Christine Gibson
The Bathurst 1000 is Australia’s premier home-grown
motorsport event. It began in 1960 as the Armstrong 500, and was actually held
at Phillip Island for the first three years.
In 1963, it moved to its present home, as an endurance race
for production touring cars, on sale in Australia. Until the mid-1960s, awards
were strictly class-based, with no overall results published. Gradually, the
rules were relaxed, with foreign-model cars permitted, and overseas drivers,
raising its profile within international motorsport. Its length was increased
to 1000 kilometres in 1973.
For a long time, the race stuck to its production-car
origins. In 1985, it switched to Group A rules, and was part of the ITC global
touring car championship in 1987, then in the early 1990s, it became open to
cars running to Super Touring spec. This created a rift with the growing V8
Supercar championship, who, due to a TV broadcast agreement at odds with that
of the original Bathurst 1000, created their own in 1997. The Australia 1000
ran alongside the original race for three years, before becoming part of the V8
Supercar championship in 2000.
Women drivers have raced in the event almost from the start,
and were particularly numerous in the 1960s and 1970s. Christine Gibson (Cole)
is the most prolific female starter, with nine attempts to her name. She also
shares the best finish for a female driver with Marie-Claude Beaumont: sixth.
The best finish for an all-female team is eleventh, achieved by the “Castrol
Cougars”, Kerryn Brewer and Melinda Price, in 1998.
Following the inclusion of the 1000 into the V8 Supercar
calendar, female participation has reduced drastically. In 2015, the first
female entrants for six years were Simona de Silvestro and Renee Gracie.
Phillip Island (race length: 500 miles)
1962
Anne
Bennett/Diane Leighton/Pam Murison (Simca Aronde) – 3rd, Class C
Mount Panorama (race length: 500 miles)
1963
Lorraine
Hill/Warren Blomfield (Morris Elite) – 16th, Class B
1964
Lorraine Hill/Brian
Reed (Hillman Imp) – 13th, Class A
1967
Jane
Richardson/Midge Whiteman (Morris 1100S) – 36th
1968
Christine Cole/Midge Whiteman (Morris Mini) – 41st
1969
Diane
Dickson/Max Dickson (Ford Cortina) – 31st
Sandra
Bennett/Arthur Olsen (Morris Mini) – 36th
Carole
Corness/Ann Thompson (Morris Mini) – DNF
Christine Cole/Lynne Keefe (Fiat 125) – DNF
1970
Sandra
Bennett/Christine Cole (Gibson) – (Holden LC Torana) – 13th
Lynne
Keefe/Arthur Olsen (Morris Mini Cooper S) – 36th
Carole
Corness/Gloria Taylor (Ford Escort MkI) – 42nd
1971
Jan
Holland/Pat Peck (Holden LC Torana) – 29th
1972
Christine
Gibson/Jan Holland (Holden LC Torana) – DNF
Pat Peck
(Holden LC Torana) – DNF
Race length:
1000 kilometres
1973
Caroline
O’Shanesy/Peter Williamson (Morris Mini Cooper S) – 26th
Christine
Gibson/Sue Ransom (Alfa Romeo GTV 2000) – DNF
Pat
Peck/Darrilyn Huitt (Holden LJ Torana) – DNF
1975
Marie-Claude
Beaumont/John Leffler (Alfa Romeo GTV 2000) – 6th
Sue
Ransom/Bill Brown (Ford Escort RS2000) – 11th
Caroline
O’Shanesy/David Booth (Morris Mini Cooper S) – 27th
1976
Marie-Claude
Beaumont/Christine Gibson (Alfa Romeo Alfetta GTAm) – DNF
Caroline
O’Shanesy/Garry Leggatt (Fiat 128 3P) – DNF
1977
Sue
Ransom/Russell Skaife (Ford Capri) – DNF
Janet Guthrie/Johnny Rutherford (Holden LX Torana) – DNF
1978
Sue
Ransom/Bill Brown (Ford Capri) – DNF
Robyn Hamilton/Ralph Radburn (Holden LX Torana) – DNF
1980
Sue
Ransom/Neville Bridges (Holden VB Commodore) – 22nd
Alexandra
Surplice/John Gates (Toyota Corolla) – 28th
1981
Christine
Gibson/Joe Moore (Ford XD Falcon) – 6th
Alexandra
Surplice/Doug Clark (Toyota Corolla) – DNF
1983
Christine
Gibson/Bob Muir (Nissan Pulsar) – DNF
1984
Alexandra
Surplice/Bob Holden (Toyota Sprinter) – 26th
Christine
Gibson/Glenn Seton (Nissan Pulsar) – DNF
1987 (ITC)
Annette Meeuvissen/Mercedes Stermitz/Roland Ratzenberger (BMW M3) – DNF
1990
Heather
Spurle/Bob Jones (Holden VL Commodore) – 26th
1994
Melinda Price/Garry Jones/Andrew Reid (Toyota Corolla) – DNF
1997
Jenni
Thompson/Aaron McGill/Terry Skene (Ford Mondeo) – DNF
FAI Australia 1000 (race length: 1000km)
Melinda
Price/Kerryn Brewer (Holden VS Commodore) – 12th
The Castrol Cougars: (l-r) Melinda Price, Kim Watkins (never drove), Kerryn Brewer
1998
Heidi
O’Neil/Paula Elstrek/Damien Digby (Ford Mondeo) – DNF
Jenni
Thompson/Mike Fitzgerald (Peugeot 405) – DNF
FAI Australia 1000
Melinda
Price/Kerryn Brewer (Holden VS Commodore) – 11th
Nicole
Pretty/Nathan Pretty/Grant Johnson (Holden VS Commodore) - DNF
1999
(race
length: 500 miles)
Debbie
Chapman/Dennis Chapman (BMW 320i) – 10th
Jenni
Thompson/Allan Letcher (BMW 318i) – 12th
Leanne Ferrier (Tander)/Dean Canto (Ford Mondeo) – DNF
FAI Australia 1000 (race length: 1000
miles)
Melinda
Price/Dean Lindstrom (Holden VS Commodore) – 17th
2000
Melinda
Price/Dean Lindstrom (Holden VS Commodore) – 20th
2001
Leanne
Ferrier/Paul Dumbrell (Holden VX Commodore) – DNF
2009
Leanne
Tander/David Wall (Ford BF Falcon) – 29th
2015
Renee Gracie/Simona de Silvestro (Nissan Altima) - 14th
2017
Simona de Silvestro/David Russell (Nissan Altima) - DNF
2018
Simona de Silvestro/Alex Rullo (Nissan Altima) - 14th
2019
Simona de Silvestro/Alex Rullo (Nissan Altima) - 14th
2017
Simona de Silvestro/David Russell (Nissan Altima) - DNF
2018
Simona de Silvestro/Alex Rullo (Nissan Altima) - 14th
2019
Simona de Silvestro/Alex Rullo (Nissan Altima) - 14th
2023
Simona de Silvestro/Kai Allen (Ford Mustang S650) - 20th
(C. Gibson image copyright News Corp Australia)
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