1991 Tooheys 1000

Layout of the Mount Panorama Circuit
The race-winning Nissan Skyline GT-R of Jim Richards and Mark Skaife, pictured in 2015.
The second-placed Holden VN Commodore SS Group A SV of Win Percy and Allan Grice, pictured at the 1991 race.
The third-placed Nissan Skyline GT-R of Mark Gibbs and Rohan Onslow, pictured in 2015.
The 18th-placed Toyota Supra of John Smith and Geoff Morgan, pictured at the 1991 race.

The 1991 Tooheys 1000 was a motor race which was staged at the Mount Panorama Circuit just outside Bathurst in New South Wales, Australia on 6 October 1991. It was the 32nd running of the Bathurst 1000. The 1000 km race was held for cars complying with the provisions of Australian Group 3A Touring Car regulations[1] with the field divided into three engine capacity divisions. It was the Round 2 of both the 1991 Australian Endurance Championship and the 1991 Australian Manufacturers' Championship.[2]

Nissan driver Mark Skaife became the first driver since Peter Brock in 1983 to claim provisional pole position, pole position after the Top 10 runoff (with a then fastest touring car lap time of 2:12.63), the race win, and the fastest race lap. His lap record in the race was set in the teams #2 GT-R and not the #1 he drove to victory with Jim Richards. (Brock's race record lap of 1983 was also set in the team's second, #25 car, but that was the car he drove to victory with John Harvey and Larry Perkins).

The Richards / Skaife Nissan GT-R recorded a one lap victory from the Holden Racing Team entered Holden VN Commodore SS Group A SV of 1990 race winners Win Percy and Allan Grice with the GIO Racing Nissan GT-R of Mark Gibbs and dual Australian Drivers' Champion Rohan Onslow a further lap behind in third place. After having won the Sandown 500 in the lead up to Bathurst, third place was enough to see Gibbs and Onslow win the Australian Endurance Championship and help win Nissan their fourth Australian Manufacturers' Championship.

With the overall race time of 6h 19m 14.80s breaking the 1984 record of 6h 23m 13.06s. The 1991 time remained as the race record for the 1000 km event[3] until it was broken at the 2010 event with a 6h 12m 51.4153s race time. As of 2023, the 1991 edition is still one of the fastest races in the history of this event, being the ninth fastest.

  1. ^ CAMS Manual of Motor Sport, 1991, page 170
  2. ^ Australian Motor Racing Year, 1991/92, pages 238–239
  3. ^ * Greenhalgh, David; Thomas B. Floyd; Bill Tuckey (2000). Australia's Greatest Motor Race 1960–1999. Chevron Publishing Group. p. 479. ISBN 1-875221-12-3.