Magic Moments Of Motorsport: Bathurst 1981 Episode Rating Graph

Twelve months after the heartbreak of having his Ford Falcon destroyed in a heart-breaking accident at Bathurst, Queenslander Dick Johnson – and loyal co-driver John French – returned to claim victory at Mount Panorama in 1981. One of the most popular wins in the long history of the race, it was achieved on a history-making day at the Mountain. For the first time in the race’s history it was stopped by a nasty multi-car accident and not restarted, handing the Ford duo the win. Their win stopped the winning streak of Peter Brock and Jim Richards, whose Holden Dealer Team Commodore ran with the leaders early but suffered a rare mechanical failure. The 1981 Bathurst race also illustrated the changing landscape of Australian touring car racing with BMW, Nissan (via its turbocharged Bluebird) and Mazda (with Allan Moffat and the sporty RX-7) all joining in to battle Holden and Ford. To celebrate the 35th anniversary of Dick Johnson’s first Bathurst win this release features the entire race day telecast from the 7 Sport archives. This is a Bathurst classic to be enjoyed by fans of all ages, no matter which team, car or driver you support!