Female Drivers at the Bathurst 1000

The Bathurst 1000 is Australia’s premier home-grown motorsport event. It began in 1960 as the Armstrong 500, and was actually held at Phillip Island for the first three years.

In 1963, it moved to its present home, as an endurance race for production touring cars, on sale in Australia. Until the mid-1960s, awards were strictly class-based, with no overall results published. Gradually, the rules were relaxed, with foreign-model cars permitted, and overseas drivers, raising its profile within international motorsport. Its length was increased to 1000 kilometres in 1973.

For a long time, the race stuck to its production-car origins. In 1985, it switched to Group A rules, and was part of the ITC global touring car championship in 1987, then in the early 1990s, it became open to cars running to Super Touring spec. This created a rift with the growing V8 Supercar championship, who, due to a TV broadcast agreement at odds with that of the original Bathurst 1000, created their own in 1997. The Australia 1000 ran alongside the original race for three years, before becoming part of the V8 Supercar championship in 2000.

Women drivers have raced in the event almost from the start, and were particularly numerous in the 1960s and 1970s. Christine Gibson (Cole) is the most prolific female starter, with nine attempts to her name. She also shares the best finish for a female driver with Marie-Claude Beaumont: sixth. The best finish for an all-female team is eleventh, achieved by the “Castrol Cougars”, Kerryn Brewer and Melinda Price, in 1998.

Following the inclusion of the 1000 into the V8 Supercar calendar, female participation has reduced drastically. In 2015, the first female entrants for six years were Simona de Silvestro and Renee Gracie.  

Phillip Island (race length: 500 miles)

Anne Bennett/Diane Leighton/Pam Murison (Simca Aronde) – 3^rd, Class C

Mount Panorama (race length: 500 miles)

Lorraine Hill/Warren Blomfield (Morris Elite) – 16^th, Class B

Lorraine Hill/Brian Reed (Hillman Imp) – 13^th, Class A

Jane Richardson/Midge Whiteman (Morris 1100S) – 36^th

Christine Gibson/Midge Whiteman (Morris Mini) – 41^st

Diane Dickson/Max Dickson (Ford Cortina) – 31^st

Sandra Bennett/Arthur Olsen (Morris Mini) – 36^th

Carole Corness/Ann Thompson (Morris Mini) – DNF

Christine Gibson/Lynne Keefe (Fiat 125) – DNF

Sandra Bennett/Christine Cole (Gibson) – (Holden LC Torana) – 13^th

Lynne Keefe/Arthur Olsen (Morris Mini Cooper S) – 36^th

Carole Corness/Gloria Taylor (Ford Escort MkI) – 42^nd

Jan Holland/Pat Peck (Holden LC Torana) – 29^th

Christine Gibson/Jan Holland (Holden LC Torana) – DNF

Pat Peck (Holden LC Torana) – DNF

Race length: 1000 kilometres

Caroline O’Shanesy/Peter Williamson (Morris Mini Cooper S) – 26^th

Christine Gibson/Sue Ransom (Alfa Romeo GTV 2000) – DNF

Pat Peck/Darrilyn Huitt (Holden LJ Torana) – DNF

Marie-Claude Beaumont/John Leffler (Alfa Romeo GTV 2000) – 6^th

Sue Ransom/Bill Brown (Ford Escort RS2000) – 11^th

Caroline O’Shanesy/David Booth (Morris Mini Cooper S) – 27^th

Marie-Claude Beaumont/Christine Gibson (Alfa Romeo Alfetta GTAm) – DNF

Caroline O’Shanesy/Garry Leggatt (Fiat 128 3P) – DNF

Sue Ransom/Russell Skaife (Ford Capri) – DNF

Janet Guthrie/Johnny Rutherford (Holden LX Torana) – DNF

Sue Ransom/Bill Brown (Ford Capri) – DNF

Robyn Hamilton/Ralph Radburn (Holden LX Torana) – DNF

Sue Ransom/Neville Bridges (Holden VB Commodore) – 22^nd

Alexandra Surplice/John Gates (Toyota Corolla) – 28^th

Christine Gibson/Joe Moore (Ford XD Falcon) – 6^th

Alexandra Surplice/Doug Clark (Toyota Corolla) – DNF

Christine Gibson/Bob Muir (Nissan Pulsar) – DNF

Alexandra Surplice/Bob Holden (Toyota Sprinter) – 26^th

Christine Gibson/Glenn Seton (Nissan Pulsar) – DNF

1987 (ITC)

Annette Meeuvissen/Mercedes Stermitz/Roland Ratzenberger (BMW M3) – DNF

Heather Spurle/Bob Jones (Holden VL Commodore) – 26^th

Melinda Price/Garry Jones/Andrew Reid (Toyota Corolla) – DNF

Jenni Thompson/Aaron McGill/Terry Skene (Ford Mondeo) – DNF

FAI Australia 1000 (race length: 1000km)

Melinda Price/Kerryn Brewer (Holden VS Commodore) – 12^th

Heidi O’Neil/Paula Elstrek/Damien Digby (Ford Mondeo) – DNF

Jenni Thompson/Mike Fitzgerald (Peugeot 405) – DNF

Melinda Price/Kerryn Brewer (Holden VS Commodore) – 11^th

Nicole Pretty/Nathan Pretty/Grant Johnson (Holden VS Commodore) - DNF

(race length: 500 miles)

Debbie Chapman/Dennis Chapman (BMW 320i) – 10^th

Jenni Thompson/Allan Letcher (BMW 318i) – 12^th

Leanne Ferrier (Tander)/Dean Canto (Ford Mondeo) – DNF

FAI Australia 1000 (race length: 1000 miles)

Melinda Price/Dean Lindstrom (Holden VS Commodore) – 17^th

Melinda Price/Dean Lindstrom (Holden VS Commodore) – 20^th

Leanne Ferrier/Paul Dumbrell (Holden VX Commodore) – DNF

Leanne Tander/David Wall (Ford BF Falcon) – 29^th

Renee Gracie/Simona de Silvestro (Ford FG X Falcon) – 21^st

(C. Gibson image copyright News Corp Australia)