1979 Hardie-Ferodo 1000
The 1979 Hardie-Ferodo 1000 was the 20th running of the Bathurst 1000 touring car race. It was held on 30 September 1979, at the Mount Panorama Circuit just outside Bathurst. The race was open to cars eligible to the locally developed CAMS Group C touring car regulations with four engine capacity based classes.
Peter Brock and Jim Richards won their second successive Bathurst 1000 driving a Holden Dealer Team A9X SS Hatchback Torana. In the most dominant performance in the races history, Brock, starting from pole position, got a perfect start and from that point the #05 MHDT Torana was never headed. Brock and Richards won the race by a record six laps, easily beating the old winning margin of 2 laps set in 1975 with Brock claiming the lap record of 2:21.1 on the last lap of the 6.172 km long circuit. Brock later claimed that he just wanted to show how good the Torana was even after 1000 km of hard racing. Brock didn't have a clear lap in which to set the lap record and actually passed 7 cars over the lap, though luckily all but one were on either Mountain or Conrod Straights which did not hinder him. It was Brock's fourth and Richards second win. Brock's win put him equal on most wins with Harry Firth, Bob Jane and his longtime rival Allan Moffat. Toranas swept the podium with Peter Janson and Larry Perkins finishing second ahead of Ralph Radburn and John Smith.
With Holden ending production of the Torana, 1979 would be the 5th and last Torana victory in the race. From 1980 Holden's flagship would be the European based Commodore.
Class structure
Cars competed in four classes defined by engine capacity.3001cc - 6000cc
The 3001cc - 6000cc class featured the V8 Holden Toranas, Ford Falcons and a pair of Chevrolet Camaros, making their Bathurst debut. Class A cars would fill the first eight positions in the outright results, all of the Holden Toranas. Mirroring the outright result, Brock and Richards took a six lap victory over the similar Torana of Janson and Perkins. Smith and Radburn were two laps further behind.2001cc - 3000cc
The 2001cc - 3000cc class saw the debut of the Mazda RX-7 which raced alongside its predecessor, the Mazda RX-3 and against Ford Capris, a BMW 3.0Si and a largely unmodified Volvo 242GT entered as a publicity exercise by veteran journalist-racer David McKay. Mechanical issues struck this class more than most, with the class winning car finishing in 13th outright, 26 laps behind Brock and Richards. That car was the Mazda RX-3 of Barry Lee and John Gates. Second in class was the Ford Capri of Peter Hopwood and Alan Cant, nine laps behind Lee and Gates. Third in class, finishing on the same lap as Hopwood/Cant was the Mazda RX-3 of Stephen Stockdale and John Duggan. The Volvo of McKay and Spencer Martin finished a creditable fourth in class, just a lap behind second and third.1601cc - 2000cc
The 1601cc - 2000cc class saw a mix Alfa Romeo Alfettas, Ford Escort RS2000s, Toyota Celicas and Triumph Dolomites. Class C outperformed Class B with the Toyota Delaer Team Toyota Celica of Peter Williamson and Mike Quinn winning the class and finishing ninth outright and 17 laps behind Brock and Richards. The Brian Foley Alfa Romeo entered Alfa Romeo Alfetta GTV of Phil McDonnell and British sportscar legend Derek Bell finished tenth outright, a lap behind the Celica. Frank Porter and Tony Niovanni were three laps further back in third in another Alfetta.The Celica of Peter Williamson was the first in the world to have an in car race cam.
Up to 1600cc
The entry in the Up to 1600cc class was dominated by Holden Geminis, but also included an Isuzu Gemini, a 1.6 litre Ford Escort, a Toyota Corolla, and a Volkswagen Golf. The Isuzu Gemini of Garry Leggatt and David Seldon won the class, finishing 21st outright, 36 laps down. Bernie McClure and David Langman's Holden Gemini was second, a lap behind the class winners with the Holden Gemini of Jim Faneco and Gary Rowe two laps further behind. Eight laps behind was the first non-Gemini, the Ford Escort of Bob Holden and David Earle.Hardies Heroes
| Pos | No | Team | Driver | Car | Time |
| Pole | 05 | Marlboro Holden Dealer Team |  Peter Brock | Holden LX Torana SS A9X Hatchback | 2:20.500 |
| 2 | 7 | Ron Hodgson Racing | Bob Morris | Holden LX Torana SS A9X Hatchback | 2:22.466 |
| 3 | 6 | Craven Mild Racing | Allan Grice | Holden LX Torana SS A9X Hatchback | 2:23.539 |
| 4 | 25 | Allan Moffat Racing |  Allan Moffat | Ford XC Falcon GS500 Hardtop | 2:24.270 |
| 5 | 21 | Roadways / Gown-Hindhaugh | Charlie O'Brien | Holden LX Torana SS A9X Hatchback | 2:24.579 |
| 6 | 34 | Greater Pacific Finance Coy | Garry Rogers | Holden LX Torana SS A9X Hatchback | 2:25.918 |
| 7 | 19 | Cadbury Schweppes | Larry Perkins | Holden LX Torana SS A9X Hatchback | 2:26.212 |
| 8 | 11 | Citizen Watches Aust. P/L | Gary Cooke | Holden LX Torana SLR 5000 A9X Sedan | 2:27.043 |
| 9 | 17 | Bryan Byrt Ford | Dick Johnson | Ford XC Falcon GS500 Hardtop | 2:27.655 |
| 10 | 4 | Thompson Ford | Colin Bond | Ford XC Falcon GS500 Hardtop | 2:30.018 |
- Allan Moffat only qualified 22nd in his Falcon after engine troubles in qualifying. He was moved into Hardies Heroes by the ARDC at the expense of the HDT Torana SS A9X of John Harvey and ended up starting from 4th on the grid. Apart from race broadcaster Channel 7 wanting Moffat in the runoff for better television ratings, Harvey was bumped to 11th place on the grid due to the ARDC's desire to not have two cars from the same team in the top 10. As the #05 HDT Torana of Peter Brock was the fastest qualifier this saw Harvey the one left out.
- After Jack Brabham and Derek Bell in 1978, Larry Perkins became the third ex-Formula One driver to appear in the shootout driving Peter Janson's Torana. While neither Brabham or Bell would again appear in the runoff, Perkins would make another 16 appearances up until 2002 and would claim pole in 1993
- Peter Brock claimed his 4th straight front row start at Bathurst as well as his 3rd straight pole position. Brock's time was 1.966 faster than Bob Morris' 2nd place time in his ATCC winning A9X Torana. This was despite Brock admitting to making a big mistake at the Cutting on his second lap where his foot slipped off the brake pedal and the car went wide towards the wall forcing him to come to almost a complete stop at the bottom of the steepest part of the circuit.
Results
| Pos | Class | No | Team | Drivers | Car | Laps | Qual Pos | Shootout Pos |
| 1 | 3001cc - 6000cc | 05 | Marlboro Holden Dealer Team | Peter Brock Jim Richards | Holden LX Torana SS A9X Hatchback | 163 | 1 | |
| 2 | 3001cc - 6000cc | 19 | Cadbury Schweppes | Peter Janson Larry Perkins | Holden LX Torana SS A9X Hatchback | 157 | 7 | |
| 3 | 3001cc - 6000cc | 14 | Ralph Radburn | Ralph Radburn John Smith | Holden LX Torana SL/R 5000 A9X 4-Door | 155 | 17 | |
| 4 | 3001cc - 6000cc | 6 | Craven Mild Racing | Allan Grice Alfredo Costanzo | Holden LX Torana SS A9X Hatchback | 154 | 3 | |
| 5 | 3001cc - 6000cc | 34 | Greater Pacific Finance Coy | Garry Rogers Bob Stevens | Holden LX Torana SS A9X Hatchback | 152 | 6 | |
| 6 | 3001cc - 6000cc | 15 | Scotty Taylor Holden | Alan Taylor Kevin Kennedy | Holden LX Torana SS A9X Hatchback | 151 | 15 | |
| 7 | 3001cc - 6000cc | 8 | Unipart Australia | Barry Seton Don Smith | Holden LX Torana SS A9X Hatchback | 148 | 16 | |
| 8 | 3001cc - 6000cc | 21 | Roadways / Gown-Hindhaugh | Charlie O'Brien Garth Wigston | Holden LX Torana SS A9X Hatchback | 147 | 5 | |
| 9 | 1601cc - 2000cc | 66 | Peter Williamson P/L | Peter Williamson Mike Quinn | Toyota Celica | 146 | 33 | |
| 10 | 1601cc - 2000cc | 58 | Brian Foley P/L | Phil McDonnell Derek Bell | Alfa Romeo Alfetta GTV | 145 | 27 | |
| 11 | 1601cc - 2000cc | 59 | Beninca Motors | Frank Porter Tony Niovanni | Alfa Romeo Alfetta GTV | 142 | 39 | |
| 12 | 1601cc - 2000cc | 64 | Ray Gulson | Ray Gulson Paul Gulson | Alfa Romeo 2000 GTV | 140 | 37 | |
| 13 | 2001cc - 3000cc | 48 | Barry Lee | Barry Lee John Gates | Mazda RX-3 | 139 | 29 | |
| 14 | 3001cc - 6000cc | 12 | Rusty French Racing | Jim Keogh John Mann | Ford XC Falcon GS500 Hardtop | 138 | 22 | |
| 15 | 1601cc - 2000cc | 65 | Lockyer Wreckers | Walter Scott Peter Walton | Toyota Celica | 133 | 30 | |
| 16 | 2001cc - 3000cc | 46 | Fury Ford P/L | Terry Daly Eric Boord | Ford Capri Mk.II | 133 | 30 | |
| 17 | 3001cc - 6000cc | 24 | Re-Car Racing | Alan Browne Brian Sampson | Holden LX Torana SL/R 5000 A9X 4-Door | 133 | 15 | |
| 18 | 2001cc - 3000cc | 41 | Jag Racing P/L | Peter Hopwood Alan Cant | Ford Capri Mk.II | 130 | 32 | |
| 19 | 2001cc - 3000cc | 39 | Stephen Stockdale | Stephen Stockdale John Duggan | Mazda RX-3 | 130 | 31 | |
| 20 | 2001cc - 3000cc | 44 | Scuderia Veloce P/L | Spencer Martin David McKay | Volvo 242 GT | 129 | 47 | |
| 21 | Up to 1600cc | 70 | Garry Leggatt | Garry Leggatt David Seldon | Isuzu Gemini | 129 | 43 | |
| 22 | Up to 1600cc | 71 | Rejon Industries P/L | Bernie McClure David Langman | Holden Gemini | 128 | 52 | |
| 23 | Up to 1600cc | 75 | Victoria Police MSC | Jim Faneco Gary Rowe | Holden Gemini | 126 | 48 | |
| 24 | Up to 1600cc | 74 | Modulaire Air Conditioning | Ken Price Ian Wells | Holden Gemini | 124 | 55 | |
| 25 | 1601cc - 2000cc | 56 | Jagparts | Terry Wade Gerald Kay | Triumph Dolomite Sprint | 120 | 40 | |
| 26 | Up to 1600cc | 68 | Bob Holden | Bob Holden David Earle | Ford Escort Mk.II 1.6 | 116 | 61 | |
| 27 | 1601cc - 2000cc | 62 | Jagparts | Martin Power Peter Kuebler | Triumph Dolomite Sprint | 114 | 46 | |
| 28 | Up to 1600cc | 73 | Lennox Motors | Chris Heyer Peter Lander | Volkswagen Golf | 111 | 49 | |
| DSQ | 2001cc - 3000cc | 42 | Brian Boyd | Lynn Brown Brian Boyd | BMW 3.0Si | 138 | 38 | |
| DNF | 3001cc - 6000cc | 25 | Allan Moffat Racing | Allan Moffat John Fitzpatrick | Ford XC Falcon GS500 Hardtop | 136 | 4 | |
| DSQ | Up to 1600cc | 76 | Re-Car Racing | Allan Gough Kel Gough | Holden Gemini | 135 | 42 | |
| DNF | 2001cc - 3000cc | 52 | Masterton Homes Pty Ltd | Steve Masterton Phil Lucas | Ford Capri Mk.II | 130 | 28 | |
| DNF | 3001cc - 6000cc | 32 | King George Tavern | Fred Gibson Joe Moore | Holden LX Torana SL/R 5000 A9X 4-Door | 125 | 18 | |
| NC | 3001cc - 6000cc | 3 | John Goss Racing P/L | John Goss Henri Pescarolo | Ford XC Falcon GS500 Hardtop | 118 | 58 | |
| DNF | 3001cc - 6000cc | 13 | TJ Slako | Tim Slako Colin Hall | Holden LX Torana SS A9X Hatchback | 111 | 19 | |
| DNF | 2001cc - 3000cc | 47 | Barry Jones | Barry Jones Terry Finnigan | Mazda RX-3 | 106 | 26 | |
| DNF | 3001cc - 6000cc | 33 | Tony Packard Holden | Bob Skelton Don Holland | Holden LX Torana SS A9X Hatchback | 105 | 44 | |
| DNF | 2001cc - 3000cc | 50 | Capri Components | Lawrie Nelson Tony Farrell | Ford Capri Mk.III | 105 | 53 | |
| NC | 1601cc - 2000cc | 55 | Graham Mein | Graham Mein Geoff Russell | Ford Escort Mk.II RS2000 | 105 | 41 | |
| DNF | 3001cc - 6000cc | 7 | Ron Hodgson Racing | Bob Morris Dieter Quester | Holden LX Torana SS A9X Hatchback | 95 | 2 | |
| DNF | 3001cc - 6000cc | 29 | Garry Willmington Performance | Garry Willmington John Wright | Ford XC Falcon GS500 Hardtop | 95 | 24 | |
| DNF | 3001cc - 6000cc | 18 | Brian Wood Ford | Murray Carter Graeme Lawrence | Ford XC Falcon GS500 Hardtop | 74 | 14 | |
| DNF | 2001cc - 3000cc | 40 | Ross Burbidge | Terry Shiel Ross Burbidge | Mazda RX-7 | 72 | 36 | |
| DNF | 2001cc - 3000cc | 43 | Unipart Australia | Lakis Manticas Geoff Leeds | Ford Capri Mk.II | 69 | 34 | |
| DNF | 3001cc - 6000cc | 9 | Nine Network Racing Team | John McCormack Bob Forbes | Chevrolet Camaro Z28 | 62 | 60 | |
| DNF | 3001cc - 6000cc | 30 | Everlast Battery Service | Bill O'Brien Ray Winter | Ford XC Falcon GS500 Hardtop | 62 | 21 | |
| DNF | 3001cc - 6000cc | 26 | Marlboro Holden Dealer Team | John Harvey Ron Harrop | Holden LX Torana SS A9X Hatchback | 57 | 11 | |
| DNF | 3001cc - 6000cc | 11 | Citizen Watches Aust. P/L | Gary Cooke Warwick Brown | Holden LX Torana SL/R 5000 A9X 4-Door | 57 | 8 | |
| DNF | Up to 1600cc | 69 | Victoria Police MSC | Mal Smith Mal Owen | Holden Gemini | 51 | 56 | |
| DNF | 1601cc - 2000cc | 61 | Brian Hilton Toyota | Graeme Bailey Doug Clark | Toyota Celica | 46 | 35 | |
| DNF | Up to 1600cc | 77 | Peter Williamson P/L | Mark Thatcher Kiyoshi Misaki | Toyota Corolla Levin | 41 | 54 | |
| DNF | 3001cc - 6000cc | 35 | B Parsons / T Rabold | Barry Parsons Tom Rabold | Ford XC Falcon Cobra #35 Hardtop | 38 | 63 | |
| DNF | 3001cc - 6000cc | 22 | Settlement Road Motor Wreckers | Warren Cullen Graham McRae | Holden LX Torana SS A9X Hatchback | 30 | 13 | |
| DNF | 3001cc - 6000cc | 36 | Brian Wood Ford | Rod Stevens Bill Evans | Ford XC Falcon GS500 Hardtop | 24 | 25 | |
| DNF | 1601cc - 2000cc | 54 | Roger Cartwright | Roger Cartwright Greg Toepfer | Ford Escort Mk.II RS2000 | 24 | 62 | |
| DNF | 3001cc - 6000cc | 17 | Bryan Byrt Ford | Dick Johnson Gary Scott | Ford XC Falcon GS500 Hardtop | 24 | 9 | |
| DNF | 3001cc - 6000cc | 4 | Thompson Ford | Colin Bond John French | Ford XC Falcon GS500 Hardtop | 23 | 10 | |
| DNF | 1601cc - 2000cc | 60 | Bill Stanley | Bill Stanley Ian Messner | Ford Escort Mk.II RS2000 | 23 | 45 | |
| DNF | 3001cc - 6000cc | 27 | Denmac Ford P/L | Ron Wanless Leo Leonard | Ford XC Falcon GS500 Hardtop | 21 | 12 | |
| DNF | 3001cc - 6000cc | 2 | AWA-Thorn Consumer Products | Ron Dickson Dick Barbour | Chevrolet Camaro Z28 | 16 | 59 | |
| DNF | 2001cc - 3000cc | 45 | Precinct Performance P/L | Dean Gall Allan Bryant | Mazda RX-7 | 16 | 57 | |
| DNF | 3001cc - 6000cc | 10 | Rusty French Racing | Rusty French Graham Moore | Ford XC Falcon GS500 Hardtop | 9 | 23 | |
| DNS | 1601cc - 2000cc | 53 | Ken Harrison | Ken Harrison Ray Cutchie | Ford Escort Mk.II RS2000 | 51 | ||
| DNS | Up to 1600cc | 72 | Lennox Motors | Peter Lander Paul Bernasconi | Volkswagen Golf |
Statistics
- Provisional Pole Position - #05 Peter Brock - 2:26.8
- Pole Position - #05 Peter Brock - 2:20.500
- Fastest Lap - #05 Peter Brock - 2:21.1 - Lap 163
- Average Speed - 152 km/h
- Race Time - 6:38:15.8