Bathurst and F1

Not sure if this has been done before, sorry if it's covered elsewhere.

Seeing as the famous Bathurst 1000 has just finished here, it got me thinking a little.

I am wondering who knows of the F1 drivers to have ever driven at Bathurst? I am sure there are many.... does anyone have a complete list?

Cheers!

(From this year's field, Alan Jones and Larry Perkins were two obvious ones I saw).

Most (in)famous would be Denny Hulme, 8 times an F1 winner and 1967 F1 world champion. He actually suffered a heart attack at the wheel of a BMW M3 during the 1992 race, pulling off conrod straight and dying before marshalls could get to him.

To get a precise list you might have to be a little more specific about what definition of F1 driver you would like - tested, present but never qualified, started but never classified, and classified. The list would change quite a bit depending on your definition, as would whether you include the Super Touring race than ran in parallel with the V8 for a few years.

Off the top of my head I could definitively add:

Jacky Ickx (Won with Alan Moffat in 1977)
Frank Gardner (2nd in 1975)
Sir Jack Brabham
David Brabham
Vern Schuppan
Derek Bell
Johnny Cecotto
Derek Warwick (Super touring race only)

and I am guessing that Gary Brabham probably ran at Bathurst (although henever actually qualified for an F1 race) and probably Tim Schenken too.

Ray, Barry you want to help me out here?

Full list
Julian Bailey
Derek Bell
David Brabham
Gary Brabham
Jack Brabham
Gianfranco Brancatelli
Warwick Brown
Johnny Cecotto
Paul England
Giorgio Francia
Hiroshi Fushida
Frank Gardner
Olivier Grouillard
Masahiro Hasemi
Paul Hawkins
David Hobbs
Kazuyoshi Hoshino
Denny Hulme
Jacky Ickx
Alan Jones
Stirling Moss
Satoru Nakajima
Larry Perkins
Henri Pescarolo
Emanuelle Pirro
Sam Posey
Dieter Quester
Roland Ratzenberger
Tim Schenken
Vern Schuppan
Kunimistu Takahashi
Basil van Rooyen
Dave Walker
Derek Warwick
Joachim Winkelhock

The drivers in detail

Paul England drove the first three races at Phillip Island (60-62) driving Truimph Heralds and NSU Prinzes. No significant results.

Dave Walker drove the first three races at Bathurst. Renulat R8, VW and a GT500 Cortina (sort of Australian version of Lotus Cortina). No significant results.

Kunimitsu Takahashi drove from 66-68 as part of the factory Datsun teamm winning class in 66 in a Datsun 1300.

Hawkeye Hawkins drove in 1967 & 1968. He shared a Monaro with Bill Brown in 68 and was disqualified. In '67 he was looking a special to win the race in an Alfa Romeo GTV when problems struck. Pity. The see the V8's go down to a 1.6 litre Alfa would have been brilliant. It would be the best shot Alfa Romeo would get at this race, they kept trying as a factory until '87 and were still appearing as late as last year.

Frank Gardner raced from 74-77 returning in 83. His only finish was in 1975 where he and Bob Forbes finished second place. In 83 he was team manager and driver for the factory BMW team and the car was sabotaged with alumnium filings. Since then he's been BMW's team manager for many year and is now a driving instructor.

Hiroshi Fushida did 1975, finishin an incredible 5th outight in a Mazda RX3 with Don Holland. Amazing drive.

Tim Schenken's only start was in 75, he crashed Paul Bernasconi's Alfa GTV 2000.

Stirling Moss had one start in 1976. The V8 Torana he shared with Jack Brabham stalled on the grid and was belted from behind by a Triumph Dolomite.

Sir Jack went on to finish 18th in a Falcon with son Geoff in 1977 then 6th with Brian Muir in a Torana in 1978.

Le Mans winner Vern Schuppan did 76-78 and 81. First with Allan Moffat in 76, the 77 & 78 with Dick Johnson, and 81 wth John Harvey in the HDT. Best finish was a 5th in 78.

Jacky Ickx was broght into the Ford team for Bathurst after Ford wouldn't let Colin Bond drive with Moffat in the #1 car. Ickx was asked how many 1000 kay races he'd done by Moffat. Heh. Ickx would then be part of one of those Bathurst moments as he and Moffat, and Colin Bond and Alan Hamilton performed that famous 1-2 in 1977. The following year neither Falcon finished and Ickx DNFed.

Le Mans legend, Derek Bell had five trips from 77 to 81. 8th in an Alfa GTV 2000 with Garry Leggatt in 77, terrific drive in a class car. 10th in an Alfetta in 79 and third in factory Mazda RX7 with Moffat in 81.

Formula One's misunderstood, or just wayward child of the 80's, Satoru Nakajima, did a race while still very young in 1977 and shared a Ford Capri V6 with Brisbane Ferrari dealer, Alan Cant. You'd never guess what Satoru did? Go on try and guess. He rolled the Ford at the bottom of Conrod. A sign of things to come?

The man with the dubious distinction of being the last driver to ever qualify a BRM, Larry Perkins did his first Bathurst enduro in 1977 with 'The Captain' Peter Janson (oh the stories you could tell about Janson!) and Janson & Perkins finished 3rd first time out in a Torana V8. Larry returned in 1979 with The Captain and finished second in 1979, picking up another dubious distinction of being the car that was 6 laps down in the year when Peter Brock and Jim Richards pulled away from the field at a lap per hour. A much improved result in 1980 saw the Captain and Perkins (Commodore V8) finish in the same position but on the same lap as Brock/Richards this time. 1981 saw his first DNF in the Captin's Commodore V8. For 1982 Perkins had been snapped up by Brock's Holden Dealer Team to head the engineering department and replace Richards as Brock's co-driver. They would win Bathurst three consecutive years in Commodore V8's. 1985 saw him with the enemy, Dick Johnson, in Ford Mustang V8's, for 7th. 25th in his own Commodore with Skippy Parsons in 86, a lap 3 crash in 87 in the same car (Hulme co-driving). 1988 he was back with the factory, heading up Tom Wolkinshaw's new creation the Holden Racing Team. Larry and Denny DNF's in 88. 6th in 89 with Tomas Mezera. Back with his own team in 1990 and a 3rd with Mezera, then back with Brock in 91 and a DNF (with Mezera again). 1992 he was back in his own car and finished 9th (with Steve Harrington), 1993 with Castrol backing he and former 500cc Grand Prix winner Gregg Hansford, they won a race long duel with Jim Richards & Mark Skaife. Perkins and Hansford took third in the dying laps the following year, in what was until last weekend undisputably the best Bathurst of them all. For 95 Perkins replaced the now deceased Hansford with Russell Ingall and another win came his way, a brilliant drive after losing a lap near the start of the race, a brilliant drive through the field. 96 had Perkins Ingall in 6th, 97 and another win in an attrition wracked race. 98 and Perkins Ingall were second, desperately holding off Jason Bargwanna/Jim Richards in the dying laps. 7th in 1999 when they just weren't fast enough and 11th in 2000 after a controversial week.

In a year litterred with the greatest of the Le Mans set, 1977, Henri Pescarolo made his debut with John Goss in a Falcon, but didn't finish. This result, car, team and co-driver would be duplicated over the following two years.

1977 saw Basil van Rooyen drive in a Holden Torana V8 with Gerry Marshall.

Warwick Brown did 78-80, Falcon, Torana, Commodore. No finishes.

1978 saw the first appearance of Dieter Quester, and a DNF for his drive with Derek Bell in a Holden Torana V8. The following year and Quester driver with '78 team leader, Bob Morris. DNF again. 1986 saw Quester return in a BMW 635CSi with Roerto Ravaglia, another DNF.

Sam Posey raced a Chevvy Camaro in 1980 with Dick Barbour, DNF.

Alan Jones has become one of the races stalwarts since returning to Australia in late 1981 after retiring the first time. He and Warren Cullen DNF'ed in 1981 in a Commodore. Another DNF, this time with the unrelated Barry Jones in a RX7 in 1982. Cullen and Commodore in 84, and this time - so close but had to settle for 4th. Back post third stint in F1 in a Sierra with Colin Bond and 3rd. 5th with Longhurst in a Sierra in 1989. A distant 27th with Denny Hulme in 1990 (Sierra), 1991 BMW M3 Tony Longhurst DNF, and since then all Ford Falcons. DNF in 1992 with Glenn Seton, and again in 93. DNF in 94 with Skippy Parsons. 2nd in 1995 with Allan Grice. A DNF with Grice in 96. A DNF with Graham Moore in a Renault Laguna in 97, and two weeks later in the V8 race 11th with Jason Bright and Scott Pruett. DNF in 1998 with Adam Macrow. DNF with Anthony Tratt last year.

Masahiro Hasemi & Kazuyoshi Hoshino shared the factory Nissan Bluebird turbos (81-82). Hasemi looked set to get Pole in 1982 but for turbo failure. 8th in 1982.

Despite a career older than the race, it wasn't until 1982 that Denny Hulme started his second career racing Touring Cars. Hey joined the factory BMW team driving a 635CSI that was crashed by Stephen Brook. In 1984 he was second in the Group A class in the 635CSi he shared with HRH Prince Leopold von Bayern. A DNF in a Commodore in 85. 9th outright in a class car factory backed Mercedes-Benz 190E with Franz Klammer (the skier?), an early race DNF with Larry Perkins in 1987 (after Perkins crashed with Neville Crichton). Hulme was with Perkins again in 1988 as part of the new Holden Racing Team, but 88 would set the tome for many future HRT Bathurst's being utterly shambolic. A distant 27th with Alan Jones in 1990 in a Ford Sierra, the only time two world champions have driven together at Bathurst, 4th in 1991 in a BMW M3 with Peter Fitzgeral, and in 1992 the whole factory BMW team, from his old mate and team boss Frank Gardner, down to rookie co-driver Paul Morris, were shatterred when informed that Denny Hulme was dead on arrival at Bathurst Base Hospital. It was this news which was told his old mate and fellow countryman, Jim Richards shortly before accepting the winners trophy, and his infamous words to the drunken mob. I remember being horrified by the helicopter shot of the paramedics unpacking a defibrillator beside the car. Not Bathurst's saddest moment, but definately the ugliest.

Johnny Cecotto went close. In 1985 he was one of two cars that was able to satnd up to walkinshaw's Jaguars all race. Cecooto finished 2nd in the Schnitzer BMW with Roberto Ravaglia. 7th with Broken Telly in 87, and finally a 4th with Tony Longhurst (BMW M3) in 1992.

Emanuelle Pirro was part of the 1987 BMW super squad, and in BMW's lead M3, Pirro and Roberto Ravaglia finished 12th.

Gary Brabham was in the huge 8 car BMW factory team in 1987. 16th with Juan Manuel Fangio II in an M3. Returned twice with Allan Moffat Sierras.

Gianfranco Brancatelli did 4 races 87-91. 7th with the BMW M3 with Johnny Cecotto. Then a few years with Wolf Sierras for DNF's.

Olivier Grouillard 11th with a BMW M3 and Altfrid Heger & Winni Vogt.

Poor Roland Ratzenberger was also part of the star studded 1987 BMW M3 squad. He and Markus Oestrich failed to finish.

Giorgia Francia run an Alfa 33 with Danielle Toffoli. Waste of time and space.

Smoking Jo Winkelhock raced in 1993 with Paul Morris in the factory Diet Coke BMW in the year the M3's were struck down with rev limiter problems. 15th was the result.

David Brabham was rookie of the year in 1994, 4th with Anders Olofsson in a Commodore, and won the race in 97 with brother Geoff in a BMW 320i. Last year drove Wayne Gardner's Coke car for no real result.

Derek Warwick headed the factory Vauxhall Vectra team in 1997 and 1998, he drove in Peter Brock's last Bathurst 1000 (a opposed to last 1000 kilometer Bathurst race) Vectra to 6th place. Warwick with John Cleland would improve one position the following year. I spoke to Warwick in 97 and he couldn't stop telling people that he'd found the best circuit in the world. And Warwick's raced on them all.

Julian Bailey drove a Honda Accord with Warren Luff in 1997 for a bare top ten finish.[p][Edited by Falcadore on 11-27-2000]

Fantastic!

Is there nothing that Forum Posters don't know ????

Barry, I don't know how many beer I drank yesterday...

But I bet you know who came ninth in the Norwegian Grand Prix of 1922 !

Now that's a challenge! I've never heard of a Norwegian GP, though!

Sorry, Michael - Cockney humour at work, I'm afraid!

We in Australia frequently forget that Larry Perkins, with his Crane cams and commitment to five-stud wheels (has he ever heard of centre-locks?), is a former F1 driver. Cantankerous he may be, but I've got mor time for him than most of the touring car retirement village.

Thanks all for your help

Speaking of forgotten F1 Aussies.... I got a bit annoyed that no-one made anything of the fact that, in wet/damp conditions this year, virtually the fastest man on the track was Alan Jones in the crappy Toll Transport Falcon which otherwise would be miles off the pace. He made it as high as 4th and within 7s of the leader (thanks to pace cars, admittedly) and got nothing but a single mention. For all his other shortcomings, Jones is an absolute rain-master, especially at Bathurst.

His opening stint in the 1996 race, when he aggressively grabbed the lead from eventual winner Lowndes/Murphy and held it until his engine caught on fire, was positively stunning.

Also on this issue ... may I ask when Sir Jack B made his Bathurst debut? I see that Geoff Brabham came 8th in 1974 ... as far as I know, Sir Jack's only start was his celebrity team-up with Stirling Moss in 1976 ... but Brabham stalled at the start and got smashed in the back I think. Does this mean that Geoff drove at Bathurst before his father??

Kwash,
I've been detailling all the F1 drivers starts grdually in the section below the list and Sir Jack is in there. Geoff, who never drove F1 is not. But his debut was 1974. Geoff is around ten years older than his two brothers.

No, the Bathurst race clashed with the US GP for many years, so Jack couldn't make it. Then he gave up racing and so couldn't make it... until promotions people got him there with Stirling.
And repeatedly it's stated by earlier posters that Jack stalled the Torana. Not so. It selected two gears at once. It was wheeled away, roughly beaten back into shape and the gearbox was changed.
I'll have to watch for that performance by Jones when I get to look at the race, Kuwashima... thanks.

If you'er only popping for AJ's drive, then don't bother. It was in Tratt's Falcon. How much air time does Tratt get, even under favourable circumstances? Actually after what he did to Wayne Wakefield, under the PACE CAR, then Tratt deserves as few favours as are coming to him.

Yesterday I spent a pleasant few hours at a "Noggin and Natter" evening at the Auckland Car Club and had the opportunity for a long talk with Ross Jensen. While Ross never raced in the F1 championship, he did race Formula One cars including the ex-Moss Maserati 250F. He also did a few races in Britain in 1958 with the works Lister-Jaguar team.
Aso at the gathering was Frank Radisich, father of Paul and a race driver himself in the sixties and seventies. He was there to give a talk about the recent Bathurst race.
That sparked a few memories for Ross who told us about his first trip to Mount Panorama. It was for the Easter meeting in 1958 and he had the ex-Moss Maserati. Imagine doing your first lap of Bathurst in that car.
He had been warned about Skyline but when he approached the corner he was horrified. As the name suggests, all you can see is sky. After getting through that corner and on down through the dipper he said he was glad that there was a decent straight where you could sort yourself out.
When he finally pulled back into the pits his mechanic came over and while checking the car said to Ross "Can you smell something?". To which Ross replied "Can I smell something - I'm sitting in it!"

Understandable... that one does sort the men from the boys, especially after they've seen what comes next!
By the way, saying that Frank Radisich was a racing driver is stretching things a little, from memory.