The Greatest Race

[D.R.T.]

Originally posted by Falcadore
Racer: that was during the red fag period.

Was the race actually red flagged though. I was sitting on the main straight and didnt see any red flags. Saw all the cars stop, Could have just missed the flag, I suppose.

[Morris 1100]

No red flags at Hell Corner.

[Bigguy]

Originally posted by D.R.T.
Was the race actually red flagged though. I was sitting on the main straight and didnt see any red flags. Saw all the cars stop, Could have just missed the flag, I suppose.

You are correct D.R.T, there absolutely, positively and categorically was NOT a red flag! A red flag means the race is STOPPED, and would need a formal restart. This did not happen. What happened instead was the pace car laps became incredibly long, but they were still pace car laps. You can't see this on Natsoft as there is not enough column space for lap times exceeding 9.99 minutes, but there definitely were some laps taking over 13 minutes... I was 2 feet from the monitor up in the hospitality room at the time (slept for an hour or two under a table, despite the massive din outside :^)

[Raceonly]

i just went and had a look at the tape of the race. At the exit of Forest Elbow, just past where the GTR crashed into the pile of cars there, i see a red flag being shown.

[v8man]

Originally posted by single keel
From what I'm told, Johnson was very lucky to win that race. I'm told that the #17 car had less than 5 laps in it before it was going to suffer a suspension failure. I can't recall but I think it was a balljoint/tie rod etc or similar coming undone. This was from a friend at the post race scrutineering. Can anyone one confirm this?

single keel, there was not a problem with the suspension on DJ's car in 81 but the car did have an oil leak and I know that the chief scrutineer was not going to let the car continue in the race if it was restarted until it was fixed or confirmed that no oil was being dropped onto the track. Yes I was one of the scrutineers at the race

[single keel]

Thanks v8man.

I'm amazed at the controversy over the 92 finish. I think the GTR deserved to win because it was such a gorgeous looking car...

Slighty off topic, what would people think of making the great race longer? say 1500km? Taking it back to the "old" days when it was perhaps regarded as more of an endurance race than a sprint race?

[Falcadore]

single keel: pointless in the V8Supercar era when mechanical diversity was been frowned on to the point where spec racer series is just a few steps away...

But the Bathurst 24 Hour goes quite a bit further 1500 kay, and is a LOT closer in spirit to the old Bathurst races than the present day 1000.

[single keel]

Originally posted by Falcadore
single keel: pointless in the V8Supercar era when mechanical diversity was been frowned on to the point where spec racer series is just a few steps away...

Fair point wrt to diversity. How much is different now betweeen the 2 cars now? different outer skin, engine, lights and badges...

Originally posted by Falcadore
But the Bathurst 24 Hour goes quite a bit further 1500 kay, and is a LOT closer in spirit to the old Bathurst races than the present day 1000.

Except for the Monaro's having such a ridiculous advantage... Hopefully we can talk about this years 24hr in this thread later on...

Can I nominate the 87 race as an great one? If nothing else there was some interesting machinery on show, and Seton and Brock on slicks in the wet.

[Techo]

Quote by Gaz170

8. Nissan 1 is announced the winner, the crowd jeers, some of the Nissan crew tells the crowd where to go (I have a photo of this somewhere). It gets rather ugly down there.

Can you find this photo ?
I would like to see it, was Leon dafnie (Nissan boss) hitting people with his umbrella ?
might be a laugh.

[Raceonly]

I have fond memories of 1987. The atmosphere was the best of all the Bathursts i have been to. It was a round of the WTCC, after all. I recall freezing to death in the last pit bay i think-we knew Mark Gibbs who was driving the ratcliff Corolla. A few years later he was leading the race at one stage in the GIO GTR and finished 3rd (1991). It was unreal seeing the Texaco Sierras, the Cibiemme and Schnitzer BMW's, and of course JR leading the BMW charge until the fuel problem he had. I also thought Grice was doing a great job in the Bob Jane car until the axle broke. And how good was Seton and those race cam pictures- sideways over the hump on Conrod, as well as GTX, Reid Park and McPhillamy. Then he overtook the BMW at Skyline on the outside, in the rain and on slicks. What a great race that was. I really felt proud of the race in front of all those internationals on this great circuit. We were a big fish in a big bowl. Nowadays this race is a big fish in a little bowl

[NothinglikeaV8]

Originally posted by racer69
I'd heard stories about engine problems and so on with #17, and on the second pitstop when Johnson handed over to French, they had a long stop to investigate an oil problem, the suspension failure is a new one to me though.

With the other leaders, the other stories i have heard over the years was the the Morris/Fitzpatrick car was having brake problems, Moffat/Bell Mazda RX7 was in trouble, stemming back to Moffat tearing the spoiler out at the Dipper earlier in the race, and the 4th placed Rogers/Benson-Browne car had troubles. Whether these are true or not, who knows, the point being it doesn't matter, it has been run and won.

This is a silly argument which should not even be discussed.

It does not matter in what state your car is when you go over the finish line. The objective is to go over the line first. Even if you have to get out of the car and push it for the last 10 metres, you are the winner and that is that.

[single keel]

Originally posted by NothinglikeaV8
This is a silly argument which should not even be discussed.

It does not matter in what state your car is when you go over the finish line. The objective is to go over the line first. Even if you have to get out of the car and push it for the last 10 metres, you are the winner and that is that.

Thats just the point.... the race in question was stopped at 120ish laps, the issue is over whether these cars would have actually made it to the finish line, and in what order. (Johnson oil, Morris brakes etc... )

As you say, it does not matter what state your car is in, as long as you cross the line first. Crossing the line first is the hard bit..

[Raceonly]

Originally posted by Aarrgh8

you rule out 1993 to 2002, and then say 1994 is your favourite?

Yes, because it sort of snuck in there. After the disgrace of 1993, when they basically handed the race to the Holdens by giving them (but not the Fords) the 94 aero package half way through 93, i began to realise what was going on, although it was not until 1995 that my fears were confirmed. You see, in 1993 and 1995, the Holdens were given a massive advantage. And that advantage was really only taken away in 2003. In 1994, and Ford also with the 94 aero package, there was a fair race to be had- and so it proved with a Holden and a Ford fighting it out all the way to the end. I cannot recall that happening in any Bathurst race since the inception of the category, yet that is exactly what this category is supposed to be about.

[Raceonly]

Originally posted by single keel
Thats just the point.... the race in question was stopped at 120ish laps, the issue is over whether these cars would have actually made it to the finish line, and in what order. (Johnson oil, Morris brakes etc... )

As you say, it does not matter what state your car is in, as long as you cross the line first. Crossing the line first is the hard bit..

That race was 23 years ago, and back then they said people would be discussing the result for years to come. And so it has been proved.

[NothinglikeaV8]

Originally posted by single keel
Thats just the point.... the race in question was stopped at 120ish laps, the issue is over whether these cars would have actually made it to the finish line, and in what order. (Johnson oil, Morris brakes etc... )

There is still no argument about it. When the race is stopped, it is as good as crossing the finish line as the results are taken from the previous lap over the finish line.

By the way, does anyone know if they used the same system in 1981 than they did in 1992? Were some of the crash cars in the results?

[Average Punter]

Does anyone else think this thread sounds like a bunch of women at a CWA meeting? There are fourteen conversations going on at once...

Will all those talking about the '92 red flag stand there.

And all those talking about the B24 red flag last year stand over there.

Thank you.

[louonline]

Originally posted by Average Punter
Does anyone else think this thread sounds like a bunch of women at a CWA meeting? There are fourteen conversations going on at once...

Will all those talking about the '92 red flag stand there.

And all those talking about the B24 red flag last year stand over there.

Thank you.

LOL AP, I like your sense of humor.
You better give me a spot, I'm just waiting for this year's B24!
Hopefully I won't ne disappoited.

[Falcadore]

All bar one of them.

As far as quality of the race, 1981 was worse. The second (Morris/Fitzpatick) and sixth (Moore/Gibson) placed Falcons, Commodores then sitting fourth (Rogers/Benson-Brown) and fifth (Browne/Edmondson), the thirteenth placed Camaro (Bartlett/Forbes), and a Gemini (Seldon/Rowe) that was amongst the walking wounded and had not completed enough laps to be classified.

Take them out and Johnson/French wins from Moffat/Bell, with third going to Grice/Hobbs in the BMW(!) and fourth to Bond/Smith in a Capri(!!), then a pair of Falcons Willmington/Griffen gets fifth ahead of Donnelly/English (hey FalconEL, does JD ever mention that?). Williamson's Celica comes in eighth (!!!).

Brock and Richards are 16th though. Not a measurable improvement really.

[Raceonly]

Yes, Jim Richards won the race even though his car crashed on Conrod Staraight

[Bigguy]

Originally posted by Average Punter
Does anyone else think this thread sounds like a bunch of women at a CWA meeting? There are fourteen conversations going on at once...

Will all those talking about the '92 red flag stand there.

And all those talking about the B24 red flag last year stand over there.

Thank you.

But MY sponge cakes are better than yours!

[Techo]

Quote by Gaz170

8. Nissan 1 is announced the winner, the crowd jeers, some of the Nissan crew tells the crowd where to go (I have a photo of this somewhere). It gets rather ugly down there.

Can you find this photo ?