Ghost Hunters (TV series) and Bathurst 1000: Difference between pages

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{{unreferenced|date=July 2008}}
{{Infobox Television

| show_name = Ghost Hunters
{{V8 supercar race
| image = [[Image:GHlogo.jpg]]
|Race_name = Supercheap Auto Bathurst 1000
| caption =
|Circuit_link = Mount Panorama Circuit
| format = [[Documentary]], [[Reality television]], [[Docudrama]]
|Circuit_name = Mount Panorama Circuit
| picture_format = [[480i]] ([[SDTV]])
|Race1_laps = 161
| runtime = 60 minutes (including commercials)
|Race1_distance = 1,000
| developer = Pilgrim Films and Television Inc.
|Race2_laps =
| executive_producer = Craig Piligian<br>Tom Thayer
|Race2_distance =
| starring = ''See [[#Investigators|Investigators]] below''
|Race3_laps =
| narrated = [[Mike Rowe (television host)|Mike Rowe]]
|Race3_distance =
| country = {{USA}}
|Last_race_year = 2008
| network = [[Sci Fi Channel (United States)|Sci Fi Channel]]
|Last_race_link = 2008 Supercheap Auto Bathurst 1000
| first_aired = [[October 6]], [[2004]]
|Winning_driver = [[Craig Lowndes]] / [[Jamie Whincup]]
| last_aired = present
|Winning_team = [[Triple Eight Race Engineering (V8 Supercars)|TeamVodafone]]
| num_episodes = 70 (as of October 1, 2008)
|Winning_manuf = Ford
| website = http://www.scifi.com/ghosthunters/
| imdb_id = 0426697
| tv_com_id = 7400
}}
}}
The '''Bathurst 1000''' (currently officially known as the '''[[Supercheap Auto]] Bathurst 1000''') is a {{convert|1000|km|mi|sing=on}} [[touring car racing|touring car]] race held annually at [[Mount Panorama Circuit]] in [[Bathurst, New South Wales]], [[Australia]]. Traditionally the race was run on the first Sunday in October, but more recently has moved to the second Sunday. The race traces its lineage back to a production car race held at [[Phillip Island Grand Prix Circuit|Phillip Island]] in [[1960]], called the [[1960 Armstrong 500|Armstrong 500]]. Since then 51 races have taken place under the combined history of two events at two venues in two states. It is known among fans and broadcasters as "The Great Race", and is widely regarded as the pinnacle of Australian motorsport.


The winners of the race receive the [[Peter Brock Trophy]], inaugurated at the 2006 race in honour of [[Peter Brock]] who, with nine Bathurst victories, remains the most successful driver in the history of the race.
:''For other uses of the name, see [[Ghosthunters (disambiguation)]].''
'''''Ghost Hunters''''' is a [[reality television]] series featuring [[Jason Hawes]] and [[Grant Wilson]], who work a [[day job]] as [[Roto-Rooter]] [[plumber]]s and investigate places that are reported to be [[ghosts|haunted]].


Since [[2000]], the race has been run exclusively for [[V8 Supercar]]s and is now a round of the V8 Supercar Championship Series.
The show debuted in October [[2004]] on the American [[Sci Fi channel (United States)|Sci-Fi Channel]]. It should not be confused with the original [[1996]] [[Inca Productions]] show ''[[Ghosthunters]]'' produced for the [[Discovery Channel]]. The format was sold to the US to become ''Ghost Hunters''. The only remaining link between the two shows is presenter [[Ian Cashmore]] who anchored the UK/Europe show. Cashmore piloted the U.S. show, but chose not to remain part of the US venture after he filmed the promos.


==Episode format==
==Mount Panorama==
{{mainarticle|Mount Panorama Circuit}}
The race starts and finishes at different points in front of the pits. The first turn, Hell Corner, is a left-hander which has claimed a few scalps at the start and after safety car intervention. Mountain Straight, a {{convert|255|km/h|mph|abbr=on}} gentle climb, leads into Griffin's Bend. Reid Park follows, a complex corner where many drivers spin after not shortshifting in the apex. The course continues down to Sulman Park and McPhillamy. Drivers cannot see the descending road but at {{convert|220|km/h|mph|abbr=on}} enter Skyline and the Dipper, one of the best corners in Australian Motorsport. Cars then negotiate Forrest Elbow, the slowest part of the track, before powering down Conrod Straight, which at plus {{convert|300|km/h|mph|abbr=on}} is the fastest section of the track. The Chase is a long sweeping type chicane where cars are on the limiter and at the same time braking to exit at {{convert|130|km/h|mph|abbr=on}}. Murrays is the 17th and final turn, on to the start/finish straight.


==Race history==
Jason Hawes and Grant Wilson, along with other team members who belong to the group they founded, [[The Atlantic Paranormal Society]] (TAPS), investigate locations of interest by using electronic equipment which they believe is capable of detecting [[paranormal]] activity. TAPS' equipment includes digital thermometers, EMF ([[electromagnetic field]]) scanners, [[infrared]] and [[night vision]] cameras, handheld digital video cameras, digital audio recorders, and [[laptop]] computers.
[[Image:Bathurst Racktrack Holden Corner.jpg|thumb|right| The first corner of Mount Panorama, known as Hell Corner]]
[[Image:Bathurst 1000 mount panorama.PNG|thumb|Map of the circuit]]


The race has a long and colourful history, having been conducted for numerous categories such as [[Production car racing|Series Production]], [[Group C (Australia)|Group C]], [[Group A]], [[Super Touring]] and currently [[V8 Supercar]] category.
Other gear not typically shown on screen are an [[Ion|Ion Generator]] — a device that charges the air with electricity and theorized to help spirits manifest, and the [[White noise machine|White Noise Generator]] — an audio device that makes a static background noise and theorized to act as a catalyst for assisting entities in making [[electronic voice phenomenon|EVPs]].<ref>[http://www.scifi.com/GhostHunters "Steve's Gear Guide" Video Blog on SciFi.com]</ref>


Although the Bathurst 1000 is today run by just two marques, [[Ford Motor Company|Ford]] and [[Holden]], makes as diverse as [[Morris Motor Company|Morris]], [[Jaguar (car)|Jaguar]], [[BMW]], [[Nissan Motors|Nissan]] and [[Volvo Cars|Volvo]] have also tasted success at "The Mountain". Holden has the most victories at Bathurst with 25 wins, while Ford has 16 (or 17 if including the victory from the 1962 Phillip Island event).
The team has also experimented, in at least one episode, with a [[geiger counter]] during their investigation to see if it would register any anomalous readings. In more recent episodes, the team has used the K-II EMF detector<ref>[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ArzVZ11yXsQ K-II meter modification demo]</ref> which uses a series of [[LED]]s to meter the strength of an energy field instead of a numerical [[LCD]]. During the Manson Murders investigation in particular, the team used a K-II meter in an attempt to get "yes" and "no" responses to verbal questions posed to a supposed entity in a room.


===Early years===
When investigating a location, TAPS team members first survey the property with its owners, who describe their experiences at the site. Next, the team sets up electronic equipment in the apparent paranormal "hot spots." The TAPS team then spends several hours taking EMF and temperature readings, recording audio for EVPs, and filming with digital video cameras. Many times, they will even try to verbally coax the "ghosts" into responding, while recording. Afterwards, the team spends several hours analyzing all of the data for signs of possible paranormal activity.
The Armstrong 500, the event that would become the Hardie Ferodo 500/1000 and later the Bathurst 1000, was first held on [[20 November]] [[1960]] at [[Phillip Island (Victoria)|Phillip Island]] in [[Victoria (Australia)|Victoria]] over a {{convert|500|mi|km|sing=on}} distance in order to test and determine which car had the best combination of speed, performance, reliability and consistency. It was also acted as a sponsoring tool for Armstrong, to test the durability of products they made at the time, such as shock absorbers. Entry was limited to standard production [[sedan (car)|saloons]] built or assembled in Australia and the cars could not be modified in any way. The race was won by Frank Coad and John Roxburgh in a [[Vauxhall Cresta]], the only Vauxhall in a field of 45 cars.


In 1963, the race moved to the {{convert|6.2|km|mi|sing=on}} [[Mount Panorama]] track at [[Bathurst, New South Wales|Bathurst]] in [[New South Wales]] (Australia), after the [[Phillip Island (Victoria)|Phillip Island]] track’s surface had broken up and became unsuitable for safe production car racing after only just three years. However the production car endurance event now held at Bathurst kept the Armstrong 500 name. The race's popularity grew rapidly, as it became a means for car manufacturers to showcase their products as the cars on the track, which according to the rules, the cars that were raced had to be and thus were identical to those available in the showrooms of Australia. The first years on Mount Panorama were dominated by small cars, such as the Ford Cortina GT 500 and Mini Cooper. Later Ford's development and introduction of the 289 cubic inch V8 [[Falcon]] GT signaled the end of these small cars as outright contenders. The V8 Falcon claimed a surprise victory against the smaller Alfa GTV's and Mini Cooper's, as the Falcon GT was unproven and the Alfa's were picking up from where the Mini's left off, with the new GTV highly regarded as the new emerging force in touring cars. The Falcon GT won however due to the fact that the GT's V8 power was well suited and second to none on Mount Panorama, particularly on its long uphill and downhill straights. This led to the birth of the widely accepted adage stating that "there is no substitute for cubic inches on the Mountain", which would become synomous and change the face of racing at Bathurst forever.
A few days after reviewing the information, Hawes and Wilson discuss their findings with the location site owners, offer suggestions for dealing with any apparent activity, and answer any questions the owners may have.


The popularity of the race continued to grow so rapidly during the 1960s that by 1966 most major manufacturers operating in the Australian market became heavily involved in what became known as "the Great Race". This is because an outright win in the long and tough race would add great credibility to the car and its brand, especially in proving that the winning car-brand offered the best overall package in terms of performance, durability, reliability and image. This proved to be a great marketing opportunity to increase sales and market share in the local market, and so the famous "Win on Sunday, Sell on Monday" concept was born. Notably, it was during this period that the famous Holden-Ford-Chrysler rivalry originated. This Series Production battleground between the "Big Three" was fought at Bathurst, and soon spawned the introduction and development of Australia's most famous muscle cars which became affectingly known as "Bathurst specials". These included Ford's Falcon GT and later GT-HO, Holden's Monaro and Torana, and Chrysler’s Pacer and Charger models.
Since the show began airing, TAPS has recorded thousands of hours of audio and video data. Most investigations, according to TAPS, turn up cold with very little, if any, paranormal activity occurring. The ghost hunters claim to have several good recordings of strange mists, odd lights, moving objects, and shadowy figures that manifest before the camera and disappear quickly - all highlighted at the end of the show.


For 1968, the Great Race at Bathurst became the Hardie-Ferodo (H-F) 500, and in response to Ford's successful 1967 Bathurst victory in a V8-powered Falcon GT, Holden entered the all new Monaro GTS. It was based largely on the HK-model four-door Kingswood family car at the time, yet was developed as a high-performance two-door, V8 coupe' that was fun and affordable to drive, whilst being engineered with the ability to win Bathurst. The Bathurst-bound Monaro GTS 327 had a 327 cubic inch Chevrolet-sourced V8 (as the 'GTS 327' name implies) which enabled the new hi-po coupe' to outperform the updated yet comparatively smaller engined 302 cubic inch Falcon GT's, and in the process the Monaro claimed a popular maiden victory on its debut as well as Holden's first ever Bathurst win.
TAPS does not believe every piece of evidence gathered is proof of the [[paranormal]]. To lend credibility to their investigations, the team tries to [[debunk]] what they find and look for reasonable explanations for things such as "cold spots" (that may be drafty windows), "moving objects" (that may have been accidentally bumped or tugged), "phantom lights" (that may be reflections of light from a passing vehicle), and "strange noises" (that may be a thumping branch or vermin in the walls).


For the following year, the 1969 H-F 500 saw the first of the three Ford Falcon GT-HO's. This Phase One GT-HO Bathurst special Falcon was powered with a 351 cubic inch V8 sourced from FoMoCo in the US, and with its 'HO' option included upgraded suspension and handling including front/rear stabilser bars and special race tyres. Holden on the other hand upgraded the GTS 327 Monaro to the GTS 350, which included better race-style handling and a more powerful Chevrolet V8 engine of 350 cubic inches. The new GTS 350 Monaro, at the hands of Colin Bond, was once again able to hold out Ford to claim another famous victory for [[Holden]], after the Phase One's special tyres failed under the Falcon's heavy weight and great V8 power. This race also saw the debut of Peter Brock, who would soon forge his own piece of history in the Great Race as 'King of the Mountain'. Brock and Bond were drivers for the Holden Dealer Team (HDT), which had been formed earlier in the year to take the fight to the factory Ford Special Vehicles division that was turning out the ever-evolving, race-ready GT-HO Falcons. The 'Old Fox' Harry Firth was the head of the HDT and would prove to be just as much as a thorn in Ford's side as he had been the founding father for Ford's Bathurst-bred Cortina/Falcon program.
In addition to the investigative aspect, the show highlights personal conflicts and relationships among members of the TAPS team, which may be why the Sci-Fi Channel categorizes the show as a [[docu-soap]]. In earlier episodes, part of the hour showed Jason and Grant during their plumbing job or personal lives but that has diminished since then. Jason and Grant are Executive Producers of "Ghost Hunters" now. Since their departure as plumbers for Roto-Rooter, they are spokesmen for the company, and use the equipment to advertise their sponsors.


1970 saw a change of pace as Holden decided to retire the well-proven V8 powered Monaro in favour of the smaller and more nimble [[Torana]] GTR XU-1, which was a specially developed Bathurst version of the new and popular six-cylinder Torana mid-size car. Rather than continue the V8-power war with Ford, Holden adopted a more scientific and viable approach that would prove to be safer, cheaper and just as effective and fast as the GT-HO V8 steam roller. With triple carburetors and excellent power-to-weight ratio, the new Torana XU-1 was designed to be easier on brakes, tyres and fuel to enable it to minimise its required pit stops, whilst also having superior handling and braking to outperform the big and thirsty V8 Falcon GT-HO's. However, Ford refined the GT-HO to Phase Two specification, which included an even more powerful and better breathing 351 V8 and better-suited tyres. With so much power and torque, the GT-HO further proved the old "there is no substitute for cubic inches on the Mountain" saying by winning the 1970 H-F 500 as the small yet mighty Torana just could not compensate for the major power advantage that the Phase Two's had on the Bathurst straights.
==Success and growth==


The 1971 was a repeat Ford victory, which notably included the GT-HO development program had reached its peak with the XY-model Falcon GT-HO Phase Three with further upgrades to engine power and aerodynamics, which proved to be the world’s fastest four-door production car. Chrysler also introduced its racy new two-door Charger to raise the stakes in the Great Race, and was powered by a triple Weber-carbureted inline HEMI six similar to the engine layout of the Torana XU-1. The Charger however was Australia’s fastest accelerating car at the time.
''Ghost Hunters'' has garnered some of the highest ratings of any Sci-Fi Channel network programming.<ref>[http://www.thefutoncritic.com/pr.aspx?id=20051020scifi0 SciFi Network Ratings Release]</ref> From the start, the show has found an audience for its mix of paranormal investigation and interpersonal drama. It has since been syndicated on [[NBC Universal]] sister network [[Oxygen (TV network)|Oxygen]].


1972 was the ‘year of pressure’. For one, the media-driven “Supercar Scare” had accumulated enough political pressure to force Holden to postpone its introduction of the new V8 Torana by two years. Ford abandoned its newly developed Phase Four GT-HO based on the new XA-model Falcon, while Chrysler also followed suit with its V8-powered Charger. Secondly, the 1972 H-F 500 was the first Great Race to be run in wet weather. Allan Moffat, who had won the H-F 500 the previous two years in a row, was unable to withstand the immense pressure placed on him by Brock in his XU-1, in which the Torana proved more than a match for the ultimate Phase Three GT-HO in the atrocious conditions. Moffat, unable to fully exploit the Phase Three’s V8 power, spun early in the race after been challenged furiously by Brock’s superbly-handling XU-1, and never really recovered. Brock meanwhile was able to hold off the Phase Three GT-HO of John French and the E49 Charger of Doug Chivas to win the 1972 H-F 500, thus dispelling the ‘no substitute for cubic inches’ theory as a myth. At the wheel of the new, upgraded LJ-model Torana GTR XU-1, Peter Brock had successfully exploited the car to its maximum effect to claim a highly significant and famous Bathurst victory. This is due to a number of reasons, the first being that it proved to be Brock’s first of nine Bathurst wins which would enable him to become the “King of the Mountain” and become known as “Peter Perfect”. It also signaled the first Bathurst victory for a six-cylinder engined car, which was an achievement that would not be repeated again until the maiden Bathurst win of the Nissan Skyline GT-R ‘Godzilla’ much later in 1991. Finally, it also began the Torana legend which would enable this innovative and unique muscle car to become one of Australia’s most successful touring cars ever.
In the early shows, TAPS was headquartered in a trailer located behind Jason Hawes' house, and they drove one white van to investigations. Within one season, they had moved the entire operation to a storefront in downtown [[Warwick, Rhode Island|Warwick, RI]], and acquired several new TAPS vehicles equipped with surveillance instrumentation.


===Group C era===
In addition to their successful television venture, TAPS operates a website where they share their stories, photographs, and [[ghost hunting]] videos with an ever-growing membership list. Because of the popularity of the show, TAPS cast members have signed contracts with at least two talent agencies, Escape Artistry and GP Entertainment, to manage their appearances at lectures, conferences and public events.
In 1973, the race distance was changed from {{convert|500|mi|km}} to 1,000 kilometres as Australia shifted towards the adoption of the [[metric system]]. That same year, a new rule was implemented allowing modifications to be made to the cars, which meant that the Series Production racing category became replaced by the new Group C category. Holden and Chrysler entered their XU-1 and Charger respectively, while Ford entered its new XA-model two-door, hard-top [[Falcon]] GT. This was not a GT-HO Phase Four officially, yet most hard-top GT’s that raced incorporated many of the Phase Four’s components such as the specially built four-bolt 351 V8 engine. Brock and teammate Chivas were far out front in the lead and on track to score yet another victory for Holden’s ‘pocket rocket’ Torana XU-1, only to be beaten by Moffat’s hard-top GT after Chivas at the wheel of the XU-1 ran out of fuel. This was due to a miscalculation that originated from a broken fuel gauge and the team order to get maximum laps out of the little XU-1 before pitting. The XU-1 came to a halt just before pit straight, with Chivas pushing the XU-1 into the pits unable to be assisted by his pit-crew which under the rules would have resulted in the Brock/Chivas XU-1 being disqualified. By the time the XU-1 was refueled, Moffat had passed the stricken XU-1 and was gaining a sizable lead. After being released from pitlane, Brock set off in hot pursuit of the Moffat's Falcon GT. But Brock’s heroic effort, equal to that of Chivas’ pit-lane adventure, proved too little, too late. Brock’s XU-1 suffered a deflating tyre, thus enabling Moffat to hold on and claim yet another Falcon victory, his third in only four years. 1973 would also be the last competitive appearance for Chrysler, with the marque soon disappearing from the Group C category almost entirely.


For the remainder of the 1970’s, Holden’s new 308 cubic inch V8-powered Torana's would score Bathurst victory another four times in 1975/76/78/79, and Ford’s venerable 351 V8-powered Falcon GT’s taking out the two remaining Bathurst wins in the rain-soaked 1974 H-F 1000, and its famous 1-2 form finish in 1977. Group C would also see in the new decade, but would soon be replaced by the new International Group A Touring car rules in 1985. Till then, Holden and Ford dominated the Great race and shared victories between them. However, both Australian manufacturers were facing increased foreign competition, notably from the new Mazda RX-7 that was adopted and affectionally raced by Moffat, and Kevin Bartlett's 350 V8 powered Chevrolet Camaro. The turbo powered Nissan Bluebird piloted by George Fury also threatened the V8 'Big Bangers', and signialled a sign of things to come during the soon-to-be-adopted Group A era. During the 1980’s the Group C category was dominated by Peter Brock, having scored victories in 1980/82/83/84. Dick Johnson was the only winner for Ford during the 1980’s, with a victory in 1981 whilst at the wheel of the all-new XD-model Falcon. Ultimately, Peter Brock would prove to be the ace of the Group C era, by having achieved an incredible two Bathurst hat-tricks (three consecutive Bathurst wins twice) while at the wheel of both the Holden Torana and soon-to-be-released all new Commodore, in 1978-1980 and again in 1982-1984.
In addition to the success of the television show, TAPS have ventured into the venue of radio broadcast hosting a 3 hour weekly show called "''Beyond Reality''". New episodes are broadcast every Saturday from 7 - 10pm EST, though sometimes may skip a week with possibilities of the hosts being busy with other ventures. The radio show goes into topics in a vast array of areas such as cryptozoology, spiritualism, UFO's, and ghosts. The show is hosted by Grant Wilson & Jason Hawes and includes guest appearances from other TAPS members and special guests like John Zaffis, Rosemary Ellen Guiley, Chris Fleming and others which specialize in certain fields.


==Criticism==
===Group A era===
{{POV-section|date=December 2007}}
''Ghost Hunters'' has attracted various critics and skeptics, such as [[Joe Nickell]] who has criticised their methodology in the Skeptical Inquirer. Many other authors, such as Joe Nickell and Lynne Kelly<ref>Kelly, Lynne, The Skeptic's Guide to the Paranormal, Basic Books 2005, ISBN 978-1560257110</ref> question the scientific validity of the investigations conducted by the TAPS team, its methodology, and particularly its use of instrumentation, as there is no scientifically-proven link between the existence of ghosts and (for example) cold spots or electromagnetic fields (which Hawes and Wilson say are not necessarily paranormal). As Grant and Jason say "If you set out to prove a haunting, anything will seem like evidence. If you set out to disprove it, you will end up with only those things you cant explain away.".<ref>{{cite web | url = http://www.csicop.org/specialarticles/shady-science.html | title = Reality Check: ''Ghost Hunters'' and ‘Ghost Detectors’ | accessdate = 2007-03-22 | last = Radford | first = Benjamin | date = [[2004-11-12]] | publisher = [[Committee for Skeptical Inquiry]] }}</ref> Others, such as Allison Smith contend that the show's claimed evidence of the paranormal could be easily hoaxed<ref>{{cite news | first = Alison | last = Smith | title = TAPS vs. SAPS: The Atlantic Paranormal Society meets the Skeptical Analysis of the Paranormal Society | url = http://www.skeptic.com/eskeptic/06-08-10.html | work = eSkeptic | publisher = [[The Skeptics Society]] | id = {{ISSN|1556-5696}} | date = [[2006-08-10]] | accessdate = 2007-03-22 }}</ref>. With each new season, critics of ''Ghost Hunters'' continue to publish skeptical analysis and theories on the Internet, often employing frame-by-frame analysis of episode footage which they believe debunks the show's findings. <ref>{{cite news | first = Alison | last = Smith | title = TAPS vs. SAPS: The Atlantic Paranormal Society meets the Skeptical Analysis of the Paranormal Society | url = http://www.skeptic.com/eskeptic/06-08-10.html | work = eSkeptic | publisher = [[The Skeptics Society]] | id = {{ISSN|1556-5696}} | date = [[2006-08-10]] | accessdate = 2007-03-22 }}</ref>
From 1985 to 1992, the Great Race was run under international [[Group A]] touring car rules. Imported turbocharged cars, most notably [[Ford Sierra]]s and Nissan [[Skyline]] GT-R, dominated the racing during this period, with the [[Holden Commodore]] managing to claim three unlikely wins during this era. Under the new Group A rules, local race teams in Australia could now compete against foreign racing teams and cars, both domestically and overseas. Holden-based race teams would continue to develop and race the 308 cubic inch V8-powered Commodore, with the HDT and later the Holden Racing Team (HRT) being at the forefront of the Commodores Group A development and race program. Ford-based teams however had almost no factory support from Ford Australia, and without this vital financial and technical assistance, the development program of a competitive Group A [[Ford Falcon]] never really eventuated. As a result Ford teams, such as Dick Johnson Racing, quickly switched from V8 Falcon to the US-sourced V8 [[Ford Mustang|Mustang]] for Group A racing. This was later followed by the adoption of the extremely powerful Cosworth-turbo Ford Sierras, which were race-developed and available directly from Europe.


1985 would be the first year of the Bathurst 1000 being raced under Group A rules. This race was
==Spinoff series==
dominated by [[Tom Walkinshaw Racing]]'s V12 [[Jaguar XJ-S]], with [[John Goss (race driver)|John Goss]] and [[Armin Hahne]] claiming Jaguar's first and only Bathurst win. The following year, the Group A VK-model Commodore V8 of privateer racer Allan Grice claimed the Bathurst honours, after enjoying an exciting racing campaign in Europe, alongside other Commodore drivers Peter Brock and his newly recruited team mate, Allan Moffat, of the HDT.
===''Ghost Hunters International''===
{{see main|Ghost Hunters International}}
A spin off series which premiered Wednesday, [[January 9]], [[2008]] and features investigators Robb Demarest, Shannon Sylvia, Barry Fitzgerald (who appeared in the Summer 2007 Ireland episodes of ''Ghost Hunters''), Andy Andrews, [[Brian Harnois]], and Donna La Croix.<ref>[http://www.the-atlantic-paranormal-society.com/abouttaps/members.html Current list of TAPS members]</ref> The format is similar to ''Ghost Hunters'' but features investigations in various locations around the world. In mid season one, Donna, Brian and Shannon have departed the show and have been replaced by Dustin Pari and newcomer Brandy Green.


In 1987, the race was a round of the short-lived [[1987 World Touring Car Championship season|World Touring Car Championship]], and competitors in that championship raced against local teams. The resulting culture clash was considerable; local scrutineers, who had been applying the Group A regulations as written, repeatedly disagreed with European teams (notably that of Rudi Eggenberger) and the global organising body ([[Fédération Internationale du Sport Automobile|FISA]], the ancestor of the [[FIA]]) that were considerably more liberal with their interpretations. With the race run, it was still unclear as to who actually won. Although the Eggenberger's cars finished 1st and 2nd, they were soon to be disqualified months later due to bodywork irregularities. The race win was eventually awarded to third-placed Peter Brock, who drove two of his VL-model Group A Commodore's in wet conditions to ultimately claim a ninth and final Bathurst victory. During the race, Brock's number '05' HDT Commodore had broken down during the race, and he switched to his back-up number '10' Commodore to finish third behind the two Eggenberger Sierras.
===''UFO Hunters''===
{{see main|UFO Hunters (Sci Fi Channel)}}
''Ghost Hunters'' producers Craig Pilligan and Tom Thayer released another paranormal investigation series titled ''UFO Hunters'' which first aired on [[January 30]], [[2008]], however the show only aired one episode and the series appears to have been shelved for the time being. The show followed New York Strange Phenomena Investigators (NY-SPI) co-founders Oliver Kemenczky and Ted Davis, along with paranormal researcher Dennis Anderson, as they investigate claims of alien encounters and UFO sightings. The format was similar to ''Ghost Hunters'' with most of the program dedicated to the investigation and wrapped up with a review of findings and evidence that was gathered.<ref>[http://www.scifi.com/ufohunters/ "UFO Hunters" on scifi.com]</ref> This series should not be confused with the [[UFO Hunters (The History Channel)|History Channel series]] with the same name.


Local Sierra teams dominated and won the next two Bathurst 1000s, in 1988 and 1989. In 1990 however, the Sierra's were again looking strong but lost what seemed like a seemingly unloseable race to the HRT [[Holden Commodore]] of Allan Grice and Win Percy. The winning VL-model 'SS Group A Walkinshaw' Commodore was able to set a fast pace early on in the race which the turbo Sierra's could not maintain, due to the high turbo boost pressures that gave the Sierra's maximum power, but resulted in extreme engine heat that hindered engine reliability. The HRT's cunning strategy had claimed a popular and long-awaited Bathurst victory for Holden, after three seasons of Sierra domination.
==Investigators==
{{seealso|The Atlantic Paranormal Society#Known members (present)}}
*[[Jason Hawes]] - Producer, Lead Investigator/TAPS Founder
*[[Grant Wilson]] - Producer, Lead Investigator/TAPS Co-founder
*[[Steve Gonsalves]] - Technical Manager/Evidence Analyst
*Dave Tango - Investigator/Evidence Analyst
*Kris Williams - Investigator/Evidence Analyst/Historical Researcher/Case Manager
*Heather Drolet - Investigator/Case Manager
*Mike Dion - Investigator/Director
*Kristyn Gartland - Investigator/Case Manager
*Jen Rossi - Investigator
*Joe Chin - Investigator-in-training
*Dustin Pari- Investigator/Film tech


However a new and much more fiercer opponent was awaiting both cars. Also in 1990, [[Nissan]] and team manager [[Fred Gibson]], had previously been running and developing its [[Nissan Skyline|Skylines]] in Australian touring car competition for a few years, and that year introduced its new R32 [[four-wheel drive]] [[Nissan Skyline GT-R|GT-R]]. While it suffered from mechnical problems in the 1990 race, the R32 GT-R Skyline went on to win both the 1991 and 1992 races and dominated Group A racing worldwide, earning its nickname 'Godzilla'. With four-wheel-drive, four-wheel-steer, and a devastatingly powerful turbo 2.6 litre six cylinder engine producing almost 600 horsepower, the RWD Sierra's and Commodore's simply could not equal or compensate for the Skyline's superior handling and power output.
==Credited Crew==


The Skyline's 1992 victory was particularly controversial. Already disliked by the local and parochial Bathurst crowd, who preferred the race to be a contest between the traditional V8 touring car marques of [[Holden]] and [[Ford]], the leading Skyline of [[Jim Richards (race driver)|Jim Richards]] and [[Mark Skaife]] was awarded victory after the race was abandoned following a huge rainstorm that caused a number of crashes, including that of the winning car. Dick Johnson in his Ford Sierra took the lead, but the race was red-flagged before he could complete a full lap that was required to claim the win. As Richards had been leading the race in the last lap prior to the cancellation of the event, his team was declared the winner (as is usual practice in a race cancellation). However, disappointed by the news that the Skyline had won despite the car having crashed on the cancelled lap and left immobile, this was an unpopular decision with many race fans, who voiced their opinions loudly. Race winners [[Mark Skaife]] and [[Jim Richards]] were met with a large booing crowd on the winner's podium, prompting Richards to proclaim to the crowd "In all my years racing in Australia I've never seen anything like this. You're a pack of arseholes".
*[[Jason Hawes]] - Producer, Lead Investigator/TAPS Founder
*[[Grant Wilson]] - Producer, Lead Investigator/TAPS Co-founder
*Craig Piligian - Executive Producer
*Tom Thayer - Executive Producer
*Rob Katz - Co-Executive Producer


===V8 Supercar/ 2-litre Super Tourer era===
==List of ''Ghost Hunters'' episodes==
Group A as an international formula had ceased to exist at the end of 1988, and over the next few years all the major national touring car championships had dropped these regulations for something new. CAMS had originally planned to replace Group A at the end of 1991, but this was pushed back to the end of 1992 as they awaited FISA's new set of touring car regulations. These were very long in coming, and were unlikely to prove favourable (if they even fell within the regulations) for big engined cars, and it was decided that for 1993 Australia would go their own way (thanks to threats from Ford, Holden, ATCC sponsor Shell and ATCC & Bathurst broadcaster Channel 7, a new set of touring car regulations would be created that would later be renamed to [[V8 Supercar|V8Supercar]], with entry limited to only [[V8]]-powered [[Ford Falcon (Australia)|Ford Falcon]]s and [[Holden Commodore]]s (with one exception for 1993 only; weight limited normally aspirated Group A cars like the [[BMW M3]] run by the works BMW team run by Tony Longhurst & Frank Gardner. The new set of regulations also featured a second class for 2-litre cars, based on the BTCC's regulations of the time. This class banned turbocharging along with four-wheel-drive, and effectively banned Nissan's GT-R from competition. Almost immediately, Nissan pulled out of Australian motorsport, though for 12 months after were investigating running cars in the 2 litre class, but this eventually came to nothing.
===Season One===

In 1994, the 2-litre [[Super Touring]] championship split off by itself (away from the ATCC), though these cars ran at Bathurst that year alongside the V8s, with a top placing of 10th outright for the works BMW of Paul Morris/Altfrid Heger. In 1995, however, due to fears about the speed differences between the V8s and the 2 litre cars, the Bathurst 1000 for the first time in its history became a one-class race, with just 32 Ford and Holden V8's facing the starter in what was at the time the smallest grid in the history of the race. This format continued in 1996

In 1997, TEGA (who had been awarded the rights to market V8 touring cars by CAMS back in 1994) did a deal with IMG for market the class (newly renamed by them as V8Supercars). One of the first steps the new joint venture company did (called AVESCO) was sign a new TV deal with the TEN Network in Australia for a much expanded coverage of the championship over previous years. This was fine for the ATCC races, but the Bathurst 1000, run by the ARDC, had a TV deal with Channel 7 (who had televised the race since in its inception at Bathurst in 1963) going forward into the 21st century. It was a stalemate, Channel 7 were not prepared to lose the race, and AVESCO, with a freshly signed TV deal with the TEN Network which required a Bathurst race to be part of the deal, not prepared to go to Bathurst with TEN.

Despite talks, a resolution was not met, AVESCO announced V8Supercars would not be competing in the traditional Bathurst 1000 held on the October long weekend, leaving the organisers without an entry field for the 1997 race. TOCA Australia filled the void with a 2-litre Super Touring field, featuring a number of [[British Touring Car Championship]] drivers including [[Alain Menu]], [[John Cleland]] and [[Rickard Rydell]]. The race was won by [[Paul Morris]] and [[Craig Baird]] in a [[BMW 3 Series|BMW 320i]] run by BMW Motorsport Australia, however this team was disqualified as Baird had violated a race rule prohibiting drivers from driving more than 210 consecutive minutes in any one stint. The race was awarded to teammates [[David Brabham|David]] and [[Geoff Brabham]].

This format continued for 1998, with [[Jim Richards (race driver)|Jim Richards]] winning his 7th Bathurst 1000 in a [[Volvo S40]], beating his son [[Steven Richards|Steven]] in a [[Nissan Primera]].

In 1997 and 1998, the "Australian 1000 Classic" was run for V8Supercars. The 1997 edition was called the "Primus 1000 Classic" and held two weeks after the traditional race, whilst the 1998 "FAI 1000 Classic" was held in mid-November. Both races claimed to be the legitimate Bathurst 1000; the V8 Supercars' case was that they were the only truly Australian class of racing and the more popular of the two, while the Super Touring race was the official "Bathurst 1000" and was held on the traditional date of the first Sunday in October.

The fans voted with their feet and, due to a reducing number of competitors and spectators, the Super Touring class disappeared from Bathurst competition in 1999 and the race became exclusively for V8 Supercars.

==Previous names==
The race has changed names several times over the years to reflect [[naming rights]] sponsorship, and the change in race distance from 500 [[mile]]s to 1000 [[kilometre]]s (approx. 621 miles).

*Armstrong 500 (1960-1965)
*[[Gallaher Group|Gallaher]] 500 (1966-1967)
*[[Ferodo|Hardie-Ferodo]] 500 (1968-1972)
*Hardie-Ferodo 1000 (1973-1980)
*[[James Hardie]] 1000 (1981-1987)
*[[Tooheys]] 1000 (1988-1995)
*[[AMP Limited|AMP]] Bathurst 1000 (1996-1998)
*[[Primus Telecom|Primus]] 1000 Classic (1997*)
*FAI 1000 Classic (1998*-2000)
*V8 Supercar 1000 (2001)
*[[Bob Jane#Bob Jane T-Marts|Bob Jane T-Marts]] 1000 (2002-2004)
*[[Supercheap Auto]] 1000 (2005-present)

''*Denotes V8 Supercar "Classic" event''

==Famous winners==
The most successful driver at Bathurst is [[Peter Brock]], whose nine victories (1972, 1975, 1978-80, 1982-84 and 1987) earned him the nickname ''King of the Mountain''.

[[Jim Richards (race driver)|Jim Richards]] has won the race seven times (1978-80, 1991-92, 1998 and 2002) and also holds the record for the most starts (35) at this event. [[Larry Perkins]] is the third most successful driver at Bathurst, with six victories (1982-84, 1993, 1995 and 1997). Both Richards and Perkins have shared some of their victories as co-drivers with Brock.

[[Mark Skaife]] has won five times, his first was in 1991, with a [[Nissan Skyline GT-R]]. He also won in 1992 in the same car, and in 2001,2002 and 2005 in a [[Holden Commodore]]. He's been rated as the #1 driver of the V8 Supercar era in front of [[Marcos Ambrose]] and [[Craig Lowndes]].

[[Canada|Canadian]]-born [[Allan Moffat]] is considered by many to be Ford's greatest Bathurst driver, winning the race four times (1970, 1971, 1973 and 1977). The 1977 race saw Moffat and team-mate [[Colin Bond]] cross the finish line side by side after opening up an indomitable lead in the early laps.

[[New Zealand]]-born [[Greg Murphy]] has won 4 times (1996, 1999, 2003, 2004).

[[Dick Johnson (Australian auto racing)|Dick Johnson]] first rose to fame during the 1980 race when his privately-entered Ford Falcon hit a rock that had fallen (or been pushed; the subject is still debated to this day) onto the track. Thanks to public donations of over [[Australian dollar|AU$]]70,000 - and a matching donation from [[Ford Motor Company]] - Johnson was able to rebuild his car and win the Bathurst race the following year. He went on to win twice more, in 1989 and 1994.

==List of winners==
===Race winners===
{| class="wikitable"
{| class="wikitable"
!colspan="5"|Phillip Island (500 Miles)
|- style="background-color:#DC143C; color:#FFFFFF;"
|'''Ep#'''
|'''Original Airdate'''
|'''Episode Title'''
|'''Investigation'''
|-
|-
|[[1960 Armstrong 500|1960]]||{{flagicon|Australia}} John Roxburgh / {{flagicon|Australia}} Frank Coad||[[Vauxhall Motors|Vauxhall]] [[Vauxhall Cresta|Cresta]]||167 laps / 8h 19m 99.1s
|101
|[[October 6]] [[2004]]
|Altoona Tantrum
|[[Altoona, Pennsylvania|Altoona, PA]] - private home
|-
|-
|[[1961 Armstrong 500|1961]]||{{flagicon|Australia}} [[Bob Jane]] / {{flagicon|Australia}} [[Harry Firth]]||[[Mercedes-Benz]] [[Mercedes-Benz W111|220SE]]||167 laps / 8h 18m 0.0s
|102
|[[October 13]] [[2004]]
|Mishler Theatre
|[[Altoona, Pennsylvania|Altoona, PA]] - [[Mishler Theatre]] and [[Railroaders Memorial Museum|Railroad Museum]]
|-
|-
|[[1962 Armstrong 500|1962]]||{{flagicon|Australia}} [[Harry Firth]] / {{flagicon|Australia}} [[Bob Jane]]||[[Ford Falcon (Australia)#XL|Ford XL Falcon]]||167 laps / 8h 15m 16.0s
|103
|[[October 20]] [[2004]]
|The Lighthouse Inn
|Connecticut - Lighthouse Inn and [[Ashland, Massachusetts|Ashland, MA]] - John Stone Tavern
|-
|-
!colspan="5" style="text-align:center"|Mount Panorama (500 Miles)
|104
|[[October 27]] [[2004]]
|Race Rock Lighthouse
|[[New London, Connecticut|New London, CT]] - [[Race Rock Light]]
|-
|-
|[[1963 Armstrong 500|1963]]||{{flagicon|Australia}} [[Harry Firth]] / {{flagicon|Australia}} [[Bob Jane]]||[[Ford Cortina#Mark I|Ford Cortina Mk.I]] GT||130 laps / 7h 46m 99.1s
|105
|[[November 3]] [[2004]]
|Eastern State Penitentiary
|[[Philadelphia, Pennsylvania|Philadelphia, PA]] - [[Eastern State Penitentiary]]
|-
|-
|[[1964 Armstrong 500|1964]]||{{flagicon|Australia}} [[Bob Jane]] / {{flagicon|Australia}} George Reynolds||[[Ford Cortina#Mark I|Ford Cortina Mk.I]] GT||130 laps / ?h ?m ?s
|106
|[[November 10]] [[2004]]
|The Converted Church
|Upstate New York - converted church/private home
|-
|-
|[[1965 Armstrong 500|1965]]||{{flagicon|Australia}} [[Barry Seton]] / {{flagicon|Australia}} Midge Bosworth||[[Ford Cortina#Mark I|Ford Cortina Mk.I]] GT500||130 laps / 7h 16m 45.1s
|107
|[[November 17]] [[2004]]
|The Armory
|[[New Bedford, Massachusetts|New Bedford, MA]] - armory
|-
|-
|[[1966 Gallaher 500|1966]]||{{flagicon|Finland}} [[Rauno Aaltonen]] / {{flagicon|Australia}} Bob Holden||[[Morris Motor Company|Morris]] [[Mini Cooper|Cooper S]]||130 laps / 7h 11m 29.1s
|108
|[[December 1]] [[2004]]
|Fortuna & Topton
|[[Philadelphia, Pennsylvania|Philadelphia, PA]] - Fortuna Apartment and [[Topton, Pennsylvania|Topton, PA]] - Topton Tavern
|-
|-
|[[1967 Gallaher 500|1967]]||{{flagicon|Australia}} [[Harry Firth]] / {{flagicon|Australia}} [[Fred Gibson (motor racing)|Fred Gibson]]||[[Ford Falcon (Australia)#XR|Ford XR Falcon]] GT||130 laps / 6h 54m 99.1s
|109
|[[December 8]] [[2004]]
|New Boston Inn
|[[Sandisfield, Massachusetts|Sandisfield, MA]] - [[New Boston Inn]]
|-
|-
|[[1968 Hardie-Ferodo 500|1968]]||{{flagicon|Australia}} [[Bruce McPhee]] / {{flagicon|Australia}} Barry Mulholland||[[Holden Monaro#HK|Holden HK Monaro]] GTS327||130 laps / 6h 44m 0.0s
|110
|[[December 15]] [[2004]]
|The Negative Entity
|[[Albany, New York|Albany, NY]] - two private homes
|-
|-
|[[1969 Hardie-Ferodo 500|1969]]||{{flagicon|Australia}} [[Colin Bond]] / {{flagicon|Australia}} Tony Roberts||[[Holden Monaro#HT .2F HG|Holden HT Monaro]] GTS350||130 laps / 6h 32m 0.0s
|}

===Season Two===
{| class="wikitable"
|- style="background-color:#0000FF; color:#FFFFFF;"
|'''Ep#'''
|'''Original Airdate'''
|'''Episode Title'''
|'''Investigation'''
|-
|-
|[[1970 Hardie-Ferodo 500|1970]]||{{flagicon|Canada}} [[Allan Moffat]]||[[Ford Falcon (Australia)#XW|Ford XW Falcon]] GTHO Phase II||130 laps / 6h 33m 0.0s
|201
|[[July 27]] [[2005]]
|Myrtles Plantation
|[[St. Francisville, Louisiana|St. Francisville, LA]] - [[Myrtles Plantation]]
|-
|-
|[[1971 Hardie-Ferodo 500|1971]]||{{flagicon|Canada}} [[Allan Moffat]]||[[Ford Falcon (Australia)#XY|Ford XY Falcon]] [[GTHO Phase III]]||130 laps / 6h 9m 49.5s
|202
|[[August 3]] [[2005]]
|Cranston & Grafton
|[[Cranston, RI]] and [[Grafton, Massachusetts|Grafton, MA]] - private homes
|-
|-
|[[1972 Hardie-Ferodo 500|1972]]||{{flagicon|Australia}} [[Peter Brock]]||[[Holden Torana#LJ Torana|Holden LJ Torana]] GTR XU-1||130 laps / 6h 0m 99.1s
|203
|[[August 10]] [[2005]]
|The Red Room
|[[New Orleans, Louisiana|New Orleans, LA]] - [[Brennan's|Brennan's Restaurant]] and a private home
|-
|-
!colspan="5" style="text-align:center"|Mount Panorama (1,000 Kilometres)
|204
|[[August 17]] [[2005]]
|Mordecai House
|[[Wilmington, North Carolina|Wilmington, NC]] - [[USS North Carolina (BB-55)|USS ''North Carolina'']] Museum and [[Raleigh, North Carolina|Raleigh, NC]] - [[Mordecai House]]
|-
|-
|[[1973 Hardie-Ferodo 1000|1973]]||{{flagicon|Canada}} [[Allan Moffat]] / {{flagicon|Australia}} [[Ian Geoghegan]]||[[Ford Falcon (Australia)#XA|Ford XA Falcon]] GT||163 laps / 7h 20m 6.8s
|205
|[[August 24]] [[2005]]
|The Playhouse & The Firehouse
|[[Putnam, Connecticut|Putnam, CT]] - Bradley Playhouse and Firehouse
|-
|-
|[[1974 Hardie-Ferodo 1000|1974]]||{{flagicon|Australia}} [[John Goss (motor racing)|John Goss]] / {{flagicon|Australia}} [[Kevin Bartlett (motor racing)|Kevin Bartlett]]||[[Ford Falcon (Australia)#XA|Ford XA Falcon]] GT||163 laps / 7h 50m 99.1s
|206
|[[August 31]] [[2005]]
|The Ledge Lighthouse
|[[New London, Connecticut|New London, CT]] - [[New London Ledge Light|Ledge Light]] and [[New York City]] - [[Merchants House Museum]]
|-
|-
|[[1975 Hardie Ferodo 1000|1975]]||{{flagicon|Australia}} [[Peter Brock]] / {{flagicon|Australia}} [[Brian Sampson]]||[[Holden Torana#LH Torana| Holden LH Torana]] L34||163 laps / 7h 19m 11.3s
|207
|[[September 7]] [[2005]]
|Two Houses
|[[Springfield, Massachusetts|Springfield, MA]] - Tanguay House and Sutcliffe House
|-
|-
|[[1976 Hardie-Ferodo 1000|1976]]||{{flagicon|Australia}} [[Bob Morris (motor racing)|Bob Morris]] / {{flagicon|United Kingdom}} John Fitzpatrick||[[Holden Torana#LH Torana|Holden LH Torana]] L34||163 laps / 7h 7m 12.0s
|208
|[[September 14]] [[2005]]
|Beechwood Mansion & Garden State
|[[Newport, Rhode Island|Newport, RI]] - [[Beechwood (mansion)|Astor Mansion]] and a private home in New Jersey
|-
|-
|[[1977 Hardie-Ferodo 1000|1977]]||{{flagicon|Canada}} [[Allan Moffat]] / {{flagicon|Belgium}} [[Jacky Ickx]]||[[Ford Falcon (Australia)#XC|Ford XC Falcon]]||163 laps / 6h 59m 7.8s
|209
|[[September 21]] [[2005]]
|Dave Tango & Rolling Hills
|[[Bethany, New York|Bethany, NY]] - [[Rolling Hills Asylum]] and Worthington home in New Hampshire
|-
|-
|[[1978 Hardie-Ferodo 1000|1978]]||{{flagicon|Australia}} [[Peter Brock]] / {{flagicon|New Zealand}} [[Jim Richards (race driver)|Jim Richards]]||[[Holden Torana#LX Torana|Holden LX Torana]] A9X SS||163 laps / 6h 45m 53.9s
|210
|[[September 28]] [[2005]]
|Return to Eastern State
|[[Philadelphia, Pennsylvania|Philadelphia, PA]] - [[Eastern State Penitentiary]] (revisited), and vacation house
|-
|-
|[[1979 Hardie-Ferodo 1000|1979]]||{{flagicon|Australia}} [[Peter Brock]] / {{flagicon|New Zealand}} [[Jim Richards (race driver)|Jim Richards]]||[[Holden Torana#LX Torana|Holden LX Torana]] A9X SS||163 laps / 6h 38m 15.8s
|211
|[[October 5]] [[2005]]
|R.M.S. Queen Mary
|[[San José, CA]], [[Winchester House]] and [[Long Beach, CA]], [[RMS Queen Mary|RMS ''Queen Mary'']]
|-
|-
|[[1980 Hardie-Ferodo 1000|1980]]||{{flagicon|Australia}} [[Peter Brock]] / {{flagicon|New Zealand}} [[Jim Richards (race driver)|Jim Richards]]||[[Holden VC Commodore]]||163 laps / 6h 47m 52.7s
|212
|[[October 12]] [[2005]]
|The Lizzie Borden House
|[[Fall River, Massachusetts|Fall River, MA]], [[Lizzie Borden|Lizzie Borden's Home]] and [[Mansfield, Ohio|Mansfield. OH]], [[Ohio State Reformatory|Mansfield Reformatory]]
|-
|-
|[[1981 James Hardie 1000|1981]]||{{flagicon|Australia}} [[Dick Johnson (racing driver)|Dick Johnson]] / {{flagicon|Australia}} John French||[[Ford Falcon (Australia)#XD|Ford XD Falcon]]||120 laps / 4h 53m 52.7s
|213
|[[October 19]] [[2005]]
|The Crescent Hotel & Dr. Ellis
|[[Eureka Springs, Arkansas|Eureka Springs, AR]] - Crescent Hotel
|-
|-
|[[1982 James Hardie 1000|1982]]||{{flagicon|Australia}} [[Peter Brock]] / {{flagicon|Australia}} [[Larry Perkins]]||[[Holden VH Commodore]]||163 laps / 6h 32m 3.2s
|214
|[[March 29]] [[2006]]
|Waverly Hills
|[[Louisville, Kentucky|Louisville, KY]] - [[Waverly Hills Sanatorium]]
|-
|-
|[[1983 James Hardie 1000|1983]]||{{flagicon|Australia}} [[John Harvey (motorsport)|John Harvey]] / {{flagicon|Australia}} [[Peter Brock]] / {{flagicon|Australia}} [[Larry Perkins]]||[[Holden VH Commodore]]||163 laps / 6h 28m 31.6s
|215
|[[April 5]] [[2006]]
|Ghostly Grace & The Palladium
|[[Holliston, Massachusetts|Holliston, MA]] - private home, and Palladium Theatre investigation
|-
|-
|[[1984 James Hardie 1000|1984]]||{{flagicon|Australia}} [[Peter Brock]] / {{flagicon|Australia}} [[Larry Perkins]]||[[Holden VK Commodore]]||163 laps / 6h 23m 13.6s
|216
|[[April 12]] [[2006]]
|Red George & Valentown Museum
|[[Canandaigua (city), New York|Canandaigua, NY]] - TAPS investigates two cases in Jason's home town
|-
|-
|[[1985 James Hardie 1000|1985]]||{{flagicon|Australia}} [[John Goss (motor racing)|John Goss]] / {{flagicon|Germany}} [[Armin Hahne]]||[[Jaguar XJS]]||163 laps / 6h 41m 30.19s
|217
|[[April 19]] [[2006]]
|Two Brothers & Willard Library
|[[Evansville, Indiana|Evansville, IN]] - Willard Library's "Grey Lady" ghost and a private home in Massachusetts
|-
|-
|[[1986 James Hardie 1000|1986]]||{{flagicon|Australia}} [[Allan Grice]] / {{flagicon|Australia}} [[Graeme Bailey]]||[[Holden VK Commodore]] SSGroupA||163 laps / 6h 30m 35.68s
|218
|[[April 26]] [[2006]]
|Hartford Conservatory
|New Jersey - private home, and [[Hartford, Connecticut|Hartford, CT]] - [[Hartford Conservatory]] music school
|-
|-
|[[1987 James Hardie 1000|1987]]||{{flagicon|Australia}} [[Peter McLeod]] / {{flagicon|Australia}} [[Peter Brock]] / {{flagicon|Australia}} [[David 'Skippy' Parsons|David Parsons]]||[[Holden VL Commodore]] SSGroupA||158 laps / 7h 1m 8.4s
|219
|[[May 3]] [[2006]]
|St. Augustine Lighthouse
|[[St. Augustine, Florida|St. Augustine, FL]] - [[St. Augustine Light]]
|-
|-
|[[1988 Tooheys 1000|1988]]||{{flagicon|Australia}} [[Tony Longhurst]] / {{flagicon|Australia}} [[Tomas Mezera]]||[[Ford Sierra]] RS500||161 laps / 7h 2m 10.28s
|220
|[[May 10]] [[2006]]
|Domani's & The County Jail
|New Jersey - Domani's Restaurant, and [[St. Augustine, Florida|St. Augustine, FL]] - [[Old St. Johns County Jail]]
|-
|-
|[[1989 Tooheys 1000|1989]]||{{flagicon|Australia}} [[Dick Johnson (racing driver)|Dick Johnson]] / {{flagicon|Australia}} [[John Bowe (racing driver)|John Bowe]]||[[Ford Sierra]] RS500||161 laps / 6h 30m 53.44s
|221
|[[May 17]] [[2006]]
|The Stone Lion
|[[Guthrie, Oklahoma|Guthrie, OK]] - Stone Lion Inn, and Massachusetts - private home
|-
|-
|[[1990 Tooheys 1000|1990]]||{{flagicon|United Kingdom}} [[Win Percy]] / {{flagicon|Australia}} [[Allan Grice]]||[[Holden Commodore VL SS Group A SV|Holden VL Commodore SSGroupA SV]]||161 laps / 6h 40m 52.64s
|222
|[[May 24]] [[2006]]
|The Best of Ghost Hunters
|Recap of the 20 best season one and two investigations
|-
|-
|[[1991 Tooheys 1000|1991]]||{{flagicon|New Zealand}} [[Jim Richards (race driver)|Jim Richards]] / {{flagicon|Australia}} [[Mark Skaife]]||[[Nissan Skyline GT-R|Nissan Skyline BNR32 GT-R]]||161 laps / 6h 19m 14.80s
|223
|[[May 31]] [[2006]]
|The Stanley Hotel
|[[Estes Park, Colorado|Estes Park, CO]] - [[The Stanley Hotel]] (which inspired [[Stephen King]]'s novel "[[The Shining (novel)|The Shining]]")
|}

===Season Three===
{| class="wikitable"
|- style="background-color:#008000; color:#FFFFFF;"
|'''Ep#'''
|'''Original Airdate'''
|'''Episode Title'''
|'''Investigation'''
|-
|-
|[[1992 Tooheys 1000|1992]]||{{flagicon|Australia}} [[Mark Skaife]] / {{flagicon|New Zealand}} [[Jim Richards (race driver)|Jim Richards]]||[[Nissan Skyline GT-R|Nissan Skyline BNR32 GT-R]]||143 laps / 6h 27m 16.22s
|301
|[[October 11]], [[2006]]
|Tombstone
|[[Tombstone, Arizona|Tombstone, AZ]] - [[Bird Cage Theatre]]
|-
|-
|[[1993 Tooheys 1000|1993]]||{{flagicon|Australia}} [[Larry Perkins]] / {{flagicon|Australia}} [[Gregg Hansford]]||[[Holden VP Commodore]]||161 laps / 6h 29m 6.69s
|302
|[[October 18]],[[2006]]
|OK Corral
|[[Bisbee, Arizona|Bisbee, AZ]] - Copper Queen Hotel, and [[Tombstone, Arizona|Tombstone, AZ]] - [[Gunfight at the O.K. Corral|O.K. Corral]]
|-
|-
|[[1994 Tooheys 1000|1994]]||{{flagicon|Australia}} [[Dick Johnson (racing driver)|Dick Johnson]] / {{flagicon|Australia}} [[John Bowe (racing driver)|John Bowe]]||[[Ford EB Falcon]]||161 laps / 7h 3m 45.8425s
|303
|[[October 25]],[[2006]]
|Shadow People
|[[Chester, Vermont|Chester, VT]] - private home, and [[Moundsville, West Virginia|Moundsville, WV]] - [[West Virginia State Penitentiary]]
|-
|-
|[[1995 Tooheys 1000|1995]]||{{flagicon|Australia}} [[Larry Perkins]] / {{flagicon|Australia}} [[Russell Ingall]]||[[Holden VR Commodore]]||161 laps / 6h 20m 32.4766s
|304
|[[November 1]], [[2006]]
|Whispers & Voices
|[[Gardner, Massachusetts|Gardner, MA]] - Victorian mansion and [[Washington, Massachusetts|Washington, MA]] - Bucksteep Manor
|-
|-
|[[1996 AMP Bathurst 1000|1996]]||{{flagicon|Australia}} [[Craig Lowndes]] / {{flagicon|New Zealand}} [[Greg Murphy]]||[[Holden VR Commodore]]||161 laps / 7h 9m 28.3584s
|305
|[[November 8]], [[2006]]
|Best of the Stanley Hotel
|Review of [[The Stanley Hotel]] 2006 Halloween Special
|-
|-
|[[1997 AMP Bathurst 1000|1997]]||{{flagicon|Australia}} [[Geoff Brabham]] / {{flagicon|Australia}} [[David Brabham]]||[[BMW E36|BMW 320i]]||161 laps / 6h 41m 25.4072s
|306
|[[November 15]], [[2006]]
|Attack of the Irish Elemental
|[[Republic of Ireland|Ireland]] - [[Leap Castle]]
|-
|-
|[[1997 Primus 1000 Classic|1997]]||{{flagicon|Australia}} [[Larry Perkins]] / {{flagicon|Australia}} [[Russell Ingall]]||[[Holden VS Commodore]] *||161 laps / 6h 21m 55.5483s
|307
|[[June 6]], [[2007]]
|Irish Ruins
|Ireland - Lisheen Ruins, and [[London]], [[England]] - Viaduct Tavern
|-
|-
|[[1998 AMP Bathurst 1000|1998]]||{{flagicon|Sweden}} [[Rickard Rydell]] / {{flagicon|New Zealand}} [[Jim Richards (race driver)|Jim Richards]]||[[Volvo S40]]||161 laps / 6h 54m 23.4756s
|308
|[[June 13]], [[2007]]
|Hellfire Caves
|[[Buckinghamshire]], England - [[Hellfire Caves]]
|-
|-
|[[1998 FAI 1000|1998]]||{{flagicon|Australia}} [[Jason Bright]] / {{flagicon|New Zealand}} [[Steven Richards]]||[[Ford EL Falcon]] *||161 laps / 6h 42m 23.9039s
|309
|[[June 20]], [[2007]]
|Nightmare Noises
|Private homes in Rhode Island and Massachusetts
|-
|-
|[[1999 FAI 1000|1999]]||{{flagicon|New Zealand}} [[Steven Richards]] / {{flagicon|New Zealand}} [[Greg Murphy]]||[[Holden VT Commodore]]||161 laps / 6h 51m 48.8354s
|310
|[[June 27]], [[2007]]
|Toys of Terror
|[[Chesapeake, Virginia|Chesapeake, VA]] - Keffer Home and [[Charlestown, Rhode Island|Charlestown, RI]] - General Stanton Inn
|-
|-
|[[2000 FAI 1000|2000]]||{{flagicon|Australia}} [[Garth Tander]] / {{flagicon|Australia}} [[Jason Bargwanna]]||[[Holden VT Commodore]]||161 laps / 7h 23m 30.2348s
|311
|[[July 11]], [[2007]]
|U.S.S. Lexington
|[[Corpus Christi, Texas|Corpus Christi, TX]] - [[USS Lexington (CV-16)|USS ''Lexington'']] and [[Warwick, Rhode Island|Warwick, RI]] - Warwick City Hall
|-
|-
|[[2001 V8Supercar 1000|2001]]||{{flagicon|Australia}} [[Mark Skaife]] / {{flagicon|Australia}} [[Tony Longhurst]]||[[Holden VX Commodore]]||161 laps / 6h 50m 33.1789s
|312
|[[July 18]], [[2007]]
|Manson Murders
|[[Hollywood, California|Hollywood, CA]] - [[Charles Manson|Manson Murders]] and [[Los Angeles, California|Los Angeles, CA]] - [[The Jim Henson Company|Jim Henson Studios]]
|-
|-
|[[2002 Bob Jane T-Marts 1000|2002]]||{{flagicon|Australia}} [[Mark Skaife]] / {{flagicon|New Zealand}} [[Jim Richards (race driver)|Jim Richards]]||[[Holden VX Commodore]]||161 laps / 6h 58m 41.0260s
|313
|[[September 26]], [[2007]]
|Lost Souls
|[[Sedro-Woolley, Washington|Sedro-Woolley, WA]] - Northern State Hospital and [[Seattle, Washington|Seattle, WA]] - [[Seattle Underground|Seattle Underground Tunnels]]
|-
|-
|[[2003 Bob Jane T-Marts 1000|2003]]||{{flagicon|New Zealand}} [[Greg Murphy]] / {{flagicon|Australia}} [[Rick Kelly]]||[[Holden VY Commodore]]||161 laps / 6h 32m 55.4044s
|314
|[[October 3]], [[2007]]
|Spirits of San Francisco
|[[San Francisco, California|San Francisco, CA]] - [[Presidio of San Francisco|The Presidio]] and Lullaby Lane Baby Store
|-
|-
|[[2004 Bob Jane T-Marts 1000|2004]]||{{flagicon|New Zealand}} [[Greg Murphy]] / {{flagicon|Australia}} [[Rick Kelly]]|||[[Holden VY Commodore]]||161 laps / 6h 29m 36.2055s
|315
|[[October 10]], [[2007]]
|Ghostly Houseguest
|[[Sammamish, Washington|Sammamish, WA]] - Gibbons House and Seattle WA, [[Moore Theatre (Seattle, Washington)|The Moore Theatre]]
|-
|-
|[[2005 Supercheap Auto 1000|2005]]||{{flagicon|Australia}} [[Mark Skaife]] / {{flagicon|Australia}} [[Todd Kelly]]||[[Holden VZ Commodore]]||161 laps / 6h 37m 17.0012s
|316
|[[October 17]], [[2007]]
|Houses of the Holy
|[[Prosser, Washington|Prosser, WA]] - St. Matthew's Church and [[Cranston, Rhode Island|Cranston, RI]] - [[Gov. William Sprague Mansion|Sprague Mansion]]
|-
|-
|[[2006 Supercheap Auto 1000|2006]]||{{flagicon|Australia}} [[Craig Lowndes]] / {{flagicon|Australia}} [[Jamie Whincup]]||[[Ford BA Falcon]]||161 laps / 6h 59m 53.5852s
|317
|[[October 24]], [[2007]]
|Salem Witch
|[[Salem, Massachusetts|Salem, MA]] - Lyceum Restaurant and Hawthorne Hotel
|-
|-
|[[2007 Supercheap Auto Bathurst 1000|2007]]||{{flagicon|Australia}} [[Craig Lowndes]] / {{flagicon|Australia}} [[Jamie Whincup]]||[[Ford BF Falcon]]||161 laps / 6h 29m 10.1985s
|318
|-
|[[November 7]], [[2007]]
|[[2008 Supercheap Auto Bathurst 1000|2008]]||{{flagicon|Australia}} [[Craig Lowndes]] / {{flagicon|Australia}} [[Jamie Whincup]]||[[Ford BF Falcon]]||161 laps / 6h 26m 00.4291s
|Sanatorium Live Results
|-
|Review of the [[Waverly Hills Sanatorium]] 2007 Halloween Special and [[Athol, Massachusetts|Athol, MA]] - private home
|colspan="5" style="text-align:right"|<nowiki>*</nowiki> ''Denotes Australia 1000 races for [[V8 Supercars]] category''
|-
|-
|319
|[[November 14]], [[2007]]
|Revelations
|Special TAPS Q&A Session with host [[Joshua Gates]]
|}
|}


Note: Races were 163 laps until 1987 when the track was slightly lengthend by the addition of the chicane called [[Mount Panorama Circuit#The Chase|The Chase]].
===Season Four===


1981: The race was stopped on Lap 122 because of an incident on the top of the mountain because of a multiple-car incident that blocked the course. By rule, the race was scored based on Lap 120.
''Season four is currently airing and the information below is subject to change.''


1987: The race was shortened to 161 laps, as the new chicane lengthened the circuit. Only the original race winner completed the full 161 laps, but the first and second place cars were disqualified for violations. The third-place car was declared the winner, although it only finished 158 laps.
{| class="wikitable"

|- style="background-color:#800080; color:#FFFFFF;"
1992: The race was stopped on Lap 145 because of numerous crashes in the heavily rain-soaked circuit, including the car of the leader on Lap 144. The race was wound back to the previous completed lap 144 as per the usual red flag rule, however in doing so it was discovered that some of the vehicles that had crashed during the storm-burst had crashed prior to the race leader completing the 144th lap. In this rare instance the race was wound back an additional lap so all involved vehicles could be classified as finishers.
|'''Ep#'''

|'''Original Airdate'''
===Multiple race winners===
|'''Episode Title'''

|'''Investigation'''
{| class="wikitable" style="font-size: 95%;"
|-
|-
! Wins
|401
! Driver
|[[March 5]], [[2008]]
|Fort Mifflin
|[[Philadelphia, Pennsylvania|Philadelphia, PA]] - [[Fort Mifflin]]
|-
|-
! 9
|402
|[[March 12]], [[2008]]
| [[Peter Brock]]
|Two to Tango
|[[Mount Holly, NJ]] - Burlington County Jail and [[Norwich, Connecticut|Norwich, CT]] - private home
|-
|-
! 7
|403
| [[Jim Richards (race driver)|Jim Richards]]
|[[March 19]], [[2008]]
|Words From Beyond
|[[Belchertown, Massachusetts|Belchertown, MA]] - Clapp Memorial Library and [[North Attleborough, Massachusetts|North Attleborough, MA]] - private home
|-
|-
! 6
|404
|[[March 26]], [[2008]]
| [[Larry Perkins]]
|The Fear Cage
|[[Cashtown, Pennsylvania|Cashtown, PA]] - The Cashtown Inn
|-
|-
! 5
|405
|[[April 2]], [[2008]]
| [[Mark Skaife]]
|Ghostly Bounty Hunter
|[[Norton, Massachusetts|Norton, MA]] - private home and [[Trinway, Ohio|Trinway, OH]] - [[Prospect Place]]
|-
|-
!rowspan=5 | 4
|406
|[[April 9]], [[2008]]
| [[Bob Jane]]
|Wright-Patterson Air Force Base
|[[Dayton, Ohio|Dayton, OH]] - Arnold House and Building #70 at [[Wright-Patterson Air Force Base]]
|-
|-
| [[Harry Firth]]
|407
|[[April 16]], [[2008]]
|Ghostly Conversation
|[[North Providence, Rhode Island|North Providence, RI]] - Ruffstone Tavern and [[Bretton Woods, New Hampshire|Bretton Woods, NH]] - [[Mount Washington Hotel]]
|-
|-
| [[Allan Moffat]]
|408
|[[April 23]], [[2008]]
|Spirits of the Old West
|[[Goldfield, Nevada|Goldfield, NV]] - The Goldfield Hotel and [[Virginia City, Nevada|Virginia City, NV]] - Old Washoe Club
|-
|-
| [[Greg Murphy]]
|409
|[[April 30]], [[2008]]
|Haunted Asylum
|[[Weston, West Virginia|Weston, WV]] - [[Weston State Hospital|Trans-Allegheny Lunatic Asylum]]
|-
|-
| [[Craig Lowndes]]
|410
|[[May 28]], [[2008]]
|House of Spirits
|[[New Haven, Connecticut|New Haven, CT]] - private home and [[Manchester, New Hampshire|Manchester, NH]] - [[Palace Theatre (Manchester, New Hampshire)|Palace Theater]]
|-
|-
!rowspan=2 | 3
|411
| [[Dick Johnson (racing driver)|Dick Johnson]]
|[[June 4]], [[2008]]
|Widow's Watch
|[[Cape Cod, Massachusetts|Cape Cod, MA]] - Colonial House Inn and [[Moss Beach, California|Moss Beach, CA]] - [[Moss Beach Distillery]].
|-
|-
| [[Jamie Whincup]]
|412
|[[June 11]], [[2008]]
|Garden State Ghosts
|[[Clinton, New Jersey|Clinton, NJ]] - The Red Mill and [[Perth Amboy, New Jersey|Perth Amboy, NJ]] - Proprietary House
|-
|-

|413
!rowspan=7 | 2
|[[June 18]], [[2008]]
| [[John Goss (race driver)|John Goss]]
|Fort Delaware
|[[Pea Patch Island|Pea Patch Island, DE]] - [[Fort Delaware]]
|-
|-
| [[Allan Grice]]
|414
|[[September 3]], [[2008]]
|Iron Island
|[[Buffalo, NY]] - Iron Island Museum
|-
|-
| [[John Bowe (racing driver)|John Bowe]]
|415
|[[September 10]], [[2008]]
|So She Married an Axe Murderer
|[[Pawtucket, Rhode Island|Pawtucket, RI]] - [[Slater Mill Historic Site|Slater Mill]] and [[Simsbury, Connecticut|Simsbury, CT]] - Pettibone Tavern
|-
|-
| [[Russell Ingall]]
|416
|[[September 17]], [[2008]]
|The Boy in the Brothel
|[[North Kingstown, Rhode Island|North Kingstown, RI]] - Hoof Fin Feathers Carriage Inn and [[Groton (city), Connecticut|Groton, CT]] - private home
|-
|-
| [[Steven Richards]]
|417
|[[September 24]], [[2008]]
|Speaking With the Dead
|Buffalo, NY - [[Buffalo Central Terminal]]
|-
|-
| [[Tony Longhurst]]
|418
|[[October 1]], [[2008]]
|Ghosts of the Sunshine State
|[[Ocala, Florida|Ocala, FL]] - Seven Sisters Inn and [[St. Petersburg, Florida|St. Petersburg, FL]] - [[Vinoy Park Hotel|Renaissance Vinoy Resort]]
|-
|-
| [[Rick Kelly]]
|419
|[[October 8]], [[2008]]
|Oak Alley Plantation
|[[Vacherie, Louisiana|Vacherie, LA]] - [[Oak Alley Plantation]]
|-
|-

|420
|[[October 15]], [[2008]]
|Bottled Spirits
|[[Dayville, Connecticut|Dayville, CT]] - private home and [[Niagara County, New York|Appleton, NY]] - Upstate New York Wine Trail
|}
|}


===Number of victories by vehicle brand===
Jason Hawes announced on [http://beyondrealityradio.com Beyond Reality Radio] on May 24, 2008 that there will be a total of 27 episodes in season four.


{| class="wikitable" style="font-size: 95%;"
Jason Hawes announced on [http://beyondrealityradio.com Beyond Reality Radio] on August 23, 2008 that there will be a season five in 2009 with a total of 26 episodes.
|-
! Wins
! Manufacturer
|-
! 25
| [[Holden]]
|-
! 18
| [[Ford Motor Company|Ford]]
|-
! 2
| [[Nissan Motors|Nissan]]
|-
|-
!rowspan=6 | 1
| [[Vauxhall Motors|Vauxhall]]
|-
| [[Mercedes-Benz]]
|-
| [[Morris Motor Company|Morris]]
|-
| [[Jaguar (car)|Jaguar]]
|-
| [[BMW]]
|-
| [[Volvo Cars|Volvo]]
|-
|}


* Outright race winner was not official recognised until 1965, with official results indicated four or five class races occurring simultaneously rather than a single race. The first car across the finish line has been retroactively recognised outright race winner since then.
===Specials===
*'''2005 Halloween Special''' - aired [[October 31]], [[2005]], TAPS went to [[Savannah, Georgia|Savannah, GA]] to investigate the Moon River Brewery and The [[Sorrel Weed House]], a historic museum that conducts Savannah tours.
*'''2006 Halloween Special''' - '''''Ghost Hunters Live''''' - aired [[October 31]], [[2006]] at 11PM EST. It was a six hour broadcast originating from [[The Stanley Hotel]] in [[Estes Park, Colorado]]. [[Extreme Championship Wrestling (WWE)|ECW]] Superstar [[CM Punk]] joined the Ghost Hunters throughout the investigation. The viewing audience was able to interact with the team via PDA/cellphone text messages.<ref>[http://www.projo.com/tv/content/projo-20061020-ghosthunters30.8c99c540.html "Ghost Hunters on the job this Halloween", 2006 TAPS interview at projo.com]</ref>
*'''2007 Halloween Special''' - '''''Ghost Hunters Live''''' - aired [[October 31]], [[2007]] at 9PM EST. It was a six hour broadcast originating from the [[Waverly Hills Sanatorium]] near [[Louisville, Kentucky|Louisville, KY]]. Joining the team was guest [[Extreme Championship Wrestling (WWE)|ECW]] Superstar [[Elijah Burke]]<ref>[http://www.wwe.com/inside/overtheropes/news/elijahghosthunters "Elijah Burke goes Ghost Hunting"]</ref>. The episode was hosted by paranormal investigator [[Joshua Gates]] from the show ''[[Destination Truth]]'' who was stationed in an on-site "interactive center" which posted real time photos to SciFi.com. Also employed was a "Panic Button" message feature where viewers could alert the investigators of any strange happenings as they occurred. Simultaneously, SciFi.com ran an online poll, "The Hunt for the Hunter", Where viewers picked the new TAPS member who chosen among three finalists, Patrick Clark, Mark Fusetti, and Deanna Hoffman. Mark Fusetti was picked as the new TAPS member during the review of the Halloween Special on [[November 7]]th.
*'''Return to St. Augustine Light''' - aired [[January 9]], [[2008]]. TAPS conducted a special follow up investigation at [[St. Augustine Light]] in Florida. It aired before the premiere episode of ''[[Ghost Hunters International]]''.
*'''2008 Halloween Special - ''Ghost Hunters Live''''' - will air [[October 31]], [[2008]]. TAPS conducts a seven-hour, live, return investigation of [[Fort Delaware]] with special guest amanda tapping and guest host Joshua Gates of ''Destination Truth''.


==DVD releases==
==Fastest lap==
The outright lap record associated with the Bathurst 1000 is 2:06.8594 recorded in the 2003 Top 10 Shootout by Greg Murphy in a Holden VY Commodore, almost two seconds faster than the race lap record set that day.


==Lap record==
*''Best of Ghost Hunters Vol. 1''
The lap record set during a race is the 2:08.4651 recorded by [[Jamie Whincup]] in his Ford BF Falcon in 2007.
*''Best of Ghost Hunters Vol. 2''
*''Ghost Hunters - The Complete First Season'' - (3 DVD set)
*''Ghost Hunters - Season 2 Part 1'' - (4 DVD set)
*''Ghost Hunters - Season 2 Part 2'' - (4 DVD set)
*''Ghost Hunters - Season 3 Part 1'' - (3 DVD set)
*''Ghost Hunters - Season 3 Part 2'' - (3 DVD set)
*''Ghost Hunters - Season 4 Part 1'' - (4 DVD set)
*''Ghost Hunters - Stanley Hotel 2006 Halloween Special''
*''Ghost Hunters - Waverly Hills Sanatorium 2007 Halloween Special''


==Notes==
==Race duration==
The shortest duration of the race is 6h 19m 14.8s, set by [[Jim Richards (race driver)|Jim Richards]] and [[Mark Skaife]] in their [[Group A]] specification [[Nissan Skyline GT-R]] in [[1991 Tooheys 1000|1991]].


==Deaths==
* The Stanley Hotel episode is notable for reaching #2 in ratings for its time slot that night. [http://www.tapsforums.com/index.php?topic=48349.0 Ratings Note]
In nearly 45 years of racing, four drivers have died while competing in events associated with the Bathurst 1000.
* The building that was featured at the end of the show's opening sequence and throughout the end credits along with a number of advertisements and other related materials through Season 3 was the Race Rock Lighthouse, which was investigated in the first season, viewed from the dock.
* It is no longer shown in any episode's end credits, following Season 4's format of running credits alongside the final minute of the episode


In 1986, [[Sydney]] accountant and privateer [[Mike Burgmann]] became the first fatality in the race's history when his car (Holden Commodore VK), travelling at {{convert|268|km/h|mph|abbr=on}}, struck the recently constructed Bridgestone Bridge on the high-speed straight known as Conrod Straight. "The Chase", a large three-corner [[chicane]], added in 1987 to the straight to comply with the FIA's regulations regarding length of straights was dedicated to Burgmann with a plaque embedded in the concrete barriers.
==References==
{{Reflist}}


In 1992, former [[Formula One]] world champion [[Denny Hulme]], after complaining of blurred vision, suffered a heart attack at the wheel of his BMW M3 whilst travelling along Conrod Straight. After veering into the wall on the left side of the track, he managed to bring the car to a relatively controlled stop on the opposite side of the course. When marshals reached the scene they found Hulme still strapped in, dead.
==See also==
*[[Ghost Hunters International]]
*[[The Atlantic Paranormal Society]]
*[[List of U.S. paranormal guides]]
*[[Ghost]]
*[[Haunted house]]
*[[Haunting]]
*[[Paranormal]]
*[[Paranormal Investigation]]
*[[Taps Para Mag]]


In 1994, [[Melbourne]] privateer Don Watson died during practice when his car (Holden Commodore VP) left the circuit and hit a barrier on Conrod Straight.
==External links==
<!-- IF YOU ADD A LINK TO YOUR SITE, IT WILL BE REMOVED. WIKIPEDIA IS NOT AN ADVERTISING SERVICE -->
* {{imdb title | id = 0426697 }}
*[http://www.the-atlantic-paranormal-society.com The Atlantic Paranormal Society (TAPS) Official Website]
*[http://www.scifi.com/ghosthunters/ ''Ghost Hunters'' official website at SciFi.com]
*[http://www.pilgrim-films.com/index_gh.html Pilgrim Films Ghost Hunters Website]
*[http://www.dv.com/features/features_item.php?articleId=196603608 DV magazine behind-the-scenes story on making the show]


The 2006 event was marred by the death of [[New Zealand]] driver [[Mark Porter (racing driver)|Mark Porter]] in a Fujitsu V8 Supercar Series support race on Friday, 6th October. His car spun in a section at the top of the mountain and was then hit from behind by [[Chris Alajajian]] and stalled, sitting sideways on the track. As fellow driver David Clark came around a blind corner at speeds of around {{convert|200|km/h|mph|abbr=on}}, he swerved to try and avoid Porter's car but slid sideways into the driver's door. Porter was airlifted to hospital with serious head and chest injuries but passed away in late afternoon of Sunday, 8th October, as the feature race was concluding. Just two hours after the crowd was celebrating [[Craig Lowndes]]' win, and on the same day that Peter Brock was farewelled, Porter's family issued a statement announcing his death.
==Interview links==
*[http://www.skapunkandotherjunk.com/interview.php?rv=115 Interview with Grant Wilson of ''Ghost Hunters'']
*[http://www.southcoasttoday.com/daily/01-05/01-02-05/c01li011.htm Interview with Steve Gonsalves of ''Ghost Hunters'']
*[http://www.comicbookresources.com/news/newsitem.cgi?id=7399 ''Jim Reaper'' comic features ''Ghost Hunters'' Brian Harnois]


==See also==
==Independent examination links==
[[List of Bathurst 1000 vehicles]]
*[http://www.skepticalviewer.com/ The Skeptical Viewer. Independent review of television footage.]

==External links==
*[http://www.supercheapauto1000.com.au/ Super Cheap Auto 1000, the official web site for the 2007 Bathurst 1000]
*[http://www.v8supercar.com.au V8 Supercars Australia]
*[http://www.bathurstregion.com.au/nmrm/ National Motor Racing Museum &mdash; Bathurst]
*[http://www.bathurst.nsw.gov.au/ All about Bathurst]
*[http://cfm.globalf1.net/?page_id=78 Chequered Flag Motorsport's Virtual Lap of Bathurst]


[[Category:Paranormal television]]
[[Category:Motorsport at Bathurst]]
[[Category:Pseudoscience]]
[[Category:Auto races]]
[[Category:Sci Fi Channel shows]]
[[Category:V8 Supercar races]]
[[Category:American reality television series]]
[[Category:Touring car racing]]
[[Category:Documentary television series]]


[[fr:Les Traqueurs de fantômes]]
[[es:1000 km de Bathurst]]
[[sv:Ghost Hunters]]
[[fr:Bathurst 1000]]
[[nl:Bathurst 1000]]
[[simple:Bathurst 1000]]

Revision as of 08:21, 13 October 2008


{{country data {{{flag}}}|flagicon/core|variant=|size=}} Enter name of race
Race Information
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Race 1
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The Bathurst 1000 (currently officially known as the Supercheap Auto Bathurst 1000) is a 1,000-kilometre (620 mi) touring car race held annually at Mount Panorama Circuit in Bathurst, New South Wales, Australia. Traditionally the race was run on the first Sunday in October, but more recently has moved to the second Sunday. The race traces its lineage back to a production car race held at Phillip Island in 1960, called the Armstrong 500. Since then 51 races have taken place under the combined history of two events at two venues in two states. It is known among fans and broadcasters as "The Great Race", and is widely regarded as the pinnacle of Australian motorsport.

The winners of the race receive the Peter Brock Trophy, inaugurated at the 2006 race in honour of Peter Brock who, with nine Bathurst victories, remains the most successful driver in the history of the race.

Since 2000, the race has been run exclusively for V8 Supercars and is now a round of the V8 Supercar Championship Series.

Mount Panorama

The race starts and finishes at different points in front of the pits. The first turn, Hell Corner, is a left-hander which has claimed a few scalps at the start and after safety car intervention. Mountain Straight, a 255 km/h (158 mph) gentle climb, leads into Griffin's Bend. Reid Park follows, a complex corner where many drivers spin after not shortshifting in the apex. The course continues down to Sulman Park and McPhillamy. Drivers cannot see the descending road but at 220 km/h (140 mph) enter Skyline and the Dipper, one of the best corners in Australian Motorsport. Cars then negotiate Forrest Elbow, the slowest part of the track, before powering down Conrod Straight, which at plus 300 km/h (190 mph) is the fastest section of the track. The Chase is a long sweeping type chicane where cars are on the limiter and at the same time braking to exit at 130 km/h (81 mph). Murrays is the 17th and final turn, on to the start/finish straight.

Race history

The first corner of Mount Panorama, known as Hell Corner
Map of the circuit

The race has a long and colourful history, having been conducted for numerous categories such as Series Production, Group C, Group A, Super Touring and currently V8 Supercar category.

Although the Bathurst 1000 is today run by just two marques, Ford and Holden, makes as diverse as Morris, Jaguar, BMW, Nissan and Volvo have also tasted success at "The Mountain". Holden has the most victories at Bathurst with 25 wins, while Ford has 16 (or 17 if including the victory from the 1962 Phillip Island event).

Early years

The Armstrong 500, the event that would become the Hardie Ferodo 500/1000 and later the Bathurst 1000, was first held on 20 November 1960 at Phillip Island in Victoria over a 500-mile (800 km) distance in order to test and determine which car had the best combination of speed, performance, reliability and consistency. It was also acted as a sponsoring tool for Armstrong, to test the durability of products they made at the time, such as shock absorbers. Entry was limited to standard production saloons built or assembled in Australia and the cars could not be modified in any way. The race was won by Frank Coad and John Roxburgh in a Vauxhall Cresta, the only Vauxhall in a field of 45 cars.

In 1963, the race moved to the 6.2-kilometre (3.9 mi) Mount Panorama track at Bathurst in New South Wales (Australia), after the Phillip Island track’s surface had broken up and became unsuitable for safe production car racing after only just three years. However the production car endurance event now held at Bathurst kept the Armstrong 500 name. The race's popularity grew rapidly, as it became a means for car manufacturers to showcase their products as the cars on the track, which according to the rules, the cars that were raced had to be and thus were identical to those available in the showrooms of Australia. The first years on Mount Panorama were dominated by small cars, such as the Ford Cortina GT 500 and Mini Cooper. Later Ford's development and introduction of the 289 cubic inch V8 Falcon GT signaled the end of these small cars as outright contenders. The V8 Falcon claimed a surprise victory against the smaller Alfa GTV's and Mini Cooper's, as the Falcon GT was unproven and the Alfa's were picking up from where the Mini's left off, with the new GTV highly regarded as the new emerging force in touring cars. The Falcon GT won however due to the fact that the GT's V8 power was well suited and second to none on Mount Panorama, particularly on its long uphill and downhill straights. This led to the birth of the widely accepted adage stating that "there is no substitute for cubic inches on the Mountain", which would become synomous and change the face of racing at Bathurst forever.

The popularity of the race continued to grow so rapidly during the 1960s that by 1966 most major manufacturers operating in the Australian market became heavily involved in what became known as "the Great Race". This is because an outright win in the long and tough race would add great credibility to the car and its brand, especially in proving that the winning car-brand offered the best overall package in terms of performance, durability, reliability and image. This proved to be a great marketing opportunity to increase sales and market share in the local market, and so the famous "Win on Sunday, Sell on Monday" concept was born. Notably, it was during this period that the famous Holden-Ford-Chrysler rivalry originated. This Series Production battleground between the "Big Three" was fought at Bathurst, and soon spawned the introduction and development of Australia's most famous muscle cars which became affectingly known as "Bathurst specials". These included Ford's Falcon GT and later GT-HO, Holden's Monaro and Torana, and Chrysler’s Pacer and Charger models.

For 1968, the Great Race at Bathurst became the Hardie-Ferodo (H-F) 500, and in response to Ford's successful 1967 Bathurst victory in a V8-powered Falcon GT, Holden entered the all new Monaro GTS. It was based largely on the HK-model four-door Kingswood family car at the time, yet was developed as a high-performance two-door, V8 coupe' that was fun and affordable to drive, whilst being engineered with the ability to win Bathurst. The Bathurst-bound Monaro GTS 327 had a 327 cubic inch Chevrolet-sourced V8 (as the 'GTS 327' name implies) which enabled the new hi-po coupe' to outperform the updated yet comparatively smaller engined 302 cubic inch Falcon GT's, and in the process the Monaro claimed a popular maiden victory on its debut as well as Holden's first ever Bathurst win.

For the following year, the 1969 H-F 500 saw the first of the three Ford Falcon GT-HO's. This Phase One GT-HO Bathurst special Falcon was powered with a 351 cubic inch V8 sourced from FoMoCo in the US, and with its 'HO' option included upgraded suspension and handling including front/rear stabilser bars and special race tyres. Holden on the other hand upgraded the GTS 327 Monaro to the GTS 350, which included better race-style handling and a more powerful Chevrolet V8 engine of 350 cubic inches. The new GTS 350 Monaro, at the hands of Colin Bond, was once again able to hold out Ford to claim another famous victory for Holden, after the Phase One's special tyres failed under the Falcon's heavy weight and great V8 power. This race also saw the debut of Peter Brock, who would soon forge his own piece of history in the Great Race as 'King of the Mountain'. Brock and Bond were drivers for the Holden Dealer Team (HDT), which had been formed earlier in the year to take the fight to the factory Ford Special Vehicles division that was turning out the ever-evolving, race-ready GT-HO Falcons. The 'Old Fox' Harry Firth was the head of the HDT and would prove to be just as much as a thorn in Ford's side as he had been the founding father for Ford's Bathurst-bred Cortina/Falcon program.

1970 saw a change of pace as Holden decided to retire the well-proven V8 powered Monaro in favour of the smaller and more nimble Torana GTR XU-1, which was a specially developed Bathurst version of the new and popular six-cylinder Torana mid-size car. Rather than continue the V8-power war with Ford, Holden adopted a more scientific and viable approach that would prove to be safer, cheaper and just as effective and fast as the GT-HO V8 steam roller. With triple carburetors and excellent power-to-weight ratio, the new Torana XU-1 was designed to be easier on brakes, tyres and fuel to enable it to minimise its required pit stops, whilst also having superior handling and braking to outperform the big and thirsty V8 Falcon GT-HO's. However, Ford refined the GT-HO to Phase Two specification, which included an even more powerful and better breathing 351 V8 and better-suited tyres. With so much power and torque, the GT-HO further proved the old "there is no substitute for cubic inches on the Mountain" saying by winning the 1970 H-F 500 as the small yet mighty Torana just could not compensate for the major power advantage that the Phase Two's had on the Bathurst straights.

The 1971 was a repeat Ford victory, which notably included the GT-HO development program had reached its peak with the XY-model Falcon GT-HO Phase Three with further upgrades to engine power and aerodynamics, which proved to be the world’s fastest four-door production car. Chrysler also introduced its racy new two-door Charger to raise the stakes in the Great Race, and was powered by a triple Weber-carbureted inline HEMI six similar to the engine layout of the Torana XU-1. The Charger however was Australia’s fastest accelerating car at the time.

1972 was the ‘year of pressure’. For one, the media-driven “Supercar Scare” had accumulated enough political pressure to force Holden to postpone its introduction of the new V8 Torana by two years. Ford abandoned its newly developed Phase Four GT-HO based on the new XA-model Falcon, while Chrysler also followed suit with its V8-powered Charger. Secondly, the 1972 H-F 500 was the first Great Race to be run in wet weather. Allan Moffat, who had won the H-F 500 the previous two years in a row, was unable to withstand the immense pressure placed on him by Brock in his XU-1, in which the Torana proved more than a match for the ultimate Phase Three GT-HO in the atrocious conditions. Moffat, unable to fully exploit the Phase Three’s V8 power, spun early in the race after been challenged furiously by Brock’s superbly-handling XU-1, and never really recovered. Brock meanwhile was able to hold off the Phase Three GT-HO of John French and the E49 Charger of Doug Chivas to win the 1972 H-F 500, thus dispelling the ‘no substitute for cubic inches’ theory as a myth. At the wheel of the new, upgraded LJ-model Torana GTR XU-1, Peter Brock had successfully exploited the car to its maximum effect to claim a highly significant and famous Bathurst victory. This is due to a number of reasons, the first being that it proved to be Brock’s first of nine Bathurst wins which would enable him to become the “King of the Mountain” and become known as “Peter Perfect”. It also signaled the first Bathurst victory for a six-cylinder engined car, which was an achievement that would not be repeated again until the maiden Bathurst win of the Nissan Skyline GT-R ‘Godzilla’ much later in 1991. Finally, it also began the Torana legend which would enable this innovative and unique muscle car to become one of Australia’s most successful touring cars ever.

Group C era

In 1973, the race distance was changed from 500 miles (800 km) to 1,000 kilometres as Australia shifted towards the adoption of the metric system. That same year, a new rule was implemented allowing modifications to be made to the cars, which meant that the Series Production racing category became replaced by the new Group C category. Holden and Chrysler entered their XU-1 and Charger respectively, while Ford entered its new XA-model two-door, hard-top Falcon GT. This was not a GT-HO Phase Four officially, yet most hard-top GT’s that raced incorporated many of the Phase Four’s components such as the specially built four-bolt 351 V8 engine. Brock and teammate Chivas were far out front in the lead and on track to score yet another victory for Holden’s ‘pocket rocket’ Torana XU-1, only to be beaten by Moffat’s hard-top GT after Chivas at the wheel of the XU-1 ran out of fuel. This was due to a miscalculation that originated from a broken fuel gauge and the team order to get maximum laps out of the little XU-1 before pitting. The XU-1 came to a halt just before pit straight, with Chivas pushing the XU-1 into the pits unable to be assisted by his pit-crew which under the rules would have resulted in the Brock/Chivas XU-1 being disqualified. By the time the XU-1 was refueled, Moffat had passed the stricken XU-1 and was gaining a sizable lead. After being released from pitlane, Brock set off in hot pursuit of the Moffat's Falcon GT. But Brock’s heroic effort, equal to that of Chivas’ pit-lane adventure, proved too little, too late. Brock’s XU-1 suffered a deflating tyre, thus enabling Moffat to hold on and claim yet another Falcon victory, his third in only four years. 1973 would also be the last competitive appearance for Chrysler, with the marque soon disappearing from the Group C category almost entirely.

For the remainder of the 1970’s, Holden’s new 308 cubic inch V8-powered Torana's would score Bathurst victory another four times in 1975/76/78/79, and Ford’s venerable 351 V8-powered Falcon GT’s taking out the two remaining Bathurst wins in the rain-soaked 1974 H-F 1000, and its famous 1-2 form finish in 1977. Group C would also see in the new decade, but would soon be replaced by the new International Group A Touring car rules in 1985. Till then, Holden and Ford dominated the Great race and shared victories between them. However, both Australian manufacturers were facing increased foreign competition, notably from the new Mazda RX-7 that was adopted and affectionally raced by Moffat, and Kevin Bartlett's 350 V8 powered Chevrolet Camaro. The turbo powered Nissan Bluebird piloted by George Fury also threatened the V8 'Big Bangers', and signialled a sign of things to come during the soon-to-be-adopted Group A era. During the 1980’s the Group C category was dominated by Peter Brock, having scored victories in 1980/82/83/84. Dick Johnson was the only winner for Ford during the 1980’s, with a victory in 1981 whilst at the wheel of the all-new XD-model Falcon. Ultimately, Peter Brock would prove to be the ace of the Group C era, by having achieved an incredible two Bathurst hat-tricks (three consecutive Bathurst wins twice) while at the wheel of both the Holden Torana and soon-to-be-released all new Commodore, in 1978-1980 and again in 1982-1984.

Group A era

From 1985 to 1992, the Great Race was run under international Group A touring car rules. Imported turbocharged cars, most notably Ford Sierras and Nissan Skyline GT-R, dominated the racing during this period, with the Holden Commodore managing to claim three unlikely wins during this era. Under the new Group A rules, local race teams in Australia could now compete against foreign racing teams and cars, both domestically and overseas. Holden-based race teams would continue to develop and race the 308 cubic inch V8-powered Commodore, with the HDT and later the Holden Racing Team (HRT) being at the forefront of the Commodores Group A development and race program. Ford-based teams however had almost no factory support from Ford Australia, and without this vital financial and technical assistance, the development program of a competitive Group A Ford Falcon never really eventuated. As a result Ford teams, such as Dick Johnson Racing, quickly switched from V8 Falcon to the US-sourced V8 Mustang for Group A racing. This was later followed by the adoption of the extremely powerful Cosworth-turbo Ford Sierras, which were race-developed and available directly from Europe.

1985 would be the first year of the Bathurst 1000 being raced under Group A rules. This race was dominated by Tom Walkinshaw Racing's V12 Jaguar XJ-S, with John Goss and Armin Hahne claiming Jaguar's first and only Bathurst win. The following year, the Group A VK-model Commodore V8 of privateer racer Allan Grice claimed the Bathurst honours, after enjoying an exciting racing campaign in Europe, alongside other Commodore drivers Peter Brock and his newly recruited team mate, Allan Moffat, of the HDT.

In 1987, the race was a round of the short-lived World Touring Car Championship, and competitors in that championship raced against local teams. The resulting culture clash was considerable; local scrutineers, who had been applying the Group A regulations as written, repeatedly disagreed with European teams (notably that of Rudi Eggenberger) and the global organising body (FISA, the ancestor of the FIA) that were considerably more liberal with their interpretations. With the race run, it was still unclear as to who actually won. Although the Eggenberger's cars finished 1st and 2nd, they were soon to be disqualified months later due to bodywork irregularities. The race win was eventually awarded to third-placed Peter Brock, who drove two of his VL-model Group A Commodore's in wet conditions to ultimately claim a ninth and final Bathurst victory. During the race, Brock's number '05' HDT Commodore had broken down during the race, and he switched to his back-up number '10' Commodore to finish third behind the two Eggenberger Sierras.

Local Sierra teams dominated and won the next two Bathurst 1000s, in 1988 and 1989. In 1990 however, the Sierra's were again looking strong but lost what seemed like a seemingly unloseable race to the HRT Holden Commodore of Allan Grice and Win Percy. The winning VL-model 'SS Group A Walkinshaw' Commodore was able to set a fast pace early on in the race which the turbo Sierra's could not maintain, due to the high turbo boost pressures that gave the Sierra's maximum power, but resulted in extreme engine heat that hindered engine reliability. The HRT's cunning strategy had claimed a popular and long-awaited Bathurst victory for Holden, after three seasons of Sierra domination.

However a new and much more fiercer opponent was awaiting both cars. Also in 1990, Nissan and team manager Fred Gibson, had previously been running and developing its Skylines in Australian touring car competition for a few years, and that year introduced its new R32 four-wheel drive GT-R. While it suffered from mechnical problems in the 1990 race, the R32 GT-R Skyline went on to win both the 1991 and 1992 races and dominated Group A racing worldwide, earning its nickname 'Godzilla'. With four-wheel-drive, four-wheel-steer, and a devastatingly powerful turbo 2.6 litre six cylinder engine producing almost 600 horsepower, the RWD Sierra's and Commodore's simply could not equal or compensate for the Skyline's superior handling and power output.

The Skyline's 1992 victory was particularly controversial. Already disliked by the local and parochial Bathurst crowd, who preferred the race to be a contest between the traditional V8 touring car marques of Holden and Ford, the leading Skyline of Jim Richards and Mark Skaife was awarded victory after the race was abandoned following a huge rainstorm that caused a number of crashes, including that of the winning car. Dick Johnson in his Ford Sierra took the lead, but the race was red-flagged before he could complete a full lap that was required to claim the win. As Richards had been leading the race in the last lap prior to the cancellation of the event, his team was declared the winner (as is usual practice in a race cancellation). However, disappointed by the news that the Skyline had won despite the car having crashed on the cancelled lap and left immobile, this was an unpopular decision with many race fans, who voiced their opinions loudly. Race winners Mark Skaife and Jim Richards were met with a large booing crowd on the winner's podium, prompting Richards to proclaim to the crowd "In all my years racing in Australia I've never seen anything like this. You're a pack of arseholes".

V8 Supercar/ 2-litre Super Tourer era

Group A as an international formula had ceased to exist at the end of 1988, and over the next few years all the major national touring car championships had dropped these regulations for something new. CAMS had originally planned to replace Group A at the end of 1991, but this was pushed back to the end of 1992 as they awaited FISA's new set of touring car regulations. These were very long in coming, and were unlikely to prove favourable (if they even fell within the regulations) for big engined cars, and it was decided that for 1993 Australia would go their own way (thanks to threats from Ford, Holden, ATCC sponsor Shell and ATCC & Bathurst broadcaster Channel 7, a new set of touring car regulations would be created that would later be renamed to V8Supercar, with entry limited to only V8-powered Ford Falcons and Holden Commodores (with one exception for 1993 only; weight limited normally aspirated Group A cars like the BMW M3 run by the works BMW team run by Tony Longhurst & Frank Gardner. The new set of regulations also featured a second class for 2-litre cars, based on the BTCC's regulations of the time. This class banned turbocharging along with four-wheel-drive, and effectively banned Nissan's GT-R from competition. Almost immediately, Nissan pulled out of Australian motorsport, though for 12 months after were investigating running cars in the 2 litre class, but this eventually came to nothing.

In 1994, the 2-litre Super Touring championship split off by itself (away from the ATCC), though these cars ran at Bathurst that year alongside the V8s, with a top placing of 10th outright for the works BMW of Paul Morris/Altfrid Heger. In 1995, however, due to fears about the speed differences between the V8s and the 2 litre cars, the Bathurst 1000 for the first time in its history became a one-class race, with just 32 Ford and Holden V8's facing the starter in what was at the time the smallest grid in the history of the race. This format continued in 1996

In 1997, TEGA (who had been awarded the rights to market V8 touring cars by CAMS back in 1994) did a deal with IMG for market the class (newly renamed by them as V8Supercars). One of the first steps the new joint venture company did (called AVESCO) was sign a new TV deal with the TEN Network in Australia for a much expanded coverage of the championship over previous years. This was fine for the ATCC races, but the Bathurst 1000, run by the ARDC, had a TV deal with Channel 7 (who had televised the race since in its inception at Bathurst in 1963) going forward into the 21st century. It was a stalemate, Channel 7 were not prepared to lose the race, and AVESCO, with a freshly signed TV deal with the TEN Network which required a Bathurst race to be part of the deal, not prepared to go to Bathurst with TEN.

Despite talks, a resolution was not met, AVESCO announced V8Supercars would not be competing in the traditional Bathurst 1000 held on the October long weekend, leaving the organisers without an entry field for the 1997 race. TOCA Australia filled the void with a 2-litre Super Touring field, featuring a number of British Touring Car Championship drivers including Alain Menu, John Cleland and Rickard Rydell. The race was won by Paul Morris and Craig Baird in a BMW 320i run by BMW Motorsport Australia, however this team was disqualified as Baird had violated a race rule prohibiting drivers from driving more than 210 consecutive minutes in any one stint. The race was awarded to teammates David and Geoff Brabham.

This format continued for 1998, with Jim Richards winning his 7th Bathurst 1000 in a Volvo S40, beating his son Steven in a Nissan Primera.

In 1997 and 1998, the "Australian 1000 Classic" was run for V8Supercars. The 1997 edition was called the "Primus 1000 Classic" and held two weeks after the traditional race, whilst the 1998 "FAI 1000 Classic" was held in mid-November. Both races claimed to be the legitimate Bathurst 1000; the V8 Supercars' case was that they were the only truly Australian class of racing and the more popular of the two, while the Super Touring race was the official "Bathurst 1000" and was held on the traditional date of the first Sunday in October.

The fans voted with their feet and, due to a reducing number of competitors and spectators, the Super Touring class disappeared from Bathurst competition in 1999 and the race became exclusively for V8 Supercars.

Previous names

The race has changed names several times over the years to reflect naming rights sponsorship, and the change in race distance from 500 miles to 1000 kilometres (approx. 621 miles).

*Denotes V8 Supercar "Classic" event

Famous winners

The most successful driver at Bathurst is Peter Brock, whose nine victories (1972, 1975, 1978-80, 1982-84 and 1987) earned him the nickname King of the Mountain.

Jim Richards has won the race seven times (1978-80, 1991-92, 1998 and 2002) and also holds the record for the most starts (35) at this event. Larry Perkins is the third most successful driver at Bathurst, with six victories (1982-84, 1993, 1995 and 1997). Both Richards and Perkins have shared some of their victories as co-drivers with Brock.

Mark Skaife has won five times, his first was in 1991, with a Nissan Skyline GT-R. He also won in 1992 in the same car, and in 2001,2002 and 2005 in a Holden Commodore. He's been rated as the #1 driver of the V8 Supercar era in front of Marcos Ambrose and Craig Lowndes.

Canadian-born Allan Moffat is considered by many to be Ford's greatest Bathurst driver, winning the race four times (1970, 1971, 1973 and 1977). The 1977 race saw Moffat and team-mate Colin Bond cross the finish line side by side after opening up an indomitable lead in the early laps.

New Zealand-born Greg Murphy has won 4 times (1996, 1999, 2003, 2004).

Dick Johnson first rose to fame during the 1980 race when his privately-entered Ford Falcon hit a rock that had fallen (or been pushed; the subject is still debated to this day) onto the track. Thanks to public donations of over AU$70,000 - and a matching donation from Ford Motor Company - Johnson was able to rebuild his car and win the Bathurst race the following year. He went on to win twice more, in 1989 and 1994.

List of winners

Race winners

Phillip Island (500 Miles)
1960 Australia John Roxburgh / Australia Frank Coad Vauxhall Cresta 167 laps / 8h 19m 99.1s
1961 Australia Bob Jane / Australia Harry Firth Mercedes-Benz 220SE 167 laps / 8h 18m 0.0s
1962 Australia Harry Firth / Australia Bob Jane Ford XL Falcon 167 laps / 8h 15m 16.0s
Mount Panorama (500 Miles)
1963 Australia Harry Firth / Australia Bob Jane Ford Cortina Mk.I GT 130 laps / 7h 46m 99.1s
1964 Australia Bob Jane / Australia George Reynolds Ford Cortina Mk.I GT 130 laps / ?h ?m ?s
1965 Australia Barry Seton / Australia Midge Bosworth Ford Cortina Mk.I GT500 130 laps / 7h 16m 45.1s
1966 Finland Rauno Aaltonen / Australia Bob Holden Morris Cooper S 130 laps / 7h 11m 29.1s
1967 Australia Harry Firth / Australia Fred Gibson Ford XR Falcon GT 130 laps / 6h 54m 99.1s
1968 Australia Bruce McPhee / Australia Barry Mulholland Holden HK Monaro GTS327 130 laps / 6h 44m 0.0s
1969 Australia Colin Bond / Australia Tony Roberts Holden HT Monaro GTS350 130 laps / 6h 32m 0.0s
1970 Canada Allan Moffat Ford XW Falcon GTHO Phase II 130 laps / 6h 33m 0.0s
1971 Canada Allan Moffat Ford XY Falcon GTHO Phase III 130 laps / 6h 9m 49.5s
1972 Australia Peter Brock Holden LJ Torana GTR XU-1 130 laps / 6h 0m 99.1s
Mount Panorama (1,000 Kilometres)
1973 Canada Allan Moffat / Australia Ian Geoghegan Ford XA Falcon GT 163 laps / 7h 20m 6.8s
1974 Australia John Goss / Australia Kevin Bartlett Ford XA Falcon GT 163 laps / 7h 50m 99.1s
1975 Australia Peter Brock / Australia Brian Sampson Holden LH Torana L34 163 laps / 7h 19m 11.3s
1976 Australia Bob Morris / United Kingdom John Fitzpatrick Holden LH Torana L34 163 laps / 7h 7m 12.0s
1977 Canada Allan Moffat / Belgium Jacky Ickx Ford XC Falcon 163 laps / 6h 59m 7.8s
1978 Australia Peter Brock / New Zealand Jim Richards Holden LX Torana A9X SS 163 laps / 6h 45m 53.9s
1979 Australia Peter Brock / New Zealand Jim Richards Holden LX Torana A9X SS 163 laps / 6h 38m 15.8s
1980 Australia Peter Brock / New Zealand Jim Richards Holden VC Commodore 163 laps / 6h 47m 52.7s
1981 Australia Dick Johnson / Australia John French Ford XD Falcon 120 laps / 4h 53m 52.7s
1982 Australia Peter Brock / Australia Larry Perkins Holden VH Commodore 163 laps / 6h 32m 3.2s
1983 Australia John Harvey / Australia Peter Brock / Australia Larry Perkins Holden VH Commodore 163 laps / 6h 28m 31.6s
1984 Australia Peter Brock / Australia Larry Perkins Holden VK Commodore 163 laps / 6h 23m 13.6s
1985 Australia John Goss / Germany Armin Hahne Jaguar XJS 163 laps / 6h 41m 30.19s
1986 Australia Allan Grice / Australia Graeme Bailey Holden VK Commodore SSGroupA 163 laps / 6h 30m 35.68s
1987 Australia Peter McLeod / Australia Peter Brock / Australia David Parsons Holden VL Commodore SSGroupA 158 laps / 7h 1m 8.4s
1988 Australia Tony Longhurst / Australia Tomas Mezera Ford Sierra RS500 161 laps / 7h 2m 10.28s
1989 Australia Dick Johnson / Australia John Bowe Ford Sierra RS500 161 laps / 6h 30m 53.44s
1990 United Kingdom Win Percy / Australia Allan Grice Holden VL Commodore SSGroupA SV 161 laps / 6h 40m 52.64s
1991 New Zealand Jim Richards / Australia Mark Skaife Nissan Skyline BNR32 GT-R 161 laps / 6h 19m 14.80s
1992 Australia Mark Skaife / New Zealand Jim Richards Nissan Skyline BNR32 GT-R 143 laps / 6h 27m 16.22s
1993 Australia Larry Perkins / Australia Gregg Hansford Holden VP Commodore 161 laps / 6h 29m 6.69s
1994 Australia Dick Johnson / Australia John Bowe Ford EB Falcon 161 laps / 7h 3m 45.8425s
1995 Australia Larry Perkins / Australia Russell Ingall Holden VR Commodore 161 laps / 6h 20m 32.4766s
1996 Australia Craig Lowndes / New Zealand Greg Murphy Holden VR Commodore 161 laps / 7h 9m 28.3584s
1997 Australia Geoff Brabham / Australia David Brabham BMW 320i 161 laps / 6h 41m 25.4072s
1997 Australia Larry Perkins / Australia Russell Ingall Holden VS Commodore * 161 laps / 6h 21m 55.5483s
1998 Sweden Rickard Rydell / New Zealand Jim Richards Volvo S40 161 laps / 6h 54m 23.4756s
1998 Australia Jason Bright / New Zealand Steven Richards Ford EL Falcon * 161 laps / 6h 42m 23.9039s
1999 New Zealand Steven Richards / New Zealand Greg Murphy Holden VT Commodore 161 laps / 6h 51m 48.8354s
2000 Australia Garth Tander / Australia Jason Bargwanna Holden VT Commodore 161 laps / 7h 23m 30.2348s
2001 Australia Mark Skaife / Australia Tony Longhurst Holden VX Commodore 161 laps / 6h 50m 33.1789s
2002 Australia Mark Skaife / New Zealand Jim Richards Holden VX Commodore 161 laps / 6h 58m 41.0260s
2003 New Zealand Greg Murphy / Australia Rick Kelly Holden VY Commodore 161 laps / 6h 32m 55.4044s
2004 New Zealand Greg Murphy / Australia Rick Kelly Holden VY Commodore 161 laps / 6h 29m 36.2055s
2005 Australia Mark Skaife / Australia Todd Kelly Holden VZ Commodore 161 laps / 6h 37m 17.0012s
2006 Australia Craig Lowndes / Australia Jamie Whincup Ford BA Falcon 161 laps / 6h 59m 53.5852s
2007 Australia Craig Lowndes / Australia Jamie Whincup Ford BF Falcon 161 laps / 6h 29m 10.1985s
2008 Australia Craig Lowndes / Australia Jamie Whincup Ford BF Falcon 161 laps / 6h 26m 00.4291s
* Denotes Australia 1000 races for V8 Supercars category

Note: Races were 163 laps until 1987 when the track was slightly lengthend by the addition of the chicane called The Chase.

1981: The race was stopped on Lap 122 because of an incident on the top of the mountain because of a multiple-car incident that blocked the course. By rule, the race was scored based on Lap 120.

1987: The race was shortened to 161 laps, as the new chicane lengthened the circuit. Only the original race winner completed the full 161 laps, but the first and second place cars were disqualified for violations. The third-place car was declared the winner, although it only finished 158 laps.

1992: The race was stopped on Lap 145 because of numerous crashes in the heavily rain-soaked circuit, including the car of the leader on Lap 144. The race was wound back to the previous completed lap 144 as per the usual red flag rule, however in doing so it was discovered that some of the vehicles that had crashed during the storm-burst had crashed prior to the race leader completing the 144th lap. In this rare instance the race was wound back an additional lap so all involved vehicles could be classified as finishers.

Multiple race winners

Wins Driver
9 Peter Brock
7 Jim Richards
6 Larry Perkins
5 Mark Skaife
4 Bob Jane
Harry Firth
Allan Moffat
Greg Murphy
Craig Lowndes
3 Dick Johnson
Jamie Whincup
2 John Goss
Allan Grice
John Bowe
Russell Ingall
Steven Richards
Tony Longhurst
Rick Kelly

Number of victories by vehicle brand

Wins Manufacturer
25 Holden
18 Ford
2 Nissan
1 Vauxhall
Mercedes-Benz
Morris
Jaguar
BMW
Volvo
  • Outright race winner was not official recognised until 1965, with official results indicated four or five class races occurring simultaneously rather than a single race. The first car across the finish line has been retroactively recognised outright race winner since then.

Fastest lap

The outright lap record associated with the Bathurst 1000 is 2:06.8594 recorded in the 2003 Top 10 Shootout by Greg Murphy in a Holden VY Commodore, almost two seconds faster than the race lap record set that day.

Lap record

The lap record set during a race is the 2:08.4651 recorded by Jamie Whincup in his Ford BF Falcon in 2007.

Race duration

The shortest duration of the race is 6h 19m 14.8s, set by Jim Richards and Mark Skaife in their Group A specification Nissan Skyline GT-R in 1991.

Deaths

In nearly 45 years of racing, four drivers have died while competing in events associated with the Bathurst 1000.

In 1986, Sydney accountant and privateer Mike Burgmann became the first fatality in the race's history when his car (Holden Commodore VK), travelling at 268 km/h (167 mph), struck the recently constructed Bridgestone Bridge on the high-speed straight known as Conrod Straight. "The Chase", a large three-corner chicane, added in 1987 to the straight to comply with the FIA's regulations regarding length of straights was dedicated to Burgmann with a plaque embedded in the concrete barriers.

In 1992, former Formula One world champion Denny Hulme, after complaining of blurred vision, suffered a heart attack at the wheel of his BMW M3 whilst travelling along Conrod Straight. After veering into the wall on the left side of the track, he managed to bring the car to a relatively controlled stop on the opposite side of the course. When marshals reached the scene they found Hulme still strapped in, dead.

In 1994, Melbourne privateer Don Watson died during practice when his car (Holden Commodore VP) left the circuit and hit a barrier on Conrod Straight.

The 2006 event was marred by the death of New Zealand driver Mark Porter in a Fujitsu V8 Supercar Series support race on Friday, 6th October. His car spun in a section at the top of the mountain and was then hit from behind by Chris Alajajian and stalled, sitting sideways on the track. As fellow driver David Clark came around a blind corner at speeds of around 200 km/h (120 mph), he swerved to try and avoid Porter's car but slid sideways into the driver's door. Porter was airlifted to hospital with serious head and chest injuries but passed away in late afternoon of Sunday, 8th October, as the feature race was concluding. Just two hours after the crowd was celebrating Craig Lowndes' win, and on the same day that Peter Brock was farewelled, Porter's family issued a statement announcing his death.

See also

List of Bathurst 1000 vehicles

External links