The Repco Bathurst 1000 is one of the great sporting contests in Australian sport.
The race is the centrepiece of motorsport in this part of the world, it is contested by the best drivers and teams, it is held on the best race track in Australia – Mount Panorama, Bathurst – and it runs for 1000km.
Or, it should be said, is supposed to run for 1000km …
On lap 121 of the 1981 edition of The Great Race, an enormous crash unfolded at McPhillamy Park at the top of the mountain. The six car pile-up blocked the circuit, giving the officials no choice but to red flag the race.
With a hefty clean-up, it would be the very first time (and one of only two times on record) that the race has failed to run its entire 161 lap distance.
The accident in 1981 started when Bob Morris, running second and chasing leader Dick Johnson, collided with Christine Cole, who would later marry famous racer and team owner Fred Gibson.
Soon after, the Commodores of Garry Rogers and Tony Edmondson, plus the Isuzu Gemini of David Seldon, collided with the two stricken cars, before the famous Chevrolet Camaro of Kevin Bartlett slammed into the pack.
Shaken and stirred, all drivers walked away with no serious injury.
Some of the cars were barely recognisable after the incident, but one of them not only survived, but continues to race today.
The Isuzu Gemini of Seldon is now in the hands of Darrell Leslight and competes in the Heritage Touring Car class.
Exclusive to the Repco Garage, we sat down with him to talk about the thrill of driving a car that is part of Bathurst 1000 history, but also, as he describes, a thrill to drive.