Forming the third element in the holy trinity of Australian sport (AFL Final, NRL final & The Bathurst 1000), the Bathurst 1000 is the most prestigious race in Australian motorsport, held on one of the world’s greatest race tracks.
Bathurst 1000: For 2020 Supercars Australiahas announced a daily limit of 4,000 people to the ticketed event that normally attracts 50,000 visitors per day.
Sod the virus ! Australia's unforgiving, mountainous track is the ultimate battleground – where a 1000 kilometre endurance race is won and lost on the very last lap.
Normally thousands of sports fans make the annual pilgrimage to Mount Panorama, to see legends of the past and present immortalised in Australian sporting history. Be there for the power, the glory, the noise and the heart stopping atmosphere across four thrilling days of racing action.
The Bathurst 1000 is a 1,000-kilometre (620 mi) touring car race held annually on the Mount Panorama Circuit in Bathurst, New South Wales, Australia. It is currently run as a championship event for Supercars.
Widely regarded as the pinnacle of motorsport in Australia, the Bathurst 1000 is colloquially known as The Great Race among motorsport fans and media.
The race concept originated with the 1960 Armstrong 500 at the Phillip Island Grand Prix Circuit, before being relocated to Bathurst in 1963 and continuing there in every year since.
The race was traditionally run on the Labour Day long weekend in New South Wales, in early October. Since 2001, the race is run on the weekend after the long weekend (NRL Final), normally the second weekend in October.
Race winners are presented with the Peter Brock Trophy.. This trophy was introduced at the 2006 race to commemorate the death of ace driver Peter Brock.
The Mount Panorama Circuit was first used on 16 April 1938 for the Australian Tourist Trophy meeting for motorcycles, followed two days later by the Australian Grand Prix for cars.
The track follows public roads and is known for its 174-metre difference between its highest and lowest points.
The first turn, Hell Corner, is a ninety-degree left-hander. Mountain Straight, a gentle climb where the cars reach speeds of 255 km/h (158 mph), leads into Griffin's Bend, an off-camber right-hander which then leads into The Cutting, a sharp left-hander with a steep incline.
Reid Park follows, a complex corner where a number of drivers have spun after not short shifting at the apex.
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 220 km/h (140 mph) 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 300 km/h (190 mph).
The Chase is a long sweeping chicane where cars are on the rev limiter turning at 300 km/h before a large braking zone to exit at 130 km/h (81 mph).
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 a number of private properties bordering the track so spectators are unable to access all trackside vantage points.
Spectator vantage points have also become less intimate to the track over recent years, with increased run-off size and debris fencing being installed around the track due to increasing international FIA standards
In 1966 and 1967 an Irish tobacco company sponsored the race, which became known as the "Gallaher 500".
1966 was the last four cylinder victory for more than two decades.
Rauno Aaltonen and Bob Holden drove their Mini Cooper S to a hard-fought win against stiff competition which mainly consisted of other Coopers.
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 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 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.
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 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, 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, 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 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, the fastest 4-door car in the world at that time.
This Phase One GT-HO Bathurst special Falcon was powered by a 351 cubic inch V8 sourced from Ford America.
It's '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 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 due to 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. Brock and Bond were drivers for the semi-official Holden Dealer Team (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.
Peter Brock was anointed 'King Of The Mountain' at Bathurst and 'Peter Perfect' for his 9 victories at that circuit.
And the rest is history.