Peter Brock Trophy
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The Bathurst 1000 (known for sponsorship reasons as the
Repco Repco is an Australian automotive engineering/retail company. Its name is an abbreviation of Replacement Parts Company and was for many years known for reconditioning engines and for specialised manufacturing, for which it gained a high repu ...
Bathurst 1000) is a
touring car Touring car and tourer are both terms for open cars (i.e. cars without a fixed roof). "Touring car" is a style of open car built in the United States which seats four or more people. The style was popular from the early 1900s to the 1930s. The ...
race held annually on the
Mount Panorama Circuit Mount Panorama Circuit, officially Mount Panorama/Wahluu via dual naming, is a motor racing track located in Bathurst, New South Wales, Australia. It is situated on Mount Panorama and is best known as the home of the Bathurst 1000 motor race ...
in
Bathurst, New South Wales Bathurst () is a city in the Central Tablelands of New South Wales, Australia. Bathurst is about 200 kilometres (120 mi) west-northwest of Sydney and is the seat of the Bathurst Region, Bathurst Regional Council. Founded in 1815, Bathurst is ...
,
Australia Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country comprising mainland Australia, the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania and list of islands of Australia, numerous smaller isl ...
. It is currently run as part of the
Supercars Championship The Supercars Championship, also known as the Repco Supercars Championship under sponsorship and historically as V8 Supercars, is a touring car racing category in Australia and New Zealand, running as an International Series under Fédération I ...
, the most recent incarnation of the
Australian Touring Car Championship The Australian Touring Car Championship (ATCC) is a touring car racing award held in Australia since 1960. The series itself is no longer contested, but the title lives on, with the winner of the Repco Supercars Championship awarded the troph ...
. In
1987 Events January * January 1 – Bolivia reintroduces the Boliviano currency. * January 2 – Chadian–Libyan conflict – Battle of Fada: The Military of Chad, Chadian army destroys a Libyan armoured brigade. * January 3 – Afghan leader ...
it was a round of the
World Touring Car Championship The FIA World Touring Car Championship was an international touring car championship promoted by Eurosport Events and sanctioned by the Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile (FIA). It has had several different incarnations, including a sing ...
. The Bathurst 1000 is colloquially known as ''The Great Race'' among motorsport fans and media. The race originated with the
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, Australia, Victoria, Australia on 20 November 1960 over 167 ...
with a 500 mile race distance at the
Phillip Island Grand Prix Circuit The Phillip Island Grand Prix Circuit is a motor racing circuit located near Ventnor, Victoria, Ventnor, on Phillip Island, Victoria (Australia), Victoria, Australia. The current circuit was first used in 1952. Along with The Bend Motorsport P ...
; it was relocated to Bathurst in 1963 also with the 500 mile distance and has continued there every year since, extending to a 1,000 kilometer race in 1973. The race was traditionally run on the New South Wales Labour-Day long weekend in early October. Since 2001, the race has been run on the weekend following the long weekend, generally the second weekend of October. Race winners are presented with the ''Peter Brock Trophy'', introduced at the 2006 race after the sudden death of
Peter Brock Peter Geoffrey Brock (26 February 1945 – 8 September 2006), known as "Peter Perfect", "The King of the Mountain", or simply "Brocky", was an Australian motor racing driver. Brock was most often associated with Holden for almost 40 years, al ...
in an accident. Brock was the most successful driver in the race's history, winning the event nine times. He was also known as one of the most popular and fan-friendly drivers during his long career, and was given the moniker "King of the Mountain" for these reasons.


Mount Panorama

The Mount Panorama Circuit was first used on 16 April 1938 for the
Australian Tourist Trophy The Australian Tourist Trophy is a Confederation of Australian Motor Sport-sanctioned national motor racing title, contested between 1956 and 1979 by Group A Sports Cars, Sports Cars and, since 2007, by Australian GT Championship, GT cars. The t ...
meeting for motorcycles, followed two days later by the
Australian Grand Prix The Australian Grand Prix is an annual Formula One motor racing event, taking place in Melbourne, Victoria. The event is contracted to be held at least until 2035. One of the oldest surviving motorsport competitions held in Australia, the Gran ...
for cars. The track uses temporarily-closed-public roads and is known for the elevation between its highest and lowest points. The first turn, Hell Corner, is a ninety-degree left-hander. Mountain Straight, a gentle climb where cars reach speeds of , leads into Griffin's Bend, an off-camber right-hander that leads into The Cutting, a sharp left-hander with a steep incline. A complex corner called Reid Park comes next, where a number of drivers have spun after not
short shifting Short shifting is a driving technique in which the gear is changed up before reaching maximum engine RPM or, more precisely, the acceleration optimized RPM shift-point. By short shifting, the engine does not reach its power band, and therefore max ...
at the
apex The apex is the highest point of something. The word may also refer to: Arts and media Fictional entities * Apex (comics) A-Bomb Abomination Absorbing Man Abraxas Abyss Abyss is the name of two characters appearing in Ameri ...
. The course continues down to Sulman Park and McPhillamy Park. Drivers are unable to see the descending road and enter Skyline and the first of The Esses at before The Dipper, one of the most famous corners in Australian motorsport. Cars then negotiate Forrest's Elbow before powering down Conrod Straight, the fastest section of the track where cars can reach . The Chase is a long sweeping
chicane A chicane () is a serpentine curve in a road, added by design rather than dictated by geography. Chicanes add extra turns and are used both in motor racing and on roads and streets to slow traffic for safety. For example, one form of chicane is ...
where cars are on the
rev limiter A rev limiter is a device fitted in modern vehicles that have internal combustion engines. They are intended to protect an engine by restricting its maximum rotational speed, measured in revolutions per minute (RPM). Rev limiters are Engine contr ...
turning at 300 km/h before a large braking zone to exit at . Murray's is the 23rd and final turn, and also the slowest part of the circuit, before cars return to the start-finish straight. The start-finish straight features an offset start, with the finish line towards the back of the starting grid closer to Murray's Corner. Spectator areas have spread along the track over the decades, but there are several private properties bordering the track; spectators are therefore unable to access every trackside vantage point. Spectator vantage points have also become less intimate to the track over recent years because of debris fencing and increased run-off dimensions installed to meet upgraded international FIA standards.


Categories and marques

During its history, the race has been conducted for production saloon cars,Official Programme, The 1960 Armstrong 500, Phillip Island, Sunday, 20 November, Page 1 Group E Series Production Touring Cars,
Group C Touring Cars In relation to Australian motorsport, Group C refers to either of two sets of regulations devised by the Confederation of Australian Motor Sport (CAMS) for use in Australian Touring Car Racing from 1965 to 1984. These are not to be confused with ...
, Group A Touring Cars, Group 3A Touring Cars,
Super Touring Super Touring, Class 2 or Class II was a auto racing, motor racing touring car category defined by the Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile (FIA) for national touring car racing in 1993. It was based on the "2 litre Touring Car Form ...
, and currently Supercars. Until 1995 more than one class competed in each event. In its early years, the Bathurst 500/1000 was generally a stand-alone event, occasionally becoming a round of a national series such as the
Australian Manufacturers' Championship The Australian Manufacturers' Championship was a motor racing title awarded by the Confederation of Australian Motor Sport (CAMS) to the winning car manufacturer in an annual series of races held throughout Australia. Whilst the first two champi ...
, but never part of the most significant touring car series in Australia, the
Australian Touring Car Championship The Australian Touring Car Championship (ATCC) is a touring car racing award held in Australia since 1960. The series itself is no longer contested, but the title lives on, with the winner of the Repco Supercars Championship awarded the troph ...
. Since 1999, the race has been run exclusively as a championship-points round of the Supercars category. In 1999 and 2000, it was the final round of the championship and on both occasions decided the championship winner. The race was once again the final round of the season in 2020, with the re-organised season having been cut short because of the COVID-19 pandemic, though the championship had already been decided on points. Many marques — including
Morris Morris may refer to: Places Australia * St Morris, South Australia, place in South Australia Canada * Morris Township, Ontario, now part of the municipality of Morris-Turnberry * Rural Municipality of Morris, Manitoba ** Morris, Man ...
,
Jaguar The jaguar (''Panthera onca'') is a large felidae, cat species and the only extant taxon, living member of the genus ''Panthera'' that is native to the Americas. With a body length of up to and a weight of up to , it is the biggest cat spe ...
,
Nissan is a Japanese multinational Automotive industry, automobile manufacturer headquartered in Yokohama, Kanagawa, Japan. The company sells its vehicles under the ''Nissan'' and ''Infiniti'' brands, and formerly the ''Datsun'' brand, with in-house ...
,
BMW Bayerische Motoren Werke AG, trading as BMW Group (commonly abbreviated to BMW (), sometimes anglicised as Bavarian Motor Works), is a German multinational manufacturer of vehicles and motorcycles headquartered in Munich, Bavaria, Germany. Th ...
and
Volvo The Volvo Group (; legally Aktiebolaget Volvo, shortened to AB Volvo, stylized as VOLVO) is a Swedish multinational manufacturing corporation headquartered in Gothenburg. While its core activity is the production, distribution and sale of truck ...
— have competed in and won the event in Bathurst. However, the race is best known for the presence of the traditional rivals of Australian motorsport, Ford and
Holden Holden, formerly known as General Motors-Holden, was an Australian subsidiary company of General Motors. Founded in Adelaide, it was an automobile manufacturer, importer, and exporter that sold cars under its own marque in Australia. It was ...
, which have won all but six races. Owing to the magnitude of the Ford-versus-Holden rivalry, for the Bathurst 1000 races from 1995 to 2012 the rules of Group 3A and later V8 Supercars mandated that only Ford
Falcons Falcons () are birds of prey in the genus ''Falco'', which includes about 40 species. Some small species of falcons with long, narrow wings are called hobbies, and some that hover while hunting are called kestrels. Falcons are widely distribu ...
and Holden
Commodores Commodores, often billed as The Commodores, are an American funk and Soul music, soul group. The group's most successful period was in the late 1970s and early 1980s when Lionel Richie was the co-lead singer. The members of the group met as m ...
were allowed to compete. In 2013, V8 Supercars' rules changed and other marques began to enter the race, including the return of past winners Nissan. Holden has the most overall victories at 34, followed by Ford with 21; Nissan is the only other multiple winner with 2 wins.


Race history


Phillip Island

Originally known as the Armstrong 500, the race was first held on 20 November 1960 at the
Phillip Island Grand Prix Circuit The Phillip Island Grand Prix Circuit is a motor racing circuit located near Ventnor, Victoria, Ventnor, on Phillip Island, Victoria (Australia), Victoria, Australia. The current circuit was first used in 1952. Along with The Bend Motorsport P ...
in
Phillip Island Phillip Island (Boonwurrung language, Boonwurrung: ''Corriong'', ''Worne'' or ''Millowl'') is an Australian island about south-southeast of Melbourne, Victoria (Australia), Victoria. The island is named after Arthur Phillip, Governor Arthur P ...
,
Victoria Victoria most commonly refers to: * Queen Victoria (1819–1901), Queen of the United Kingdom and Empress of India * Victoria (state), a state of Australia * Victoria, British Columbia, Canada, a provincial capital * Victoria, Seychelles, the capi ...
, over a distance. The organisers, the Light Car Club of Australia, claimed the race was 'the world's premier production saloon car race'. The intention was to determine which cars, across five classes based on engine capacity, had the best combination of performance and reliability. It was also a showcase for the Armstrong company's shock absorbers and related products. Entry was limited to standard, unmodified production saloons built or assembled in Australia. All cars had to complete the first 100 miles without stopping for fuel, oil, or a driver change. Any mechanical problems in that time had to be resolved unassisted by the driver, using only the tools that came with the car. There was no official outright winner, only class winners. Frank Coad and John Roxburgh, in a
Vauxhall Cresta The Vauxhall Cresta is a British automobile which was produced by Vauxhall from 1954 to 1972. The Cresta was introduced in 1954 as an upmarket version of the Vauxhall Velox, itself a six-cylinder version of the Vauxhall Wyvern. The Cresta mod ...
, were the first to complete the 500-mile race distance. It was the only Vauxhall in the field of 45 cars including N.S.U.s,
Simca Simca (; Mechanical and Automotive Body Manufacturing Company) was a French automaker, founded in November 1934 by Fiat S.p.A. and directed from July 1935 to May 1963 by Italy, Italian Henri Pigozzi. Simca was affiliated with Fiat and, after Simc ...
s,
Peugeot Peugeot (, , ) is a French automobile brand owned by Stellantis. The family business that preceded the current Peugeot companies was established in 1810, making it the oldest car company in the world. On 20 November 1858, Émile Peugeot applie ...
s, Morris, Austins, Fords and
Standard Vanguard The Standard Vanguard is a car which was produced by the Standard Motor Company in Coventry, England, from 1947 until 1963. The car, announced in July 1947, was completely new, with no resemblance to previous models. Designed in 1945, it was ...
s. The race was held twice more at Phillip Island. In
1961 Events January * January 1 – Monetary reform in the Soviet Union, 1961, Monetary reform in the Soviet Union. * January 3 ** United States President Dwight D. Eisenhower announces that the United States has severed diplomatic and cons ...
Bob Jane Robert Frederick Jane (18 December 1929 – 28 September 2018) was an Australian race car driver and prominent entrepreneur and business tycoon. A four-time winner of the Armstrong 500, the race that became the prestigious Bathurst 1000 and a ...
and Harry Firth, sharing an Australian assembled Mercedes-Benz 220 SE, were the first drivers to complete the 167 laps. They were over a lap ahead of the
Studebaker Lark The Studebaker Lark is a compact car that was produced by Studebaker from 1959 to 1966. From its introduction in early 1959 until 1962, the Lark was a product of the Studebaker-Packard Corporation. In mid-1962, the company dropped "Packard" from ...
driven by David McKay and Brian Foley, which in turn was a lap clear of the
Vauxhall Velox The Vauxhall Velox is a six-cylinder executive car which was produced by Vauxhall from 1948 to 1965. The Velox was a large family car, directly competing in the UK with the contemporary six-cylinder Ford Zephyr, and to a slightly lesser extent ...
of Frank Coad and John Roxburgh. Class wins were achieved by
Studebaker Studebaker was an American wagon and automobile manufacturer based in South Bend, Indiana, with a building at 1600 Broadway, Times Square, Midtown Manhattan, New York City. Founded in 1852 and incorporated in 1868 as the Studebaker Brothers Man ...
,
Mercedes-Benz Mercedes-Benz (), commonly referred to simply as Mercedes and occasionally as Benz, is a German automotive brand that was founded in 1926. Mercedes-Benz AG (a subsidiary of the Mercedes-Benz Group, established in 2019) is based in Stuttgart, ...
, Peugeot and
Renault Renault S.A., commonly referred to as Groupe Renault ( , , , also known as the Renault Group in English), is a French Multinational corporation, multinational Automotive industry, automobile manufacturer established in 1899. The company curr ...
. In
1962 The year saw the Cuban Missile Crisis, which is often considered the closest the world came to a Nuclear warfare, nuclear confrontation during the Cold War. Events January * January 1 – Samoa, Western Samoa becomes independent from Ne ...
the class structure changed to one based on price. Jane and Firth switched to a Ford Falcon and once again completed the 500 miles first. Class honours went to Studebaker, Ford, Renault and
Volkswagen Volkswagen (VW; )English: , . is a German automotive industry, automobile manufacturer based in Wolfsburg, Lower Saxony, Germany. Established in 1937 by German Labour Front, The German Labour Front, it was revitalized into the global brand it ...
. In those days the Phillip Island track was surfaced with a "cold mix" bitumen which could not stand up to the pounding of dozens of race cars going flat out for 500 miles. The track surface broke up and became unsafe during races.


Early years in Bathurst

In 1963 the Armstrong 500 moved to the
Mount Panorama Circuit Mount Panorama Circuit, officially Mount Panorama/Wahluu via dual naming, is a motor racing track located in Bathurst, New South Wales, Australia. It is situated on Mount Panorama and is best known as the home of the Bathurst 1000 motor race ...
at Bathurst in
New South Wales New South Wales (commonly abbreviated as NSW) is a States and territories of Australia, state on the Eastern states of Australia, east coast of :Australia. It borders Queensland to the north, Victoria (state), Victoria to the south, and South ...
. The Bathurst 500 was organised and promoted by a consortium of the
Seven Network Seven Network (stylised 7Network, and commonly known as Channel Seven or simply Seven) is an Australian commercial free-to-air Television broadcasting in Australia, television network. It is owned by Seven West Media, Seven West Media Limited, ...
, the Australian Racing Drivers Club (ARDC), and
Bathurst Regional Council Bathurst Regional Council is a Local government in Australia, local government area in the Central West, New South Wales, Central West region of New South Wales, Australia. The area is located adjacent to the Great Western Highway, Mid-Western ...
; this arrangement continued until 1998. Its popularity grew rapidly, chiefly because it became a means for car manufacturers to showcase their products: the race cars had to be identical to those on the showroom floor. The first years on the Mount Panorama circuit were dominated by swift and agile small cars, such as the
Ford Cortina The Ford Cortina is a medium-sized family car manufactured in various body styles from 1962 to 1982. It was the United Kingdom's best-selling car of the 1970s. The Cortina was produced in five generations (Mark I through to Mark V, although of ...
and
Mini Cooper Mini Cooper may refer to: *Performance Cars of the original Mini series with uprated drive train and brakes, called the "Mini Cooper", made by the British Motor Corporation and also the successors 1961–1971, and 1990–2000 *Cars of the Mini (mar ...
. Although the class structure was retained — with many "races within the race" — the emphasis on achieving first outright increased. In
1963 Events January * January 1 – Bogle–Chandler case: Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation scientist Dr. Gilbert Bogle and Mrs. Margaret Chandler are found dead (presumed poisoned), in bushland near the Lane Cove ...
, Bob Jane and Harry Firth again triumphed, this time in a Cortina GT. In
1964 Events January * January 1 – The Federation of Rhodesia and Nyasaland is dissolved. * January 5 – In the first meeting between leaders of the Roman Catholic and Orthodox churches since the fifteenth century, Pope Paul VI and Patria ...
the pair drove competing Cortina GTs; Jane won with George Reynolds as co-driver. Barry 'Bo' Seton was second with Herb Taylor. Harry Firth was third with John Reaburn. The
Confederation of Australian Motor Sport Motorsport Australia, formerly the Confederation of Australian Motor Sport (CAMS), is the nationally recognised governing and sanctioning body for four-wheeled motorsport Motorsport or motor sport are sporting events, competitions and relate ...
introduced new Group E Series Production Touring Car regulations in 1965 but the Armstrong 500 continued with its own regulations.
1965 Events January–February * January 14 – The First Minister of Northern Ireland and the Taoiseach of the Republic of Ireland meet for the first time in 43 years. * January 20 ** Lyndon B. Johnson is Second inauguration of Lynd ...
brought victory for the first overt "Bathurst Special", the Cortina GT 500. Bo Seton and Midge Bosworth completed the 130 laps first.
Bruce McPhee Bruce Alexander McPhee (11 February 1927 – 22 September 2009) was an Australian motor racing driver. He is most famous for winning the 1968 Hardie-Ferodo 500 (now the Bathurst 1000), defeating both the Holden and Ford factory teams. Career ...
and Barry Mulholland were second in an identical car. Third outright and first in Class C were Brian Foley and Peter Manton in a Morris Cooper S. The Geoghegan brothers, Ian and Leo, famously drove the race wearing business suits supplied by McDowells. In 1966 and 1967 an Irish
tobacco Tobacco is the common name of several plants in the genus '' Nicotiana'' of the family Solanaceae, and the general term for any product prepared from the cured leaves of these plants. More than 70 species of tobacco are known, but the ...
company sponsored the race, which became known as the " Gallaher 500".
1966 Events January * January 1 – In a coup, Colonel Jean-Bédel Bokassa takes over as military ruler of the Central African Republic, ousting President David Dacko. * January 3 – 1966 Upper Voltan coup d'état: President Maurice Yaméogo i ...
was the last four-cylinder victory for more than two decades.
Rauno Aaltonen Rauno August Aaltonen (born 7 January 1938), also known as "The Rally Professor", is a Finnish former professional rally driver who competed in the World Rally Championship throughout the 1970s. Career Before WRC was established Aaltonen comp ...
and
Bob Holden Robert Lee Holden Jr. (born August 24, 1949) is an American politician who served as the 53rd governor of Missouri from 2001 to 2005. A member of the Democratic Party, he previously served as the Missouri state treasurer from 1993 to 2001 an ...
drove their Mini Cooper S to a hard-fought win against stiff competition mainly comprising other Coopers. Mini Coopers filled the first nine places in Class C and outright. Class D was won by a Chrysler VC Valiant V8 that completed 124 laps. Class A was won by the Nissan Factory backed Datsun 1300 of Moto Kitamo and Kunimitsu Takahashi. Class B was taken out by an 1100cc version of the Mini Cooper. 1967 rule changes mandated a minimum number of pit-stops to negate the advantage economical smaller cars had of requiring fewer stops. This change favoured the larger, thirstier Fords and Holdens. The Minis handled the corners well and could, theoretically, run the entire race on a single tank of petrol, but the larger-engined cars were faster in a straight line. Ford's development of the 289 cubic inch V8
Ford Falcon GT The Ford Falcon GT is an automobile produced by Ford Australia from 1967 until 1976 as the performance version of its Falcon model range. Its production was resumed by a joint venture in 1992 and 1997 with Tickford, and then again between 2003 an ...
signalled the end of small cars as outright contenders. 1967 was also the first year that starting grid positions were allocated according to practice lap times rather than by class groupings. This was also the first year that an official trophy was awarded to the first team to cover the 500 miles. The
1967 Events January * January 1 – Canada begins a year-long celebration of the 100th anniversary of Canadian Confederation, Confederation, featuring the Expo 67 World's Fair. * January 6 – Vietnam War: United States Marine Corps and Army of ...
victory of the XR Falcon GT over the smaller Alfa Romeo 1600 GTVs and Mini Coopers surprised many pundits as the Falcon GT was unproven. The highly regarded, and more expensive, Alfa GTV had been seen as the emerging force in touring cars. However, the Falcon GT's V8 power was well suited to the Mount Panorama circuit, particularly on the long straights. Thus was forged the adage that "there is no substitute for cubic inches", which became synonymous with racing at Bathurst. Initially the Geoghegan brothers' Falcon was awarded victory but some hours later Harry Firth and Fred Gibson were declared winners. During the race the Geoghegan car had entered the pit area through the rear access lane off Mountain Straight and erroneously accumulated an extra lap on the ARDC timing board. Third place in Class D fell to the venerable Studebaker Lark of Warren Weldon and John Hall. Class E was won by
Doug Chivas Douglas Gordon Chivas (c.1922–2004) was an Australian rally and racing car driver. Chivas drove the first Lotus Mark 6 in Australia in the early 1950s winning many races. Career In the 1960s and 1970s he drove for some of the most important r ...
and Max Stewart in an Alfa GTV. Classes B and C were won by variants of the Mini, and Class A was won by a Datsun 1000 piloted by John Roxburgh and Doug Whiteford. The popularity of the race grew rapidly during the 1960s. Most Australian manufacturers and assemblers became heavily involved. A good result in the long and tough race added credibility to the car and its brand, especially in terms of performance, durability and reliability. An outright or class victory was a significant opportunity to increase sales and market share. It was during this period that the famous Holden–Ford–
Chrysler FCA US, LLC, Trade name, doing business as Stellantis North America and known historically as Chrysler ( ), is one of the "Big Three (automobile manufacturers), Big Three" automobile manufacturers in the United States, headquartered in Auburn H ...
rivalry originated. The production-car battle between the "Big Three" was fought at Bathurst. This rivalry spawned Australia's most famous muscle cars, reverentially known as "Bathurst Specials". Ford's Falcon GT and later GT-HO, Holden's Monaro and
Torana A ''torana'' (; '' awr-uh-nuh') is a free-standing ornamental or arched gateway for ceremonial purposes in Hindu architecture, Hindu, Buddhist and Jain architecture of the Indian subcontinent. Toranas can also be widely seen in Southeast Asi ...
, and Chrysler's Pacer and Charger models were the result of constant development of race-worthy cars that the general public could buy. In
1968 Events January–February * January 1968, January – The I'm Backing Britain, I'm Backing Britain campaign starts spontaneously. * January 5 – Prague Spring: Alexander Dubček is chosen as leader of the Communist Party of Cze ...
, sponsorship changed again and the race became known as the Hardie-Ferodo 500. It was also the year that advertising was first allowed to be displayed on the cars. In response to Ford's 1967 Bathurst victory, Holden entered the Monaro GTS 327. This was a coupe based on the HK model four-door Kingswood family sedan. Engineered as an affordable personal luxury car with the ability to win Bathurst, it had a 327 cubic inch
Chevrolet Chevrolet ( ) is an American automobile division of the manufacturer General Motors (GM). In North America, Chevrolet produces and sells a wide range of vehicles, from subcompact automobiles to medium-duty commercial trucks. Due to the promi ...
V8 (as the "GTS 327" name implies). This engine enabled the Monaro GTS 327 to outperform the updated, yet smaller-engined, 302 cubic inch Falcon GTs and win in 1968. This was Holden's first Bathurst 500 win. The 1969 Hardie-Ferodo 500 saw the first of the Ford Falcon GT-HOs. This Phase One GT-HO Bathurst special Falcon was powered by a 351 cubic inch V8 sourced from Ford America. Its 'HO' specification included upgraded suspension components such as front and rear stabiliser bars. At Bathurst it was fitted with race tyres. Holden 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, in the hands of
Colin Bond Colin John Bond (born 24 February 1942) is an Australian former 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. He quickly found succ ...
and Tony Roberts, was able to hold out Ford to claim the second victory for Holden. In 1969 there was a multi-car accident on lap one. After the first 10 cars passed through The Esses, contact between two Falcons caused one to roll over. Several cars coming around the blind corner crashed into the stationary car. The track was almost blocked with wreckage but expert flag marshalling enabled the cars to pass through in single file until the debris was cleared. The race was a disaster for Ford as many Falcon tyres failed because of the speed and weight of the Falcons. Ford even a ran a post-race advertising campaign using the slogan "we were a little deflated". The 1969 race also saw the début of
Peter Brock Peter Geoffrey Brock (26 February 1945 – 8 September 2006), known as "Peter Perfect", "The King of the Mountain", or simply "Brocky", was an Australian motor racing driver. Brock was most often associated with Holden for almost 40 years, al ...
. Brock and Bond were drivers for the semi-official
Holden Dealer Team The Holden Dealer Team (HDT) was Holden's semi-official racing team from 1969 until 1986 Australian Touring Car season, 1986, primarily contesting Australian Touring car racing, Touring Car events but also rallying, rallycross and National Sp ...
(HDT), which had been formed earlier in the year to counter the official Ford Special Vehicles division that was churning out ever-evolving GT-HO Falcons. The "Old Fox", Harry Firth, who had been in charge of the Ford racing effort until he was abruptly replaced by an American, Al Turner, took charge of the HDT.
1970 Events January * January 1 – Unix time epoch reached at 00:00:00 UTC. * January 5 – The 7.1 1970 Tonghai earthquake, Tonghai earthquake shakes Tonghai County, Yunnan province, China, with a maximum Mercalli intensity scale, Mercalli ...
saw a change of strategy as Holden chose to race the smaller Torana GTR XU-1 rather than the Monaro. The XU-1 was a special "Bathurst" version of the six-cylinder LC Torana. As the embryonic HQ Holden required too much development to be competitive, Holden created an alternative to the V8 muscle car. The XU-1 was more agile, cheaper and more economical. Triple carburettors on the "Red" motor provided an excellent
power-to-weight ratio Power-to-weight ratio (PWR, also called specific power, or power-to-mass ratio) is a calculation commonly applied to engines and mobile power sources to enable the comparison of one unit or design to another. Power-to-weight ratio is a measurement ...
. The XU-1 was easier on brakes and tyres, thereby minimizing the number of required pit stops. However, Ford refined the GT-HO to Phase Two specification with an even more powerful and better-breathing 351 V8. With tyres that were able to endure the power and torque, the GT-HO reinforced the adage that "there is no substitute for cubic inches".
Allan Moffat Allan George Moffat, Order of the British Empire, OBE (born 10 November 1939 in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, Canada) is a Canadian-born Australian racing driver known for his four championships in the Australian Touring Car Championship, six wins ...
's GT-HO received the chequered flag followed by Bruce McPhee's identical car. The Torana could not compensate for the power advantage that the Falcons had on the Bathurst straights. Rule changes for 1970 enabled a single driver to complete the entire race distance. To reduce the chances of another first lap calamity the starting grid was changed from 2-3-2 to a staggered 2-2-2 formation. This meant that the back markers had to start the race from around the corner on Conrod Straight. The race continued to be run to unique regulations which were more restrictive than those which were applied to
Series Production Mass production, also known as mass production, series production, series manufacture, or continuous production, is the production of substantial amounts of standardized products in a constant flow, including and especially on assembly lines. ...
racing.
1971 * The year 1971 had three partial solar eclipses (Solar eclipse of February 25, 1971, February 25, Solar eclipse of July 22, 1971, July 22 and Solar eclipse of August 20, 1971, August 20) and two total lunar eclipses (February 1971 lunar eclip ...
was another Ford victory with Moffat at the wheel. It was won by the ultimate GT-HO, the XY-model Falcon GT-HO Phase Three. This featured upgrades to engine power and aerodynamics, which made it one of the world's fastest four-door mass-produced production cars. Chrysler replaced its Pacers with its new two-door, the Charger. This was powered by a in-line HEMI six-cylinder engine with triple Weber carburettors. However, by noon on race day, Moffat was far enough in front to pit without losing the lead. Moffat completed the 500 miles first, followed by other GT-HOs in second and third places and filling six of the top seven places. Class wins were achieved by Mazda 1300, Datsun 1600,
Mazda RX-2 The Mazda Capella, also known as the 626 in Europe, North America and Southeast Asia, is a mid-size car that was manufactured by Mazda from 1970 until 2002. Sold in the Japanese domestic market under the Capella name, the vehicle was also com ...
, Torana XU1 and Falcon GT-HO. 1972 saw controversy, following a media-driven " Supercar Scare", which had accumulated enough political momentum to force Holden to postpone introduction of a V8 Torana for two years. Ford abandoned the XA-based Phase Four GT-HO Falcon. Chrysler also followed by not going ahead with a competition version of its V8-powered Charger. Adding to that, the 1972 Hardie-Ferodo 500 was the first Bathurst 500 to be run in wet weather. Allan Moffat was unable to withstand the immense pressure placed on him by Brock in his XU-1. The Torana proved more than a match in the atrocious conditions. After being challenged by Brock's furiously driven XU-1, Moffat was unable to exploit the V8's power advantage and spun early in the race. He also incurred two one-minute penalties for starting the engine while refuelling. 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 race, thus temporarily refuting the "no substitute for cubic inches" adage. Brock had pushed the car to its limits in a spectacular display of car control. It was a significant victory for a number of reasons, the first of Brock's nine Bathurst wins which later led to him being nicknamed the "King of the Mountain" and "Peter Perfect". Brock's win also signalled the first Bathurst victory for a six-cylinder engined car, an achievement that would not be repeated until 1991 when the
Nissan Skyline GT-R The is a Japanese sports car based on the Nissan Skyline range. The first cars named "Skyline GT-R" were produced between 1969 and 1972 under the model code KPGC10, and were successful in Japanese touring car racing events. This model was fol ...
"Godzilla" took the chequered flag. It was also the birth of the Torana legend as this uniquely Australian performance car went on to become one of Australia's most successful touring cars, due in part to numerical supremacy on the track and the withdrawal of Ford and Chrysler from motor racing later in the seventies. 1972 was also the last year that drivers were permitted to drive without co-drivers. The 1972 race was a round of the 1972 Australian Manufacturers' Championship, which was open to Group E Series Production Touring Cars.


Group C Era

The race was extended from 500 miles to 1000 kilometres in 1973. The increased pace of the cars had resulted in the 500-mile race distance being achieved earlier each year, and since
Australia Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country comprising mainland Australia, the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania and list of islands of Australia, numerous smaller isl ...
had converted to the
metric system The metric system is a system of measurement that standardization, standardizes a set of base units and a nomenclature for describing relatively large and small quantities via decimal-based multiplicative unit prefixes. Though the rules gover ...
the increased distance was considered more appropriate than 800 km for an endurance race. To reduce the threat to public safety,
homologation Homologation (Greek language, Greek ''homologeo'', ὁμολογέω, "to agree") is the granting of approval by an official authority. This may be a court of law, a government department, or an academic or professional body, any of which would n ...
rules were relaxed to permit certain modifications to the race cars. Ostensibly this removed the need to build batches of high speed road cars and improved the durability of the actual race cars. The Group E Series Production Touring Car regulations, which had applied to the 1972 race, were replaced by the new Group C Touring Car regulations for 1973. Upgrades were allowed to seats, lubrication systems, camshafts, carburettors, suspension, brakes and wheel rim sizes. These changes advantaged the better-resourced teams, as a great deal of testing was now needed to optimize the performance of the race cars. Factory teams had the best access to improved components that were often not readily available to private competitors. In 1973 Holden campaigned upgraded XU-1s. Privateers entered improved Chargers. Ford unleashed its new XA model "hard top" coupe
Ford Falcon The Ford Falcon is an automobile nameplate by Ford Motor Company, Ford that applied to several vehicles worldwide. * Ford Falcon (North America), an automobile produced by Ford from 1960 to 1970. * Ford Falcon (Argentina), a car built by Ford ...
GT which had been pioneered by John Goss. While not designated as a GT-HO, race-prepared Hardtop GTs incorporated most of the stillborn Phase Four's components, including the four-bolt 351 V8 engine. The 1973 Hardie-Ferodo 1000 started at 9:30 am. When the flag dropped the "no substitute for cubic inches" ethic prevailed as the Goss Falcon hardtop powered away from pole position. At the end of lap one Fords held the first four places with Toranas fifth, six and seventh. The highest placed Charger was in eighth position. Brock inherited the lead when the Fords started pitting for fuel. Brock and co-driver Chivas had contrived a good lead when a miscalculation caused the Torana to run out of fuel at the top of the Mountain. Intending to perform one less pit stop than the Ford teams, HDT team manager Harry Firth had instructed Chivas to "Get Max Laps" via a hand-held sign. The XU-1 coasted down Conrod Straight and came to a halt just before the entrance to the Pits. Chivas pushed the XU-1 up hill along pit lane. His pit crew could not lend assistance as this would have resulted in disqualification. By the time the XU-1 was refueled, Moffat was well in front. Brock set off in heroic pursuit of Moffat's Falcon GT but the XU-1 suffered a deflating tyre. Moffat claimed another Falcon victory, his third in only four years. Co-driven by Ian (Pete) Geoghegan, the winning Ford was the only Falcon classified as a finisher. 1973 was the last competitive appearance for Chrysler, with the marque disappearing from the Group C category almost entirely. Class wins were achieved by a Datsun 1200, an Alfa GTV, a Mazda RX2 and, of course, the Falcon GT. At the end of the year Ford Australia gave the Falcon GT race cars to their drivers and withdrew from racing. During the 1974 Australian Touring Car Championship the Torana GTR XU-1 was gradually superseded by the wider bodied SL/R 5000. The Holden Bathurst contingent for this year included 13 SL/R 5000s, 7 XU-1s and one HQ Monaro GTS. Ford was represented in the outright category by three Falcon Hardtop headed by Moffat's Brut 33 XB Falcon Hardtop GT. He was supported by John Goss and Kevin Bartlett in an XA Hardtop and Murray Carter in another XB Falcon Hardtop. The V8 Toranas ran away at the start of the 1974 race and Holden victory seemed assured. By lap 11 Brock had already lapped 7 of the outright Class D cars. On lap 12 Moffat pitted and lost several laps as a new coil was fitted. By lap 20 the HDT Toranas of Brock and Bond were over a minute in front of Goss in the only competitive Falcon. By lap 85 the two HDT Toranas were four laps clear of the field. Around the 90 lap mark rain started to fall at the top of the mountain. The HDT Toranas soon pitted for wet weather tyres after which the Bond Torana started smoking from an oil leak. The car was eventually black flagged. While the mechanics were trying to fix the problem Brock pitted with a broken piston caused by a failed oil pump. Bond returned to the track but lost more time with a spin. Despite determined driving from Jim Richards and Wayne Negus, the Goss/Bartlett car was able to gain a slight lead as the Torana challenge faded amidst oil smoke and torrential rain. Bartlett completed the 163 laps in first place. The only other car on the same lap was the Forbes/Negus SL/R 5000. The smaller classes were won by a Morris Cooper S, an Alfa GTV and a Mazda RX3. Car number 34, a lone
Morris Marina The Morris Marina is a front-engined, rear-wheel-drive C-segment, small family car that was manufactured by the Morris Motors, Austin-Morris division of British Leyland from 1971 until 1980. It served to replace the Morris Minor in the Mo ...
, finished 6th in Class C having completed 125 laps. Holden's 308 cubic inch V8-powered Toranas scored Bathurst victories in
1975 It was also declared the ''International Women's Year'' by the United Nations and the European Architectural Heritage Year by the Council of Europe. Events January * January 1 – Watergate scandal (United States): John N. Mitchell, H. R. ...
,
1976 Events January * January 2 – The International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights enters into force. * January 5 – The Pol Pot regime proclaims a new constitution for Democratic Kampuchea. * January 18 – Full diplomatic ...
,
1978 Events January * January 1 – Air India Flight 855, a Boeing 747 passenger jet, crashes off the coast of Bombay, killing 213. * January 5 – Bülent Ecevit, of Republican People's Party, CHP, forms the new government of Turkey (42nd ...
and
1979 Events January * January 1 ** United Nations Secretary-General Kurt Waldheim heralds the start of the ''International Year of the Child''. Many musicians donate to the ''Music for UNICEF Concert'' fund, among them ABBA, who write the song ...
in L34 and A9X configuration. Ford's 351 XC Falcon famously finished first and second in
1977 Events January * January 8 – 1977 Moscow bombings, Three bombs explode in Moscow within 37 minutes, killing seven. The bombings are attributed to an Armenian separatist group. * January 10 – Mount Nyiragongo erupts in eastern Zaire (no ...
. On the final lap, the two Moffat Ford Dealers entries of Allan Moffat and Colin Bond ran in formation down Conrod Straight, with the helicopter footage of the formation becoming one of the most famous images in Bathurst 1000 history. This was Moffat's last Bathurst 1000 victory. Group C carried over into the 1980s. Holden and Ford were the only manufacturers to win under these regulations, despite facing increased imported competition, notably from the
Mazda RX-7 The Mazda RX-7 is a front mid engine, Rear-wheel drive, rear-wheel-drive, rotary engine-powered sports car, manufactured and marketed by Mazda from 1978 through 2002 across three generations, all of which incorporated the use of a compact, light ...
that was campaigned effectively by Moffat and Kevin Bartlett's 350 V8-powered
Chevrolet Camaro The Chevrolet Camaro is a mid-size American automobile manufactured by Chevrolet, classified as a pony car. It first went on sale on September 29, 1966, for the 1967 model year and was designed to compete with the Ford Mustang. The Camaro sha ...
. The turbo-powered
Nissan Bluebird The is a compact car produced between 1955 and 2007 with a model name introduced in 1957. It was Nissan's most internationally recognized sedan, known for its dependability and durability in multiple body styles. The Bluebird originated from N ...
piloted by
George Fury George Fury (born 31 January 1945, in Hungary) is a retired Australian rally and racing car driver. For the majority of his career Fury was associated with Nissan, twice winning the Australian Rally Championship, and twice runner up in the Aus ...
also threatened the V8 'Big Bangers' and signalled a sign of things to come during the
Group A Group A is a set of motorsport regulations administered by the FIA covering production derived touring cars for competition, usually in touring car racing and rallying. In contrast to the short-lived Group B and Group C, Group A vehicles wer ...
era. Peter Brock cemented his reputation as the driver to beat during this period, including achieving two Bathurst hat-tricks with the
Marlboro Marlboro (, ) is an American brand of cigarettes owned and manufactured by Philip Morris USA (a branch of Altria) within the United States and by Philip Morris International (PMI, now separate from Altria) in most global territories outside the ...
-sponsored HDT. In 1978 and 1979 he and Jim Richards drove an A9X Torana to victory, while in
1980 Events January * January 4 – U.S. President Jimmy Carter proclaims a United States grain embargo against the Soviet Union, grain embargo against the USSR with the support of the European Commission. * January 6 – Global Positioning Sys ...
the pair won in a VC Commodore. His second hat trick consisted of victories in
1982 Events January * January 1 – In Malaysia and Singapore, clocks are adjusted to the same time zone, UTC+8 (GMT+8.00). * January 13 – Air Florida Flight 90 crashes shortly after takeoff into the 14th Street Bridge in Washington, D.C. ...
,
1983 1983 saw both the official beginning of the Internet and the first mobile cellular telephone call. Events January * January 1 – The migration of the ARPANET to TCP/IP is officially completed (this is considered to be the beginning of the ...
and
1984 Events January * January 1 – The Bornean Sultanate of Brunei gains full independence from the United Kingdom, having become a British protectorate in 1888. * January 7 – Brunei becomes the sixth member of the Association of Southeas ...
, this time partnering with
Larry Perkins Larry Clifton Perkins (born 18 March 1950) is a former racing driver and V8 Supercar team owner from Australia. Biography Early years Growing up on a farm in Cowangie in the Mallee region of Victoria, Larry, the son of racing driver Edd ...
in a VH Commodore for the first two years and in a VK Commodore in the third. In 1983, John Harvey also shared the win with Brock and Perkins. Dick Johnson was the only winner for Ford during the 1980s under Group C, with a victory in
1981 Events January * January 1 ** Greece enters the European Economic Community, predecessor of the European Union. ** Palau becomes a self-governing territory. * January 6 – A funeral service is held in West Germany for Nazi Grand Admiral ...
whilst at the wheel of the XD Falcon. It was a famous win, coming twelve months after writing his car off in an incident with a rock in 1980. It also followed a large public fundraising campaign to provide him with the finances to build a new car, which eventually raised AU$144,000, half of which came from
Ford Australia Ford Motor Company of Australia Limited (known by its trading name Ford Australia) is the Australian subsidiary of Automotive industry in the United States, United States–based automaker Ford Motor Company. It was founded in 1925 as an Austral ...
itself. Group C was replaced by the International Group A Touring car rules in 1985, with selected cars preparing for this change and competing in a separate "Group A" class in 1984.


Group A Era

From 1985 to 1992, the Bathurst 1000 was run to international
Group A Group A is a set of motorsport regulations administered by the FIA covering production derived touring cars for competition, usually in touring car racing and rallying. In contrast to the short-lived Group B and Group C, Group A vehicles wer ...
regulations. Imported turbocharged cars, initially Ford Sierra RS Cosworths and then
Nissan Skyline GT-R The is a Japanese sports car based on the Nissan Skyline range. The first cars named "Skyline GT-R" were produced between 1969 and 1972 under the model code KPGC10, and were successful in Japanese touring car racing events. This model was fol ...
s, achieved dominance during this period while
Holden Commodore The Holden Commodore is a series of automobiles that were sold by now-defunct Australian manufacturer Holden from 1978 until 2020. They were manufactured from 1978 to 2017 in Australia and from 1979 to 1990 in New Zealand, with production of ...
s managed to claim three hard-fought wins. The JPS Team BMW run 635 CSis and M3s were also highly competitive during this era. Group A enabled Australian teams to develop cars that could be raced overseas. Locally built cars were driven in Europe by
Allan Grice Allan Maxwell Grice (born 21 October 1942), known to motor-racing fans as "Gricey", is an Australian former racing driver and politician, most famous for twice winning the prestigious Bathurst 1000 (1986 and 1990), and as a privateer driver of ...
, Peter Brock, John Harvey, Allan Moffat, Dick Johnson and John Bowe.
Tom Walkinshaw Thomas Dobbie Thomson Walkinshaw (14 August 1946 – 12 December 2010) was a British racing car driver from Scotland and the founder of the racing team Tom Walkinshaw Racing (TWR). He was also involved in professional rugby union, as owner of ...
also briefly campaigned VL Commodores in Europe. Holden-based race teams continued development of the 308 cubic inch V8-powered Commodore. The HDT and the later
Holden Racing Team Walkinshaw Andretti United is an Australian motor racing team based in the Melbourne suburb of Clayton. The team, initially branded as the Holden Racing Team, used to field Holden Commodores in the Supercars Championship before making the swit ...
(HRT) were at the forefront of Commodore development. With almost no support from Ford Australia, Group A Ford Falcons never eventuated.
Dick Johnson Racing Dick Johnson Racing (formerly DJR Team Penske) is Australia's oldest motor racing team competing in the Supercars Championship. Founded by Dick Johnson, the team's drivers have won ten Australian Touring Car Championship titles (five of the ...
switched to a 1983
Zakspeed Zakspeed () is a motor racing team from Germany, founded in 1968 by Erich Zakowski and then run by his son Peter Zakowski. It is based in Niederzissen, Rhineland-Palatinate, around from the Nürburgring circuit. The team was, together with th ...
-developed
Ford Mustang GT The Ford Mustang is a series of American automobiles manufactured by Ford. In continuous production since 1964, the Mustang is currently the longest-produced Ford car nameplate. Currently in its seventh generation, it is the fifth-best sel ...
formerly raced in Europe by German ace
Klaus Ludwig Klaus Karl Ludwig (born 5 October 1949) is a German racing driver. He had a very successful career winning a total of 118 races. Biography He also known as ''König Ludwig'' (" King Ludwig") for his success in touring cars and in sports car r ...
. Johnson and co-driver Larry Perkins were very competitive in the agile Mustang but it lacked top-end power. Ford teams went on to adopt the more powerful, though less reliable, Ford Sierra Turbo Cosworth. These were available race-ready from Europe and were campaigned by many teams including
Allan Moffat Racing Allan Moffat Racing was an Australian motor racing team owned by multiple-championship winning Canadian-Australian racing driver Allan Moffat. The team was highly successful, winning races on three continents including three Australian Touring ...
, Dick Johnson Racing and eventually a team run by Holden stalwart Peter Brock.
1985 The year 1985 was designated as the International Youth Year by the United Nations. Events January * January 1 ** The Internet's Domain Name System is created. ** Greenland withdraws from the European Economic Community as a result of a n ...
was the first year that the Bathurst 1000 was run under Group A rules. The race was dominated by
Tom Walkinshaw Racing Tom Walkinshaw Racing (TWR) was a motor racing team and engineering firm founded in 1976, in Kidlington, near Oxford, England, by touring car racer Tom Walkinshaw. The company initially handled privateer work before entering works touring car ...
's three-car Jaguar XJ-S team, the big V12-powered
Jaguars The jaguar (''Panthera onca'') is a large cat species and the only living member of the genus ''Panthera'' that is native to the Americas. With a body length of up to and a weight of up to , it is the biggest cat species in the Americas an ...
having a clear power and speed advantage over the still-developing Australian Group A teams and cars. 1974 winner John Goss and West German driver
Armin Hahne Armin Hahne (born 10 September 1955 in Moers, West Germany) 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 highlig ...
claimed Jaguar's only Bathurst 1000 win. The following year,
1986 The year 1986 was designated as the International Year of Peace by the United Nations. Events January * January 1 ** Aruba gains increased autonomy from the Netherlands by separating from the Netherlands Antilles. ** Spain and Portugal en ...
, the
Holden VK Commodore SS Group A The Holden Commodore (VK) is a mid-size car that was produced by Holden from 1984 to 1986. It was the fourth iteration of the first generation of the Holden Commodore and introduced the luxury variant, Holden Calais (VK) sedan. Overview The ...
of privateer racer Allan Grice and Graeme Bailey took the honours. Grice had honed his skills in Europe, competing alongside compatriot Commodore driver Peter Brock and his newly recruited HDT teammate, Allan Moffat. 1986 saw the race's first fatality.
Sydney Sydney is the capital city of the States and territories of Australia, state of New South Wales and the List of cities in Australia by population, most populous city in Australia. Located on Australia's east coast, the metropolis surrounds Syd ...
driver Mike Burgmann died when his VK Commodore hit the concrete base of the bridge over Conrod Straight at . Consequent to Burgmann's death the circuit was altered prior to the 1987 race by the incorporation of "The Chase" two-thirds of the way down Conrod Straight. This complex added 41 metres to the length of the track and was designed to reduce the approach speed to Murray's Corner by approximately . As a result of "The Chase", lap times around the circuit increased by approximately 4–5 seconds (based on times in comparable cars from the 1986 and 1987 races). In
1987 Events January * January 1 – Bolivia reintroduces the Boliviano currency. * January 2 – Chadian–Libyan conflict – Battle of Fada: The Military of Chad, Chadian army destroys a Libyan armoured brigade. * January 3 – Afghan leader ...
, the Bathurst 1000 became a round of the shortlived
World Touring Car Championship The FIA World Touring Car Championship was an international touring car championship promoted by Eurosport Events and sanctioned by the Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile (FIA). It has had several different incarnations, including a sing ...
, resulting in European teams racing against local Australian teams in the 1000. The resulting culture clash caused considerable angst between officials and team management. Since the start of Group A in Australia, CAMS local scrutineers diligently applied the Group A regulations as written. The global organising body
FISA The Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act of 1978 (FISA, , ) is a United States federal law that establishes procedures for the surveillance and collection of foreign intelligence on domestic soil.
, a subsidiary of the
Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile The Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile (FIA; ) is an international organisation with two primary functions surrounding use of the automobile. Its mobility division advocacy, advocates the interests of motoring organisations, the automot ...
(FIA), allowed more liberal, negotiated interpretations "back home". Some European teams, most prominently the
Ford Europe Ford of Europe GmbH is a subsidiary company of Ford Motor Company founded in 1967 in Cork (city), Cork, Republic of Ireland, Ireland, with headquarters in Cologne, Germany. History Ford of Europe was founded in 1967 by the merger of Ford of Bri ...
–backed
Eggenberger Motorsport Eggenberger Motorsport was a Swiss motor racing team that competed in the European Touring Car Championship in the 1980s. History In 1982, Eggenberger Motorsport won the 1982 European Touring Car Championship (ETCC) with Umberto Grano and Helmu ...
, ran questionable vehicles. With the race complete, it was still unclear as to who was the legitimate winner. Eggenberger's cars finished first and second on the road but were disqualified months later due to bodywork irregularities. The race win was therefore awarded to third-placed Peter Brock, who drove two of his Holden VL Commodore SS Group A cars during the race. Brock broke his '05' HDT Commodore early in the event so he and co-driver David Parsons took over the team's second car, the #10 Commodore of
Peter McLeod Peter Gerard McLeod (born 6 May 1948 in Newcastle, New South Wales) is a retired 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- ...
, to cross the line third behind the two Sierras. It was to be Brock's ninth and final Bathurst 1000 win. Local Sierra teams dominated and won the next two Bathurst 1000s.
1988 1988 was a crucial year in the early history of the Internet—it was the year of the first well-known computer virus, the Morris worm, 1988 Internet worm. The first permanent intercontinental Internet link was made between the United State ...
saw Tony Longhurst and
Tomas Mezera Tomas Mezera (born 5 November 1958 in Czechoslovakia) is a naturalised Australian racing driver. Mezera won the 1988 Bathurst 1000, and for many years was a member of the Holden Racing Team as both a driver and team manager. Mezera's sporting ...
win in their Frank Gardner–prepared RS500. In the
1989 1989 was a turning point in political history with the "Revolutions of 1989" which ended communism in Eastern Bloc of Europe, starting in Poland and Hungary, with experiments in power-sharing coming to a head with the opening of the Berlin W ...
race, Peter Brock claimed his record-setting 6th pole at Bathurst, his first in anything but a Holden. Dick Johnson and John Bowe won a hard-fought race ahead of
Allan Moffat Racing Allan Moffat Racing was an Australian motor racing team owned by multiple-championship winning Canadian-Australian racing driver Allan Moffat. The team was highly successful, winning races on three continents including three Australian Touring ...
's all-German combination of
Klaus Niedzwiedz Klaus Niedzwiedz (born February 24, 1951, in Dortmund, West Germany) is a former professional race driver and motoring journalist. Driver His greatest success came in the 1980s as a driver for Ford. Niedzwiedz rose to prominence when driving a ...
and
Frank Biela Frank Stanley Biela (born 2 August 1964) is a German auto racing driver, mainly competing in touring cars and sportscar racing. He has raced exclusively in cars manufactured by the Audi marque since 1990. Career Biela started his career in 19 ...
. In
1990 Important events of 1990 include the Reunification of Germany and the unification of Yemen, the formal beginning of the Human Genome Project (finished in 2003), the launch of the Hubble Space Telescope, the separation of Namibia from South ...
the Sierras again proved strong, but the HRT Commodore of Allan Grice and Win Percy prevailed. Their
Holden VL Commodore SS Group A SV The Holden Commodore (VL) is a mid-size car that was produced by Holden from 1986 to 1988. It was the final iteration of the first generation of the Holden Commodore and included the luxury variant, Holden Calais (VL). Between February 1986 and ...
was able to set a fast pace early in the race which the Sierras could match but not sustain due to reliability issues, mostly with tyre wear. The HRT claimed a popular Bathurst victory for Holden after three seasons of Sierra domination. A fierce new opponent was waiting in the wings.
Nissan is a Japanese multinational Automotive industry, automobile manufacturer headquartered in Yokohama, Kanagawa, Japan. The company sells its vehicles under the ''Nissan'' and ''Infiniti'' brands, and formerly the ''Datsun'' brand, with in-house ...
and team manager Fred Gibson had campaigned Skylines in Australian competition for a few years. For the 1990 race, they debuted the R32 four-wheel drive, four wheel steer, twin turbo
Nissan Skyline GT-R The is a Japanese sports car based on the Nissan Skyline range. The first cars named "Skyline GT-R" were produced between 1969 and 1972 under the model code KPGC10, and were successful in Japanese touring car racing events. This model was fol ...
. Though initially sufferring from problems related to complexity and reliability, the GT-R went on to dominate Group A racing worldwide. Gibson's lead drivers, Jim Richards and
Mark Skaife Mark Stephen Skaife (born 3 April 1967) is an Australian former racing driver. Skaife is a five-time champion of the Supercars Championship, V8 Supercar Championship Series, including its predecessor, the Australian Touring Car Championship, a ...
, easily won the 1991 Bathurst 1000; Skaife had set a sensational time of 2:12.63 in the Top 10 Runoff for pole, 2/10th faster than George Fury's Group C 1984 pole time on the shorter pre-Chase circuit. Richards and Skaife repeated the win in controversial circumstances in
1992 1992 was designated as International Space Year by the United Nations. Events January * January 1 – Boutros Boutros-Ghali of Egypt replaces Javier Pérez de Cuéllar of Peru as United Nations Secretary-General. * January 6 ** The Republ ...
. The car gained the nickname 'Godzilla'. With four-wheel drive, four-wheel steer, and a powerful turbo 2.6-litre six-cylinder engine producing around , the Skyline's superior handling and power output was unmatched by the rear-wheel-drive Sierras and Commodores. In an attempt to achieve parity between the makes, weight penalties (140 kg) and turbo-restricting pop-off valves were applied to the Nissan. With the pop-off valves in place, the Nissans were reported to now be only producing around , though team boss Fred Gibson would (in later years) confess that the Winfield-sponsored cars were actually producing around after his team had managed to fool CAMS officials during the year. The Skyline's 1992 victory was particularly controversial. The parochial Bathurst crowd, and touring-car fans in general, had been conditioned to view the Bathurst 1000 as a perpetual struggle between Holden and Ford. Although the Group A racing Commodores and Sierras were far removed from road-going examples, the Nissans were seen as being unfairly advantaged and received considerable negative comment in the build-up to the race. Late in the 1992 race, severe rainstorms swept the track, causing several accidents as dry-weather tyres caused extreme
aquaplaning Aquaplaning or hydroplaning by the tires of a road vehicle, aircraft or other wheeled vehicle occurs when a layer of water builds between the wheels of the vehicle and the road surface, leading to a loss of traction that prevents the vehicle ...
. During the ensuing mayhem the leading Skyline of Jim Richards and Mark Skaife slid into two wrecked cars. Simultaneously officials red-flagged the race due to the perilous condition of the wet track. The surviving cars were marshalled in single file on Pit Straight. Regulations decreed that, as the leaders had completed more than 75% of race distance, the race was not to be restarted. Under these regulations, red-flag race results were based on positions held at the end of the last completed lap as there was no official record of the lap not completed. As Richards had been leading the race on that lap, his team was declared the winner. This was an unpopular decision with some race fans, many of whom could not understand how a wrecked Nissan could beat a perfectly healthy Sierra that had passed it on the track. As the rain clouds dissipated many unhappy campers loudly voiced their opinions. Race winners Mark Skaife and Jim Richards were challenged by a rowdy, confused and alcohol-fuelled crowd. On the winners' podium the normally affable Richards responded to the boos of the crowd with, "this is bloody disgraceful" and "you're a pack of arseholes" during the nationally televised trophy presentation.


Group 3A and Super Touring

Group A as an international formula faded away in the late 1980s. The
Confederation of Australian Motor Sport Motorsport Australia, formerly the Confederation of Australian Motor Sport (CAMS), is the nationally recognised governing and sanctioning body for four-wheeled motorsport Motorsport or motor sport are sporting events, competitions and relate ...
(CAMS) had planned to replace Group A at the end of 1991. This was postponed to the end of 1992 owing to the inability of FISA to specify a new International formula. As any new regulations were unlikely to suit large-engined cars, CAMS created a uniquely Australian touring car formula for 1993, Group 3A. This iteration evolved into the current Supercars category. Entry became limited to V8-powered Ford Falcons and Holden Commodores (with, in 1993 only, the exception of weight-limited normally aspirated Group A cars like the BMW M3s of
LoGaMo Racing LoGaMo Racing, also known as Tony Longhurst Racing, was an Australian motor racing team that competed in Australian Touring Car Championship, Australian touring car racing between 1988 Australian Touring Car season, 1988 and 1994 Australian Tou ...
). The new regulations created a separate class for 2-litre cars, based on the
British Touring Car Championship The British Touring Car Championship (BTCC), officially known as the Kwik Fit British Touring Car Championship for sponsorship reasons, is a touring car racing series held each year in the United Kingdom, currently organised and administered by ...
's (BTCC) regulations of the time. This class excluded turbochargers and four wheel drive, effectively ending the Nissan's GT-R's eligibility. In response Nissan withdrew from Australian motorsport. The two classes of touring cars competed in the same races for two championships in
1993 The United Nations General Assembly, General Assembly of the United Nations designated 1993 as: * International Year for the World's Indigenous People The year 1993 in the Kwajalein Atoll in the Marshall Islands had only 364 days, since its ...
. The 1993 Tooheys 1000 was won by Larry Perkins and
Gregg Hansford Gregory John "Gregg" Hansford (8 April 1952 – 5 March 1995) was an Australian professional motorcycle and touring car racer. He competed in the FIM Grand Prix motorcycle racing world championships from 1978 to 1981 and in Australian tour ...
after a race-long duel with the Mark Skaife/Jim Richards Commodore VP. The winner of the 2-litre class was the John Cotter/Peter Doulman BMW M3 which had reverted to 2 litres capacity. In the 1994 season, the 2-litre Super Touring championship was run separately from the ATCC, though both categories ran as two classes at Bathurst. The 1994 Tooheys 1000 was won by the EB Falcon of Dick Johnson and John Bowe. The top-placed 2-litre car was the works BMW of Paul Morris and Altfrid Heger which finished 10th outright, six laps behind Johnson and Bowe. In
1995 1995 was designated as: * United Nations Year for Tolerance * World Year of Peoples' Commemoration of the Victims of the Second World War This was the first year that the Internet was entirely privatized, with the United States government ...
, owing to fears about the growing speed difference between the V8s and the 2-litre cars, the Bathurst 1000 became a one-class race for the first time. Just 32 Ford and Holden V8s faced the starter in what was, at the time, the smallest grid in the history of the race. The 1995 champions were Larry Perkins and
Russell Ingall Russell Peter Ingall (born 24 February 1964 in London, England) is a former full-time Australian V8 Supercar driver. He won his V8 Supercars title in 2005, and finished second in 1998, 1999, 2001 and 2004. Ingall has also won the Bathurst 100 ...
in a
Holden VR Commodore The Holden Commodore (VR) is a full-size car which was produced by Holden from 1993 to 1995. It was the third iteration of the second generation of the Holden Commodore. The VR range included the luxury variants, Holden Commodore Berlina (VR) a ...
, followed by Alan Jones and Allan Grice in an EF Falcon.
1996 1996 was designated as: * International Year for the Eradication of Poverty Events January * January 8 – A Zairean cargo plane crashes into a crowded market in the center of the capital city of the Democratic Republic of the Congo ...
saw
Craig Lowndes Craig Andrew Lowndes (born 21 June 1974) is an Australian racing car driver in the Supercars Championship, Repco Supercars Championship racing for Triple Eight Race Engineering. He is also a TV commentator. Lowndes is a three-time V8 Superca ...
and Greg Murphy, in a VR Commodore, cross the finish line ahead of the EF Falcon of Dick Johnson and John Bowe. Tony Longhurst and Steven Ellery were third in another EF Falcon.


A race divided

In 1996, the Touring Car Entrants Group of Australia (TEGA) (who had held the rights to market the ATCC since 1994) signed a deal with US sports agent
Mark McCormack Mark Hume McCormack (November 6, 1930 – May 16, 2003) was an American lawyer, sports agent and writer. He was the founder and chairman of International Management Group, now IMG (company), IMG, an international management organization ser ...
's International Management Group (IMG) to market the ATCC, which they renamed to V8 Supercars. The new joint venture company (AVESCO) signed a TV deal for 1997 with
Network Ten Network 10 (commonly known as the 10 Network, Channel 10 or simply 10) is an Australian commercial television network. It is a wholly-owned subsidiary of Paramount Global's Paramount Networks UK & Australia, UK & Australia division and is o ...
, which included expanded coverage of the championship. This was not an issue for the ATCC races, but for the Bathurst 1000, which was organized and promoted by a consortium that included Channel 7, it was a major issue. Channel 7 had televised the race since 1963 and had a contract that was binding into the 21st century. Seven was not prepared to drop the race, while AVESCO required a Bathurst race for Ten to broadcast. A similar dispute affected the V8 Supercars Challenge support races at the
Australian Grand Prix The Australian Grand Prix is an annual Formula One motor racing event, taking place in Melbourne, Victoria. The event is contracted to be held at least until 2035. One of the oldest surviving motorsport competitions held in Australia, the Gran ...
; at various times different networks held the V8 Supercars and
Formula One Formula One (F1) is the highest class of worldwide racing for open-wheel single-seater formula Auto racing, racing cars sanctioned by the Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile (FIA). The FIA Formula One World Championship has been one ...
broadcast rights. There was no resolution to the dispute, and AVESCO announced that V8 Supercars would not compete in the traditional Bathurst 1000 held on the October long weekend in 1997. TOCA Australia was invited to fill the void with a 2-litre
Super Touring Super Touring, Class 2 or Class II was a auto racing, motor racing touring car category defined by the Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile (FIA) for national touring car racing in 1993. It was based on the "2 litre Touring Car Form ...
field, featuring a number of
British Touring Car Championship The British Touring Car Championship (BTCC), officially known as the Kwik Fit British Touring Car Championship for sponsorship reasons, is a touring car racing series held each year in the United Kingdom, currently organised and administered by ...
drivers and teams, including
Alain Menu Alain Menu (born 9 August 1963) is a Swiss racing driver who is currently working for Team BMR as a driving coach. He was one of the most successful touring car drivers of the 1990s, winning the prestigious British Touring Car Championship twic ...
,
John Cleland John Cleland (24 September 1709 – 23 January 1789) was an English novelist best known for his fictional '' Fanny Hill: or, the Memoirs of a Woman of Pleasure'', whose eroticism led to his arrest. James Boswell called him "a sly, old malcont ...
and
Rickard Rydell John Rickard Rydell (born 22 September 1967) is a retired 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 ...
, joining
Australian Super Touring Championship The Australian Super Touring Championship (formerly known as the Australian 2.0 Litre Touring Car Championship) was a Confederation of Australian Motor Sport, CAMS-sanctioned national motor racing title for Super Touring Cars. History Super Touri ...
regulars. This
1997 Events January * January 1 – The Emergency Alert System is introduced in the United States. * January 11 – Turkey threatens Cyprus on account of a deal to buy Russian S-300 missiles, prompting the Cypriot Missile Crisis. * January 1 ...
race was won by Paul Morris and
Craig Baird Craig George Baird (born 22 July 1970) is a New Zealand former racing driver who now is the driving standards observer for the Australians, Australian Supercars Championship. Honours In the 2010 New Year Honours (New Zealand), 2010 New Year ...
in a
BMW 320i Bayerische Motoren Werke AG, trading as BMW Group (commonly abbreviated to BMW (), sometimes anglicised as Bavarian Motor Works), is a German multinational manufacturer of vehicles and motorcycles headquartered in Munich, Bavaria, Germany. The ...
, but they were later disqualified as Baird had exceeded the mandated time limit for a continuous solo driving period. The race was awarded to their BMW Motorsport Australia teammates
David David (; , "beloved one") was a king of ancient Israel and Judah and the third king of the United Monarchy, according to the Hebrew Bible and Old Testament. The Tel Dan stele, an Aramaic-inscribed stone erected by a king of Aram-Dam ...
and
Geoff Brabham __NOTOC__ Geoffrey John Brabham (born 20 March 1952) is an Australian racing driver. Brabham spent the majority of his racing career in the United States. Racing career CART He raced successfully in CART early in his career, finishing 8th in ...
. This event format continued for
1998 1998 was designated as the ''International Year of the Ocean''. Events January * January 6 – The ''Lunar Prospector'' spacecraft is launched into orbit around the Moon, and later finds evidence for Lunar water, frozen water, in soil i ...
with the addition of a field of cars from the
New Zealand Touring Car Championship The New Zealand Touring Car Championship was a motor racing title which was contested in New Zealand from 1984 to 2002. Results See also * NZ Touring Cars championship References

{{New Zealand Touring Car Racing Touring car racing series ...
, which ran to Schedule S regulations with a 2.5-litre engine limit, as well as Group E production cars. Alongside Rickard Rydell, Jim Richards won his sixth Bathurst 1000 in a
Volvo S40 The Volvo S40 is a series of subcompact executive cars marketed and produced by the Swedish manufacturer Volvo Cars from 1995 to 2012, offered as a more mainstream alternative to the compact executive Volvo 850 and later the Volvo S60 to com ...
run by
Tom Walkinshaw Racing Tom Walkinshaw Racing (TWR) was a motor racing team and engineering firm founded in 1976, in Kidlington, near Oxford, England, by touring car racer Tom Walkinshaw. The company initially handled privateer work before entering works touring car ...
, with his son
Steven Stephen or Steven is an English first name. It is particularly significant to Christians, as it belonged to Saint Stephen ( ), an early disciple and deacon who, according to the Book of Acts, was stoned to death; he is widely regarded as the firs ...
second in a
Nissan Primera The is a Mid-size car, large family car which was produced by the Japanese automaker Nissan from 1990 to 2007, for the markets in Japan and Europe. In Japan, it replaced the Nissan Stanza, Auster/Stanza, and was exclusive to ''Nissan Motor Comp ...
run by British team
Team Dynamics Team Dynamics Motorsport is a UK-based motor-racing team based in Droitwich, Worcestershire; best known for their successes in the British Touring Car Championship, including winning the Overall Drivers title in 2005, 2006 and 2011 with Matt N ...
. As well as these races for two-litre cars, separate five-litre (V8 Supercars) races were held in 1997 and 1998, known as the "Australian 1000 Classic". Having received backlash after announcing they would not race at Bathurst, AVESCO hastily made a deal with the Bathurst Regional Council for the use of the circuit. The
1997 Primus 1000 Classic The 1997 Primus 1000 Classic was a 1000 kilometre endurance race for V8 Supercars, staged at the Mount Panorama Circuit just outside Bathurst, New South Wales, Bathurst in New South Wales, Australia on 19 October 1997. It was the inaugural ...
, as it was known, was held two weeks after the traditional race, while the
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 hel ...
was held in mid-November. The 1997 race saw Larry Perkins and Russell Ingall repeat their 1995 triumph, ahead of the father and son combination of Jim and Steven Richards. In 1998, Steven Richards did one better, winning the race with
Jason Bright Jason Paul Bright (born 7 March 1973) is a retired Australian racing driver who competed in the Supercars Championship, Virgin Australia Supercars Championship. He drove the No. 56 Ford Falcon (FG X), Ford FG X Falcon for Britek Motorsport, a ...
for
Stone Brothers Racing Stone Brothers Racing (SBR) was an Australian motor racing team that competed in the International V8 Supercars Championship between 1998 and 2012. The team was formed in 1998 when Ross and Jim Stone bought Alan Jones (racing driver), Alan J ...
. Their
Ford EL Falcon The Ford Falcon (EL) is a full-size car that was produced by Ford Australia from 1996 to 1998. It was the fifth and final iteration of the fifth generation of the Ford Falcon (Australia), Falcon and also included the Ford Fairmont (EL)—the lux ...
was badly damaged in a practice crash and required lengthy repairs before the race. Both the Super Touring and V8 Supercar races claimed to be the legitimate Bathurst 1000. The V8 Supercars' case was that they were the truly Australian class of racing and, through contractual binding, had the "star" Australian drivers. The Super Touring claim to legitimacy was based on it being held on the traditional date by the ARDC who had run the event every year since 1963. Each of the four races in 1997 and 1998 are considered as legitimate Bathurst 1000s in the record books.


V8 Supercars era

For 1999, the Super Touring event devolved into a 300-kilometre race for mixed V8s, which was won by Peter Brock's step-son James Brock, and a 500-kilometre race for Super Touring won by Paul Morris. This would be the last major Super Touring race at Bathurst, the last organised by the ARDC and the last held on the traditional Labour Day holiday weekend. The demise of Super Touring and the ARDC event allowed V8 Supercars and IMG to take over the promotion and organisation of the Bathurst 1000 brand from that year onwards. From 1999 onwards, the race also counted for championship points for the first time, taking a position as the final round on the calendar. In 2000, the 1000-kilometre race remained in November because the
Sydney Olympics The 2000 Summer Olympics, officially the Games of the XXVII Olympiad, officially branded as Sydney 2000, and also known as the Games of the New Millennium, were an international multi-sport event held from 15 September to 1 October ...
blocked out sport in October. When the long weekend again became available in 2001, the
National Rugby League The National Rugby League (also known as the NRL Telstra Premiership for sponsorship reasons) is a professional rugby league competition in Oceania which contains clubs from New South Wales, Queensland, Victoria (state), Victoria, the Austral ...
shifted its
Grand Final Primarily in Australian sports, a grand final is a game that decides a sports league's premiership (or championship) winning team, i.e. the conclusive game of a finals (or play-off) series. Synonymous with a championship game in North Ameri ...
to that Sunday, denying the Bathurst 1000 a return to its traditional weekend. The race moved to the weekend following the long weekend from 2001 onwards, and to an earlier spot in the championship calendar. The start of this new era was dominated by Holden, which won every Bathurst 1000 from 1999 to 2005. In
1999 1999 was designated as the International Year of Older Persons. Events January * January 1 – The euro currency is established and the European Central Bank assumes its full powers. * January 3 – The Mars Polar Lander is launc ...
, Steven Richards repeated his 1998 triumph, winning with Greg Murphy in their
Gibson Motorsport Gibson Motorsport was an Australian motor racing team that competed in the Australian Touring Car Championship from 1985 until 2003, though the team had its roots in Gibson's "Road & Track" team which ran a series of Ford Falcon GTHOs in Serie ...
Holden VT Commodore The Holden Commodore (VT) is a full-size car that was produced by Holden from 1997 to 2000. It was the first iteration of the third generation of the Holden Commodore, Commodore and the last model to be powered by a locally made 5 litre V8 engi ...
. Richards became the first driver to win consecutively in a Ford and a Holden. This was also the first win for Gibson Motorsport since their wins with Nissan in 1991 and 1992.
Garth Tander Garth Dirk Tander (born 31 March 1977) is a multiple-championship winning Australian motor racing driver competing in the Virgin Australia Supercars Championship's Enduro Cup, co-driving for Grove Racing. He was the 2007 series champion for th ...
and Jason Bargwanna became Bathurst champions in
2000 2000 was designated as the International Year for the Culture of Peace and the World Mathematics, Mathematical Year. Popular culture holds the year 2000 as the first year of the 21st century and the 3rd millennium, because of a tende ...
with
Garry Rogers Motorsport Garry Rogers Motorsport is an Australian motor racing team. It is owned by retired racing driver Garry Rogers who began the team to further his own racing efforts. Based in Melbourne, originally out of a Nissan dealership owned by Rogers, the t ...
. In
2001 The year's most prominent event was the September 11 attacks against the United States by al-Qaeda, which Casualties of the September 11 attacks, killed 2,977 people and instigated the global war on terror. The United States led a Participan ...
, Mark Skaife, driving for the Holden Racing Team, teamed with 1988 winner Tony Longhurst to win the Bathurst 1000 in a
Holden VX Commodore The Holden Commodore (VX) is a full-size car that was produced by Holden from 2000 to 2002, and 2000 to 2003 for Statesman/Caprice (WHII) and Holden Ute (VU) models. It was the second iteration of the third generation of the Commodore. Its range ...
. Despite late cooling problems from plastic bags in the air intake, Skaife and HRT again won the Bathurst 1000 in 2002, this time teamed with Jim Richards. Ten years after being heckled off the podium after winning in 1992, this time Richards jokingly said that the crowd was "a lovely bunch of people". Greg Murphy received the biggest time penalty (five minutes) in Bathurst history because of a pit-lane infringement; his car was released prematurely, rupturing a refuelling hose and spilling fuel in the pit box. In the Top 10 Shootout in
2003 2003 was designated by the United Nations as the International Year of Fresh water, Freshwater. In 2003, a Multi-National Force – Iraq, United States-led coalition 2003 invasion of Iraq, invaded Iraq, starting the Iraq War. Demographic ...
, Greg Murphy drove what became known as the "Lap of the Gods" for a record-setting Mount Panorama Circuit time of 2:06.8594. Murphy went on to win the Bathurst 1000 with
Rick Kelly Rick Kelly (born 17 January 1983) is an Australian professional racing driver who previously competed in the Supercars Championship. He last drove the No. 15 Ford Mustang (sixth generation), Ford Mustang GT for Kelly Racing. Previously, he dro ...
in 2003 and 2004 for K-Mart Racing. Rick Kelly became the race's youngest winner in 2003 at the age of 20. Rick's brother
Todd Kelly Todd Evan Kelly (born 9 October 1979) is a retired Australian professional racing driver who competed in the Supercars Championship, Virgin Australia Supercars Championship. He is the older brother of fellow Supercars driver and former Bathurst ...
won the 2005 race on his birthday with Mark Skaife for HRT. In
2006 2006 was designated as the International Year of Deserts and Desertification. Events January * January 1– 4 – Russia temporarily cuts shipment of natural gas to Ukraine during a price dispute. * January 12 – A stampede during t ...
, Craig Lowndes and
Jamie Whincup Jamie David Whincup (born 6 February 1983) is an Australian professional racing driver competing in the Supercars Championship. He currently is team principal for Triple Eight Race Engineering. He has driven the No. 88 Holden Commodore (ZB), Ho ...
won the first race for Ford in eight years, driving for
Triple Eight Race Engineering Triple Eight Race Engineering, branded as Red Bull Ampol Racing in Supercars, is an Australian motor racing team competing in the Supercars Championship. The team has been the only Brisbane-based V8 Supercar team since its formation, originall ...
. They were also the first winners of the ''Peter Brock Trophy'' (following the passing of Peter Brock the previous month). Lowndes and Whincup then won the next two races to achieve the first three-peat since Brock and Larry Perkins won the Bathurst 1000 from 1982 to 1984 (the 1983 win was also shared with John Harvey). Holden achieved four straight wins from 2009 to 2012. The
2009 2009 was designated as the International Year of Astronomy by the United Nations to coincide with the 400th anniversary of Galileo Galilei's first known astronomical studies with a telescope and the publication of Astronomia Nova by Joha ...
race was won by the HRT's
Garth Tander Garth Dirk Tander (born 31 March 1977) is a multiple-championship winning Australian motor racing driver competing in the Virgin Australia Supercars Championship's Enduro Cup, co-driving for Grove Racing. He was the 2007 series champion for th ...
and
Will Davison William Davison (born 30 August 1982) is an Australian professional racing driver. He currently drives the No.17 Ford Mustang (sixth generation), Ford Mustang GT for Dick Johnson Racing in the Supercars Championship, Repco Supercars Championshi ...
. 2009 was the first Bathurst 1000 using the E85 fuel blend; increased fuel consumption resulted in more pit stops. 2010 saw another win for Lowndes and Triple Eight, this time with Mark Skaife, their fifth and sixth wins respectively. In
2011 The year marked the start of a Arab Spring, series of protests and revolutions throughout the Arab world advocating for democracy, reform, and economic recovery, later leading to the depositions of world leaders in Tunisia, Egypt, and Yemen ...
,
Nick Percat Nicholas Paul Percat (born 14 September 1988) is an Australian racing driver who currently races in the Repco Supercars Championship, driving for Matt Stone Racing in the No. 10 Chevrolet Camaro. He won the Bathurst 1000 at his first attemp ...
partnered with Garth Tander to become the first rookie to win the Bathurst 1000 since
Jacky Ickx Jacques Bernard Edmon Martin Henri "Jacky" Ickx (; born 1 January 1945) is a Belgian former racing driver, who competed in Formula One from to . Ickx twice finished runner-up in the Formula One World Drivers' Championship in and , and won eig ...
in 1977, with Tander barely holding off Lowndes in a close finish. Ahead of new regulations for 2013, the Triple Eight Holden VE Commodore of Jamie Whincup and Paul Dumbrell won in 2012 just 0.31 seconds ahead of David Reynolds and Dean Canto. The closest non-formation finish was set just the year before when Tander and Percat lifted the trophy 0.29 seconds ahead of Lowndes and Skaife. The 2013 season saw manufacturers other than Ford and Holden enter the Bathurst 1000 for the first time since 1998, under the New Generation V8 Supercar (originally known as Car of the Future) regulations that were introduced that year. Nissan returned with four
Nissan Altima The Nissan Altima is a mid-size car manufactured by Nissan since 1992. It is a continuation of the Nissan Bluebird line, which began in 1955. The Altima has historically been larger, more powerful, and more luxurious than the Nissan Sentra b ...
s run by
Kelly Racing Kelly Racing (formerly known as Kelly Grove Racing and Nissan Motorsport) is an Australian motor racing team which competes in the Dunlop Super2 Series. It formerly competed in the Supercars Championship from 2009 to 2021. The team made its de ...
.
Mercedes-Benz Mercedes-Benz (), commonly referred to simply as Mercedes and occasionally as Benz, is a German automotive brand that was founded in 1926. Mercedes-Benz AG (a subsidiary of the Mercedes-Benz Group, established in 2019) is based in Stuttgart, ...
returned through
Australian GT Championship The GT World Challenge Australia, formerly known as the Australian GT Championship, is a Motorsport Australia-sanctioned national title for drivers of GT cars, held annually from 1960 to 1963, from 1982 to 1985 and from 2005. Each championship ...
team
Erebus Motorsport Erebus Motorsport (formerly known as Erebus Racing) is an Australian motor racing team. The team competes in the Supercars Championship with two Chevrolet Camaro (sixth generation)#ZL1, Chevrolet Camaro ZL1s. The team's current drivers are Jack ...
with its three Mercedes-Benz E63 AMGs. From 2013, the event became part of the newly formed Pirtek Enduro Cup within the Supercars season, along with the series' other two-driver races, the
Sandown 500 The Sandown 500 (commercially titled Penrite, Penrite Oil Sandown 500) is an annual endurance racing (motorsport), endurance Auto racing, motor race which is staged at the Sandown Raceway, near Melbourne, Victoria, Australia from 1964. The even ...
and
Gold Coast 600 The Gold Coast 500 (known for sponsorship reasons as the Boost Mobile (Australia), Boost Mobile Gold Coast 500) is an annual motor racing event for Supercars Championship, Supercars, held at the Surfers Paradise Street Circuit in Surfers Parad ...
. The 2013 race itself was a close finish between Ford's factory team drivers from Ford Performance Racing,
Mark Winterbottom Mark James "Frosty" Winterbottom (born 20 May 1981) is an Australian former professional racing driver. He last competed in the Supercars Championship, Repco Supercars Championship, driving the No. 18 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 for Team 18. His career ...
and Steven Richards, and Triple Eight Race Engineering's Jamie Whincup and Paul Dumbrell. In 2013 the 1000 km was completed in the record time of six hours, eleven minutes and twenty-seven seconds. This was Ford's first victory since 2008. It was also the first time since 1977 that an overtly Ford factory backed car triumphed. The 2014 Supercheap Auto Bathurst 1000 saw Volvo return for the first time since 1998, with Garry Rogers Motorsport entering two
Volvo S60 The Volvo S60 is a compact executive car manufactured and marketed by Volvo since 2000. The first generation (2000–2009) was launched in autumn of 2000 in order to replace the S70 and was based on the P2 platform, and the similarly designed ...
s. Between the 2013 and 2014 races, the track was resurfaced. This new track surface resulted in a marked reduction of lap times, and during free practice many of the drivers recorded times that were under the existing practice lap record. As with the early Phillip Island races, some of this new surface started to break up early in the race, particularly at Griffin's Bend. Many drivers were caught off guard and ran into the tyre wall due to the debris on the track. With 100 laps remaining, the officials suspended the race with a red flag, only the third red flag at the race after 1981 and 1992. The cars were then lined up on pit straight, and controversy ensued as teams exploited the regulations and performed repairs on the cars. Once the track repairs were finished the race resumed in single file under the safety car. Racing soon recommenced, but competition was further interrupted by a number of safety-car periods. The race was run to its full distance and finished in the early evening, with Ford Performance Racing drivers
Chaz Mostert Chaz Michael Mostert (born 10 April 1992) is an Australian professional racing driver competing in the Supercars Championship, Repco Supercars Championship. He currently drives the No. 25 Ford Mustang GT for Walkinshaw Andretti United. Mostert ...
and Paul Morris taking victory on the final lap, after the lead car of Jamie Whincup and Paul Dumbrell ran low on fuel. Morris and Mostert had started the race from last position after being excluded from qualifying. In
2015 2015 was designated by the United Nations as: * International Year of Light * International Year of Soil __TOC__ Events January * January 1 – Lithuania officially adopts the euro as its currency, replacing the litas, and becomes ...
, Chaz Mostert experienced a major reversal of fortunes, with a heavy qualifying crash leaving him with a fractured femur and wrist, and ruling his car out for the weekend. The incident also injured several marshals. On Sunday, after a mid-race rain shower, Craig Lowndes and Steven Richards eventually prevailed for their sixth and fourth wins of the Bathurst 1000 respectively. It was Lowndes' thirteenth podium at the event, an all-time record.


Supercars Championship era

The 2016 race, the first under the renamed Supercars Championship banner, featured 91 green laps to start the race, followed by a dramatic and safety-car–filled conclusion to proceedings. Most notably, there was a late-race incident between Garth Tander and
Scott McLaughlin Scott Thomas McLaughlin (; born 10 June 1993) is a New Zealand racing driver. He competes in the IndyCar Series, driving the No. 3 Dallara-Chevrolet for Team Penske. He previously raced in the Supercars Championship, in which he won the driver ...
, retiring the former's car, which occurred as Triple Eight's Jamie Whincup attempted to redress a clash between himself and McLaughlin at the Chase. Whincup received a fifteen-second time penalty; despite taking the chequered flag first, he was classified 11th. This allowed the
Tekno Autosports Tekno Autosports was an Australian motor racing team, established in the 1990s initially for the motor racing activities of Stephen Webb, and later his son Jonathon Webb. The team competed in the Supercars Championship using two Holden ZB Commo ...
entry of
Will Davison William Davison (born 30 August 1982) is an Australian professional racing driver. He currently drives the No.17 Ford Mustang (sixth generation), Ford Mustang GT for Dick Johnson Racing in the Supercars Championship, Repco Supercars Championshi ...
and
Jonathon Webb Jonathon Stephen Webb (born 10 December 1983) is an Australian former professional racing driver and team owner of Team Sydney, who once co-drove alongside Fabian Coulthard in the No. 19 Holden ZB Commodore for the Pirtek Enduro Cup. In 2016, ...
to take victory, just over one tenth of a second ahead of the Triple Eight entry of
Shane van Gisbergen Shane Robert van Gisbergen (born 9 May 1989), also known by his initials SVG, is a New Zealand professional auto racing, racing driver. He competes full-time in the NASCAR Cup Series, driving the No. 88 Chevrolet Camaro (sixth generation)#ZL1, C ...
and
Alexandre Prémat Alexandre Prémat (born 5 November 1982) is a French racing driver. He won the Pirtek Enduro Cup for Triple Eight Race Engineering alongside Shane van Gisbergen in 2016. He also won the 2019 Supercheap Auto Bathurst 1000 with Scott McLaughlin (r ...
. Following the finish, Triple Eight announced they were appealing the penalty, regarding the appropriateness of a time penalty for such an offence. The appeal, held by the Supercars National Court of Appeal in the
County Court of Victoria The County Court of Victoria is the intermediate court in the Australian state of Victoria. It is equivalent to district courts in the other states. The County Court is the principal trial court in the state, having a broad criminal and ci ...
, was dismissed in a hearing nine days after the race. The 2017 Supercheap Auto Bathurst 1000 saw another victory for an independent team with
Erebus Motorsport Erebus Motorsport (formerly known as Erebus Racing) is an Australian motor racing team. The team competes in the Supercars Championship with two Chevrolet Camaro (sixth generation)#ZL1, Chevrolet Camaro ZL1s. The team's current drivers are Jack ...
prevailing in mostly wet conditions with David Reynolds and
Luke Youlden Luke Gerard Youlden (born 28 January 1978) is an Australian Supercars series racing driver. He is the son of two-time Australian Production Car champion Kent Youlden (dec). Youlden currently drives for Kelly Grove Racing as a co-driver alongsi ...
behind the wheel. Erebus also joined Tekno as the only teams to win both the
Bathurst 12 Hour The Bathurst 12 Hour, currently known as the Meguiar's Bathurst 12 Hour for sponsorship reasons, is an annual endurance race for Group GT3, GT and Production car racing, production cars held at the Mount Panorama Circuit, in Bathurst, New South ...
and the Bathurst 1000. David Reynolds and Luke Youlden continued their form into the
2018 Events January * January 1 – Bulgaria takes over the Presidency of the Council of the European Union, after the Estonian presidency. * January 4 – SPLM-IO rebels loyal to Chan Garang Lual start a raid against Juba, capital of ...
edition, taking pole and leading the majority of the race until Reynolds suffered from leg cramps late in the race, allowing the 2015-winning combination of Craig Lowndes and Steven Richards to take the lead and the eventual victory, Lowndes' seventh event win and Richards' fifth. The 2019 race only featured one safety car in the first 101 laps, but the final 60 laps featured seven, eventually resulting in a one-lap sprint to the chequered flag. Scott McLaughlin, driving with Alexandre Prémat, held on to win from the Triple Eight entry of Shane van Gisbergen and Garth Tander; this was the first Bathurst 1000 win for the
Ford Mustang The Ford Mustang is a series of American Car, automobiles manufactured by Ford Motor Company, Ford. In continuous production since 1964, the Mustang is currently the longest-produced Ford car nameplate. Currently in its Ford Mustang (seventh ...
nameplate, the first for Dick Johnson Racing since
Team Penske Team Penske (formerly Penske Racing) is an American professional auto racing organization, competing in the IndyCar Series, NASCAR Cup Series, IMSA SportsCar Championship and FIA World Endurance Championship. Debuting at the 1966 24 Hours of Day ...
took a stake in the team in 2014, and the first for DJR since 1994. However, the race results remained provisional for a week until a hearing was held into DJR Team Penske's instructions to team-mate
Fabian Coulthard Fabian "Fabs" Coulthard (born 28 July 1982) is a New Zealand professional race car driver, currently competing in the Supercars Championship, Repco Supercars Championship, who will drive as an endurance co-driver for Nick Percat with Walkinshaw ...
during an earlier safety car. The instructions over team radio resulted in Coulthard slowing the field after a safety car was called, which allowed McLaughlin and Jamie Whincup to pit without losing any positions. Despite already being given a drive-through penalty during the race, after the hearing Coulthard was further relegated to the last finisher and the team was docked 300 Teams' Championship points and fined AU$250,000 with $100,000 of the fine suspended. As it could not be proven that the instructions were intended to advantage McLaughlin and Prémat, their race win remained. One month after the race, an investigation into McLaughlin's qualifying engine found a breach, resulting in a further fine, loss of his pole position and qualifying lap record and demotion to last place on the grid for the
2019 Sandown 500 The 2019 Sandown 500 (known for sponsorship purposes as the 2019 Penrite Oil Sandown 500) was a motor racing event for Supercars, held on the weekend of 8 to 10 November 2019. The event was held at Sandown Raceway in Melbourne, Victoria, Austr ...
. Because of the
COVID-19 pandemic The COVID-19 pandemic (also known as the coronavirus pandemic and COVID pandemic), caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), began with an disease outbreak, outbreak of COVID-19 in Wuhan, China, in December ...
, the 2020 race was held a week later than usual and with a limited number of fans, capped at 4,000 daily. In what was the final event for a factory-backed Holden team before the brand's retirement, the race was won by
Shane van Gisbergen Shane Robert van Gisbergen (born 9 May 1989), also known by his initials SVG, is a New Zealand professional auto racing, racing driver. He competes full-time in the NASCAR Cup Series, driving the No. 88 Chevrolet Camaro (sixth generation)#ZL1, C ...
and Garth Tander, the latter's fourth Bathurst 1000 win. For the first time since 2000, the event was the final round of the championship, but Scott McLaughlin had already secured an unassailable lead at the penultimate event.


Famous winners

The most successful driver at Bathurst is
Peter Brock Peter Geoffrey Brock (26 February 1945 – 8 September 2006), known as "Peter Perfect", "The King of the Mountain", or simply "Brocky", was an Australian motor racing driver. Brock was most often associated with Holden for almost 40 years, al ...
, whose nine victories (1972, 1975, 1978–80, 1982–84 and 1987) earned him the nickname ''King of the Mountain''. For this reason, rock band
Midnight Oil Midnight Oil (known informally as "The Oils") are an Australian rock band composed of Peter Garrett (vocals, harmonica), Rob Hirst (drums), Jim Moginie (guitar, keyboard) and Martin Rotsey (guitar). The group was formed in Sydney in 1972 by H ...
would also play their song, " King of the Mountain" or the TV station broadcasting the race would play the song. Ironically, the song has nothing to do with race.
Bob Jane Robert Frederick Jane (18 December 1929 – 28 September 2018) was an Australian race car driver and prominent entrepreneur and business tycoon. A four-time winner of the Armstrong 500, the race that became the prestigious Bathurst 1000 and a ...
won the race four times in succession from 1961 to 1964. 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,
Bob Jane T-Marts Bob Jane T-Marts is a chain of tire stores founded by former race car driver Bob Jane in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia in 1965. The company has grown to encompass over 100 franchises across Australia. Overview The company remains an independ ...
. The company became a title sponsor of the race between 2002 and 2004. Three of Jane's wins were with Harry Firth, who went on to win a fourth race in 1967 and also was a team manager for the 1969 and 1972
Holden Dealer Team The Holden Dealer Team (HDT) was Holden's semi-official racing team from 1969 until 1986 Australian Touring Car season, 1986, primarily contesting Australian Touring car racing, Touring Car events but also rallying, rallycross and National Sp ...
victories.
New Zealand New Zealand () is an island country in the southwestern Pacific Ocean. It consists of two main landmasses—the North Island () and the South Island ()—and List of islands of New Zealand, over 600 smaller islands. It is the List of isla ...
's 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. Richards' son
Steven Stephen or Steven is an English first name. It is particularly significant to Christians, as it belonged to Saint Stephen ( ), an early disciple and deacon who, according to the Book of Acts, was stoned to death; he is widely regarded as the firs ...
is also a five-time winner (1998, 1999, 2013, 2015 and 2018). The two other multiple winners from New Zealand are Greg Murphy, who has won the race four times (1996, 1999, 2003 and 2004), and
Shane van Gisbergen Shane Robert van Gisbergen (born 9 May 1989), also known by his initials SVG, is a New Zealand professional auto racing, racing driver. He competes full-time in the NASCAR Cup Series, driving the No. 88 Chevrolet Camaro (sixth generation)#ZL1, C ...
three time winner in 2020, 2022 and 2023.
Craig Lowndes Craig Andrew Lowndes (born 21 June 1974) is an Australian racing car driver in the Supercars Championship, Repco Supercars Championship racing for Triple Eight Race Engineering. He is also a TV commentator. Lowndes is a three-time V8 Superca ...
, who was a protégé of Brock, and has followed his path in terms of success and popularity, has won the race seven times. He has won three Bathurst races in a Falcon (2006–08) and four in a Commodore (1996, 2010, 2015 and 2018), and also holds the record for most Bathurst podiums, with fourteen.
Larry Perkins Larry Clifton Perkins (born 18 March 1950) is a former racing driver and V8 Supercar team owner from Australia. Biography Early years Growing up on a farm in Cowangie in the Mallee region of Victoria, Larry, the son of racing driver Edd ...
is the equal fourth most successful driver at Bathurst, with six victories (1982–84, 1993, 1995 and 1997). Like Jim Richards, Perkins achieved three of his victories as co-drivers with Brock in consecutive years in the Holden Dealer Team era.
Mark Skaife Mark Stephen Skaife (born 3 April 1967) is an Australian former racing driver. Skaife is a five-time champion of the Supercars Championship, V8 Supercar Championship Series, including its predecessor, the Australian Touring Car Championship, a ...
has also won six times. His first won in 1991 with a
Nissan Skyline GT-R The is a Japanese sports car based on the Nissan Skyline range. The first cars named "Skyline GT-R" were produced between 1969 and 1972 under the model code KPGC10, and were successful in Japanese touring car racing events. This model was fol ...
, then again in 1992 with the same car, and in 2001, 2002, 2005 and 2010 in a
Holden Commodore The Holden Commodore is a series of automobiles that were sold by now-defunct Australian manufacturer Holden from 1978 until 2020. They were manufactured from 1978 to 2017 in Australia and from 1979 to 1990 in New Zealand, with production of ...
.
Garth Tander Garth Dirk Tander (born 31 March 1977) is a multiple-championship winning Australian motor racing driver competing in the Virgin Australia Supercars Championship's Enduro Cup, co-driving for Grove Racing. He was the 2007 series champion for th ...
is a five-time winner, all in Holdens.
Jamie Whincup Jamie David Whincup (born 6 February 1983) is an Australian professional racing driver competing in the Supercars Championship. He currently is team principal for Triple Eight Race Engineering. He has driven the No. 88 Holden Commodore (ZB), Ho ...
, the driver with the most championship titles in ATCC/Supercars history, is a four-time winner of the race. His first three wins were with Craig Lowndes, with his fourth coming in 2012 with Paul Dumbrell. Canadian-born
Allan Moffat Allan George Moffat, Order of the British Empire, OBE (born 10 November 1939 in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, Canada) is a Canadian-born Australian racing driver known for his four championships in the Australian Touring Car Championship, six wins ...
is Ford's most successful Bathurst driver, winning the race four times (1970, 1971, 1973 and 1977). The 1977 race saw Moffat and teammate
Colin Bond Colin John Bond (born 24 February 1942) is an Australian former 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. He quickly found succ ...
cross the finish line side by side after opening up an indomitable lead in the early laps. 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 topic is still debated) onto the track. Thanks to public donations of over A$70,000 – and a matching donation from Ford – 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.


List of winners

Notes:
– Outright race winner was not officially recognised until 1965. Prior to that official results reflected four or five class races occurring simultaneously rather than a single race. The first car across the finish line has been retrospectively referred to as outright race winner since then.
– Race was stopped before full race distance.
– The first and second position finishers were disqualified post race.
– The first position finisher was disqualified post race.
– Denotes Australia 1000 races for V8 Supercars category.
– Race was stopped for over an hour due to the track surface breaking up and requiring repair. Stoppage time is included in final race time.
– The first position finisher was assessed a post-race time penalty for violating driving standards.
– This is the first year with the newly added Chase in Conrod Straight.
– Race record for time elapsed & average speed.


Records and statistics


Multiple winners


By driver


By entrant


By manufacturer


Most pole positions


By driver


By manufacturer


Most starts


Most podiums


Race records


Qualifying records


Driver records


Deaths

In the over fifty-year history of the event, three drivers have died whilst competing in the Bathurst 1000. In
1986 The year 1986 was designated as the International Year of Peace by the United Nations. Events January * January 1 ** Aruba gains increased autonomy from the Netherlands by separating from the Netherlands Antilles. ** Spain and Portugal en ...
,
Sydney Sydney is the capital city of the States and territories of Australia, state of New South Wales and the List of cities in Australia by population, most populous city in Australia. Located on Australia's east coast, the metropolis surrounds Syd ...
accountant and privateer entrant Mike Burgmann became the first fatality in the race's history when his car, a
Holden VK Commodore SS Group A The Holden Commodore (VK) is a mid-size car that was produced by Holden from 1984 to 1986. It was the fourth iteration of the first generation of the Holden Commodore and introduced the luxury variant, Holden Calais (VK) sedan. Overview The ...
, travelling at , struck the tyre barrier at the base of the Armor All Bridge (then sponsored by John Player Special) on the high-speed straight known as Conrod Straight. "The Chase", a large three-corner
chicane A chicane () is a serpentine curve in a road, added by design rather than dictated by geography. Chicanes add extra turns and are used both in motor racing and on roads and streets to slow traffic for safety. For example, one form of chicane is ...
added in 1987 to the straight, was dedicated to Burgmann with a plaque embedded in the concrete barriers. In
1992 1992 was designated as International Space Year by the United Nations. Events January * January 1 – Boutros Boutros-Ghali of Egypt replaces Javier Pérez de Cuéllar of Peru as United Nations Secretary-General. * January 6 ** The Republ ...
,
Formula One Formula One (F1) is the highest class of worldwide racing for open-wheel single-seater formula Auto racing, racing cars sanctioned by the Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile (FIA). The FIA Formula One World Championship has been one ...
World Champion
Denny Hulme Denis Clive Hulme (18 June 1936 – 4 October 1992) was a New Zealand racing driver, who competed in Formula One from to . Nicknamed "the Bear", Hulme won the Formula One World Drivers' Championship in with Brabham, and won eight Grands Pri ...
, after complaining of blurred vision, suffered a
heart attack A myocardial infarction (MI), commonly known as a heart attack, occurs when Ischemia, blood flow decreases or stops in one of the coronary arteries of the heart, causing infarction (tissue death) to the heart muscle. The most common symptom ...
at the wheel of his BMW M3 Evolution whilst travelling along Conrod Straight. After veering into the wall on the left side of the track, his car came to a relatively controlled stop on the opposite side of the course. When marshals reached the scene, Hulme was unconscious and he was pronounced dead at Bathurst Hospital after suffering a second heart attack. In
1994 The year 1994 was designated as the " International Year of the Family" and the "International Year of Sport and the Olympic Ideal" by the United Nations. In the Line Islands and Phoenix Islands of Kiribati, 1994 had only 364 days, omitti ...
,
Melbourne Melbourne ( , ; Boonwurrung language, Boonwurrung/ or ) is the List of Australian capital cities, capital and List of cities in Australia by population, most populous city of the States and territories of Australia, Australian state of Victori ...
privateer entrant Don Watson died during practice. His car, a
Holden VP Commodore The Holden Commodore (VP) is a full-size car that was produced by Holden from 1991 to 1993. It was the second iteration of the second generation of the Commodore. Its range included the luxury variants, Holden Berlina (VP) and Holden Calais (V ...
, had a mechanical failure and went straight ahead at the entry to The Chase, hitting a barrier at almost . Additionally, the
2006 2006 was designated as the International Year of Deserts and Desertification. Events January * January 1– 4 – Russia temporarily cuts shipment of natural gas to Ukraine during a price dispute. * January 12 – A stampede during t ...
event was marred by the death of
New Zealand New Zealand () is an island country in the southwestern Pacific Ocean. It consists of two main landmasses—the North Island () and the South Island ()—and List of islands of New Zealand, over 600 smaller islands. It is the List of isla ...
driver Mark Porter in a Development 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 is an Australian motor racing team owned by Brad Jones based in Albury. The team competes in the Supercars Championship and the Super2 Series. Recently they have also returned to Australian Formula Ford where Brad and Kim be ...
team.


Peter Brock Trophy

Peter Brock Peter Geoffrey Brock (26 February 1945 – 8 September 2006), known as "Peter Perfect", "The King of the Mountain", or simply "Brocky", was an Australian motor racing driver. Brock was most often associated with Holden for almost 40 years, al ...
died weeks before the 2006 race in an accident during the Targa West rally in
Western Australia Western Australia (WA) is the westernmost state of Australia. It is bounded by the Indian Ocean to the north and west, the Southern Ocean to the south, the Northern Territory to the north-east, and South Australia to the south-east. Western Aust ...
. Following this, Supercars announced that from 2006 onwards, the drivers in the Bathurst 1000 would be racing to win the ''Peter Brock Trophy''. The 2006 event also honoured Brock with special tributes; including the front row of the starting grid being left vacant, all cars bearing an '05' number sticker made famous by Brock, and a champions' lap of honour featuring Brock's past co-drivers parading in cars that Brock won Bathurst with. The trophy, manufactured by
Hardy Brothers Hardy Brothers is a specialty retailer and private company of fine jewellery, watch, timepieces and decorative arts in Australia. Its historic products are now highly collectible and are held in state and national collections. It is the only A ...
, is inscribed with the words "King of the Mountain", a long-time nickname of Brock's. It weighs and stands tall. Craig Lowndes, a long time mentee of Brock, has won the trophy a record six times since its inception.


Event sponsors

The event has had several
naming rights Naming rights are a financial transaction and form of advertising or memorialization where a corporation, person, or other entity purchases the right to name a facility, object, location, program, or event (most often sports venues), typical ...
sponsors: * 1960–65: Armstrong * 1966–67: Gallaher * 1968–87:
James Hardie James Hardie Industries plc is an American-Irish global building materials company and the largest global manufacturer of fibre cement products. Headquartered in Ireland, it is cross-listed on the Australian and New York Stock Exchanges. Its ...
** 1968–80: Hardie- Ferodo ** 1981–87: James Hardie * 1988–95:
Tooheys Tooheys is a brewery in the suburb of Lidcombe, in Sydney, Australia. It produces beer under the ''Tooheys'' and ''Hahn Brewery'' trademarks, and is part of the Lion (Australasian company), Lion beverages group which was acquired by the Japanese ...
* 1996–98: AMP * 1997: Primus * 1998–2000: FAI * 2002–04:
Bob Jane T-Marts Bob Jane T-Marts is a chain of tire stores founded by former race car driver Bob Jane in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia in 1965. The company has grown to encompass over 100 franchises across Australia. Overview The company remains an independ ...
* 2005–20:
Supercheap Auto Supercheap Auto is an Australian automotive parts and accessories retailer. It was founded in 1972, operating as a mail-order business and opened its first store in Brisbane in 1974. It now has 341 stores across Australia and New Zealand. ...
* 2021–present:
Repco Repco is an Australian automotive engineering/retail company. Its name is an abbreviation of Replacement Parts Company and was for many years known for reconditioning engines and for specialised manufacturing, for which it gained a high repu ...


See also

*
List of Bathurst 1000 vehicles The following is a list of all the cars that have raced in the combined history of the Bathurst 1000 motor race, from the 1960 Armstrong 500 up until today and including both races that were held in 1997 and 1998. This is a list of cars as they ...
*
National Motor Racing Museum The National Motor Racing Museum (NMRM) is located in the regional New South Wales city of Bathurst, New South Wales, Bathurst, approximately 200 km west of Sydney. The museum is situated adjacent to the Mount Panorama Circuit, Mount Pano ...
– a museum located adjacent to the racing circuit at Murray's Corner, exhibiting racing memorabilia and cars. *
Bathurst 12 Hour The Bathurst 12 Hour, currently known as the Meguiar's Bathurst 12 Hour for sponsorship reasons, is an annual endurance race for Group GT3, GT and Production car racing, production cars held at the Mount Panorama Circuit, in Bathurst, New South ...
* Bathurst 24 Hour * Bathurst Motor Festival *
List of Australian Touring Car Championship races The list of Australian Touring Car Championship Races is a list of all the races or rounds which have been held in the combined 63-year history of the Australian Touring Car Championship, V8 Supercars Championship, and Supercars Championship. As ...


References


External links


The official website for the Supercheap Auto Bathurst 1000Chequered Flag Motorsport's Virtual Lap of Bathurst
{{V8 Supercar Teams Motorsport in Bathurst, New South Wales Touring car races Supercars Championship races Auto races in Australia Recurring sporting events established in 1960 Annual sporting events in Australia 1960 establishments in Australia Endurance motor racing 10 Sport