Scale: 1:18
Release Date: 1/11/2023
Limited Edition Quantity: 400
Type: Race Cars
The 1981 Bathurst 1000 was held on 4 October 1981 at the Mount Panorama Circuit. The race was open to cars eligible to the locally developed CAMS Group C touring car regulations with three engine configuration based classes, a system used uniquely for this race.
The Holden Dealer Team Holden VC Commodore, driven by John Harvey and Vern Schuppan, qualified in 5th position and went into Hardies Heroes unfortunately losing three spots with a relatively slow lap time of 2:43.018 to start in 8th place on the grid for the Great Race.
For the first time the race did not go the full race distance as on lap 121, a six car accident blocked the track at McPhillamy Park Corner. The Ford Falcon of Dick Johnson and John French were leading the race at the time of the accident and were declared the winners. Bob Morris and John Fitzpatrick, also driving a Falcon finished second. A lap down in third was Allan Moffat and Derek Bell driving a Mazda RX-7.
John Harvey and Vern Schuppan only completed 37 laps, as they were going up the Mountain a stone punctured a tyre and their race ended with the Holden VC Commodore buried into the barrier and ultimately not finishing the race.
According to the regulations, the race was declared based on the timesheets as the race leader, at the time John French, completed lap 120. This was done so that crashed vehicles can be included in the results. This was particularly significant in this instance as a significant number of the vehicles involved held high race position.
