The dirty dozen

In 1980, Peter Brock had a stroke of genius. No, make that two. The first was establishing HDT Special Vehicles to build hot Commodore muscle cars for the public. The second was coming up with a unique way to promote his new breed, by inviting a group of top drivers to race them in a ‘Race of Champions’ event at the Australian Grand Prix meeting.

Story: James Cockington

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CHAMPION’S CHOICE

The Australian Grand Prix was staged for the first time in its 45-year history at Bob Jane’s Calder Park Raceway in Melbourne on November 16, 1980.

After several years in the doldrums, with thin F5000 fields and dwindling crowds, the AGP was back on the map with ‘real’ Formula 1 cars. That was because Alan Jones had just become the first Australian driver to win the World F1 Championship since Sir Jack Brabham in 1966 and he was bringing his championship-winning Williams-Cosworth FW07 back home to celebrate. Jones would be the star attraction at Calder, with a burning desire to emulate his father Stan’s AGP win at Longford, Tasmania 21 years before.

Joining Jones would be rising Italian F1 star, Bruno Giacomelli (the Aussie fans just called him Jack O’Malley!) in his V12 Alfa Romeo 179 and French Ligier F1 driver Didier Pironi in a leased Elfin Formula 5000 car. Local drivers in other F5000s made up the rest of the field, but all eyes would be on the returning hometown hero.