The 1980 Hardie Ferodo 1000km race at Bathurst is often referred to as the "Year of the Rock", thanks to a stray rock which rolled onto the track and was hit by the race leader Dick Johnson on lap 17. The impact resulted in a double blow out which put him out of the race. Biante have actually included a 1:18th version of the infamous rock which you can see above beside the Johnson/French Falcon XD.
Queenslander Johnson was reduced to tears at the side of the track, as he had great financial difficulty in getting an entry together for Bathurst that year and was looking at financial ruin as a result of his early departure from the race. Channel 7, a Brisbane based TV station started a public appeal for Johnson, and he received over $70,000 Australian Dollars in donations to help him get back on his feet. He repayed his generous fans the following year when he returned to Bathurst and won the race!
At first, foul play was suspected as to how the rock managed to get onto the racetrack, but a police investigation concluded the rock had accidentally been dislodged and had rolled onto the track as a result.
This model of the 4 door Ford Falcon XD is Biante's very own mold (as opposed to other Biante releases in 1:18th which have been made by AUTOart, UT, Minichamps and Kyosho). Overall it is a great model with impressive tampo printing for the sponsorship logos and the race numbers, great blue paint, nice wheels and brake detail, and a super looking V8 engine. No real areas of weakness, although it would have been nice to see the seatbelts made in fabric as opposed to the rubber strips used. The 1:18th scale rock included with the model is a super addition to the overall package!
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