1973 Hardie-Ferodo 1000 Explained

The 1973 Hardie-Ferodo 1000 was the 14th running of the Bathurst 1000 touring car race. This was the first race to be held under the new metricised distance of 1000 kilometres, rather than the 500 miles previously contested. It was held on 30 September 1973 at the Mount Panorama Circuit just outside Bathurst in New South Wales, Australia. The race was open to Group C Touring Cars competing in four engine capacity based classes. It was the third round of the 1973 Australian Manufacturers' Championship.

Allan Moffat claimed his third win in the event and Ian Geoghegan his first. They shared a Ford Falcon GT. It was the seventh and final win for the factory Ford Australia racing team. Peter Brock and Doug Chivas dropped from contention after their Holden Torana ran out of fuel, forcing Chivas to push the car uphill along the pit lane to make it to the Holden Dealer Team pit bay. Brock and Chivas finished on the same lap as Moffat and Ian Geoghegan, ahead of their teammates Colin Bond and Leo Geoghegan, also on the same lap, in third position.

Class structure

Class A

For cars up to 1300cc capacity, it was contested by Datsun 1200, Fiat 128, Honda Civic, Morris Cooper S and Renault R8.

Class B

For cars 1301cc to 2000cc, it featured Alfa Romeo 2000 GTV, Datsun 180B, Ford Escort, Mazda RX-3 and Subaru 1400 GSR.

Class C

For cars 2001cc to 3000cc, it was contested by 2.8 litre Holden Torana and Mazda RX-2.

Class D

For cars over 3,000cc capacity, it featured Chrysler Valiant Charger, Ford Falcon, Holden Monaro and Holden Torana GTR XU-1.

Race

Pole sitter Goss got off to a great start leading the Falcons of Moffat, French and Gibson from Brock's Torana. Gibson went out early with engine trouble and French made an unscheduled stop. This left Goss to make his first stop on lap 43 with a 40 second lead over Moffat and Brock, the later pair hardly separated by more than a few seconds until Moffat spun at Griffins on lap 44, losing about 20 seconds before making his first stop on lap 45 where he handed over to Geoghegan. Brock stopped on lap 54 and handed the car over to Chivas, whom they hoped could run the car long enough to only make one more pitstop in the race and one less than the Falcons, despite Brock reporting that the fuel gauge on the car had failed.[1] Bond momentarily took the lead of the race until making his stop on lap 61, well past a third distance proving that the Torana could do the race on just two stops.

Despite Moffat's spin and the Torana having a minute shorter pitstop than the Falcon, Geoghegan made up the difference to Chivas - taking second place from brother Leo Geoghegan (driving with Bond) and then retaking the lead of the race on lap 78. Bartlett (driving with early leader Goss) pitted on the same lap but Goss would be involved in a collision with Garth's overturned Torana and pitted for repairs on lap 105 putting them out of contention. Geoghegan was able to build a lead over Chivas before stopping and handing the car back to Moffat. Chivas held a 1'40" advantage over Moffat some time after the stop and was given the instruction from his pit board to "get max laps" only to run out of fuel on the top of the mountain and coast back to the pit entry. However, with the start of pitlane being uphill Chivas had to climb out and push the car, he also had to do this unassisted on penalty of disqualification until he himself had gotten the car far enough for his team to be allowed to assist. Moffat and Leo Geoghegan both passed Chivas as he strained to slowly push the car against the gradient after a long stint at the wheel.[2]

Moffat made his final stop on lap 123 of just 1'24", which was over a minute faster than his first, and was able to resume still leading Bond's Torana and cruise home to victory, the only danger being the #35 Mazda RX-2 rolling over ahead of him on his final lap. Any chance of Brock putting pressure back on Moffat was thwarted by the need to make a 15 second stop for more fuel on lap 147. He did however regain second place when Bond's left rear tyre blew across the top and he had to make an unscheduled stop of 30 seconds. Brock would have his own tyre failure with the right rear blowing out on the final lap but he continued to the finish at pace knowing the car only had to survive the remainder of that lap.[3]

Although the best surviving highlight reel of the day available now[4] clearly promotes the narrative of a certain Holden victory being lost due to miscalculation (Chivas running out of fuel) this is questionable at best with the benefit of hindsight (the film is credited to General Motors and their sponsors at the time). Clearly Moffat slowed significantly when no longer challenged for the race lead, so while it is possible he may have had his own trouble if pressed harder, it is certainly a hollow claim that because Brock and Chivas were able to finish within a lap of Moffat and Geoghegan despite running out of fuel they lost a certain race win. The race pace of the Torana's may have been compromised by trying to run to only two stops with Geoghegan able to make up about two and a quarter minutes over Chivas in his stint alone. Brock was the only driver to not haemorrhage time to the race winner but never got close to achieving the fuel economy required for his strategy to work, falling short on both his stints by as much as 16 laps. Brock obviously would have had to slow significantly more to complete the required laps. The real victim of this narrative is the incredible effort by John Goss not being a bigger part of the story. Despite Goss building his race car in his spare time[5] he was able to take pole position, set a new lap record and lead the factory entered cars by 40 seconds at his first pitstop. If not for some small exhaust issue, and a collision with a car that had illegally re-joined the race (after being towed), the 1973 Hardie-Ferodo 1000 may well have been celebrated as a Goss/Bartlett victory in the David versus Goliath style.

Top 10 Qualifiers

Pos No Entrant [6] Driver Car Qual
Pole5McLeod Ford Pty Ltd - Shell Racing John GossFord XA Falcon GT Hardtop2:33.4
21Holden Dealer Team Peter BrockHolden LJ Torana GTR XU-12:34.4
39Ford Motor Company Australia Ltd. Allan MoffatFord XA Falcon GT Hardtop2:34.5
44Bryan Byrt Ford Pty. Ltd. John FrenchFord XA Falcon GT Hardtop2:35.3
524Holden Dealer Team Colin BondHolden LJ Torana GTR XU-12:35.4
67Ron Hodgson Motors Bob MorrisHolden LJ Torana GTR XU-12:36.3
76Ford Motor Company Australia Ltd. Fred GibsonFord XA Falcon GT Hardtop2:38.2
819Cessnock Motor Works Pty. Ltd. Allan GriceHolden LJ Torana GTR XU-12:38.2
92Bob Jane Racing Bob JaneHolden LJ Torana GTR XU-12:39.3
103Pacific Film Laboratories Pty. Ltd. Don HollandHolden LJ Torana GTR XU-12:40.5

Results

In part sourced from:[7] [8]

PosClassNoEntrant DriversCarLapsQual
Pos
1D9Ford Motor Company Australia Ltd. Allan Moffat
Ian Geoghegan
Ford XA Falcon GT Hardtop1633
2D1Holden Dealer Team Peter Brock
Doug Chivas
Holden LJ Torana GTR XU-11632
3D24Holden Dealer Team Colin Bond
Leo Geoghegan
Holden LJ Torana GTR XU-11635
4D2Bob Jane Racing Bob Jane
John Harvey
Holden LJ Torana GTR XU-11619
5D10Lakis Manticas Bob Forbes
Dick Johnson
Holden LJ Torana GTR XU-115411
6D21Roamer Watches Australia Pty. Ltd. Ray Kaleda
Peter Granger
Chrysler Valiant Charger R/T E4915018
7D15Murray Carter - Shell Racing Murray Carter
Lawrie Nelson
Ford XA Falcon GT Hardtop15019
8B49A.F. & M. Beninca Pty. Ltd. Ray Harrison
Mal Robertson
Alfa Romeo 2000 GTV14923
9B45Mazda Racing Team Mel Mollison
Bruce Hindhaugh
Mazda RX-314436
10C34Bernie Haehnle Bernie Haehnle
Wayne Rogerson
Mazda RX-214436
11D31Tony Roberts Automotive Centre Brian Ovenden
Max McGinley
Chrysler Valiant Charger R/T E4914329
12C37John Palmer Motors Bob Beasley
Enno Buesselmann
Mazda RX-214339
13B44Camper-Ford Pty Ltd Geoff Leeds
Jim Murcott
Ford Escort Twin Cam Mk.I14332
14B41Datsun Racing Team John Roxburgh
Doug Whiteford
Datsun 180B SSS14340
15A56Datsun Racing Team Bill Evans
James Laing-Peach
Datsun 120014246
16A55Formula 1 Europa Garage Lakis Manticas
Peter Lander
Fiat 128SL14243
17C33W.H. Motors Pty. Ltd. Herb Taylor
Don Smith
Holden LC Torana GTR XU-114128
18D3Pacific Film Laboratories Pty. Ltd. Don Holland
Max Stewart
Holden LJ Torana GTR XU-114110
19B39Ray Gulson Ray Gulson
Peter Brown
Alfa Romeo 2000 GTV14027
20D29Peter Kilmore Peter Kilmore
Kevin Kennedy
Holden LJ Torana GTR XU-113841
21A66Clement Motors David Clement
Neil Mason
Morris Cooper S13650
22A54Lordoco Aust Pty. Ltd. John Lord
Peter Janson
Honda Civic13453
23B38Chris Heyer Chris Heyer
Peter Mill
Subaru 1400 GSR13355
24A63Bennet & Wood Pty. Ltd. Ken Brian
Noel Riley
Honda Civic13152
25A68Bob Williamson Chick Audsley
Bob Williamson
Morris Cooper S13156
26A67Caroline O'Shanesy Caroline O'Shanesy
Peter Williamson
Morris Cooper S13157
27A64David Frazer David Frazer
Bob Edgerton
Renault R8 Gordini13049
28B43Bryan Byrt Ford Pty. Ltd. Bob Holden
Lyndon Arnel
Ford Escort Twin Cam Mk.I12944
29B48Mazda Racing Team Geoff Perry
Brian Reed
Mazda RX-312634
30A59Phillip Arnull John Symon
Philip Arnull
Datsun 120012558
DNFC35James Mason Motors Gary Cooke
Len Searle
Mazda RX-214238
DNFD8Muirs Motors (Ashfield) Pty. Ltd. Ron Dickson
Bob Stevens
Holden HQ Monaro GTS13020
DNFB50Chesterfield Filter Racing Herb Vines
Chris Batger
Ford Escort Twin Cam Mk.I11654
DNFD5McLeod Ford Pty. Ltd. - Shell Racing John Goss
Kevin Bartlett
Ford XA Falcon GT Hardtop1101
DNFD4Bryan Byrt Ford Pty. Ltd. John French
Bob Skelton
Ford XA Falcon GT Hardtop914
DNFA57Geoff Newton Geoff Newton
Cam Richardson
Morris Cooper S8951
DNFD17G. Ryan Graham Ryan
Ray Lintott
Holden LJ Torana GTR XU-18914
DNFD26Ray Thackwell Racing Ray Thackwell
Barry Coleman
Holden LJ Torana GTR XU-18922
DNFA58Jack Haywood Lynn Brown
Paul Hamilton
Morris Cooper S7745
DNFC36McLeod Kelso & Lee Pty. Ltd. Bruce Stewart
George Garth
Holden LC Torana GTR7531
DNFD12Dustings of Burwood Rod McRae
Tony Niovanni
Holden LJ Torana GTR XU-16421
DNFB42Strapp Ford Graham Ritter
Tony Farrell
Ford Escort Twin Cam Mk.I6425
DNFD27Leo Leonard Leo Leonard
Ernie Sprague
Chrysler Valiant Charger R/T E496217
DNFD30John Stoopman John Stoopman
Dennis Martin
Holden LJ Torana GTR XU-16130
DNFD23Bob Holden Motors Jim Hunter
Phil Ward
Holden LJ Torana GTR XU-15816
DNFA53Rolls Motors Pty. Ltd. Ian Cook
Terry Finnigan
Honda Civic5648
DNFD16Formula 1 Europa Garage Tony Allen
Phil Brock
Chrysler Valiant Charger R/T E494513
DNFD19Cessnock Motor Works Pty. Ltd. Allan Grice
Keith Murray
Holden LJ Torana GTR XU-1428
DNFD13Bruce McPhee Bruce McPhee
Tom Nailard
Holden LJ Torana GTR XU-14115
DNFB47W.D. Electrics Warren Thompson
Rod Dale
Ford Escort Twin Cam Mk.I3633
DNFA60Fourway Motors Pty. Ltd. Gary Leggatt
Bob Wedd
Morris Cooper S2742
DNFD20Chas Tierney Pty. Ltd. Ray Strong
Ron Gillard
Holden LJ Torana GTR XU-12537
DNFD11Geoghegans Sporty Cars Des West
Bill Brown
Chrysler Valiant Charger R/T E491712
DNFD6Ford Motor Company Australia Ltd. Fred Gibson
Barry Seton
Ford XA Falcon GT Hardtop177
DNFB40Grace Bros. Racing Team Christine Gibson
Sue Ransom
Alfa Romeo 2000 GTV524
DNFD7Ron Hodgson Motors Bob Morris
John Leffler
Holden LJ Torana GTR XU-146
DNFA66Mini Bits John Dellaca
Jon Leighton
Morris Cooper S347
DNFD25D & P Traders Pty. Ltd. Pat Peck
Darrylyn Huitt
Holden LJ Torana GTR XU-1326
DNS [9] D14Freds Treads Pty. Ltd. John Duggan
Gordon Rich
Holden LJ Torana GTR XU-1
DNS D28B. Nitschke Bill Nitschke
John Lewis
Holden LJ Torana GTR XU-1
DNS B46Alan Cant Alan Cant
Tony Maw
Ford Escort Twin Cam Mk.I
DNS D32Gosford Motors Pty. Ltd. Kingsley Hibbard
Brian Shead
Holden LJ Torana GTR XU-1
DNS B51Barry Lee Barry Lee
Ron McPhail
Ford Escort Twin Cam Mk.I
DNS A62Pete Mac's Towing Service Pty. Ltd. Geoff Wade
Robin Dudfield
Morris Cooper S

Statistics

External links

Notes and References

  1. Web site: 28 December 2016. 1973 FIRST HARDIE-FERODO 1000 Bathurst -15'17". 5 October 2020. YouTube.
  2. Web site: 28 December 2016. 1973 FIRST HARDIE-FERODO 1000 Bathurst - 19'12". 5 October 2020. YouTube.
  3. Web site: 28 December 2016. 1973 FIRST HARDIE-FERODO 1000 Bathurst - 26'12". 5 October 2020. YouTube.
  4. Web site: 28 December 2016. 1973 FIRST HARDIE-FERODO 1000 Bathurst. 5 October 2020. YouTube.
  5. Web site: Legends: John Goss. 5 October 2020. TradeUniqueCars.com.au. en.
  6. Hardie-Ferodo 1000, 1973 Official Programme - Mount Panorama - Sunday 30th
  7. Book: Greenhalgh, David . Australia's Greatest Motor Race 1960-1999 . Thomas B. Floyd. Bill Tuckey . Chevron Publishing Group . 2000 . 1-875221-12-3 . 194–201 & 461.
  8. Book: Noonan, Aaron. Holden At Bathurst - The Cars: 1963-2017. AN1 Media Pty. Ltd. 2018. 45–52.
  9. Bill Tuckey and David Greenhailgh, Australia's Greatest Motor Race - The first 30 years, Second edition, updated and revised in 1990, Chevron Publishing Group Pty. Limited, page 303
  10. Australian Competition Yearbook, 1974 Edition, page 131