The Very Very Last of the Big Bangers

It is often recorded that the 1984 James Hardie 1000 was the final race for the old Group C racing cars in Australia, before we switched to International Group A regulations for 1985.

It was promoted as “The Last of the Big Bangers”.

What most people either forget – (or are completely unaware of) – is that the old cars did one more race after Bathurst, as a support race to the 1984 Australian Grand Prix at Calder Park in Melbourne.

It was held on the old Calder Park short course – and in fact, the lengthened version of the circuit wouldn’t exist for another three years.

This was the last non-Formula 1 Australian Grand Prix – with the race switching to Formula One in Adelaide in 1985.

The best part of this particular race, the final run of the old cars, was that I was there – all of 10 years old – for a special moment in history.

The very, very last of the big bangers.