1980 Hardie-Ferodo 1000
The 1980 Hardie-Ferodo 1000 was the 21st running of the Bathurst 1000 touring car race. It was held on 5 October 1980 at the Mount Panorama Circuit just outside Bathurst in New South Wales, Australia. The race was open to cars eligible under the locally developed CAMS Group C Touring Car regulations with four engine capacity based classes.
Peter Brock and Jim Richards won their third consecutive Bathurst 1000 debuting the Holden Commodore for the Holden Dealer Team. In taking a one lap win over Peter Janson and Larry Perkins, Brock won his fifth Bathurst 1000, breaking the record for most wins in the history of the race. Janson and Perkins finished second for the second successive year and finished three laps ahead of Ian Geoghegan and Paul Gulson as Commodores filled the first seven positions.
The race is most famous for the retirement of the Ford Falcon of Dick Johnson. The 1980 Australian Touring Car Championship had featured one of the smallest fields in its then twelve years as a multi-race championship. The championship was dominated by Brock, with only two or three other cars competitive, including the Chevrolet Camaro Z28 of Kevin Bartlett. The emergence of hard charging Ford privateer Johnson into a race winning threat just one month prior to Bathurst revitalised interest, more so when Johnson qualified on the front row of the grid, alongside the pole-setting Camaro of Bartlett, and ahead of Brock. Johnson ran away from the field at the start and Brock dropped a lap behind Johnson after a clash with a back-marker Holden Gemini. Johnson crashed heavily into the wall just after the Cutting on lap 17 after clipping a large rock on the track when presented with no other options as a slow-moving tow truck carrying a dead-car blocked the other side of the track. During a Channel 7 television interview with visiting pit reporter Chris Economaki, a distraught Johnson stated he had dedicated all of his finances in a final shot at the winning the race after ten years as a competent mid-fielder. Mike Raymond then interrupted the interview from the commentary booth to inform a moved Johnson that their switchboards around the country were flooded with calls from people pledging money to get Johnson and his Ford back racing. Eventually a total of AU$72,000 was raised. This was matched dollar for dollar by the then boss of Ford Australia, Edsel Ford II, who quickly saw the value of having Johnson keeping Ford at the front of touring car racing despite the company having pulled out of racing at the end of 1978. Johnson would go on to repay the faith shown in him by Edsel Ford and the Australian public, using the $144,000 he received to build a new Falcon in which he would go on to win the 1981 ATCC and the crash shortened 1981 James Hardie 1000.
The 1980 win by the HDT Commodore saw Holden become the first manufacturer since Ford in 1963, 1964 and 1965 to win three consecutive races on The Mountain.
Class structure
3001-6000cc
The class featured the V8 Holden Commodores, racing at Bathurst for the first time, the equally new Ford XD Falcons, Chevrolet Camaros and a Jaguar XJ-S.2001-3000cc
The class featured a battle between Ford Capris and Mazda RX7s, with a six-cylinder Holden Commodore.1601-2000cc
The class saw a mix Alfa Romeo Alfettas, Ford Escorts, Toyota Celicas and Triumph Dolomites plus a single Isuzu Gemini.Up to 1600cc
The final class featured Ford Escorts, Holden Geminis, Isuzu Geminis, a Toyota Corolla, an Alfa Romeo Alfasud, a Volkswagen Golf GTi and a Mitsubishi Lancer.Hardies Heroes
| Pos | No | Entrant | Driver | Car | Time |
| Pole | 9 | Nine Network Racing Team |  Kevin Bartlett | Chevrolet Camaro Z28 | 2:20.972 |
| 2 | 17 | Palmer Tube Mills | Dick Johnson | Ford XD Falcon | 2:21.117 |
| 3 | 05 | Marlboro Holden Dealer Team | Peter Brock | Holden VC Commodore | 2:21.815 |
| 4 | 25 | Marlboro Holden Dealer Team | John Harvey | Holden VC Commodore | 2:23.005 |
| 5 | 6 | Craven Mild Racing | Allan Grice | Holden VC Commodore | 2:23.650 |
| 6 | 7 | Channel 7 Breville Racing | Bob Morris | Ford XD Falcon | 2:23.850 |
| 7 | 10 | Roadways Gown-Hindhaugh | Charlie O'Brien | Holden VC Commodore | 2:24.038 |
| 8 | 4 | Cadbury Schweppes Pty Ltd | Larry Perkins | Holden VC Commodore | 2:25.505 |
| 9 | 1 | Federation Insurance - Unipart |  Allan Moffat | Ford XD Falcon | 2:26.596 |
| 10 | 16 | Greater Pacific Finance Coy | Garry Rogers | Holden VC Commodore | 2:27.452 |
- This was the first touring car race in which he competed during 1980 where Peter Brock's #05 HDT Commodore did not claim pole position. Brock had claimed pole in his previous 12 races during the year including all 8 rounds of the ATCC and the Hang Ten 400 at Sandown.
- It was the first time that the 5.7L V8 Chevrolet Camaro, an American car, had sat on pole for the race. The Camaro was also the first non-Holden or Ford to compete in Hardie's Heroes since its inception in 1978. During qualifying Kevin Bartlett' Camaro was recorded at on Conrod Straight, a then record for a Group C touring car at Bathurst.
- 1974 winner Kevin Bartlett, and emerging star Dick Johnson, had set equal fastest times during qualifying, though Bartlett set his time before Johnson and was credited with provisional pole. The pair would repeat this in 1981.
Results
| Pos | Class | No | Entrant | Drivers | Car | Laps | Qual Pos | Shootout Pos |
| 1 | 3001-6000cc | 05 | Marlboro Holden Dealer Team | Peter Brock Jim Richards | Holden VC Commodore | 163 | 3 | |
| 2 | 3001-6000cc | 4 | Cadbury Schweppes Pty Ltd | Peter Janson Larry Perkins | Holden VC Commodore | 162 | 8 | |
| 3 | 3001-6000cc | 21 | Stockton Coin & Bullion Exchange Pty Ltd | Ian Geoghegan Paul Gulson | Holden VB Commodore | 159 | 13 | |
| 4 | 3001-6000cc | 15 | Re-Car Consolidated Industries | Alan Browne Brian Sampson | Holden VC Commodore | 158 | 15 | |
| 5 | 3001-6000cc | 10 | Roadways Gown-Hindhaugh | Charlie O'Brien Garth Wigston | Holden VC Commodore | 157 | 7 | |
| 6 | 3001-6000cc | 16 | Greater Pacific Finance Coy | Garry Rogers Fred Giessler | Holden VC Commodore | 157 | 10 | |
| 7 | 3001-6000cc | 6 | Craven Mild Racing | Allan Grice John Smith | Holden VC Commodore | 156 | 5 | |
| 8 | 2001-3000cc | 35 | Don Smith | Barry Seton Don Smith | Ford Capri Mk.III | 156 | 22 | |
| 9 | 3001-6000cc | 26 | Re-Car Consolidated Industries | Ron Wanless Greg Wright | Holden VC Commodore | 154 | 26 | |
| 10 | 3001-6000cc | 14 | Wayne Negus | Wayne Negus Trevor Hine | Holden VC Commodore | 153 | 19 | |
| 11 | 3001-6000cc | 9 | Nine Network Racing Team | Kevin Bartlett Bob Forbes | Chevrolet Camaro Z28 | 152 | 1 | |
| 12 | 1601-2000cc | 51 | Chickadee Chicken | Graeme Bailey Doug Clark | Toyota Celica | 148 | 30 | |
| 13 | 2001-3000cc | 32 | Masterton Homes | Steve Masterton Colin Bond | Ford Capri Mk.II | 147 | 16 | |
| 14 | 1601-2000cc | 45 | Graham Mein | Graham Mein Geoff Russell | Ford Escort RS2000 Mk.II | 142 | 41 | |
| 15 | Up to 1600cc | 54 | Terry Finnigan | Terry Finnigan Peter Dane | Isuzu Gemini | 140 | 46 | |
| 16 | Up to 1600cc | 57 | Scottune | Ian Burrell Rob Shute | Mitsubishi Lancer | 139 | 45 | |
| 17 | 2001-3000cc | 37 | Trend Windows P/L | Terry Daly Peter Hopwood | Ford Capri Mk.II | 138 | 24 | |
| 18 | 3001-6000cc | 2 | Ron Dickson | Ron Dickson Bob Stevens | Chevrolet Camaro Z28 | 138 | 12 | |
| 19 | 1601-2000cc | 40 | Rex Monaghan | Ray Cutchie Ray Farrar | Ford Escort RS2000 Mk.II | 135 | 32 | |
| 20 | Up to 1600cc | 65 | Formula Ford Australia | Bob Holden David Earle | Ford Escort Ghia 1.6 | 135 | 51 | |
| 21 | 1601-2000cc | 42 | Warwick Henderson | Warwick Henderson Graham Harrison | Alfa Romeo Alfetta GTV 2000 | 135 | 44 | |
| 22 | 3001-6000cc | 19 | Tom Heard | Neville Bridges Sue Ransom | Holden VB Commodore | 134 | 40 | |
| 23 | Up to 1600cc | 64 | Ray Gulson | Ray Gulson Paul Jones | Alfa Romeo Alfasud Ti | 134 | 51 | |
| 24 | 1601-2000cc | 52 | B&G Meyers Leyland | Terry Wade Brian Reed | Triumph Dolomite Sprint | 131 | 37 | |
| 25 | Up to 1600cc | 58 | Bernie McLure | Bernie McClure David Langman | Holden Gemini | 130 | 53 | |
| 26 | 1601-2000cc | 43 | Allbrells Auto Care Centres | John Faulkner Gary Dumbrell | Ford Escort RS2000 Mk.II | 129 | 36 | |
| 27 | 2001-3000cc | 34 | Scotty Taylor Holden | Alan Taylor Kevin Kennedy | Holden VB Commodore | 128 | 48 | |
| 28 | 1601-2000cc | 62 | Alexandra Surplice | Alexandra Surplice John Gates | Toyota Corolla Levin | 127 | 57 | |
| 29 | Up to 1600cc | 61 | Ken Harrison | Ken Harrison Ian Wells | Ford Escort 1.6 Mk.II | 126 | 55 | |
| 30 | 2001-3000cc | 29 | Capri Components | Lawrie Nelson Tony Farrell | Ford Capri Mk.III | 121 | 29 | |
| 31 | 1601-2000cc | 53 | Bathurst Light Car Club | Tony Mulvihill Brian Nightingale | Ford Escort RS2000 Mk.II | 120 | 56 | |
| 32 | 2001-3000cc | 31 | Masterton Homes | Bruce Stewart Cam Worner | Ford Capri Mk.II | 120 | 28 | |
| 33 | Up to 1600cc | 55 | CARS Gemini Racing Team | Ken Price Steve Jonas | Isuzu Gemini | 116 | 50 | |
| 34 | Up to 1600cc | 56 | CARS Gemini Racing Team | Allan Gough Colin Spencer | Isuzu Gemini | 111 | 43 | |
| DNF | 3001-6000cc | 11 | Citizens Watches Pty Ltd | Gary Cooke Warwick Brown | Holden VB Commodore | 155 | 11 | |
| DNF | 1601-2000cc | 44 | Peter Williamson Pty Ltd | Peter Williamson Mike Quinn | Toyota Celica | 129 | 27 | |
| DNF | 1601-2000cc | 49 | Jagparts Racing Team | Gerald Kay Martin Power | Triumph Dolomite Sprint | 116 | 39 | |
| DNF | 1601-2000cc | 41 | Roger Cartwright | Roger Cartwright Rod Stevens | Ford Escort RS2000 Mk.II | 112 | 31 | |
| DNF | Up to 1600cc | 60 | Country Dealer Team | Jim Faneco Peter Boston | Isuzu Gemini | 111 | 52 | |
| NC | 3001-6000cc | 18 | Murray Carter | Murray Carter Graeme Lawrence | Ford XD Falcon | 106 | 14 | |
| NC | 2001-3000cc | 39 | Darrell Lea Chocolate Shops Lty Ltd | Barry Jones Geoff Leeds | Mazda RX-7 | 105 | 25 | |
| DNF | 3001-6000cc | 12 | Ron Dickson |  Dick Barbour Sam Posey | Chevrolet Camaro Z28 | 91 | 18 | |
| DNF | 3001-6000cc | 7 | Channel 7 Breville Racing | Bill O'Brien Bob Morris Allan Moffat | Ford XD Falcon | 88 | 6 | |
| DNF | 3001-6000cc | 25 | Marlboro Holden Dealer Team | John Harvey Ron Harrop | Holden VC Commodore | 78 | 4 | |
| DNF | 2001-3000cc | 30 | McLeod Mazda | Peter McLeod Mal Brewster | Mazda RX-7 | 65 | 33 | |
| DNF | Up to 1600cc | 63 | Lennox Motors | Chris Heyer Peter Lander | Volkswagen Golf GTi | 63 | 42 | |
| DNF | 3001-6000cc | 20 | King George Tavern | Joe Moore Fred Gibson | Ford XD Falcon | 51 | 20 | |
| DNF | 1601-2000cc | 46 | Formula Ford Australia | Stephen Brook Wally Storey | Ford Escort RS2000 Mk.II | 45 | 34 | |
| DNF | 3001-6000cc | 22 | Jim Keogh | Jim Keogh Ross Mathiesen | Ford XD Falcon | 42 | 21 | |
| DNF | 3001-6000cc | 8 | Garry Willmington | Garry Willmington Rod Donovan | Ford XD Falcon | 24 | 23 | |
| DNF | 3001-6000cc | 23 | Phil Lyon | Phil Lyon Bill Stanley | Holden VB Commodore | 23 | 11 | |
| DNF | 2001-3000cc | 28 | Precinct Performance Pty Ltd | Allan Bryant Terry Shiel | Mazda RX-7 | 19 | 38 | |
| DNF | 1601-2000cc | 50 | Cinzano Team | Garry Leggatt David Seldon | Isuzu Gemini | 18 | 60 | |
| DNF | 3001-6000cc | 17 | Palmer Tube Mills | Dick Johnson John French | Ford XD Falcon | 17 | 2 | |
| DNF | 1601-2000cc | 48 | Brian Foley Pty Ltd | Phil McDonnell Derek Bell | Alfa Romeo Alfetta GTV 2000 | 16 | 35 | |
| DNF | 3001-6000cc | 3 | John Goss Racing Pty Ltd | John Goss Ron Gillard | Jaguar XJ-S | 14 | 58 | |
| DNF | Up to 1600cc | 59 | Country Dealer Team | Gary Rowe Geoff Wade | Isuzu Gemini | 12 | 49 | |
| DNF | 3001-6000cc | 24 | Robert Muir Motors Pty Ltd | Bob Muir Kingsley Hibbard | Ford XD Falcon | 7 | 17 | |
| DNF | 3001-6000cc | 1 | Federation Insurance - Unipart | Allan Moffat John Fitzpatrick | Ford XD Falcon | 3 | 9 | |
| DNF | 1601-2000cc | 47 | Wally Scott | Walter Scott Peter Walton | Toyota Celica | 3 | 47 |
Statistics
- Provisional Pole Position - #9 Kevin Bartlett
- Pole Position - #9 Kevin Bartlett - 2:20.972
- Fastest Lap - #17 Dick Johnson - 2:22.2
- Average Speed - 148 km/h
- Race Time - 6:47:52.7