Hardie's Hero

1983 - Hardie's Hero

The horrifying aftermath of Dick Johnson's monumental crash during Hardies Heroes on the Saturday. Johnson emerged from the left hand side door remembering nothing about the crash, or the wild ride into it, or being picked up by Brock. The car was rebuilt overnight by TAFE using a second car Johnson's sponsor, Ross Palmer acquired (buying a third to replace to the team the car he had bought), and in that year the TAFE organisation at Bathurst finally came to be recognised fully for their tireless efforts and seemingly magical skills. Johnson would joke later that the warm up lap of the race would be used to dry the paint which wasn't far wrong. The accident occured when Johnson ran slightly wide out of Forrest Elbow in an attempt to beat Brock's pole time. The tyres at the end of wall were set in concrete (?) and the impact was enough to break the steering arm of the Falcon.