Thursday 27th September 2018

Bathurst 1000 1993: Time For Tea?

The annual Mount Panorama spectacular is little more than a week away; here's how it looked 25 years ago

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Hands up who likes V8 Supercars? Good, thought we'd have your attention. Hands up who also likes V8 Supercars at Bathurst? Excellent, you're in for a treat then...

From 4-7 October the 2018 Supercheap Auto Bathurst 1000 takes place, as significant a race as any other in the motorsport calendar. While the series may simply be 'Supercars' now, the crux of the charm remains in V8 touring cars doing battle over an incredible race track.

The 2018 race will hold special appeal, as it marks 25 years since Larry Perkins won the Bathurst 1000 in a Commodore run by his own Perkins Engineering team. The factory Holden and Ford teams couldn't match the pace of Perkins and teammate Gregg Hansford, despite the fact the duo had stuck with an older Holden V8 rather than the newer Chevrolet lump offered for '93.

Anyway, to mark the anniversary, Nissan Motorsport will field one of its Altimas in the Castrol livery for the Bathurst weekend. And if you're thinking that a Nissan carrying a livery made famous by a Holden is odd, bear in mind that the Perkins Engineering team was bought by driver Rick Kelly in 2008, who switched the team from Commodores to Altimas in 2012.

Keeping alive a tradition that includes Honda NSXs, Toyota Supras and Jaguar XJR-9s, the Altima looks fantastic in a Castrol livery. But of greater note are the eight minutes of highlights from Perkins' 1993 triumph; V8s thunder, tyres squeal, panels are bashed and the racing is close. If 2018 can be half as entertaining as this seems, Bathurst is in for another epic.

[Jack_and_MLE]

Is it going to be available to watch somewhere on the web?

[ZX10R NIN]

Superview & Motorsport TV normally show it live.

[haggishunter]

Motorsport Tv is closing down at the end of the month.

[rtz62]

Used to love watching the highlights of this race, my favourite era being the great days of the RS500 and Nissan GTR.
One of the highlights for me though was watching thr late great Peter Brock battling with Alan Moffat, indeed if you’ve not seen it, check out Brocks qualifying lap for race, it is just amazing (and he didn’t even get pole!)

[big_rob_sydney]

Yeah. Great. They banned the GTR at the end of 92, because no one else was able to compete, and wound up with a category of knuckle dragging taxis racing, which appealed to the tribal morons.

Lost interest after there were basically 2 car types only. Whats the point. A bit like cheering on black or white. Great choice...

[cheddar]

Fantastic series and an amazing circuit, can't wait

[Gandahar]

Good old Wayne Gardner.. proper racer on 2 and 4 wheels.

[ben5575]

One of my favourite racing videos - Final laps of the 2015 race: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4vKCRh-5WTs

[Rass29]

Best race series in the world by far. I was lucky enough to be at the 2011 and 2012 races. The atmosphere was unbelievable especially at the top of the mountain with the hardcore race fans. If you ever get the chance to go do it.

You can sign up to supercars superview to watch the season.

Edited by Rass29 on Thursday 27th September 22:41

[MikeGoodwin]

big_rob_sydney said:

Yeah. Great. They banned the GTR at the end of 92, because no one else was able to compete, and wound up with a category of knuckle dragging taxis racing, which appealed to the tribal morons.

Lost interest after there were basically 2 car types only. Whats the point. A bit like cheering on black or white. Great choice...

Like DTM then?

[ZX10R NIN]

haggishunter said:

Motorsport Tv is closing down at the end of the month.

Is it? That's a shame as the variety of Motorsport they show is great.

[cheddar]

Rass29 said:

Best race series in the world by far. I was lucky enough to be at the 2011 and 2012 races. The atmosphere was unbelievable especially at the top of the mountain with the hardcore race fans. If you ever get the chance to go do it.

You can sign up to supercars superview to watch the season.

Edited by Rass29 on Thursday 27th September 22:41

Agreed - I attended in the late eighties, the Sierra Cosworth era, watching the cars crest the mountain, sideways at 200kph, was incredible, borderline frightening given the lack of run off.

I once drove a lap late one night in a manual Holden Commodore rental car, cornering through the Dipper put so much stress on the chassis that the dashboard was bending

[AC43]

cheddar said:

Rass29 said:

Best race series in the world by far. I was lucky enough to be at the 2011 and 2012 races. The atmosphere was unbelievable especially at the top of the mountain with the hardcore race fans. If you ever get the chance to go do it.

You can sign up to supercars superview to watch the season.

Edited by Rass29 on Thursday 27th September 22:41

Agreed - I attended in the late eighties, the Sierra Cosworth era, watching the cars crest the mountain, sideways at 200kph, was incredible, borderline frightening given the lack of run off.

I once drove a lap late one night in a manual Holden Commodore rental car, cornering through the Dipper put so much stress on the chassis that the dashboard was bending

I used to watch the late 80s ones on UK tv. It was fascinating to watch the Euro touring cars taking on the local V8's. Amazing spectacle. The hilariously sardonic Aussie commentators just added to the package.

[cheddar]

AC43 said:

The hilariously sardonic Aussie commentators just added to the package.

They still do and its mixed with great depth of knowledge and understanding, world class commentary that's leagues ahead of the F1 crew.

On current form it's hard to look past Red Bull Racing for a win but my heart wants Scotty on the top step.

[Olivera]

big_rob_sydney said:

Yeah. Great. They banned the GTR at the end of 92, because no one else was able to compete, and wound up with a category of knuckle dragging taxis racing, which appealed to the tribal morons.

The Dick Johnson Sierra RS500 started on pole in 92 with the fastest qualifying lap, and finished 2nd to the lead GTR, but ahead of all the other GTRs, so far from 'unable to compete'.

After 92 they banned turbocharging and 4wd altogether, becoming a V8 series, nothing to do with banning solely the GTR.

[PomBstard]

It is a great race to watch, and whilst I’ve not yet been to watch the race live, I’ve driven around the circuit a few times - it’s a public road so open access. Definitely worth doing if you’re ever passing as it’s the only way to truly appreciate just how tight and steep the mountain section is. We were in two cars last time so MrsPB followed in her Golf and said how scary it must be at 200+kmh...

[RuntyMuz]

big_rob_sydney said:

Yeah. Great. They banned the GTR at the end of 92, because no one else was able to compete, and wound up with a category of knuckle dragging taxis racing, which appealed to the tribal morons.

Lost interest after there were basically 2 car types only. Whats the point. A bit like cheering on black or white. Great choice...

Yep, the best marketed utterly rubbish product...

[Ahonen]

RuntyMuz said:

big_rob_sydney said:

Yeah. Great. They banned the GTR at the end of 92, because no one else was able to compete, and wound up with a category of knuckle dragging taxis racing, which appealed to the tribal morons.

Lost interest after there were basically 2 car types only. Whats the point. A bit like cheering on black or white. Great choice...

Yep, the best marketed utterly rubbish product...

It's the best car racing championship in the world by miles and miles. The cars move about and sound amazing, while the racing is the best on four wheels anywhere in the world. It reminds me of late '80s/early '90s DTM, before it was too high tech, when Mercedes, Audi, BMW and Opel were at each other's throats and the racing was spectacular.

It's interesting that the two posters who have slated it are both Australian. Don't be so snobbish, guys - appreciate what you have, because when you're left with 2-litre, front wheel drive hatchback stbox racing you genuinely will have something to complain about. The hideous TCR class is taking over the world - Europe and the USA are already awash with them - and you'll get them next. You may think the V8s are 'knuckle dragging taxi racing' but we motorsport types in Europe hold it in very high esteem. You also need to understand (which you may not) that the Group A category had already finished in Europe before '92 so the Australians had to change - we'd got rid of Sierra Cosworths and Skylines already and there were no replacements on the horizon.

V8s or current DTM? There's no contest.

Edited by Ahonen on Friday 28th September 08:38

Edited by Ahonen on Friday 28th September 08:39

[ZX10R NIN]

V8's all day I buy superview every year & got more than my money's worth for £15.00, I've tried watching DTM but it doesn't grab me the cars are so far away from the cars their supposed to be with all the (V8 Supercars are altered to but it's not as noticeable) wings etc that it doesn't grab me.

[Coatesy351]

ZX10R NIN said:

V8's all day I buy superview every year & got more than my money's worth for £15.00, I've tried watching DTM but it doesn't grab me the cars are so far away from the cars their supposed to be with all the (V8 Supercars are altered to but it's not as noticeable) wings etc that it doesn't grab me.

V8's used to based on standard factory shells but that is not the case anymore.
Very few factory parts are used despite appearances. They all use the same control chassis.