Bathurst legends taken aback by car reunions
Legendary cars and drivers take to Bathurst in demo runs
Lowndes and Whincup reunite with 2006 Falcon
Perkins, Richards, Johnson, Brock legacies celebrated
Legendary drivers have been reunited with famous cars at Mount Panorama in a moment Jamie Whincup signified as a “special” moment for loyal Bathurst fans.
Six cars took to Mount Panorama in the first of two on-track demonstrations in celebration of the 60th anniversary of the Great Race in Bathurst.
Craig Lowndes took to the wheel of his 2006 race-winning Betta Electrical Ford Falcon for the first time in Bathurst since his emotional victory, taken just weeks after Peter Brock’s passing.
Lowndes won that race with Whincup, who reunited with ‘Kate’, the 2012 race-winning Team Vodafone Holden Commodore.
Cars rolled out for demo runs, with Lowndes delighting the crowd as he slid the Betta Ford around The Chase before passing the Brock Commodore at Hell Corner.
“Gary Bailey prepped the car, and he said the seat belts and everything inside this car is what Jamie and I drove in ’06,” Lowndes said.
“Jamie came up and we got a photo with this car because we broke the drought for Ford with this car.
“And also, it was that year, it was the ’06 year with Peter, it was a special moment. I'd rather start from sixth, because we started the race in ’06 from grid sixth!
"It’s special to showcase these cars and it’s great to see the cars still running around these days.”
Whincup added: “It’s a pretty special moment.
“We’re still in the rat race, we’re racing, we’re just head down trying to get a result.
“But it’s moments like these where we really need to think about what the sport’s about, what this place is all about.
“There’s plenty of people of here who have been here for 20, 30 years in a row. Hopefully this is special for them."
The famous family dynasties of Brock, Johnson and Richards were also celebrated. James Brock drove the 1986 Mobil 1 Commodore raced by stepfather Peter.
Jett Johnson steered the Greens-Tuf Group A Ford Mustang, which was driven by grandfather Dick in 1985.
Larry Perkins, meanwhile, drove the 1993 Castrol Holden Commodore he steered to victory with the late Gregg Hansford. The car was recently restored after a major project led by son Jack, who is racing this weekend in Supercars and Super2.
Five-time Bathurst winner Steven Richards also drove father Jim’s Nissan Skyline HR31, with Richards senior winning the 1990 Australian Touring Car Championship in the car.
“It certainly brings back a lot of memories,” Johnson added.
“This was an interim car for us, we were waiting for the Sierras.
“I’d like to thank Bill Pye to originally build the car back to where it should be, and for Terry Lawlor to bring it out here today is fabulous.
“[Jett] will probably learn something where it ain't as easy as it used to be! It’s a beautiful car and I'm sure he’ll enjoy it.”
The historic cars will return to the track for more laps ahead of Sunday’s Great Race.
