Monday Milestone: King of the Mountain

This Week in History,
1987, October 4
Peter Brock wins his ninth and final Bathurst 1000 in a controversial on a countback

It’s a long day. And it is vital that absolutely everything goes correctly. One slip, one mistake, one lapse in judgement, and the entire day can be over.

Since 1963, Bathurst in the New South Wales central west has hosted the premier endurance touring car race in the country. Each October enthusiasts descend upon the hill at Mt Panorama like a pilgrimage to Mecca. It is a rivalry that runs as deep as any other in the Australian culture. Holden versus Ford; the red lion against the blue oval.

With such a storied history, the Milestone this week heads back to the days of Ford Sierras and VL Commodores to the most controversial finish in the history of a race that spans half a century.

By 1987 Peter Brock had already warranted his unofficial title of King of the Mountain. His eight previous victories stretching back fifteen years at Bathurst were unparalleled. He returned to Mt Panorama with the rest of the motorsport world, still mourning the death of Mike Burgmann from the previous year. The racetrack had since been lengthened to accommodate the new Caltex Chase, designed to slow drivers coming down Conrod Straight and avoid another tragedy.

But the Chase was not the only new addition to the James Hardie 1000 that year. The ill-fated World Touring Car Championship had included Bathurst as part of its season prompting a series of clashes with officials between the local regulations and their European counterparts. There was so much confusion, and from the outset it seemed obvious that this would never end well.

That year, the rains came, as they often do in Bathurst each October, forcing greater concentration than ever. ‘Brocky’ challenged valiantly all day. Even when his famous ‘05’ VL Commodore broke down, he was not undaunted, switching to his second ‘10’ car to finish the race.

After 158 laps of the Mt Panorama circuit, he would only cross the line third that day. But that was not the end. Even as the Sierras crossed one and two that day, we still didn’t have a winner.

The protesting began and raged for the rest of the year and into 1988 when it was finally decided that the Ford Sierras had illegal bodywork thanks to the European confusion and the title of the race was stripped from Steve Soper and German Pierre Dieudonne. The second placed Klaus Ludwig and Klaus Niedzwiedz were also disqualified. Peter Brock had won his ninth Bathurst 1000.

Even today after fifty years of the Great Race, this feat remains unmatched. But it certainly was an unconventional way to cement his place in folklore of one of the great Australian cultural institutions.

And when the world lost Peter Brock in 2006, going out the way that he would like to be remembered, competing in a car, we look back on that ninth and ultimately final Bathurst victory and remember him for what he was.

King of the Mountain.

 

The Milestone Five: Five Great Bathurst 1000 finishes

5. 1969 – In the debut race of Peter Brock, Colin Bond in the new GTS 350 Monaro holds off ford for another famous Holden victory.

4. 1979 – “Peter Perfect” proves his mettle as King of the Mountain when he wins Bathurst by a record six laps – a margin which is yet to be matched.

3. 1995 – Larry Perkins comes from last on the opening lap to first to win when Glenn Seton retires with nine laps remaining in the race.

2.  1992 – Controversially Jim Richards and Mark Skaiffe go back to back in the Nissan GT-R the rain after the race is stopped. Richards would infamously tell the crowd “This is a bloody disgrace…. You’re a pack of arseholes”

1. 1987 – The Ford Sierras of Steve Soper and Klaus Ludwig are disqualified months after the race gifting Peter Brock his ninth and final Bathurst title.