How good was the Peter Jackson Dash?
Known within the media at the time as the Dash for Crash, it played an interesting role during the Australian Touring Car Championship rounds from 1992 until cigarette advertising was banned at the end of 1995.
The Peter Jackson Dash played an important part in promoting the Australian Touring Car Championship at a time where there was conjecture about its current direction and its future due to the influx of turbocharged weaponry dominating. This came through live coverage of the Peter Jackson Dash featuring within Channel 7’s long running ‘Sports World’ show on Sunday morning.
Starting in 1992 featuring the fastest six drivers in regular qualifying, there was a touch of luck involved as each were handed an envelope containing their grid slot for the Dash.
In most cases the pole winner was left disappointed with a lowly grid slot for the Peter Jackson Dash. The three-lap event proved important in its first two seasons as the finishing positions decided the grid order for the opening race and championship points were awarded to the top three.
For 1994 after many complaints the Peter Jackson Dash didn’t decide the grid, but still awarded championship points for the top three. The next year, the Dash was opened up to the top 10 drivers, with a cash prize being offered to winner throughout its history.
Jim Richards won the first Peter Jackson Dash hosted by Amaroo Park in ironically his Winfield Racing Nissan Skyline R32 GT-R and the last was Mark Skaife at the Oran Park finale in 1995.
The Peter Jackson Dash had its fair share of action including during its final year when title contender John Bowe was spun at the start and t-boned Jim Richards at Wanneroo. Another was Skaife’s spin trying to go around the outside of Wayne Gardner at Eastern Creek’s Turn 1.
Check out some of the highlights from the Peter Jackson Dash below.
1992 Amaroo Park – The first Peter Jackson Dash
1993 Amaroo Park
1993 Phillip Island
1993 Lakeside
1995 Symmons Plains
1995 Wanneroo