Phillip Island of Brian Foley and Alan Edney during the
1960 race. Originally known as the Armstrong 500, the race was
first held on 20 November 1960 at the
Phillip Island Grand Prix Circuit in
Phillip Island,
Victoria, over a distance. The organisers, the Light Car Club of Australia, claimed the race was 'the world's premier production saloon car race'. The Bathurst 500 was organised and promoted by a consortium of the
Seven Network, the
Australian Racing Drivers Club (ARDC), and
Bathurst Regional Council; 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 and
Mini Cooper. Although the class structure was retained — with many "races within the race" — the emphasis on achieving first outright increased. In
1963, Bob Jane and Harry Firth again triumphed, this time in a Cortina GT. In
1964 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 introduced new
Group E Series Production Touring Car regulations in 1965 but the Armstrong 500 continued with its own regulations.
1965 brought victory for the first overt "Bathurst Special", the Cortina GT 500. Bo Seton and
Midge Bosworth completed the 130 laps first.
Bruce McPhee 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 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 mainly comprising other Coopers.
1971 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, Torana XU1 and Falcon GT-HO. 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 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 RX-3. Car number 34, a lone
Morris Marina, finished 6th in Class C having completed 125 laps. in which
Bob Morris and
John Fitzpatrick won the
1976 race. Holden's 308 cubic inch V8-powered Toranas scored Bathurst victories in
1975,
1976,
1978 and
1979 in L34 and
A9X configuration. Ford's 351
XC Falcon famously finished first and second in
1977. 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 that was campaigned effectively by Moffat and Kevin Bartlett's 350 V8-powered
Chevrolet Camaro. The turbo-powered
Nissan Bluebird piloted by
George Fury also threatened the V8 'Big Bangers' and signalled a sign of things to come during the
Group A era. Peter Brock cemented his reputation as the driver to beat during this period, including achieving two Bathurst hat-tricks with the
Marlboro-sponsored HDT. In 1978 and 1979 he and Jim Richards drove an A9X Torana to victory, while in
1980 the pair won in a
VC Commodore. His second hat trick consisted of victories in
1982,
1983 and
1984, this time partnering with
Larry Perkins 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 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 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 regulations. Imported turbocharged cars, initially
Ford Sierra RS Cosworths and then
Nissan Skyline GT-Rs, achieved dominance during this period while
Holden Commodores 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, Peter Brock, John Harvey, Allan Moffat, Dick Johnson and
John Bowe.
Tom Walkinshaw 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 (HRT) were at the forefront of Commodore development. With almost no support from Ford Australia, Group A Ford Falcons never eventuated.
Dick Johnson Racing switched to a 1983
Zakspeed-developed
Ford Mustang GT formerly raced in Europe by German ace
Klaus Ludwig. 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, Dick Johnson Racing and eventually a team run by Holden stalwart Peter Brock. in which
John Goss and
Armin Hahne won the
1985 race.
1985 was the first year that the Bathurst 1000 was run under Group A rules. The race was dominated by
Tom Walkinshaw Racing's three-car
Jaguar XJ-S team, the big
V12-powered
Jaguars 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 claimed Jaguar's only Bathurst 1000 win. The following year,
1986, the
Holden VK Commodore SS Group A 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 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, the Bathurst 1000 became a round of the shortlived
World Touring Car Championship, 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, a subsidiary of the
Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile (FIA), allowed more liberal, negotiated interpretations "back home". Some European teams, most prominently the
Ford Europe–backed
Eggenberger Motorsport, 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
2013 race itself was a close finish between Ford's factory team drivers from
Ford Performance Racing,
Mark Winterbottom 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. in which
Chaz Mostert and
Paul Morris won the
2014 race. The
2014 Supercheap Auto Bathurst 1000 saw Volvo return for the first time since 1998, with Garry Rogers Motorsport entering two
Volvo S60s. 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 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, 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, 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 entry of
Will Davison and
Jonathon Webb to take victory, just over one tenth of a second ahead of the Triple Eight entry of
Shane van Gisbergen and
Alexandre Prémat. The appeal, held by the Supercars National Court of Appeal in the
County Court of Victoria, 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 prevailing in mostly wet conditions with
David Reynolds and
Luke Youlden behind the wheel. Erebus also joined Tekno as the only teams to win both the
Bathurst 12 Hour and the Bathurst 1000. David Reynolds and Luke Youlden continued their form into the
2018 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. and
Alexandre Prémat (foreground) won the
2019 Bathurst 1000 while team-mates
Fabian Coulthard and
Tony D'Alberto (background) were relegated to last place after a rules breach. 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 nameplate, the first for Dick Johnson Racing since
Team Penske 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 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. Because of the
COVID-19 pandemic, 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 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==