1992 Tooheys 1000


The 1992 Tooheys 1000 was the 33rd running of the Bathurst 1000 touring car race. It was held on 4 October 1992, at the Mount Panorama Circuit just outside Bathurst. The race was held for cars eligible for International Group A touring car regulations and a class available for those who had built cars eligible to the new for 1993 class, CAMS Group 3A touring car regulations.
The race was won for the second year in a row by Jim Richards and Mark Skaife driving a Gibson Motor Sport prepared Nissan Skyline GT-R, the pair becoming the first back to back Bathurst winners since Peter Brock and Larry Perkins had won in 1983 and 1984. Richards and Skaife had to be declared the winners after a rainstorm swept across the race in the closing stages causing many accidents in conditions deemed by race officials too dangerous to continue. The race results were issued as at the end of the 143rd lap, 18 laps short of full race distance. This was the second time in the event's history where the race was stopped and results declared before the scheduled laps were completed.
The Dick Johnson Racing run Ford Sierra of Dick Johnson and John Bowe was classified in second position with Richards and Skaife's team mates Anders Olofsson and Neil Crompton in third.

Class structure

Class A

For Group A cars of over 1600cc engine capacity, it featured the turbocharged Ford Sierras, Nissan Skylines and Toyota Supras, V8 Holden Commodores, four cylinder BMW M3s and a BMW 635CSi.

Class B

For Group A cars of under 1600cc engine capacity, it was composed exclusively of various models of Toyota Corolla.

Class C

A class for the new V8 touring car class that would take over Australian touring car racing in 1993 that would later become known as V8 Supercar. It was composed of three Holden VP Commodores and a Ford EB Falcon.

Race

Nine time Bathurst winner Peter Brock had his worst ever start to the race when the tailshaft of his new VP Commodore broke on the starting line. After sitting on the side of the circuit for a number of laps, the car was eventually towed into the pits where the Mobil 1 crew fitted a new tailshaft while Brock explained to the television audience that it was a brand new tail shaft fitted that morning that had broken. Brock, whose co-driver was German DTM driver and winner of the 1989 24 Hours of Le Mans, Manuel Reuter, rejoined the race on lap 15 in last position. After later breaking a second tailshaft and being pushed into a spin at Forrest's Elbow during the first rain storm by the Holden Racing Team Commodore of Allan Grice which forced Brock to pit when Grice pushed past and ground the front spoiler off of the Mobil 1 Commodore, Brock and Reuter finished in 27th place.
This race was notable for the winning car being crashed and undrivable at the race's conclusion. Due to heavy rain a large number of crashes occurred towards the end of the race leading to the race being stopped during the leader's 145th lap, requiring a windback to the completed 144th lap. However, many cars had crashed prior to the leader's completion of the 144th lap so the race was woundback an additional lap to allow them to be placed. Due to this windback, Richards' car which had hit the wall once suffering extensive damage—drivable but barely so—and had then slid off the track to join several other cars that had crashed about 200 metres past Forrest's Elbow onto Conrod Straight, was the winner since it was the lead car. Due to high concentrations of Ford and Holden fans and spectators generally upset that a crashed car had won race winner Jim Richards, who drove a Nissan, was vociferously booed as he took the podium. Distressed over the death his friend Denny Hulme which he was only informed about moments before he took to the podium, as well as the crowd's reaction, in his very brief, international live feed broadcast victory speech he told the spectators, "You're a pack of arseholes." Richards later apologised for his comments.
The race was also the last in which turbo powered cars such as the Nissan Skyline and Ford Sierra would be permitted to compete. As of 1 January 1993 the turbos were banned in favor of the previously mentioned V8 formula which would later evolve into V8 Supercars.
1992 was also significant in that it saw the return of the Ford Falcon to Bathurst for the first time since the end of the Group C era in 1984. Glenn Seton and new team recruit Alan Jones qualified their 1993 V8 spec Ford EB Falcon in 4th place, the fastest of the 1993 cars. While the new Falcon V8 performed above even Seton's expectations, unfortunately their race ended on lap 84 with fuel pump failure. The other three 1993 spec cars were the Holden VP Commodore's from the Holden Racing Team and Peter Brock's example.
Australia's 1987 500cc Grand Prix World Champion Wayne Gardner made his touring car racing debut in the race partnering Sydney veteran Graham Moore in Moore's Holden VN Commodore SS Group A SV. Moore qualified the car in 21st position and they eventually finished in 26th place. Gardner's first ever race drive came while rain lashed the circuit. Gardner's presence in the race saw two former Grand Prix motorcycle racing World Champions driving in the race. Johnny Cecotto, who had won World Championships in 1975 and 1978, co-drove with Tony Longhurst in a BMW M3 Evolution. Cecotto almost didn't get to drive in the race after he crashed the car at Forrest's Elbow in the race morning warm up session, though the TAFE crash repair crew were able to repair the car for the start. Longhurst and Cecotto would finish in fourth place.
The 1992 Tooheys 1000 was also a sad occasion as popular veteran driver and Formula One world champion Denny Hulme, 56 years old from New Zealand and that country's only World Drivers' Champion, died of a heart attack suffered during lap 33. Hulme, driving the second Benson & Hedges Racing BMW M3 with young driver Paul Morris, started the race in 18th position. On lap 33 when the race was under heavy rain, Hulme radioed into his team while coming through Forrest's Elbow that he could not see. Coming down Conrod Straight, the yellow #20 BMW went off the track and glanced the wall on the left hand side before continuing across the track to the outside wall where the car came to a stop, Channel 7 cameras capturing the incident. Most concern was with the driver. While the race continued under the safety car, Hulme was removed from the car and taken by ambulance to nearby Bathurst Hospital where he was later pronounced dead from heart failure. According to unconfirmed reports, Hulme was still alive, though unconscious, when track marshals reached the BMW a few seconds after it came to a stop just before the right hand kink into Caltex Chase.

Tooheys Top 10

PosNoTeamDriverCarTT10Qual
Pole17Shell Ultra-High Racing Dick JohnsonFord Sierra RS5002:12.8982:14.56
211Bob Jane T-Marts Perkins Racing Larry PerkinsHolden VL Commodore SS Group A SV2:14.4312:14.08
31Winfield Team Nissan Mark SkaifeNissan Skyline R32 GT-R2:14.5462:13.82
430Peter Jackson Racing Glenn SetonFord EB Falcon2:14.9712:15.53
515Holden Racing Team Tomas MezeraHolden VP Commodore2:16.0282:15.74
64GIO Racing Mark GibbsNissan Skyline R32 GT-R2:16.1682:15.75
716Holden Racing Team Allan GriceHolden VP Commodore2:16.2152:16.13
805Mobil 1 Racing Peter BrockHolden VP Commodore2:16.4592:15.98
925Benson & Hedges Racing Tony LonghurstBMW M3 Evolution2:16.9322:15.26
1010Allan Moffat Enterprises Klaus NiedzwiedzFord Sierra RS5002:16.9432:14.98

PosClassNoTeamDriversCarLapsQual
Pos
Shootout
Pos
1A1Winfield Team Nissan Mark Skaife
Jim Richards
Nissan Skyline R32 GT-R14313
2A17Shell Ultra-High Racing Dick Johnson
John Bowe
Ford Sierra RS50014331
3A2Winfield Team Nissan Anders Olofsson
Neil Crompton
Nissan Skyline R32 GT-R14311
4A25Benson & Hedges Racing Tony Longhurst
Johnny Cecotto
BMW M3 Evolution14259
5C16Holden Racing Team Win Percy
Allan Grice
Holden VP Commodore141107
6A4GIO Racing Mark Gibbs
Rohan Onslow
Nissan Skyline R32 GT-R13886
7A55Mobil 1 Racing Andrew Miedecke
Troy Dunstan
Holden VN Commodore SS Group A SV13716
8A35Peter Jackson Racing Wayne Park
David Parsons
Ford Sierra RS50013615
9A11Bob Jane T-Marts Perkins Racing Larry Perkins
Steve Harrington
Holden VL Commodore SS Group A SV13522
10A41Daily Planet Racing Andrew Harris
Gary Cooke
John Trimbole
Holden VL Commodore SS Group A SV13524
11A18Shell Ultra-High Racing Terry Shiel
Greg Crick
Cameron McConville
Ford Sierra RS50013417
12A6Alf Grant Alf Grant
Tim Grant
Nissan Skyline HR31 GTS-R13427
13A27Terry Finnigan Terry Finnigan
Garry Rogers
Holden VN Commodore SS Group A SV13319
14A28Playscape Racing Kevin Waldock
Brett Peters
Ford Sierra RS50013220
15C15Holden Racing Team Tomas Mezera
Brad Jones
Holden VP Commodore13175
16A14Warren Jonsson Warren Jonsson
Des Wall
Holden VL Commodore SS Group A SV13028
17A34Ray Gulson Ray Gulson
Graham Gulson
Peter Beck
BMW 635 CSi12933
18A39Everlast Battery Service Bill O'Brien
Barry Graham
Brian Callaghan Jr
Holden VL Commodore SS Group A SV12923
19A10Allan Moffat Enterprises Klaus Niedzwiedz
Gregg Hansford
Ford Sierra RS500128410
20A13Ampol Max 3 Racing Bob Jones
Peter Janson
Holden VL Commodore SS Group A SV12825
21A44Stuart McColl Stuart McColl
Peter Gazzard
Holden VL Commodore SS Group A SV12630
22B71Toyota Team Australia Jason Bargwanna
Scott Bargwanna
Toyota Corolla FX-GT12639
23B74Peter Verheyen Peter Verheyen
Geoff Full
Toyota Sprinter12540
24B70Toyota Team Australia Neal Bates
Rick Bates
Toyota Corolla FX-GT12538
25A9Allan Moffat Enterprises Charlie O'Brien
Gary Brabham
Ford Sierra RS50012413
26A42Bob Forbes Racing Graham Moore
Wayne Gardner
Holden VN Commodore SS Group A SV11921
27C05Mobil 1 Racing Peter Brock
Manuel Reuter
Holden VP Commodore11898
28B72Adrian Brooke Gregg Easton
Brad Stratton
David Sala
Toyota Sprinter11541
29B78Bob Holden Motors Ted Dunford
Brad Wright
Toyota Corolla11344
30B76Mountain Motorsport Mike Conway
Calvin Gardiner
Geoff Forshaw
Toyota Sprinter11242
31B82Stuart Murphy Stuart Murphy
Chris Barns
Toyota Corolla AE9211046
NCB77Malcolm Rea Malcolm Rea
Ken Talbert
Richard Wilson
Toyota Sprinter10447
NCA36Mike Newton Ken Mathews
Rod Jones
Mike Newton
Ford Sierra RS50010137
NCB75Frank Binding Frank Binding
Bob Tindall
Toyota Corolla9645
DNFA37Roger Alexander John Bourke
Keith Carling
Toyota Supra Turbo9429
NCA26Daryl Hendrick Daryl Hendrick
John Blanchard
Holden VL Commodore SS Group A SV9434
DNFC30Peter Jackson Racing Glenn Seton
Alan Jones
Ford EB Falcon8464
NCA31Ampol Max 3 Racing Robbi Ker
Don Watson
Holden VL Commodore SS Group A SV8136
DNFA52M3 Motorsport Peter Doulman
John Cotter
BMW M38031
DNFB73Bob Holden Motors Bob Holden
Dennis Rogers
Garry Jones
Toyota Sprinter6843
DNFA3Lansvale Smash Repairs Steve Reed
Trevor Ashby
Holden VN Commodore SS Group A SV6514
DNFA7Caltex CXT Racing Team Peter Hopwood
Terry Bosnjak
Ford Sierra RS5005422
DNFA29Wayne Douglass Racing John English
Ed Lamont
Holden VL Commodore SS Group A SV4932
DNFA20Benson & Hedges Racing Denny Hulme
Paul Morris
BMW M3 Evolution3218
DNFA40John Leeson Garry Willmington
Tom Watkinson
Holden VL Commodore SS Group A SV2935
DNFA50Bryan Sala Bryan Sala
Kevin Weeks
Ford Sierra RS5001526
DNFA8Caltex CXT Racing Team Colin Bond
John Smith
Ford Sierra RS500712
DNSA22Daily Planet Racing John Trimbole
Rohan Cooke
Holden VL Commodore SS Group A SV

Statistics