Robbie Francevic was a non starter after some behind the scenes controversy which lead to Francevic being fired the next day, Allan Grice returned from Europe and was involved in an early incident with Garry Scott in the second Skyline Nissan producing one of the best recovery drives of all time from Scott. This is a action packed endurance race in the lead up to the 1986 "great race" at Bathurst, the Melbourne cup for Australian touring car drivers and teams. All Credit to ABC sport for this wonderful live telecast (some great helicopter shots) and with great commentators from the time, John Smailes and Will Hagon. Enjoy!
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The second year of Group A in Australia saw the domination of the JPS Team BMW team fade with several other teams pushing forwards. Most spectacularly was the return of Nissan Motorsport Australia with the newly homologated Nissan Skyline RS. Lead by George Fury they were the main rival for another new team, the George Shepheard run Volvo Dealer Racing team, a factory supported team which succeeded the Mark Petch Motorsport Volvo team of 1985. The Touring Car Championship became a two horse race between Volvo Dealer Racing's Robbie Francevic and Fury. Fury was never able to haul in Francevic's early points lead and Francevic was crowned champion. Francevic was fired from the Volvo Dealer Team by Shepheard the day after the Castrol 500 at Sandown after refusing to drive what he believed would be an un-competitive car which had only been completed at the meeting started. He then returned to the Mark Petch team as they began development of a Ford Sierra turbo. Defending champion, JPS Team BMW's Jim Richards picked up race wins during the season, claiming the Australian Endurance Championship. Peter Brock likewise returned to the winner list for Holden Dealer Team, claiming an ATCC win at Surfers Paradise. While Richards won the Endurance Championship, the big prizes went elsewhere, Sandown 500 was claimed by Fury and his new young team mate Glenn Seton for Nissan, while Allan Grice and Graeme Bailey returned from their attempt at the European Touring Car Championship to claim victory in the Bathurst 1000. John Smith claimed the debut title for small touring cars, the distinction for the class was set at two litres leaving a field of Toyota Corollas, Isuzu Geminis and a Nissan Gazelle. The Amaroo Park based Better Brakes/AMSCAR series was claimed by JPS Team BMW's number 2 driver, Tony Longhurst driving the team's secondary car, a BMW 325i, the forerunner to 1987's BMW M3.