Bathurst 1000 History

Early Years

In the beginning...

Even prior to the Mount being opened to racing, the Bathurst 1000 was in its infancy in the form of the Armstrong 500 at Phillip Island in Victoria. The race was held at Phillip Island only three times, as the track was severely damaged in the 1962 race. This become a godsend to Bathurst and Mount Panorama, who has hosted the Great Race ever since.

Group A

In 1985, the Great Race allowed and attracted Group A touring cars to the circuit, and saw the inclusion of the turbocharged Sierras and Skylines.

Group C

The 1970s saw Holden and Ford each take 5 victories, but in 1973 the races name changed once more. Not due to sponsorship deals, but due to the metric system. The Hardie-Ferodo 500 (miles) became known as the Hardie-Ferodo 1000 (kilometres).

V8 Supercars / Super Tourers

The end of the 80s and early 90s was dominated by the turbo cars. In the races of 88 / 89 the Sierras dominated the Mount. Holden injected in 1990 with a win, before the Japanese Nissan Skyline GT-R took control and the next two races.