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Lakeside ClassiC speed Fest
Richards
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Godzilla
In 1992 Jim Richards called the crowd at
Bathurst arseholes after he and a young
Mark Skaife tore the Australian Touring CarChampionship a new one. The combination of
Richards and the R32 Nissan Skyline GT-R
ended up altering the course of motor racing in
Australia and making a legend of both man and
machine. During the recent Lakeside Classic
Speed Fest, JR and Godzilla were reunited.
I remember that you called the crowd a
bunch of arseholes, laughed a man with a
moustache, keen to re-live Richards 1992
Bathurst victory speech on a sunny day at
Lakeside Raceway almost 18 years after
Richards made the comment.
Yes I did, I dont take it back, Richards
replied with a smile.
The heckler wasnt quite accurate it was a
pack of rather than a bunch of but the
affable Richards didnt correct the fans
mistake. Instead he signed his poster with the
calm that makes Jim Richards so approachable.
That Gentleman Jim was driven to profanity
at all was one of the most strik ing elements of
an era that changed Australian motorsport and
car culture. Between 1990 and 92 the intrigue
and drama around the GT-Rs grew bigger than
anyone could have ever imagined.
Australian racing had never seen a car as
devastating as the Skyline and the teams
running other makes, especially the Holdens,
must have felt they were using an abacus
against the Skylines super-computer.With Richards and Skaife at the wheel, the
Gibson Motor Sport team was unstoppable in
1991, and even carrying weight penalties in
1992, the GT-Rs laid waste to the opposition.
Strangely, this run of success didnt endear
the GT-Rs to the public or, it seems, to the
racing officials. The 1992 season culminated in
CAMS banning turbo-charged and four-wheel
driven cars for the 1993 season.
The regulators said costs associated with
the Group A cars were the reason for the
move toward what would eventually become
the V8 Supercars series. But the Skylines
stamping antique on the forehead of
Australias beloved red lion and blue oval
His reception after winning the 1992Bathurst 1000 drove Jim Richards toprofanity. Has time vindicated thechampion driver?reloade
Words
Bn dlln
PhotosNn duff
MAIN PIC Jim Richardsback in Godzilla. What the
F.I.I.K. is that toggle for?
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badges must have been a strong
incentive as well.
Come Bathurst in 1992, the stage
was set for a showdown on and off
the track. Behind closed doors, Ford
and Holden had dictated that
CAMS make touring car racing
more affordable for the teams andaccessible (acceptable as well?) to
the masses, or the big two would
move into other areas of racing.
Public reaction to the domination
of the GT-R was also becoming
negative, with few wins by local
Ford although they were all the
European Sierras or Holden teams
making the parochial crowds
increasingly dissatisfied.
Some would say Australian
touring car racing has never been
the same or as as good since
the R32 Skylines left the track, but
love or loathe the modern V8Supercars series, the truth is that
the fans at Bathurst in 1992 got
exactly what they wanted.
The current owner of the car
that Richards and Skaife drove at
the 1992 Tooheys 1000 is Terry
Ashwood, who is proud as punch
to be its custodian. Many regard it
as the ultimate iteration of the
Gibson-prepared GT-Rs.
And the crowd at Lakeside were
there for one reason. To see Godzilla.
In contrast to 1992, talk around
the paddock centred on how great
the Skylines were and that things
hadnt been the same since. One
spectator in his 70s made it clear
he hasnt been trackside for any
top-tier motorsport since the GT-R
last raced at Lakeside in May 1992.
The crowd was a mix of ages, but
even the YouTube generation
seemed to know the legend of theGT-R. One girl asked Richards to
sign her hat. I was only six years
old in 1992, so this is the first time I
have seen the car for real, she said.
This GT-R affects all who see it.
The car probably inspires more
emotion in people here today,
because most of them would have
never seen it race, Richards said.
[They have] just seen it in
magazines or on the internet.
The pit area where the GT-Rs
were was highly visible from the
far end of pit lane. Decked out with
big Nissan flags and swarmingwith an endless stream of
spectators, it was unmissable.
The clank of rattle guns on the
wheels added atmosphere in the
Skyline garages, as the assembled
throng experienced the sound,
sights and smells of the GT-R.
The pit crew was in period
costume, with Winf ield logos
stretching across red overalls. Of
course with the advancement of
years some overalls were asked to
stretch a little more than before.
That was not true for former
ATCC driver Mark Gibbs, who wore
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th Gt-R nr mor moon oy, bcumo o wou nvr hv n rc
his original GIO-sponsored overalls
from 1992. That was also the lasttime he drove the car, garnering a
respectable sixth overall at Bathurst.
They still fit. A few more bumps
than before though, Gibbs smiled.
The Peter Jackson-sponsored
R31 Skyline in the next stable got
a few appreciative nods, as did the
VL Walkinshaw Commodore next
to it, but there was some palpable
jealousy in the paddock about the
reception the GT-Rs received.
Ashwood lightened the mood by
sneaking down to the Walkinshaw
camp and slapping a Nissan
Motorsport sticker on the backwindow of the Commodore.
The VL did use a Nissan
engine when it came out, one
of the Winfield crew said.
The sticker wasnt discovered
until after the Commodore came
in from its next run. The Holden
crew joked that the sticker slowed
the car down, then called the
Nissan camp a pack of arseholes.
The GT-R squatted down off the
pneumatic jacks, front then rear,
and dug its claws into the tarmac.
It was definitely Godzilla.
On start up, the R32 sounded
just like a street GT-R, burbling
through a large diameter exhaust.Terry Ashwood stepped into it
as the Group A and C cars were
called onto the track.
It was his fifth and final run of
the weekend before Jim Richards
jumped in the hot seat for the
much anticipated demo run that
would feature the Group A and C
cars together with Mark Gibbs in
the GIO GT-R and Kevin Bartlett in
the Bowdens ex-Longhurst Sierra.
A rolling start added theatre to
the proceedings. The sound as the
cars hammered away from the
green light after the warm-up lapwas incredible as was the staccato
of Terry missing a gear and hitting
the GT-Rs rev limiter. Whoops!
His slip-up left the Skyline
behind the leaders for less than a
lap, and he was soon at the front of
the pack again.
Rod Markland in his GIO GT-R,
Brett Maddren in an orange Ford
Mustang from the 80s, and
Ashwood had a great on-track
stoush, each taking turns at
leading and definitely stretching
the capabilities of cars and drivers.
As the Winf ield and GIO
Skylines rocketed down the main
straight, a stone-faced V8 fan ina Holden shirt nudged his mate.
F**k that thing goes! he said.
It wasnt called Godzilla just for
fun. The GT-R was a real monster.
At the top of the track the Group
A and C cars completed a warm-
down lap as the crowd applauded.
Back in the pits, the cars sat
waiting for Richards and Gibbs to
take them out one last time. One of
the Winfield crew, ex-motoring
scribe Mark Hooker, pointed out a
special switch in the GT-R cockpit.
It is said this switch leaves grown
men reluctant to speak.It is labelled F.I.I.K. Hooker
said, which stands for F***ed If I
Know. While not the most
eloquent acronym, it is accurate
according to several people
involved with the Gibson GT-R.
Terry was a little cagey when
asked about the toggle. It is a
three-way switch that the drivers
were told to move up or down by
the pits during the race depending
on the cars position in the field.
The drivers never knew what it
was for, hence the F.I.I.K name.
Ashwood turned to Richards
Im just reallystunned for words,I cant believe thereception. This isbloody disgraceful. Ill
keep racing but I tellyou what, this is goingto remain with me fora long time youre apack of arseholes.
a factoftenoverlooked aboutthe 1992 GreatRace is thatformer F1 driving
legend, DennyHulme, suffered amassive heartattack and diedwhile drivingdown ConrodStraight at234km/h. Hulmewas Richardsclose friend and afellow Kiwi, andthe grief may wellhave come out inhis speech.
octoBer 4,1992: theday jimrichardsBit Back...
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th skyn w ju how i rmmbr ... k hvbron n h rng whn you hro off...
and very quietly asked Jim if he
remembered the F.I.I.K. switch.Richards face lit up. Oh, yeah-
yeah-yeah. I havent got a clue
what its for! he laughed. Its
an engine performance or fuel
economy type thing probably.
Either Jim is an incredibly
honest man, or he is the best
politician the world has ever seen.
Suddenly it was time to get in
and belt up for the demonstration
session. Handing over their cars
to Richards and Gibbs, Ashwood
and Markland were visibly
nervous. The Lakeside marshals
asked if the pair wanted astopwatch to see how much faster
the original drivers were than the
current owners. Ashwood and
Markland feigned amusement at
the marshals suggestion. We
dont want to know how bad we
are, Rod said.
When asked how the pair felt
about entrusting their cars to
former racing drivers, Ashwood
said, Its like seeing your daughter
go out on her first date.
The marshals made a joke about
lending tools or wives to friends,
the punch-line being the condition
the loaned items were usually
returned in. No-one laughed.At one point, when Richards and
Gibbs flew past the pits, Rod
nervously joked: Okay Mark, thats
fast enough!
As the cars circulated lap after
lap, everyone started to think
Richards and Gibbs might stay on
the track until they ran out of fuel.
The demonstration was supposed
to be five laps, but the marshals
were too busy watching the
display of control shown by these
well-seasoned experts to even
think about ending it. For the
majority at Lakeside, this was themain event.
Out of the couple of thousand
people watching this glorious
meeting of legends flesh and
metal only two wanted to see it
end. As the laps piled up, Ashwood
trotted off to find a marshal to
wave the chequered flag.
In the pits all was relaxed and
friendly as Gibbs and Richards
relayed to the assembled crowd
(which stood five-deep around the
garage) what it was like to be back
at the helm.
It was just like it used to be,
just how I remembered it, said
Richards. The little traits that Iwould have struggled to remember
before driving the car now come
back very clearly. The vibration in
the steering when you throttle off
into a corner, but that goes away
on half-throttle out of the corner.
Also getting a sore thumb muscle
from having [a lot of] torque going
to the front wheels.
Richards and Gibbs were
glowing after the reunion.
As Richards walked back down
pit lane, spectators hounded him
for autographs and asked about
driving the GT-R, or reminiscedabout their own memories of the
good old days.
Vindication came as the stove
top tail-lights of Skyline after
Skyline rolled out of the carpark.
Whether any of those seated in the
Nissans ever chanted bullshit 18
years earlier is irrelevant. The
power of Godzilla changed what
we consider performance cars to
be in Australia and opened many
minds to a new car culture that
has surpassed the popularity levels
Ford and Holden V8s enjoyed in
their prime.
Lakeside ClassiC speed Fest
If you lookclosely at thefootage ofRichards speech
available onYouTube youcan see MarkSkaife mouthingparts of Jimsspeech (not thearsehole bit,though). Whetheror not thespeech wasprepared forthem is a matterto debate withmates at the pub.
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