The Early History of the Bathurst 1000

Published by on March 30, 2023

These days, Repco Bathurst 1000 is a household name. Known as 'The Great Race', you don't even need to be a racing fan to know about Bathurst. But what makes Australia's favourite race so great? As this year is the 60th anniversary of the race we now know as the Bathurst 1000, we thought we would take a look back in the archives at the early history of the race, and how Bathurst cemented itself as an Aussie icon.


When and where was the first Bathurst 1000?


It may surprise some to know that Australia's favourite race was originally not held at Bathurst, nor was it held over 1000 kilometres. In fact, the origins of what we now know as the Bathurst 1000 started in Phillip Island and was known as the Armstrong 500.

The race was organised by the Light Car Club of Australia and promoted by Armstrong York Engineering Pty Ltd. The shock absorber manufacturer was looking to increase the company's business with major carmakers, particularly Ford and Holden, by sponsoring a race. The race went for 500 miles (around 800 kilometres) and was split into five classes based on engine capacity. 


Who won the first Bathurst 1000?


Frank Coad and John Roxburgh in a Vauxhall Cresta are credited as the first winners of the race back in 1960, competing in Class D for engine capacities of 2001cc to 3500cc.

Of the 45 entrants of the inaugural race 11 did not finish, a strike rate not too dissimilar to modern times, with 6 of the 28 entrants in 2022 not crossing the finish line.

The rules of the early races stated that an entrant's car must be available "as in" in a showroom somewhere in Australia. 

This has been a point of endless contention over the years as the modern Supercars ventured further and further away from this standard. The new Gen 3 vehicles of 2023 are deliberately bringing the cars closer to a showroom-standard... though the lack of Australian manufacturing continues to be a point of controversy with fans.  Experience the Melbourne Cup Carnival live in 2023


The move to Mount Panorama 


The Phillip Island track was severely damaged in the 1962 races and ultimately the race moved to Bathurst and the now iconic Mount Panorama Circuit.

Still known as the Armstrong 500, the race moved to Bathurst and quickly became the flagship event on the Australian motorsporting calendar, as manufacturers realised the marketing potential of a race between showroom replicas.

Of course, it didn't take long for car manufacturers to start designing cars specifically for the race and the term "Bathurst Special" to enter Australian racing vernacular. The class system changed from engine capacity to price range for the 1964 race.


Australia's "Great Race" emerges


The late 1960s saw Bathurst explode in popularity as some cult figures emerged onto the Australian racing scene. Small cars dominated in the early years, until Ford developed its 289 inch V8 Ford Falcon GT and the big V8s became synonymous with Mount Panorama.

Mini Coopers invaded the mountain and got their first victory in 1967, before a minimum number of pit stops saw Ford and Holden become dominate forces, alongside Chrysler.

The three-way-rivalry featured the Holden Monaro, Ford Falcon GT and later GT-HO Super Falcon and Chrysler's Pacer and Charger. But they weren't the only competitors. The 60 entrants in 1967 included some surprising names such as Alfa Giulia Super, Audi Super 90, Fiat 123 and even the Toyota Corolla.

There was even a Japanese driving duo competing in one of the several Datson 1000s. During this period the race went through a few name changes also, from Armstrong 500 to Gallaher 500 and then Hardie-Ferodo 500, before becoming a 1000km race in 1973. See the full naming list of naming conventions below.

Duration Name
1963 – 1965 Armstrong 500
1966 – 1967 Gallaher 500
1969 – 1972 Hardie-Ferodo 500
1973 – 1980 Hardie-Ferodo 1000
1981 – 1987 James Hardie 1000
1988 – 1995 Tooheys 1000
1996 – 1998 AMP Bathurst 1000 (Super Tourers in 1997/98)
1997 Primus 1000 Classic (V8 Supercars race)
1998 FAI 1000 Classic (V8 Supercars race)
1999 – 2000 FAI 1000
2001 V8 Supercar 1000
2002 – 2004 Bob Jane T-Marts Bathurst 1000
2005 – 2020 Supercheap Auto Bathurst 1000
2021 – Current Repco Bathurst 1000

Who has won the most Bathurst 1000 races?


Bathurst became a household name and Aussie institution off the back of the fierce Holden versus Ford rivalry.

The two manufacturers traded wins back and forth from 1968 until 1985, when the Great Race allowed and attracted Group A touring cars to the circuit and saw an influx of turbocharged Sierras and Skylines.

Undoubtedly, the Ford v Holden rivalry has been the dominating narrative in Bathurst's 60 year history, with diehard fans devoting themselves to team blue (Ford) or red (Holden). Sadly, the 2022 Repco Bathurst 1000 marked the end of this rivalry as Holden parted ways with Supercars. General Motors - which owns the Holden brand - have ceased to produce the Commodore and chose to enter its Chevrolet Camaro instead. 

Camaro's aren't new to Supercars, with Bob Jane piloting a Camaro ZL-1to back-to-back titles in 1971 and 1972. They have never won a Bathurst race though.

But it wasn't just Fords and Holdens that catapulted Bathurst into Aussie icon status, there was also a man by the name of Peter Brock. The late 70s and early years of the 1980s saw Brock dominate Bathurst and capture the heart of the nation. In 7 years Brocky won 6 times at Bathurst, a feat as yet unrivalled by any other driver as he claimed two hat-tricks at Bathurst, in 1978, '79, '80 and again in 1982, '83 and '84.

You can delve into the stats behind the Ford v Holden rivalry and Brocky’s dominance via the dropdowns below.

Rank Driver Wins
1st Peter Brock 9
Tied 2nd Craig Lowndes 7
Jim Richards 7
Tied 3rd Larry Perkins 6
Mark Skaife 6
Wins Manufacturer
36 Holden
21 Ford
2 Nissan
YearEvent NameDriver(s)CarLaps
Elapsed time
Race average speed
Phillip Island (500 Miles)
1960Armstrong 500Australia John Roxburgh
Australia Frank Coad
Vauxhall Cresta167 laps
8h 19m 59.1s
96.56 km/h
60.00 mph
1961Armstrong 500Australia Bob Jane
Australia Harry Firth
Mercedes-Benz 220SE167 laps
8h 18m 0.0s
96.95 km/h
60.24 mph
1962Armstrong 500Australia Harry Firth
Australia Bob Jane
Ford XL Falcon167 laps
8h 15m 16.0s
97.48 km/h
60.57 mph
Mount Panorama (500 Miles)
1963Armstrong 500Australia Harry Firth
Australia Bob Jane
Ford Cortina Mk.I GT130 laps
7h 46m 59.1s
103.39 km/h
64.24 mph
1964Armstrong 500Australia Bob Jane
Australia George Reynolds
Ford Cortina Mk.I GT130 laps
1965Armstrong 500Australia Barry Seton
Australia Midge Bosworth
Ford Cortina Mk.I GT500130 laps
7h 16m 45.1s
110.54 km/h
68.69 mph
1966Gallaher 500Finland Rauno Aaltonen
Australia Bob Holden
Morris Cooper S130 laps
7h 11m 29.1s
111.89 km/h
69.53 mph
1967Gallaher 500Australia Harry Firth
Australia Fred Gibson
Ford XR Falcon GT130 laps
6h 54m 59.1s
116.34 km/h
72.29 mph
1968Hardie-Ferodo 500Australia Bruce McPhee
Australia Barry Mulholland
Holden HK Monaro GTS327130 laps
6h 44m 7.9s
119.51 km/h
74.26 mph
1969Hardie-Ferodo 500Australia Colin Bond
Australia Tony Roberts
Holden HT Monaro GTS350130 laps
6h 32m 25s
123.16 km/h
76.53 mph
1970Hardie-Ferodo 500Canada Allan MoffatFord XW Falcon GTHO Phase II130 laps
6h 34m 26s
122.85 km/h
76.34 mph
1971Hardie-Ferodo 500Canada Allan MoffatFord XY Falcon GTHO Phase III130 laps
6h 9m 49.5s
130.55 km/h
81.12 mph
1972Hardie-Ferodo 500Australia Peter BrockHolden LJ Torana GTR XU-1130 laps
6h 0m 59.1s
133.74 km/h
83.10 mph
Mount Panorama (1,000 Kilometres)
1973Hardie-Ferodo 1000Canada Allan Moffat
Australia Ian Geoghegan
Ford XA Falcon GT Hardtop163 laps
7h 20m 6.8s
136.33 km/h
84.71 mph
1974Hardie-Ferodo 1000Australia John Goss
Australia Kevin Bartlett
Ford XA Falcon GT Hardtop163 laps
7h 50m 59.1s
127.39 km/h
79.16 mph
1975Hardie-Ferodo 1000Australia Peter Brock
Australia Brian Sampson
Holden LH Torana SL/R 5000 L34163 laps
7h 19m 11.3s
136.62 km/h
84.89 mph
1976Hardie-Ferodo 1000Australia Bob Morris
United Kingdom John Fitzpatrick
Holden LH Torana SL/R 5000 L34163 laps
7h 7m 12.0s
140.45 km/h
87.27 mph
1977Hardie-Ferodo 1000Canada Allan Moffat
Belgium Jack Ickx
Ford XC Falcon GS500 Hardtop163 laps
6h 59m 7.8s
143.15 km/h
88.95 mph
1978Hardie-Ferodo 1000Australia Peter Brock
New Zealand Jim Richards
Holden LX Torana A9X SS Hatchback163 laps
6h 45m 53.9s
147.82 km/h
91.85 mph
1979Hardie-Ferodo 1000Australia Peter Brock
New Zealand Jim Richards
Holden LX Torana A9X SS Hatchback163 laps
6h 38m 15.8s
150.65 km/h
93.61 mph
1980Hardie-Ferodo 1000Australia Peter Brock
New Zealand Jim Richards
Holden VC Commodore163 laps
6h 47m 52.7s
147.10 km/h
91.41 mph
1981James Hardie 1000Australia Dick Johnson
Australia John French
Ford XD Falcon120 laps
4h 53m 52.7s
150.31 km/h
93.40 mph
1982James Hardie 1000Australia Peter Brock
Australia Larry Perkins
Holden VH Commodore SS163 laps
6h 32m 3.2s
153.04 km/h
95.09 mph
1983James Hardie 1000Australia John Harvey
Australia Peter Brock
Australia Larry Perkins
Holden VH Commodore SS163 laps
6h 28m 31.6s
154.43 km/h
95.96 mph
1984James Hardie 1000Australia Peter Brock
Australia Larry Perkins
Holden VK Commodore163 laps
6h 23m 13.6s
156.57 km/h
97.29 mph
1985James Hardie 1000Australia John Goss
West Germany Armin Hahne
Jaguar XJ-S163 laps
6h 41m 30.19s
149.44 km/h
92.86 mph
1986James Hardie 1000Australia Allan Grice
Australia Graeme Bailey
Holden VK Commodore SS Group A163 laps
6h 30m 35.68s
153.61 km/h
95.45 mph
1987James Hardie 1000Australia Peter McLeod
Australia Peter Brock
Australia David Parsons
Holden VL Commodore SS Group A158 laps
7h 1m 8.4s
139.82 km/h
86.88 mph
1988Tooheys 1000Australia Tony Longhurst
Australia Tomas Mezera
Ford Sierra RS500161 laps
7h 2m 10.28s
142.12 km/h
88.31 mph
1989Tooheys 1000Australia Dick Johnson
Australia John Bowe
Ford Sierra RS500161 laps
6h 30m 53.44s
153.50 km/h
95.38 mph
1990Tooheys 1000United Kingdom Win Percy
Australia Allan Grice
Holden VL Commodore SS Group A SV161 laps
6h 40m 52.64s
149.67 km/h
93.00 mph
1991Tooheys 1000New Zealand Jim Richards
Australia Mark Skaife
Nissan Skyline BNR32 GT-R161 laps
6h 19m 14.80s
158.21 km/h
98.31 mph
1992Tooheys 1000Australia Mark Skaife
New Zealand Jim Richards
Nissan Skyline BNR32 GT-R143 laps
6h 27m 16.22s
137.61 km/h
85.51 mph
1993Tooheys 1000Australia Larry Perkins
Australia Gregg Hansford
Holden VP Commodore161 laps
6h 29m 6.69s
154.19 km/h
95.81 mph
1994Tooheys 1000Australia Dick Johnson
Australia John Bowe
Ford EB Falcon161 laps
7h 3m 45.8425s
141.5882 km/h
87.9788 mph
1995Tooheys 1000Australia Larry Perkins
Australia Russell Ingall
Holden VR Commodore161 laps
6h 20m 32.4766s
157.6701 km/h
97.9717 mph
1996AMP Bathurst 1000Australia Craig Lowndes
New Zealand Greg Murphy
Holden VR Commodore161 laps
7h 9m 28.3584s
139.7062 km/h
86.8094 mph
1997AMP Bathurst 1000Australia Geoff Brabham
Australia David Brabham
BMW 320i161 laps
6h 41m 25.4072s
149.4681 km/h
92.8752 mph
1997Primus 1000 ClassicAustralia Larry Perkins
Australia Russell Ingall
Holden VS Commodore161 laps
6h 21m 55.5483s
157.0986 km/h
97.6165 mph
1998AMP Bathurst 1000Sweden Rickard Rydell
New Zealand Jim Richards
Volvo S40161 laps
6h 54m 23.4756s
144.7907 km/h
89.9688 mph
1998FAI 1000Australia Jason Bright
New Zealand Steven Richards
Ford EL Falcon161 laps
6h 42m 23.9039s
149.1060 km/h
92.6501 mph
1999FAI 1000New Zealand Steven Richards
New Zealand Greg Murphy
Holden VT Commodore161 laps
6h 51m 48.8354s
145.6969 km/h
90.5318 mph
2000FAI 1000Australia Garth Tander
Australia Jason Bargwanna
Holden VT Commodore161 laps
7h 23m 30.2348s
135.3259 km/h
84.0876 mph
2001V8 Supercar 1000Australia Mark Skaife
Australia Tony Longhurst
Holden VX Commodore161 laps
6h 50m 33.1789s
146.1872 km/h
90.8365 mph
2002Bob Jane T-Marts 1000Australia Mark Skaife
New Zealand Jim Richards
Holden VX Commodore161 laps
6h 58m 41.0260s
143.3482 km/h
89.0724 mph
2003Bob Jane T-Marts 1000New Zealand Greg Murphy
Australia Rick Kelly
Holden VY Commodore161 laps
6h 32m 55.4044s
152.7463 km/h
94.9121 mph
2004Bob Jane T-Marts 1000New Zealand Greg Murphy
Australia Rick Kelly
Holden VY Commodore161 laps
6h 29m 36.2055s
154.0479 km/h
95.7209 mph
2005Supercheap Auto 1000Australia Mark Skaife
Australia Todd Kelly
Holden VZ Commodore161 laps
6h 37m 17.0012s
151.0700 km/h
93.8705 mph
2006Supercheap Auto Bathurst 1000Australia Craig Lowndes
Australia Jamie Whincup
Ford BA Falcon161 laps
6h 59m 53.5852s
142.9354 km/h
88.8159 mph
2007Supercheap Auto Bathurst 1000Australia Craig Lowndes
Australia Jamie Whincup
Ford BF Falcon161 laps
6h 29m 10.1985s
154.2195 km/h
95.8275 mph
2008Supercheap Auto Bathurst 1000Australia Craig Lowndes
Australia Jamie Whincup
Ford BF Falcon161 laps
6h 26m 00.4291s
155.4831 km/h
96.6127 mph
2009Supercheap Auto Bathurst 1000Australia Will Davison
Australia Garth Tander
Holden VE Commodore161 laps
6h 40m 02.4884s
150.0284 km/h
93.2233 mph
2010Supercheap Auto Bathurst 1000Australia Craig Lowndes
Australia Mark Skaife
Holden VE Commodore161 laps
6h 12m 51.4153s
160.9668 km/h
100.0201 mph
2011Supercheap Auto Bathurst 1000Australia Garth Tander
Australia Nick Percat
Holden VE Commodore161 laps
6h 26m 52.2691s
155.0904 km/h
96.3294 mph
2012Supercheap Auto Bathurst 1000Australia Jamie Whincup
Australia Paul Dumbrell
Holden VE Commodore161 laps
6h 16m 01.3304s
159.6118 km/h
99.1782 mph
2013Supercheap Auto Bathurst 1000Australia Mark Winterbottom
New Zealand Steven Richards
Ford FG Falcon161 laps
6h 11m 27.9315s
161.5697 km/h
100.3948 mph
2014Supercheap Auto Bathurst 1000Australia Chaz Mostert
Australia Paul Morris
Ford FG Falcon161 laps
7h 58m 53.2052s
125.3273 km/h
77.8914 mph
2015Supercheap Auto Bathurst 1000Australia Craig Lowndes
New Zealand Steven Richards
Holden VF Commodore161 laps
6h 16m 07.7064s
159.5667 km/h
99.1714 mph
2016Supercheap Auto Bathurst 1000Australia Will Davison
Australia Jonathon Webb
Holden VF Commodore161 laps
6h 19m 25.3237s
158.1816 km/h
98.3105 mph
2017Supercheap Auto Bathurst 1000Australia David Reynolds
Australia Luke Youlden
Holden VF Commodore161 laps
7h 11m 45.5456s
139.0071 km/h
86.3844 mph
2018Supercheap Auto Bathurst 1000Australia Craig Lowndes
New Zealand Steven Richards
Holden ZB Commodore161 laps
6h 01m 44.8637s
165.9100 km/h
103.0917 mph
2019Supercheap Auto Bathurst 1000New Zealand Scott McLaughlin
France Alexandre Prémat
Ford Mustang GT161 laps
6h 27m 51.5260s
154.7408 km/h
96.1515 mph
2020Supercheap Auto Bathurst 1000New Zealand Shane van Gisbergen
Australia Garth Tander
Holden ZB Commodore161 laps
6h 10m 56.1143s
161.8006 km/h
100.5385 mph
2021Repco Bathurst 1000Australia Chaz Mostert
Australia Lee Holdsworth
Holden ZB Commodore161 laps
6h 15m 06.1952s
160.0028 km/h
99.4211 mph
2022Repco Bathurst 1000New Zealand Shane van Gisbergen
Australia Garth Tander
Holden ZB Commodore161 laps
6h 41m 53.7220s
149.3363 km/h
92.7933 mph

Experience the 60th anniversary of the Bathurst 1000 in 2023


Join the 60th year anniversary of Australia's favourite race this year with a Sportsnet Holidays travel package, featuring official tickets, VIP upgrades and local accommodation. On top of this, Sportsnet travel packages incorporate unique experiences such as dinner functions where you get the opportunity to meet-and-greet Supercars legends, and scenic helicopter flights over Mount Panorama! 

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