1969 Hardie-Ferodo 500

Motor race in Australia January 2020 October 2011 1969 Hardie-Ferodo 500 1968 1970 thumb|250px|Layout of the Mount Panorama Circuit (1938-1986) The 1969 Hardie-Ferodo 500 was the tenth running of the Bathurst 500 production car race. It was held on 5 October 1969 at the Mount Panorama Circuit just outside Bathurst in New South Wales, Australia. Cars competed in five classes based on the purchase price in Australian dollars of the vehicle. The race was dominated by the newly formed Holden Dealer Team fielding three Holden Monaro GTS350s, with Colin Bond and Tony Roberts taking the chequered flag; teammates Peter Brock and Des West finished third and the team's third car finished sixth. In second position were the previous year’s race winners Bruce McPhee and his single-lap co-driver Barry Mulholland, driving a Ford Falcon GTHO. McPhee and Mulholland, who had won the 1968 race driving a Holden Monaro GTS327, had originally intended to race a Monaro 350 in 1969 but after receiving no help from Holden, instead decided to race one of the new Falcons. Brock and Melbourne based Canadian Allan Moffat made their Bathurst débuts in the race; Brock with Harry Firth's Holden Dealer Team, and Moffat driving a works Falcon GTHO with Alan Hamilton. Between them, Brock and Moffat would go on to win 13 of the next 17 Bathurst 500/1000s (until 1987), with Brock winning a record nine times (all for Holden), and Moffat winning four times for Ford. The Ford Works Team were the favourites to win the race with their new Falcon GTHOs, which with their new 5.8-litre (351 cui "Windsor") V8 engines proved to have a speed advantage over the 5.7-litre (350 cui) Monaros. However, the decision by Ford Works Team's American manager Al Turner to import special racing tyres for the Falcons proved to be a disaster. During the race numerous tyre failures put the Works cars out of contention. After early tyre failures on the Ian (more commonly known as "Pete") and Leo Geoghegan car, as well as the Fred Gibson and Barry Seton car, Turner called Moffat into the pits for a tyre change. There Moffat cemented his status as not only a top driver, but one who could take care of his car when it was found that unlike his team mates Pete Geoghegan and Seton, Moffat had been far easier on his tyres and that the stop was not actually necessary. As of 2025, Moffat believes that this decision cost himself and co-driver Alan Hamilton the race win. The day after the race, Ford ran a full page newspaper advert stating "We were a little deflated" referring to the tyre failures. The 1969 race was also notable for the first-lap crash which saw at least one third of the field forced to retire or continue with accident damage. Bill Brown rolled his Falcon GTHO coming through Skyline, all but blocking the track while John French, who qualified 21st, rolled his Alfa Romeo 1750 GTV trying to avoid the carnage that Brown's rollover caused. One driver lucky to escape the carnage was Allan Moffat, who had pulled up just out of The Cutting on the first lap with his Falcon stuck in neutral. Once he got going he was able to weave through the stopped vehicles and debris at Skyline and continue on his way.https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=64KSfH37MMc - YouTube YouTube For Brown, it would be the first of three rollovers in three years at Bathurst on the same piece of road (McPhillamy Park - Skyline), with the third and last in 1971 bringing a lucky escape from death for himself and a pair of quick-reacting and fleet-footed flag marshals who only just managed to scamper out of the way. Class structure thumb|The winning Holden Monaro GTS350 (pictured at Lakeside in July 1970) Cars competed in five classes based on the purchase price (in Australian dollars) of the vehicle. Class A Class A was for cars which retailed for up to $1,860. It was made up of Datsun 1000s, a Hillman GT, Morris Mini Ks and Toyota Corollas. Class B Class B was for cars which retailed for $1,861 to $2,250. More than half of the class’ cars were Datsun 1600s, but a Ford Cortina, Hillman Gazelle, Morris 1500, Renault 10 and Volkswagen 1600 were also entered. Class C The $2,251 to $3,100 Class C saw a mix of a Chrysler Valiant, Fiat 125s, Ford Capris, Mazda R100s, Morris Cooper Ss and a Renault 16. Class D The $3,101 to $4,500 class featured the outright contenders, Ford Falcon GTHOs and Holden Monaros (with twice as many Falcons as Monaros), but also contained a single Toyota Corona 1900. Class E For cars over $4,500, this class had a single automatic gearbox version of the Ford Falcon GT but otherwise was all Alfa Romeo, with 1750 GTVs and a 1750 Berlina. Top 10 Qualifiers Pos No Entrant Drivers Car Qual Pole 59 Ford Australia AUS Ian Geoghegan Ford XW Falcon GTHO 2:48.9 2 51 Fair Deal Car Sales AUS Digby Cooke Holden HT Monaro GTS350 2:50.0 3 46 Kloster Pty Ltd AUS Bruce McPhee Ford XW Falcon GTHO 2:50.1 4 61 Ford Australia CAN Allan Moffat Ford XW Falcon GTHO 2:53.6 5 60 Ford Australia AUS Fred Gibson Ford XW Falcon GTHO 2:53.7 6 56 Alto-Ford Pty Ltd AUS David McKay Ford XW Falcon GTHO 2:53.7 7 44 Holden Dealer Team AUS Colin Bond Holden HT Monaro GTS350 2:53.8 8 42 Holden Dealer Team AUS Peter Macrow Holden HT Monaro GTS350 2:54.5 9 50 McLeod Ford AUS John Goss Ford XW Falcon GTHO 2:55.3 10 43 Holden Dealer Team AUS Des West Holden HT Monaro GTS350 2:55.4 Results Pos Class No Entrant Drivers Car Laps QualPos 1 D 44 Holden Dealer Team Australia Colin BondAustralia Tony Roberts Holden HT Monaro GTS350 130 7 2 D 46 Kloster Pty Ltd Australia Bruce McPheeAustralia Barry Mulholland Ford XW Falcon GTHO 130 2 3 D 43 Holden Dealer Team Australia Peter BrockAustralia Des West Holden HT Monaro GTS350 130 10 4 D 61 Ford Australia Canada Allan MoffatAustralia Alan Hamilton Ford XW Falcon GTHO 129 4 5 D 59 Ford Australia Australia Ian GeogheganAustralia Leo Geoghegan Ford XW Falcon GTHO 128 1 6 D 42 Holden Dealer Team Australia Peter MacrowAustralia Henk Woelders Holden HT Monaro GTS350 128 8 7 D 54 Wright Ford Motors Pty Ltd Australia Bob BeasleyAustralia Bob Muir Ford XW Falcon GTHO 127 18 8 E 71 Alec Mildren Alfa Romeo Australia Kevin BartlettAustralia Len Goodwin Alfa Romeo 1750 GTV 126 22 9 E 68 C Smith Australia Charlie SmithAustralia Bill Ford Ford XW Falcon GT Automatic 126 20 10 D 58 Byrt Ford Australia Martin CheneryAustralia Ernie Johnson Ford XW Falcon GTHO 125 19 11 E 69 Canberra Speed Shop Australia Peter BrownAustralia Ray Gulson Alfa Romeo 1750 Berlina 122 27 12 D 63 R Genders Australia Joe ButtaAustralia Bob Genders Ford XW Falcon GTHO 122 24 13 D 48 Rowell Thiele Ford Pty Ltd Australia Mike SavvaAustralia Bob Wilkinson Ford XW Falcon GTHO 121 11 14 C 30 Waterloo High Performance Tuning Centre Australia Ron GillardAustralia Warren Gracie Morris Cooper S 119 36 15 C 38 Grenville Motors P/L Australia Peter FinlayAustralia Bob Forbes Fiat 125 119 34 16 C 31 Zanardo & Rodriguez Sales & Service Australia Ron KearnsAustralia Gerry Lister Fiat 125 119 37 17 C 22 Graham Ryan Auto Repairs Australia Graham RyanAustralia Mike Kable Chrysler Valiant Pacer 118 30 18 B 18 W.H. Motors Australia Bruce StewartAustralia George Garth Datsun 1600 117 41 19 C 25 G Cooke Australia Gary CookeAustralia Geoff Spence Mazda R100 117 35 20 C 32 Marque Motors Australia Ian HindmarshAustralia Bill Stanley Morris Cooper S 117 33 21 C 23 Trevor Mason Developments Australia Trevor MasonAustralia Neil Mason Mazda R100 117 32 22 C 26 Regal Motors Pty Ltd Australia Les GroseAustralia Graham Moore Morris Cooper S 117 45 23 B 15 Datsun Racing Team Australia John RoxburghAustralia Doug Whiteford Datsun 1600 117 44 24 B 17 W.H. Motors Australia Don SmithAustralia Peter Wilson Datsun 1600 114 43 25 B 19 McInnes Automotive Conversions Australia Dave Morrow Australia Bob Wootton Datsun 1600 114 51 26 D 57 P Bradford Australia Roy GriffithsAustralia Glyn Scott Ford XW Falcon GTHO 114 17 27 B 14 Datsun Racing Team Australia William CoadAustralia Jon Leighton Datsun 1600 113 46 28 C 28 D Frazer Australia David FrazerAustralia Allan Johns Morris Cooper S 113 42 29 A 2 AMI Toyota Australia Brian SampsonAustralia Bob Morris Toyota Corolla 112 52 30 A 6 Datsun Racing Team Australia Bill EvansAustralia Barry Tapsall Datsun 1000 110 55 31 B 20 McLeod Ford Pty Ltd Australia Max DicksonAustralia Diane Dickson Ford Cortina Mk.II 240 108 57 32 B 10 Provincial Motors Pty Ltd Australia Gary CampbellAustralia Gerry Murphy Volkswagen 1600 107 58 33 C 27 President Car Sales Australia Bill BrydenAustralia John T. Smith Renault 16TS 107 53 34 A 7 Kent BMC Australia David ByeAustralia Richard Willis Morris Mini K 104 61 35 B 9 R Edgerton Australia Bob EdgertonAustralia Ross Edgerton Renault 10 100 62 36 A 8 P & R Williams Australia Arthur OlsenAustralia Sandra Bennett Morris Mini K 99 63 37 B 12 R. G. Lanyon Australia Alf BarrettAustralia Mel Mollison Morris 1500 97 56 38 D 52 Harry Gapps Ford Pty Ltd Australia Harry GappsAustralia Frank Hann Ford XW Falcon GTHO 94 23 39 A 4 C.J. Cronin Australia Martin CorteseAustralia Steve Parkes Toyota Corolla 93 60 40 C 35 T Meehan Australia Trevor MeehanAustralia Mal Brewster Morris Cooper S 93 39 41 B 16 M.T.R. Services Australia Nick LedinghamAustralia Damon Beck Hillman Gazelle 84 49 42 C 36 E.M. Automation Pty Ltd Australia Paul ManderAustralia Phil Edwards Morris Cooper S 82 29 DNF D 51 Fair Deal Car Sales Australia Digby CookeAustralia David Bowden Holden HT Monaro GTS350 96 2 DNF D 60 Ford Australia Australia Fred GibsonAustralia Barry Seton Ford XW Falcon GTHO 93 5 DNF C 24 K Grose Australia Keith GroseAustralia John Wright Ford Capri Mk.I 1600GT 92 38 DNF A 1 A Johns Australia George GeshopulosAustralia Ray Scanlan Hillman GT 88 59 DNF C 37 Grand Prix Auto Services Australia Ann Thomson Australia Carole Corness Morris Cooper S 82 47 DNF D 56 Alto-Ford Pty Ltd Australia David McKayAustralia Brian Foley Ford XW Falcon GTHO 78 6 DNF D 45 AMI Toyota Australia Max StewartAustralia Brian Reed Toyota Corona 1900SL 78 28 DNF B 21 M.T.R. Services Australia Hans TholstrupAustralia Brian Connell Datsun 1600 73 64 DNF D 50 McLeod Ford Pty Ltd Australia John GossAustralia Denis Cribbin Ford XW Falcon GTHO 50 9 DNF C 33 Brian Foley Motors Pty Ltd Australia Christine GibsonAustralia Lynne Keefe Fiat 125 48 40 DNF D 62 Anthony Horden & Sons Ltd Australia Nick PetrilliAustralia Max Stahl Holden HT Monaro GTS350 45 15 DNF D 64 Boyded of Bankstown Australia Bill TuckeyAustralia Sib Petralia Holden HT Monaro GTS350 44 13 DNF D 53 B Arentz Australia Barry ArentzAustralia Brian Michelmore Ford XW Falcon GTHO 36 12 DNF C 39 D.H. Whitehead Australia Bernie HaehnleAustralia Peter Wherrett Mazda R100 31 31 DNF B 11 Dependable Motor Sales Pty Ltd Australia Bruce DarkeAustralia Dennis Cooke Datsun 1600 4 50 DNF C 29 Central Motors Penrith P/L Australia Bob CookAustralia Alan Cant Ford Capri Mk.I 1600GT 1 48 DNF D 55 Alto-Ford Pty Ltd Australia Bill Brown Australia Phil West Ford XW Falcon GTHO 0 16 DNF E 72 Alec Mildren Alfa Romeo Australia John FrenchAustralia Doug Chivas Alfa Romeo 1750 GTV 0 21 DNF E 67 Bryan Thomson Motors Australia Bryan ThomsonAustralia Graham Ritter Alfa Romeo 1750 GTV 0 25 DNF C 34 Varsity Auto Centre Australia John PriskAustralia Alan Cameron Morris Cooper S 0 27 DSQ A 3 AMI Toyota Australia Barry FergusonAustralia Jim Laing-Peach Toyota Corolla 103 54 DNSComplete Results, 1969 Bathurst 500, Australian Motor Manual, January 1970, pages 26 & 27 D 49 Young & Green Pty. Ltd. Australia David SheldonAustralia Don Holland Holden HT Monaro GTS350 15 DNS C 40 Teterin Engineering Pty. Ltd. Australia R. Marquet Australia J. Andrews Morris Cooper S DNS A 5 Datsun Racing Team Australia Bob HoldenAustralia Don Toffolon Datsun 1000 Statistics Pole Position - #59 Ian Geoghegan - 2:48.9 Fastest Lap - #61 Moffat/Hamilton & #60 Gibson/Seton - 2:52.1 (lap record) Race time of winning car: 6:32:25 Fastest Flying 1 8 : Bruce McPhee & Barry Mulholland (Ford Falcon GTHO): 135.95 mph References Australia's Greatest Motor Race 1960-1999 Greenhalgh David Thomas B. Floyd Bill Tuckey Chevron Publishing Group 2000 1-875221-12-3 162–169 & 457 External links 1969 Hardie-Ferodo 500, www.uniquecarsandparts.com.au Category:Motorsport in Bathurst, New South Wales Hardie-Ferodo 500 Category:October 1969 sports events in Australia