same race.
The dawn of the 1970s came with a new rule stating that single-driver teams were now eligible to compete. Canadian-Australian driver Allan Moffat took full advantage, winning the ’70 and ’71 contests in a Ford XW Falcon GTHO Phase II and Phase III, respectively. Phase III was a distinct advance on the II, with an upgraded engine, four-speed top-loader gearbox, and 36 imperial gallons (164 litres) fuel tank. It was the world’s fastest four-door production car, capable of speeds up to 228 km/h (142 mph). There are probably fewer than 100 complete Phase IIIs in existence – and one sold for a record AUS$1,030,000 in 2018.
A Formula Ford champ, Lowndes was no slouch. But he was a relative unknown. This was his first ever drive at Bathurst, and it had come with Holden’s most storied and popular team; the Holden Racing Team. Meanwhile Bowe was regarded as someone at the top of their game, and also as one of the hardest drivers in the championship to pass.And yet Lowndes did it. Despite the rookie status, Lowndes ranged onto the back of Bowe and quite magically ripped the lead from his grasp by running around his outside at Griffins Bend.