It’s very annoying when people make incorrect statements about this. Johnson did not REBUILD the rock car, it was a brand new shell from the factory. And the piece of film showing it was not from 60 mins but from an ABC programme called Sportsnight.
I was 30 y/o when it happened, that was 44 years ago. I donated, along with some friends watching the race with me. Best $40 I ever spent when he won the following year.
Dick Johnson rally got lucky in 1981 with that crash stopping the race, as his engine was starting to pump oil out the back, but moreso was the fact that just prior to the crash, French had lost third gear in the Tru-Blu Falcon and Bob Morris was catching him quickly. You can't win a race just past half distance with NO THIRD GEAR in your gearbox. DJ would not have won that race. He would have probably pulled the car in.
There was no statistical evidence to substantiate the "win on Sunday, sell on Monday" saying. In fact, in some cases sales declined for the manufacturer that won Bathurst.
The commentater seems to have forgotten about the early battle between, Bartlett, Brock & Johnson. It lasted for several laps & produced some brilliant racing with 3 very different cars producing similar times. Oh & no-one threw the rock, there is no somehow. The police investigated the incident & by the time the race was over they had determined that under the weight of the crowd the rock worked itself from the bank. If you your going to explain what happened in something you should first learn the facts
The homogation weight was never the weight of any XD. I recently weighed a very basic sedan and it was about 1320. 200 4 speed with no extras. Iron head engine. I sprint an XE, 351C, close ratio single rail, 78 series BW diff. Big brakes, full steel cage, race seat only and no others, heater etc gone and it is 1350kg So no XD or XE with full trim, heaters, etc etc was anywhere near 1250. My carwill be 2-300kg lighter using a 5 litre Windsor with CHI alloy heads etc, alloy bellhousing and a few other lighter bits. An XD XE etc ute is heavier than a pov pack sedan, not much but all that floor and reinforcing to carry 600kg is heavier. My auto air steer XF ute weighed just under 1400kg
Are you for real you idiot? They rock came loose from the bank under the weight of the crowd, Peter brock also hit the rock. What everyone forgets about is the truck picking up a stranded car. Had it not been there Dick would of seen the rock & been able to avoid it, to be honest I reckon he did a brilliant job avoiding the truck.
Thanks for watching the whole thing! You are right, I was thinking about putting it in there, but I was more focused on the race itself. I was trying to keep it quick, punchy, and entertaining. Most people clicked off after 30 seconds anyway. Hahaha
I will never forget this race dick Johnson is a Tru Blu bloke & a great racer who deserves all of the success he has had, as he built a team from building his own race cars to be one of the most successful teams in Australian history.
I was at that race in the paddock. Just before the crash the Morris Team were celebrating and took their time in the pits as it was revealed Johnson's car was reporting oil issues. Or the lack of pressure. I distinctly remembering the Johnson Team getting lucky that year. Long term that accident did a lot of damage to Morris leg, eventually a large contributing factor to his driving effectiveness and retirement.
Thanks for this mate. I've read the comments and learned that the rock was there by accident and not a malicious act. New to me and sitting here in the UK I'm a big fan of Bathurst and the whole history of the race. Great new content and well done to you, though I did have a tiny bit of difficulty getting every word, though I'm sure that's just me. Thank you
You should consider yourself lucky because it's 20 more seconds of enjoyment than my girlfriend gets, I'm only joking, I don't actually have a girlfriend, I'm dying a virgin.....
I guess this car is like ur guys version of the ford crown victoria. We get the crown vic u guys get that. Both are deadly reliable and used by police, rwd offered in many trim levels and packages and good at everything. Ive always wanted a v8 falcon.. now i want one even more
