1978 Hardie-Ferodo 1000
The 1978 Hardie-Ferodo 1000 was the 19th running of the Bathurst 1000 touring car race. It was held on 1 October 1978, at the Mount Panorama Circuit just outside Bathurst. The race was open to cars eligible to the locally developed CAMS Group C touring car regulations with three engine capacity based classes.
The race was won by Peter Brock, his third win, and Sports Sedan racer Jim Richards, his first. The pair drove a Holden Dealer Team Holden Torana to a single lap victory over another Torana, that of Allan Grice and Formula 5000 driver John Leffler. Third was the first of the Ford Falcons, that of veteran Murray Carter and New Zealand open wheel great Graeme Lawrence. Richards became the first New Zealander to win the race and it was the Holden Dealer Teams third win.
Class structure[]
Class A[]
The 3001 - 6000cc class consisted entirely of compact muscle cars including V8 Holden Toranas and Ford Falcons.
Class B[]
The 2001 – 3000cc class featured Mazda RX3, Ford Capri, and BMW 3.0Si.
Class C[]
The Up to 2000cc class saw a mix of Alfa Romeo Alfetta and GTV 2000, Ford Escort RS2000, Holden Gemini, Toyota Celica, Triumph Dolomite and VW Golf.
Hardies Heroes[]
1978 saw the introduction of the Hardies Heroes Top 10 runoff (now referred as the Top Ten Shootout) for pole position, devised by race broadcaster Channel 7 and the Australian Racing Drivers Club (ARDC) for extra television time on the day before the race. With official qualifying now held on the Friday (previously held on the Saturday before the race from 1963-1977), the runoff was held on the Saturday morning with Seven showing half-hour highlights around Australia later in the afternoon. Drivers drew the order in which they would run out of a hat with the order being Allan Grice, Peter Brock, Jack Brabham, Dick Johnson, Derek Bell, Bob Morris, , Colin Bond, John French and lucky last Allan Moffat. Each driver had two, one lap runs to set a quick time, though the second lap was optional.
Morning showers meant that the track was damp during the first run and with most cars on wet weather tyres, times reflected this with Grice recording a first up 2:38.2 and Brock a 2:35.6. No other driver was then able to lap better than 2:27 until Allan Moffat went out and ignoring the puddles (plus a little help from team members on top of the mountain who radioed in that the track was now dry enough for slicks), ran a 2:21.59 lap while hitting 159 mph (256 km/h) on Conrod Straight. Moffat's time in his 5.8 L V8 powered Ford Falcon Cobra was some 6 seconds faster than anyone else had managed and 4.8 seconds under his own Group C Touring Car lap record set in 1977.[1] Taking Moffat's cue that the track was now dry enough for quick times, Brock then ran a 2:20.006 in his HDT Torana which was enough to give him his second Bathurst pole in succession and his third overall (his pole time would not be beaten until 1982). Moffat's team mate Colin Bond then joined Brock on the front row with a 2:20.871 lap (0.865 slower than Brock),[2] and while Moffat then tried to respond, he had to settle for the inside of the second row with a time of 2:21.597. Bob Morris, the fastest in official qualifying with a 2:21.7 would start in fourth after equaling his time in the runoff, with his team mate Derek Bell rounding out the top 5, though he was some 2.8 seconds slower than Morris. John French in the second Bryan Byrt Ford Falcon was the slowest in the runoff, his time some 10.2 seconds slower than Brock's pole time and 4.6 seconds slower than team mate Dick Johnson.
| Pos | No | Team | Driver | Car | Time |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pole | 05 | Marlboro Holden Dealer Team |  Peter Brock
|
Holden LX Torana SS A9X Hatchback | 2:20.006 |
| 2 | 2 | Moffat Ford Dealers | Colin Bond
|
Ford XC Falcon Cobra | 2:20.871 |
| 3 | 1 | Moffat Ford Dealers |  Allan Moffat
|
Ford XC Falcon Cobra | 2:21.597 |
| 4 | 7 | Ron Hodgson Channel 7 Racing | Bob Morris
|
Holden LX Torana SS A9X Hatchback | 2:21.766 |
| 5 | 27 | Ron Hodgson Channel 7 Racing |  Derek Bell
|
Holden LX Torana SS A9X Hatchback | 2:24.602 |
| 6 | 17 | Bryan Byrt Ford | Dick Johnson
|
Ford XC Falcon GS500 Hardtop | 2:25.632 |
| 7 | 6 | Craven Mild Racing | Allan Grice
|
Holden LX Torana SS A9X Hatchback | 2:25.950 |
| 8 | 8 | Jack Brabham Holdings Pty Ltd | Jack Brabham
|
Holden LX Torana SS A9X 4 Door | 2:25.988 |
| 9 | 20 | Roadways / Gown-Hindhaugh |
|
Holden LX Torana SS A9X Hatchback | 2:26.144 |
| 10 | 32 | Bryan Byrt Ford | John French
|
Ford XC Falcon GS500 Hardtop | 2:30.244 |
* Bob Morris was fastest qualifier going into Hardies Heroes in his Holden LX Torana SS A9X Hatchback with a 2:21.7 lap, and although he equalled this time in the shootout, he fell to 4th on the grid.
* Dick Johnson made the first of 20 consecutive starts in the Top 10 runoff at Bathurst. He finished the shootout in 6th position in his Ford XC Falcon GS500 Hardtop.
* Peter Brock's pole time of 2:20.006 would stand as the fastest pole time at Bathurst until Allan Grice recorded a 2:17.501 to claim pole in a Holden VH Commodore SS in 1982.
* Triple Formula One World Champion Jack Brabham qualified for his only top 10 shootout at Bathurst in a 4-Door version of the A9X Torana, finishing in 8th position. The Brabham name would not appear in another Bathurst Top 10 runoff until his son David qualified 8th in 1993 in a Holden VP Commodore.
* The top 10 consisted of 6 Holden Torana's and 4 Ford Falcons. While the Torana's were spread over 5 different teams, the Falcons only came from Moffat Ford Dealers and Bryan Byrt Ford.
Results[]
| Pos | Class | No | Team | Drivers | Car | Laps | Qual Pos |
Shootout Pos |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | A | 05 | Marlboro Holden Dealer Team | Peter Brock Jim Richards
|
Holden LX Torana SS A9X Hatchback | 163 | 1 | |
| 2 | A | 6 | Craven Mild Racing | Allan Grice John Leffler
|
Holden LX Torana SS A9X Hatchback | 162 | 7 | |
| 3 | A | 18 | Brian Wood Ford | Murray Carter Graeme Lawrence
|
Ford XC Falcon GS500 Hardtop | 160 | 31 | |
| 4 | A | 11 | Citizens Watches Australia Pty Ltd | Doug Chivas
|
Holden LX Torana SS A9X 4 Door | 158 | 27 | |
| 5 | A | 17 | Bryan Byrt Ford | Dick Johnson Vern Schuppan
|
Ford XC Falcon GS500 Hardtop | 153 | 6 | |
| 6 | A | 8 | Jack Brabham Holdings Pty Ltd | Jack Brabham Brian Muir
|
Holden LX Torana SS A9X 4 Door | 153 | 8 | |
| 7 | A | 23 | Settlement Road Motor Wreckers | Johnnie Walker
|
Holden LX Torana SS A9X Hatchback | 152 | 13 | |
| 8 | A | 33 | Amco Pty Ltd | Barry Seton
|
Holden LX Torana SS A9X Hatchback | 152 | 15 | |
| 9 | C | 69 | Brian Wood Ford |
|
Ford Escort RS2000 Mk.I | 149 | 38 | |
| 10 | B | 52 | Amco Pty Ltd |
|
Ford Capri Mk.I | 149 | 40 | |
| 11 | C | 70 | Peter Williamson Pty Ltd |
|
Toyota Celica | 149 | 36 | |
| 12 | B | 41 | B&J Tyre Co Pty Ltd |
|
Mazda RX-3 | 148 | 37 | |
| 13 | B | 42 | Fury Ford Pty Ltd | Terry Daly
|
Ford Capri Mk.I | 148 | 30 | |
| 14 | B | 37 | Shell Sport |
|
Ford Capri Mk.II | 147 | 35 | |
| 15 | B | 35 | Amco Pty Ltd | Lawrie Nelson
|
Ford Capri Mk.II | 145 | 29 | |
| 16 | C | 62 | Greater Pacific Finance Co |
|
Alfa Romeo GTV 2000 | 143 | 55 | |
| 17 | B | 48 | James Mason Pty Ltd |
|
Mazda RX-3 | 142 | 63 | |
| 18 | C | 57 | Thomson Ford |
|
Ford Escort RS2000 Mk.II | 142 | 52 | |
| 19 | A | 15 | Marlboro Holden Dealer Team | John Harvey Charlie O'Brien
|
Holden LX Torana SS A9X Hatchback | 139 | 11 | |
| 20 | B | 51 | JD Duggan |
|
Mazda RX-3 | 137 | 45 | |
| 21 | B | 36 | Arthur Hardwick |
|
Mazda RX-3 | 136 | 34 | |
| 22 | A | 10 | Garry & Warren Smith Pty Ltd | Kevin Bartlett
|
Holden LX Torana SS A9X Hatchback | 136 | 12 | |
| 23 | A | 29 |
|
Ford XC Falcon GS500 Hardtop | 136 | 23 | ||
| 24 | A | 19 | Bonds Coates Patons |
|
Holden LX Torana SS A9X Hatchback | 135 | 20 | |
| 25 | C | 73 | B&G Myers Leyland |
|
Triumph Dolomite Sprint | 134 | 47 | |
| 26 | C | 60 | Peter Brown |
|
Alfa Romeo GTV 2000 | 133 | 41 | |
| 27 | B | 43 | Gough Motors Mazda |
|
Mazda RX-3 | 132 | 43 | |
| 28 | C | 54 | Bruce T Hodgson | Dave Morrow
|
Ford Escort RS2000 Mk.II | 130 | 46 | |
| 29 | C | 66 | Brian Hilton Toyota |
|
Toyota Celica | 128 | 58 | |
| 30 | A | 28 | Rod Donovan |
|
Ford XC Falcon GS500 Hardtop | 125 | 24 | |
| 31 | C | 61 | Consolidated Pneumatic Tools Co (Aust) Pty Ltd |
|
Ford Escort RS2000 Mk.I | 121 | 50 | |
| DNF | A | 26 | Craven Mild Racing |
|
Holden LX Torana SS A9X 4 Door | 148 | 21 | |
| DNF | B | 49 | ABE Copiers Pty Ltd |
|
Ford Capri Mk.I | 144 | 33 | |
| DNF | A | 31 | Norm G Smith Racing |
|
Ford XC Falcon GS500 Hardtop | 119 | 18 | |
| DNF | A | 20 | Roadways / Gown-Hindhaugh |
|
Holden LX Torana SS A9X Hatchback | 118 | 9 | |
| DNF | C | 65 | LR Morris |
|
Ford Escort RS2000 Mk.II | 115 | 56 | |
| DNF | A | 9 | ReCar Racing / Cadbury - Schweppes | Peter Janson
|
Holden LX Torana SS A9X Hatchback | 110 | 14 | |
| DNF | C | 59 | Kevin Dennis Motors (Sunshine) Pty Ltd |
|
Holden Gemini | 109 | 59 | |
| DNF | A | 14 | Thomson Ford | John McCormack
|
Ford XC Falcon GS500 Hardtop | 100 | 16 | |
| DNF | C | 56 | Paul-Francois Berthier |
|
Triumph Dolomite Sprint | 95 | 49 | |
| DNF | C | 63 | Bob Holden / Shell Sport | Bob Holden
|
Ford Escort RS2000 Mk.II | 93 | 48 | |
| DNF | A | 34 | Tim Slako |
|
Holden LX Torana SS A9X Hatchback | 92 | 26 | |
| DNF | B | 50 | ATP Australia Pty Ltd | Bruce Stewart
|
Ford Capri Mk.I | 91 | 61 | |
| DNF | A | 4 |
|
Ford XC Falcon GS500 Hardtop | 90 | 25 | ||
| DNF | C | 64 | Bob Holden / Shell Sport |
|
Ford Escort RS2000 Mk.II | 89 | 51 | |
| DNF | B | 39 | Citizens Watches Australia Pty Ltd | Barry Lee
|
Mazda RX-3 | 82 | 44 | |
| DNF | A | 1 | Moffat Ford Dealers | Allan Moffat Jacky Ickx
|
Ford XC Falcon Cobra | 81 | 3 | |
| DNF | A | 24 | Hendersons Federal Spring Works / Shell Sport |
|
Ford XC Falcon GS500 Hardtop | 74 | 19 | |
| DNF | A | 7 | Ron Hodgson Channel 7 Racing | Bob Morris John Fitzpatrick
|
Holden LX Torana SS A9X Hatchback | 73 | 4 | |
| DNF | A | 13 | Scotty Taylor Holden |
|
Holden LX Torana SS A9X Hatchback | 68 | 22 | |
| DNF | A | 3 | John Goss Henri Pescarolo
|
Ford XC Falcon GS500 Hardtop | 67 | 28 | ||
| DNF | B | 46 | Brian Wood Ford |
|
Ford Capri Mk.I | 66 | 62 | |
| DNF | B | 47 | Selby's Steering & Suspension Service Pty Ltd |
|
Mazda RX-3 | 61 | 54 | |
| DNF | A | 2 | Moffat Ford Dealers | Colin Bond Fred Gibson
|
Ford XC Falcon Cobra | 59 | 2 | |
| DNF | A | 32 | Bryan Byrt Ford | John French Warwick Brown
|
Ford XC Falcon GS500 Hardtop | 57 | 10 | |
| DNF | C | 53 | Lennox Motors | 
|
Volkswagen Golf GTi | 35 | 60 | |
| DNF | B | 44 | Geoff Leeds |
|
Ford Capri Mk.I | 29 | 32 | |
| DNF | A | 12 | Bob Jane T-Marts | Ian Geoghegan Garry Rogers
|
Holden LX Torana SS A9X Hatchback | 29 | 17 | |
| DNF | B | 45 | Robert Darley |
|
BMW 530i[3] | 27 | 53 | |
| DNF | B | 40 | Phil McDonell |
|
BMW 3.0Si | 21 | 39 | |
| DNF | C | 72 | Alf Grant |
|
Alfa Romeo GTV 2000 | 21 | 57 | |
| DNF | A | 27 | Ron Hodgson Channel 7 Racing | Derek Bell Dieter Quester
|
Holden LX Torana SS A9X Hatchback | 5 | 5 | |
| DNF | C | 71 | Brian Foley Pty Ltd | Patrick Nève
|
Alfa Romeo Alfetta GTV | 3 | 42 | |
| DNS | A | 30 | Everlast Battery Service | Bill O'Brien
|
Ford XB Falcon GT Hardtop | |||
| DNS | C | 74 | Rejon Industries Pty Ltd |
|
Holden Gemini |
Statistics[]
- Provisional Pole Position - #7 Bob Morris - 2:21.7
- Pole Position - #05 Peter Brock - 2:20.006
- Fastest Lap - #1 Allan Moffat - 2:22.0 (lap record)
- Average Speed - 149 km/h
- Race Time - 6:45:53.9
References[]
- ^ 1978 Bathurst 1000 Hardies Heroes Allan Moffat
- ^ 1978 Bathurst 1000 Hardies Heroes Colin Bond
- ^ Australia's Greatest Motor Race, 1960-1989, page 308
- Greenhalgh, David; Thomas B. Floyd; Bill Tuckey (2000). Australia's Greatest Motor Race 1960-1999. Chevron Publishing Group. pp. 234–241 & 466. ISBN 1-875221-12-3.
External links[]
- Motorsport in Bathurst, New South Wales
- 1978 in Australian motorsport