Round three of the 1972 Australian Touring Car Championship, held at Bathurst on a cold and cloudy Easter Monday, is widely regarded as being the greatest touring car race ever held in Australia.
The main players of this super horse power race were Pete Geoghegan (Ford 351 “Super Falcon”), Allan Moffat (Trans-Am Boss 302 Mustang), Bob Jane (Chevrolet 350 Camaro) and Norm Beechey (Holden GTS 350 Monaro).
The 13 lap (80km) race eventually developed into a two car war between Geoghegan’s Falcon and Moffat’s Mustang. Motorsport historians report on the intensity and sheer ferocity displayed by Geoghegan and Moffat that day, as they ran side by side and nose to tail for lap after record breaking lap. Lap times began to eclipse qualifying times as the pair increased the intensity of their duel and quite often both cars would become airborne over the humps on Conrod straight with the Mustang hitting 277km/h and the Aussie built Super Falcon hitting a staggering 296km/h….with no aerodynamics, no power steering and drum brakes on the back!
On the second to last lap Moffat smashed his previous Bathurst lap record by 9 seconds recording a 2.22:4 lap…a new record that would remain unchallenged. The intense pressure which had been building lap after lap had everyone on their toes as both cars were sliding way beyond the grip limits of their deteriorating tyres. Down Conrod and into Murray’s corner for the final time and Geoghegan braked much later than Moffat setting up a drag race to the line which saw Geoghegan win by the narrowest of margins….six tenths of a second, creating V8 muscle car history!