1985 GREAT MOMENTS From Bathurst

/ super100mph
The 1985 James Hardie 1000 was the 26th running of the touring car race originally known as the Armstrong 500, which started at Phillip Island, Victoria in 1960, before moving to Bathurst in 1963. It was held on 6 October 1985 at the Mount Panorama Circuit just outside Bathurst. It was the first time the race was held exclusively for cars complying with the Australian version of International Group A touring car regulations. The event was Round Four of both the 1985 Australian Endurance Championship and the 1985 Australian Manufacturers' Championship.
The race was dominated by the Tom Walkinshaw Racing run Jaguar XJ-S' which finished first and third in the race. John Goss and German driver Armin Hahne claimed the victory with team boss Tom Walkinshaw and his co-driver Win Percy finishing three laps down in third. On the same lap as the winning Jaguar was the Schnitzer Motorsport prepared BMW 635CSi of Italian driver Roberto Ravaglia and Venezuela's former Motorcycle World champion (and ex-Formula One driver) Johnny Cecotto who, despite their extensive overseas experience, were Bathurst rookies and as such easily co-won the Rookie of the Year award. The Holden Dealer Team VK Commodore of Peter Brock and New Zealand open-wheel racer David Oxton were in second place with three laps to go when they broke a timing chain and retired.
1985 was the first Great Race since 1969 that four time winner Allan Moffat was not an entrant. Left without a drive in 1985 after the withdrawal of Mazda from Australian touring car racing, Moffat was guest expert commentator with race broadcaster Channel 7.
See our video on this car, now owned by Mike Roddy out of Melbourne, Victoria:
• MIKE RODDY'S 1984 TWR ...
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1985_Jam...
All credit to Channel 7 Sport, Australia.
Motor racing is an international language.

[@backblackmsp9298]

Was there live - exactly opposite Brocky’s pit when they had to kick out the back window. But nothing , and i mean nothing , came close to matching the sound of those gorgeous 635CSi BMW’s. But what a mix of motors - V12 ; V8, straight sixes , turbo fours - variety. Unlike the boredom on offer these days .

[@Bodgemiester]

Came for the XJ-S stayed for everything else. Loved it. Can you imagine kicking the windows out and carrying on these days lol 😆

[@jonjones1553]

Jim and Dick side by side at 3:45 thumbs up. Great driving. Brilliant camerawork!

[@adams4134]

Is Jim Richards not the best race driver ever? Look at that 3:40 moment where he is so in control of his racecar that he calmly looks over to Dick for a thumbs-up and just carries on like nothing has happened. What a fkn legend.

[@geebee2276]

I remember this race so well. The star of the show for me was the Baigent/Lowe BMW finishing in 5th. They fought long and hard all day in their ex-Schnitzer 635 with the full works Schnitzer machine of Ravaglia/Cecotto. These BMW’s sounded amazing, as did the Commodores, Mustangs and Jags. It was a great era with a lot of manufacturers - something that is missing from Supercars.

[@JoTheSnoop]

More excitement and variety compared to today's V8 racing.

[@2Can-Dan]

These were the days I remember fondly growing up. Group C, Group A. Loved the Jags and that flying brick Volvo. Then along came the Sierra's and GTR's. Was so exciting with so many different cars and all with their strengths and weaknesses. Was a golden era for me in my formative years...that's just my opinion anyway. I hardly even watch the V8 SC now...only Bathurst because of nostalgia/tradition.

[@JoTheSnoop]

Same here.

[@rickc8857]

So true what a great time in Australian Motorsport . The variety and skill levels getting around traffic were incredible . I grew up watching this era as well.

[@speeddemon9555]

loved those XJS Jags, Bathurst is still the greatest saloon car race on the planet.

[@MrGutfeeling]

Those Jags were the BOMB!

[@Dartman7766]

I was there to see these wonderful jags race. The surprise pick was the speed of the Volvo 242GT up mountain straight. Haven't see a Volvo do that until McLaughlin in his a few years ago.

[@assininecomment1630]

That was a turbocharged Ovlov, so not a 242GT.

[@benmaffin]

"You can see the bonnet on the car looking pretty second hand" classic. Thanks for sharing.

[@user-sk3tn1hr8t]

I remember watching this live. It was captivating from start to finish. I especially remembered Jim Richards give the thumbs up to Dick Johnson & Peter Brock having his rear window kicked out! Great commentary as always from the TV crew too. I loved that they spoke to the drivers while they were still at the wheel! It surely takes a brave bloke to disturb Dick Johnson when he's at the wheel!

[@artjag1]

superb TWR assembly V12 !!

[@daniellennon4275]

fell in love with the jps BMWs as a kid, so much so i still only drive beemers now, bring back the touring cars the V8 supercars are so boring

[@johnnyjrotten59]

V8 supercars ruined ford and holden.

[@tycorcoran4490]

One of the great races, some lovely shapes and sound

[@dizzydolly722]

1.24 Classic year, the sound of a Johnson Mustang & the 635 wearing JPS livery, gorgeous,

[@baylessnow]

Hats off to the JPS 635 drivers who dug their cars out of the sand trap with their hands!

[@Don-zl1ey]

Iconic jaguar

[@b577960]

I remember watching this race and I just couldn't believe it, the two BMWs both off at the same corner, they were at the pointy end with a good chance of winning. I swore and stormed out of the room. To this day, I still think the JPS 635s were the best looking race car, they lacked the low down torque of the V8s but their top end was amazing, you can see this when Johnson pulled up beside him. They were both on full throttle and the BMW had the higher speed, plus the BMW handled so well. Those were the days, great cars and great personalities

[@thunderlips350]

1.54 is great with the Jags screaming over the hill and all the different sounds of the engines...

[@phillipcox516]

These were the days when they raced by the seat of their pants.

[@ianb4801]

As I recall it, the winning Jag ended with its driver’s seat held in place by plastic cable ties.

[@michaelb6729]

He held himself up using his left foot under the clutch pedal.

[@hcrun]

The wonderful days of TV coverage of the 1000 before Supercars and the never-ending, ceaseless, inane babble from Neil Crompton and company. (Also before Con-rod Straight was castrated).

[@daniellennon4275]

yep agree 100% crompton just grates my nerves

[@ndh641]

It is clear no matter the marque you follow, best times

[@BruceLee-sw4ms]

The Jaguars has a secret weapon for this race - Cosworth High lift valves that F1 teams used on their DFV engines - good for a reliable 40- 50hp. There were wharf strikes during the year so the VK SS Group A wasn’t homologated in time and Holden engine’s detonated all day .

[@fastmonkey6067]

Superb. When racing was real racing by real men before the health and safety and primadonnas got in.

[@glennmcgovern5155]

Whhhhoooooooooooertrtrrty

[@glennmcgovern5155]

Chhhh chhaa chhhhaaa kaveeeerrrrooooommmmm ghhhu ghuuuuu

[@glennmcgovern5155]

Whhhhoooooooooo

[@garymarquett2866]

Funny how Brock gets a black flag for having no windscreen but the Jaguar had oil pouring out of it most of the race.

[@richarddickinson7788]

It wasn’t leaking oil most of the the race, it did an oil cooler on one lap, Brocks black flag was his crews own fault for not following regulations that if the front windshield is removed then the back window must be removed also otherwise it would blow out under speed and potentially kill someone.

[@markmark5269]

What Johnson did with that Mustang was nothing short of amazing, closer to a standard road car than anything else in the field, with literally no special parts homologated by Ford as there was no point with the Sierra coming soon.

[@phillip5245]

Ah the good old XJS Jags. Came in for a quick splash of fuel and a full tank of oil every pitstop :)

[@hopebear06]

Phillip I think there's one left somewhere which hasn't burnt down.

[@frankielove31]

And yet are still the best thing to have ever won the big race

[@garymarquett2866]

Yet wasn't black flagged

[@garymarquett2866]

@BestCanKeanRob2 the BMWs were going well until the sandpit drama

[@drivewaystar6485]

3:42 hahahaha hell yeah

[@toy200sx]

Some awesome sounding machines there. The safety seemed a bit lacklustre though. Wouldn't want to crash with a cable tied in seat & with that oil blow-by it was definitely a probability.

[@nathanhill4458]

if you stood too close at the engine plant you would spontaneously combust bro safety wasn't Paramount back then

[@RIPOFF65]

See above

[@RIPOFF65]

solution:don't crash

[@nathanhill4458]

I guess Lowndes was the new pb. last through of the dice comes up pretty I leave on a high (like a koala)

[@Mishima505]

Also leaving abandoned cars like the 29 just where they stopped so that others can crash into them later on…

[@bourbonslurpee]

I miss these days. when Peter Griffin commentated on group A

[@coolhand1964]

Geez mate, I hope your shirt is waterproof, because your tie is a pisser! 😅😅 I got to see the No.10 XJ a short time after the race on display at Sydney Showground. It still had the bugs on the front bumper. It was even more awesome in real life and remains my favourite Bathurst car of the 80's.

[@artjag1]

I sat in this car in Mike's shop in Oz.....very nice guy, his son also of course....as usual l;ike father , like son...

[@suerossi4693]

Plus size girls

[@ThunderAppeal]

I was surprised to learn that the Australians consider Jaguar an 'import' considering that they are still beholden to the royal throne.

[@ThunderAppeal]

@The_Jaguar_ Knight Yes, that I am a free *American* who does not kneel to or before a human.

[@lifelongbachelor3651]

another american loudmouth. who do you think established and advanced your modern nation... that's right, europeans.

[@ThunderAppeal]

@The_Jaguar_ Knight Yes. But not a whole nation like yours.

[@ThunderAppeal]

@@lifelongbachelor3651 Yes, so 'civilized' you uropeeyons are that you got suckered by one of the most corrupt nations on that continent, yukraine.

[@ThunderAppeal]

@The_Jaguar_ Knight Indeed. You uropeeyons worship at the altar of corruption and unfortunately the US is getting dragged down with you. Dont you have a check to write to ukraine?

[@theguywhoisaustralian1465]

Looks like fucking Mad Max with all the old Holdens

[@edgewayround]

Jaguar gets the highest speed down Conrod of 295Kph, still unbeaten.

[@vickyc6925]

Not quite... * Walkinshaw's Jaguar was recorded at 274 km/h (170 mph) on Conrod Straight during the runoff. The fastest non-Jaguar was the turbocharged Volvo 240T driven by Bathurst Rookie Robbie Francevic which recorded 260 km/h (162 mph). The once dominant V8 Holden and Fords were slower still, topping out at around 250 km/h (155 mph). And the V8 Supercars hit just over 300kph even though Conrod Straight has been shortened.

[@ray.shoesmith]

Yeah, because they put the chase in

[@PowerRepublic]

How's the old school Retro Motul Oil cans

[@murf69]

Love that Volvo 240T. Fuck racing used to be interesting...

[@lindsaykelly2224]

No glass and still flying

[@vickyc6925]

Would actually be faster on the straights co of less drag.

[@johnsullivan937]

dick johnson, now thats a name I wish I had. What brilliant driving at 3:44

[@kylewaddington1983]

Did the British cars win Australia's biggest and best motor race

[@SS-yw7vo]

Mike, Peter and Tom no longer with us

[@petermoygannon698]

I'd love to go back in time driveing a gt3 Porsche Starting from back . See how I go . I got AMG A45 And can push that .

[@tomsmith2209]

Remember when motorsport used to be fun?

[@12121149]

Jaguar leaking oil,imagine that,just sayin'

[@ckryses3962]

atleast Jag V12 exist with some great quality build instead of rust buckets American V8s!

[@96libertytt]

Grice could park there for the rest of the race...in 1985 :-)

[@garyhoffmann1615]

Did that bloody volvo driver take a wrong turn???????????????

[@ranimartinez1375]

One thing I always ask is. If Brock was forced to take the front window off for safety reasons, Why wasn’t the Jag forced to properly fastened that seat. The seat was a safety issue as well, maybe even more than the 05’s window. I was 19 when this happened, I’m not ashamed to say that I cried when Brocky was ordered back in for the back window. It was the beginning of the end. But I learned to love those Jags and have admiration for Tom Walkinshaw.

[@vickyc6925]

The seat was a safety issue only for the driver of the Jag, Brock's windscreen was a safety issue for all the drivers behind him and the fans. Big difference.

[@ranimartinez1375]

Vicky C , I don’t agree it’s a big difference, because the Jag could have lost control due to the seat. The driver said himself “It was a handful “ . Anyway, I don’t want to make an issue out of it, it was a long time ago when I was young, and maybe you are right. Maybe. In addition I forgot that the 05 retired due to mechanical reasons anyway so it wouldn’t have made a difference.

[@robpaton2981]

great race and video, but sorry, larry perkins driving a ford just does not sound right, thank god it was only 1 year

[@gosportjamie]

If my memory serves me rightly that year the Holden Commodore engine was a bit of a mongrel, better known for breaking than finishing races. For the next year the Commodore SS was eligible for racing which had a much better donkey under the bonnet...

[@nathanhill4458]

Brock's 10th was superb Holden monaro's one and two competitor back a month or two

[@vickyc6925]

The Group A SS (Walkingshaw batmobile) didn't race till 1989 and won Bathurst in 1990.

[@gosportjamie]

@@vickyc6925 That's very true, but there were Commodore SSs before Tom Walkinshaw and TWR were involved. At this point, Tom's team were still involved with the V12 Jaguar XJ-S and were also developing the V8 Rover Vitesse and the Volvo 240 Turbo...

[@markjones464]

What broke on the MOTOR was The Rocker arms , they were standard They were heat reated , but still CRAP , the next year they were Roller Rockers , those days they Only Reving 6500 to 7000 rpm They were really nothing special As a MOTOR , just how you build Them and run in and you Don't need To thrash them , power next year From 300 Hp to 380 to 400 Hp IN THE OLD DAYS GROUP C ABOUT 410 HP FOR A9X , THE FORDS ALWAYS HAD 500 PLUS THE PROBLEM IF YOU PUSHED THEM THEY BLOW UP , THAT WERE THE 308 HAD THEM THEY WERE MORE RELIABLE REGARDS MARK

[@ckryses3962]

just Imagine if Jag would have of America then Jag V12 would have never happened, no great Jags would have never happened!! ever wonder ?? any guesses?? coz of those two coward bullies ""chevy and ford""!! #Jagforlife!!#LoveGreatVintageJags

[@proscreens2137]

Group A looked lame next to Group C

[@timdingleakajacksparrow2748]

The Jags were great cars until the warranty ran out 🤔. Then they’d always break down , Not know for reliability ⁉️🤷🏼‍♂️🤷🏼‍♂️

[@turbotorana4336]

in the years since this race it was discovered how illegal them jags were,they had so many modifications outside the rules that were not picked up it is ridiculous.absolute cheats

[@steinwaygrande9736]

There were four V12 Jaguars not two or three. The Jags finished 1,2 and 4 . I know because I was there and saw four Jags going around. One Jag had a hole in the radiator and withdrew due to overheating and cooking the motor.,

[@clintabbott5327]

steinwaygrande - but it wasn’t a JRA Jag, it was a private entry wasn’t it?

[@steinwaygrande9736]

@@clintabbott5327 I can't be 100 % sure now as it was 1985. As far as I can remember ( which ain't much ) I am sure all four Jags were TWR .If there was a 5th then have to confess that I don't know But it was one of the best motor racing I have seen in years.

[@MathsYknow]

@@steinwaygrande9736 You can briefly see a red Jag with a yellow banner across the top of the windscreen for a few seconds from about 5:52 . I think that was a privateer named Garry Willmington. According to Wikipedia there were four Jags in the 1985 Bathurst, but only three were the green JRA / TWR cars and the fourth was that red Willmington car.

[@matthewjohnston4842]

The one that withdrew (#9) got a stone in the headlight, unfortunately the air intakes were directly behind the headlight so it dragged glass into the engine internals. Oh and by the way the TWR Jags actually finished 1st and 3rd, they just came across the line together, a rather good marketing picture I would suggest!

[@daniellennon4275]

Matthew Johnston how could they come across the line together and finish 1st and 3rd youve lost me?

[@davidprice7162]

The VK commodore and the boxy 80s falcons. Sometimes the "good old days" weren't that good, they were pure fugly. At least Jaguar had some style back in the day. From 1978 to 1999, Aussie cars were ugly as sin.