It was moist, chilly and much too early, and it virtually made me well-known for all of the mistaken causes. Jap Creek Raceway – now often known as Sydney Motorsport Park – was beckoning.
A darkish, brooding racetrack coated in a skinny movie of water as misty rain consistently leaked from the gray skies above.
I’m sitting on a tough race seat, clutching a thin-rimmed black steering wheel with fog filling the visor of a race helmet borrowed from my editor, Andrew Maclean – whose identify you’ll additionally see at CarExpert as of late.
The automobile I’m sitting in is really irreplaceable.
A real icon, it’s the #76 Holden Seller Staff (HDT) Torana A9X that raced at Bathurst in 1978 and 1979.
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I can not include my pleasure to drive a automobile that had sat throughout from its sister automobile, the #05 of Peter Brock – one of the crucial dominant race vehicles in Australian motorsport historical past.
Brock gained the Bathurst 1000 twice in an A9X – the final time, in 1979, famously by a staggering six laps, after setting the quickest time in his last lap round Mount Panorama, in maybe the best efficiency ever seen in The Nice Race.
Is six laps a lot? Nicely sure, given the lap at Bathurst is simply over 6km lengthy…
The Torana A9X is a legend, however the HDT A9X is the top of the A9X set. They merely don’t come any higher.
The #76 was the second HDT automobile. Race driver Charlie O’Brien famously crashed it into the wall at Bathurst in 1978, however by the point I acquired my palms on it, the late, nice Jason Richards was operating it in Muscle Automotive Masters.
My first automobile was a V8 Holden Commodore, however the privilege, honour and accountability of driving a real piece of historical past was each salivating and considerably daunting.
Jase wanted it again – and, nicely, if I binned the factor, I’d be
The automobile later offered for near $1 million, following rumours of $2 million being supplied for one more #05 automobile.
That’s how essential these vehicles are to Australia’s motor racing historical past, and to passionate rev-heads like me who grew up on HDT, sizzling Holdens and a ferocious hatred of all issues Ford.
It was an unlimited accountability, layered on by the rain. Oh, and slick tyres, and a 2:60-to-one Detroit Locker diff.
That’s proper, a younger journalist within the age of good differentials, digital failsafes and – frankly – a lot better tyre and brake tech was about to be let unfastened in an historical, priceless conflict horse. On a moist racetrack.
The A9X was uncooked. I imply, uncooked. As a race automobile, it ran a 780cfm Holley carb, and the hatchback physique was chosen so HDT might match wider rear tyres for the monitor.
The inside nonetheless had carpet and a splash with glorious racing dials, traditional white-on-black, and the race seat was bolstered however had much less grip on me than a brand-new HSV street automobile on the time.
There was an extended, standard, chromed shift lever capped by an oddly white cue ball knob, which appeared misplaced at the hours of darkness, sinister cabin.
The passenger seat was road-car inventory, that means flat and vast, behind a glove field lid signed by the legendary Harry Firth – the previous Holden race boss who plucked a younger Brock out of obscurity for the workforce in 1969 – and the #76 automobile’s former custodian, 1983 Bathurst winner John Harvey.
In comparison with the plastic and leather-based of recent vehicles – and now brilliant touchscreens and ambient lighting – the A9X was steampunk, industrial. It was heavy, metal, and uncooked, old style fire-breathing energy, again when you might make grunt anyway you knew how.
“Holy shit” I believe as I turned the A9X’s ignition key (sure, it had a turnkey, not a flowery starter button), and the 5.0-litre Holden V8 rumbles to life. What a sound to enhance what’s in entrance of me: my thoughts now is aware of that is actual.
“You already know the circuit, proper?” requested the workforce boss earlier than I trundled out. I had by no means pushed it. “Sure, after all,” I replied. No one was taking this second away from me.
The three pedals are heavy. I put it into first to maneuver ahead. However I don’t. I stall it like a 16-year-old does the primary time they’re allowed to throw the L-plates on mum and pop’s automobile. The blokes within the storage are chuckling. Bastards.
Second time, I get it achieved – hopefully that’s the one difficulty as I get to know this well-known Australian.
Now it was time to not seem like an fool (once more) by driving too gradual or too quick and binning it.
I didn’t wish to seem like they’d lent a Ducati to my mum, however I additionally didn’t wish to put my identify on the map by burying an HDT icon right into a wall. Positive, it’s repairable, however no – that’s simply not on.
As I tip-toe across the moist, quick and undulating format – try that slippery, shiny floor within the pics – I get a tad extra assured. Only a tad. However that’s tempered by the wheelspin in second, third and fourth alongside the primary straight.
This factor wants Brock heroics, and his driving talent was lacking from my DNA. The steering is heavy; the steering wheel itself is sort of giant, to offer the required leverage as there’s no energy steering.
Energy? Nicely, there’s loads, however formally it was round 400hp (300kW) – and greater than I might deal with regardless of the race-tuned Torana chassis.
However, man and machine bonded after a handful of laps, earlier than the ultimate run virtually made me well-known.
As I ventured down the still-wet primary straight, then negotiated the lengthy left-hander that leads as much as Flip 2, I dropped – I believe – a wheel onto the white shiny kerbing paint on the surface of the monitor.
In a flash, I’m heading backwards – nonetheless with a little bit of tempo – and my thoughts says “cease the automobile”. Brake. Clutch in. Silence. My thoughts rushes – what did I do? Did I hit something? Not a smudge, or a dint – only a smirk on my face.
I simply acquired away with it. So I believed, “Rattling I hope the photographer acquired it!”. Sadly not.
I enterprise again, understanding that I’ve pushed the envelope sufficient to have the ability to say I had a go, however I’m capable of return this legendary automobile again to Richards – who’d raced it the earlier weekend – intact.
By no means, ever have I pushed a automobile in circumstances so daunting. I imply, it appeared extra forgivable to trash an unique supercar than bin a Bathurst-winning HDT A9X.
However you’ve acquired to say sure to these items, as a result of it by no means comes up once more.
That day got here from an odd mixture. Lexus wished to point out off its ISF Security Automotive, so it put the idea collectively primarily based on each vehicles having 5.0-litre V8s.
A tenuous hyperlink, however one I’m glad was made. I jumped into the ISF after the A9X, and it felt like driving a supersonic jet after driving an almighty medieval catapult. The grip and the ability supply have been incomparable, due to the Japanese automobile’s fashionable street tyres, energy steering, fuel-injection, and extra.
But there’s one factor it couldn’t match: the pure, unadulterated connectedness and engagement of the Holden. It’s why it was so successful: it impressed confidence in an period of big-bore muscle vehicles, enabling Brock, Harvey, and Jim Richards to dominate Aussie touring automobile racing within the late Seventies.
Come 2025, and it’s the ISF that’s lengthy gone and we’re now farewelling considerably of a collector automobile as the ultimate model of the IS500 – not offered right here – rolls off the manufacturing line in Japan later this 12 months.
Paradoxically, a spinoff of its 5.0-litre V8 will likely be on the Supercars grid in 2026, competing within the modern-day equal of the Australian championship gained by the A9X a number of occasions.
The Bathurst 1000 takes place this weekend, sadly and not using a Holden in sight after Normal Motors retired the homegrown model in 2020 – earlier than its last win at The Mountain in 2022.
But Lexus’ guardian firm Toyota will likely be there in 2026 with its Supra, as Australia’s most well-known motor race rolls round as soon as once more, constructing extra legends within the course of.
Even when none could ever turn out to be as iconic as Brock and the #76 HDT A9X.
