Big car race live on TV

Press, 12 September 1984, Page 44

Big car race live on TV

The Australian James Hardie 1000 touring car race, held at Bathurst, has in recent years established a reputation as one of the world’s top endurance motor races. The event has a keen following in New Zealand and this year for the first time much of the race will be shown live on Television One.

The New Zealand branch of James Hardie has entered into an agreement with T.V.N.Z. to show three segments of the race on Sunday, September 30. The coverage will be from 11.30 a.m. to 1 p.m., 2 p.m.-3.30 p.m. and from 5 p.m. until

the expected finish time of around 6.30 p.m. The Bathurst circuit is, perhaps, the most daunting track currently being used for international motor-rac-ing. Practice for the race is limited because the circuit is used only once a year. At other times it is a public road.

The race, for which prize money amounts to more than $130,000, is traditionally fought out between the big Holden Commodores and Ford Falcon entries. Although this is the last year that group C, in which the Commodores and Falcons are entered, will be run, these two makes look like providing the front runners once again, with perhaps a challenge from the Japanese Nissans and Mazdas.

The multiple winner, Peter Brock, partnered by Larry Perkins, in a Holden Dealer Team Commodore is the likely favourite, but he will face tough opposition from fellow Australians, Dick Johnson and John French (Falcon), George Fury and Gary Scott (Nissan turbo), Alan Moffat and Greg Hansford (Mazda RX7) and the former world champion, Alan Jones, who will be paired with Warren Cullen in a Commodore. A dark horse could be the Scotsman, Tom Walkinshaw, who will be with the Australian, John Goss, in a Jaguar XJS.

This year, for the first time, a class will be run for the less modified group A cars, and here the English drivers, Steve Soper and Jeff Allam — partnered by an Australian, Ron Dickson, and a German, Armin Hahne respectively — in British-prepared Rovers look the best bets. New Zealand interest in the race will focus on Denis Hulme, in a group A BMW and Graeme (“Hoss”) Waswo, from New Plymouth, who will race a Commodore. The expatriate New Zealanders, Jim Richards and Rod Millen, will drive a BMW and a Falcon respectively.