Hardie-Ferodo 1000 1974: The Goss-Bartlett-Falcon Tear Jerker

Generally, Karma doesn’t attend motor races, but every now and then…John Goss and Kevin Bartlett starred in Yellow Peril at Bathurst in 1973.

Starting from pole and were seemingly running away with the race until Max McLeod’s fabulous Ford Falcon XA GT351 Superbird was smote a blow by an inverted Torana in The Cutting starting a sequence of problems. By comparison, Holden’s Chivas Gate was a self-inflicted blow.

It all came good in 1974, when the same Hardtop, now in a blue hue, won a close race from fellow privateers, Bob Forbes/Wayne Negus and Kiwis Jim Richards/Rod Coppins aboard Holden LH Torana SL/R 5000 L34s.

Goss blazed the trail in his new spectacular, bellowing Group C Superbird throughout the ’73 ATCC suffering loads of the bottom end engine failures as the superior grip of wider tyres exposed the wet-sump shortcomings of his Clevelands.

Works-driver Allan Moffat raced his old-faithful XY GT-HO to an ATCC win, while Goss and Max McLeod showed-off the lines of the new XA Falcon to the punters.

Holden Dealer Team’s Peter Brock squeezed one more old-jigger victory when he took the ’74 ATCC, securing most of his points with the outgoing LJ Holden Torana GTR XU-1. 

By the start of the Manufacturers Championship the performance enhanced Torana SL/R 5000 L34 was in use. Colin Bond won on a wing-and-a-prayer in Adelaide, with Brock having similar bottom end problems to the Fords.

The quickie-fix, twin-electric pump boost system, used on the Fords was adopted by Harry Firth for his cars while CAMS turned a blind eye. Legalising dry-sumps would have been a cheaper fix.

When Allan Moffat’s Falcon GT Superbird won at Sandown, the traditional Bathurst warm-up, it was game on. Then perennial-baddie, Moffat, unveiled a brand new, lary, American built Brut 33 Hardtop a fortnight before the race. Fans around the country waved bye-bye to the boss for a week and headed to Mount Panorama to watch it all play out, a record 38,000 of ‘em!

Another layer of pathos was added when Gossy again saddled up with KB despite the Curl Curl Kid not being fully fit after a huge accident in the first round of the ’74 Tasman Cup at Pukekohe when Bartlett lost his Lola T330 Chev F5000 at high speed, breaking both legs.

While the field was chock full of all of the performance cars of the day, it was the outright battle that fascinated: three Falcons, faced off against twelve L34s.

Goss/Bartlett were third fastest of the Top-10, the rest were Holdens, seven L34s and a pair of venerable XU-1s. Brock was quickest, sharing with Brian Sampson, Bond second, Bob Skelton was his offsider. 

Come raceday, the early order was Bond, Brock, Jane, Moffat – off to a great start after an engine change ruined practice – Hunter, Goss, Richards, Forbes and Morris.

The HDT duo then drove into the distance. By lap 12, when Moffat made his first of many stops, only Goss, Richards, Forbes, Grice and Morris were on the same lap as the HDT amigos. Gricey’s bearing rattle on lap 19 was indicative of the L34 carnage to come. 

After 40 laps the order was Brock, Bond, Morris, Bartlett, Negus, Blanchard and Pollard – the latter fitted with a wet-sump John Sheppard built engine – McRae and Richards. 

There was rain at the top of the circuit by lap 62. Goss pitted, having driven all the way down the mountain with a ruined right-front tyre/wheel on the grass, then Bond’s car began to smoke, losing oil through a leaking sump and was black-flagged, but struggled on. 

Moffat’s troubled race came to an end when he was unable to find a gear, shortly after the crowd roared when Brock’s car belched smoke, a piston failed after electric oil pump breakage.

At this stage the Forbes/Negus L34 led, then Goss copped another puncture just as Jim Richards demonstrated the Rain-master skills which became his hallmark.

Goss got to within five seconds of Forbes then had to pit as he was perilously close to the maximum 3.5 hours each driver was allowed at the wheel.

Bartlett set off after Forbes in the final stint, that car had to pit for fuel, on lap 149 the Pit Straight crowd lit up as the blue Ford took a lead it never relinquished.

It was hardly cruise-and-collect in those conditions though and KB was under pressure from Forbes who got to within nine seconds of his fellow Sydneysider before a misfire decided the matter.

One of The Great Race’s greatest folks…

1974 HARDIE-FERODO 1000 results

Pos Drivers Team Car Margin

1 John Goss/Kevin Bartlett McLeod Ford Ford XA Falcon GT Hardtop 163

2 Bob Forbes/Wayne Negus Rob Forbes Holden LH Torana SL/R 5000 L34 163

3 Jim Richards/Rod Coppins R Coppins Holden LH Torana SL/R 5000 L34 158

4 Colin Bond/Bob Skelton Holden Dealer Team Holden LH Torana SL/R 5000 L34 156

5 Graeme Adams/Bob Stevens Shell Racing Holden LJ Torana GTR XU-1 155

6 Tony Farrell/Brian Reed Mazda Racing Team Mazda RX-3 152

7 Stewart McLeod/Doug Whiteford Datsun Racing Team Datsun 240K 152

8 Bernie Haehnle/Geoff Brabham WA Fisher Pty Ltd Mazda RX-3 151

9 Ray Gulson/David Crowther Ray Gulson Alfa Romeo 2000 GTV 151

10 Mel Mollison/Bruce Hindhaugh Bainbridge Motors Mazda RX-3 150

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