Bathurst’s nickname Heartbreak Hill is well earnt given the large amount of hard luck stories to emerge from Mount Panorama’s 1000km or even the earlier 500-mile event.
Nothing is assured at Mount Panorama and the disappointments have outweighed the successors there.
Some drivers have been more lucky than others and this list includes the most deserving of a win at the Mountain, but never achieved it.
Check out these unlucky few below:
Glenn Seton
Starts: 26
Best result: 2nd (1987, 2003, 2004)
The most obvious to feature on the list, Glenn Seton endured a torrid history at Mount Panorama despite his father Barry taking victory in 1995.
A two-time Australian Touring Car Championship winner, Seton’s first three Bathurst 1000 starts set the tone for his more than 30-year chase of the ultimate by being DNFs.
His first finish was runner up in the World Touring Car Championship event in 1987, with Seton’s spectacular car control on full display when a wild storm hit as the race reached its closing stages.
Luck failed to change for Seton when he left the factory Nissan team and formed his own operation backed by Peter Jackson despite being a frontrunner in the touring car title.
Seton famously got close in 1995, but a valve spring failure ended the day within sight of the flag.
Two top five finishes in the late-1990s began to reverse the disappointing results of the decade, typified by four DNFs.
Late in his career, two runner up finishes in 2003 and 2004 partnering full-time teammate Craig Lowndes at Ford Performance Racing, plus a third-place co-driving alongside James Courtney at Stone Brothers Racing added further solid results to Seton’s record.
Three final outings in Holdens failed to add a solid result to end his mountain journey leaving Seton known among race fans as the best driver never to win Bathurst.
Brad Jones
Starts: 24
Best result: 2nd (1994, 1997*, 2001)
Another driver to take on the Mountain as a team owner, Brad Jones had his big shot at victory in 2001 partnered by British driver John Cleland.
Before then, Jones had nearly a 15-year career up to that point at Mount Panorama starting as a factory Mitsubishi driver in the full of potential, but underdeveloped Starion.
A best of 10th in his last start in 1988 was quickly bettered by ninth the next year in Peter Brock’s Mobil 1 Racing squad.
A top five finish came in 1990 as part of the Holden Racing Team’s dream result before a DNF and 15th followed.
A hired gun co-driver at HRT, Jones finished third alongside Wayne Gardner in 1993 and second partnering debutant Craig Lowndes the following year in what was a famous breakout performance. Jones’ contribution is often overlooked considering a spin early with Lowndes at the wheel left the crew needing to make up time.
Another top five finish alongside veteran Win Percy at Wayne Gardner Racing followed before a DNF in 1996.
As the factory Audi ace in Australian Super Touring, Jones led the manufacturer’s factory Bathurst 1000 assault in both events run to those regulations. Jones walked away with a second and third.
Switching from WGR to Mark Larkham’s Mitre 10 Falcon for 1998, Jones finished fourth and DNF’d in his last start before running his own team.
Jones’ 2001 effort where he challenged the mighty Holden Racing Team for the win was the only result of note running under his own banner.
A third in 2004 and fifth three years later now as a co-driver provided a solid end to Jones’ Bathurst career.
Alan Jones
Starts: 19
Best result: 2rd (1995)
The only reigning Formula 1 World Drivers’ Championship winner to compete in the Bathurst 1000, Alan Jones was paid big money early to partner privateer Warren Cullen for a poor result in 1981 and just missed the podium in 1984.
It took a further four years for Jones to return as he scored a podium partnering Colin Bond in his Ford Sierra RS500 Cosworth.
An association with Frank Gardner’s team began with fifth in 1989, but five DNFs in a row followed him to Glenn Seton’s Peter Jackson Racing squad.
A return to the podium finally came in 1995 partnered by Allan Grice, but this was Jones’ final appearance as he failed to finish five of his final eight Bathurst 1000 attempts.
These campaigns varied being run by his own Pack Leader Racing operation to the Williams Renault Dealer Racing squad in the 1997 Super Touring 1000 to privateer Anthony Tratt and his last at Dick Johnson Racing, which ended in seventh.
Jones’ best chance came in 1996 as the Stone Brothers-prepared Pack Leader Racing Ford Falcon was immensely quick and co-driver Grice was a proven quantity after the duo’s runner up finish the previous year. However, it was. A memorable moment for Jones, but not in a good way after his Pack Leader Racing Falcon burst into flames in eerily the same spot as Seton the previous year.
Cam Waters
Starts: 13
Best result: 2nd (2020,2021)
The only driver on this list still competing and able to get off it, Cam Waters has quickly emerged as Ford’s leading contender for the past few seasons, though Bathurst remains a bogey track.
Debuting more than a decade ago after winning the chance through the Supercars Showdown reality television show at the age of 17, Waters has stayed loyal to Tickford Racing throughout his main game career.
His early forays failed to bring as result and Chaz Mostert’s massive crash during qualifying for the 2015 edition delayed a breakthrough result until the next year when Waters paired with Jack Le Brocq to score fourth.
A strong run from Richie Stanaway in 2017 didn’t deliver a result for Waters, with it much the same in 2019 when a clash with teammate Mostert led to the pair ending in the sand trap at The Chase.
Two runner up spots followed for Waters in 2020 and 2021 as his rise to become Ford’s front line driver was solidified.
Third, a DNF and fourth leave Waters so close to a Bathurst victory, but maybe 2025 is the year paired with former mentor Mark Winterbottom.
George Fury
Starts: 10
Best result: 3rd (1987)
A star on the dirt before turning his talent to the tarmac, George Fury was one of Bathurst’s leading drivers for nearly a decade.
A twice winner of rallying’s version of the Bathurst 1000, the Southern Cross Rally, Fury transitioned to circuit racing when Datsun or Nissan made the move in 1981.
Although the early attempts were marred by reliability problems mainly arising from the turbo, Fury set a scorching 2m 13.850s in Hardies Heroes to take pole position in 1984 driving the fast, but fragile Nissan Bluebird.
While Nissan formulated its entry into Group A for 1985, Fury was loaned to the title winning JPS BMW squad for the endurance events. This, however ended infamously when both JPS BMW entries ended up in the Hell Corner sand trap leaving drivers Fury and Jim Richards to dig their way out.
When Nissan returned with the DR30 in 1986, it was a DNF on the model’s debut and third the next year in the World Touring Car Championship event.
Another Nissan arrived for 1988 – the HR31 – and it provided his second best result at the Mountain when scored fourth in 1989 partnered by Swede Anders Olofsson.
A move to former teammate Glenn Seton’s Peter Jackson operation for his final start in 1990 led to another DNF.
Honorable mentions:
Some great drivers have competed at Bathurst including the likes of Stirling Moss, Jack Brabham, Johnny Rutherford, Janet Guthrie, Scott Pruett, David Hobbs and many other international stars have competed, but not for a prolonged duration of time ruling these names out.
Warren Luff is an obvious omission as he enjoys an enviable record as a co-driver comprised of six podiums without a win.
Marcos Ambrose is another to not win the Great Race, so too the likes of Paul Radisich, Norm Beechey and Leo Geoghegan are also worthy mentions.
Got anymore unlucky drivers at the Mountain? Head to Repco socials to discuss.