ACC1010 Richards+GTR

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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.


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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