Description

The Bathurst 1000 kilometre endurance race at Mount Panorama celebrated 50 years of motor sports racing and fondly referred to as "The Great Race", the highlight of the V8 Supercars calendar and worthy of a special release commemorative NCLT (non-circulating legal tender) coin from the Royal Australian Mint.

It was the vision of Bathurst Mayor Martin Griffin to develop a first-class professional racing circuit and on 17th March 1938, he opened the Mount Panorama Scenic Drive, which became the venue for the 1938 Australian Grand Prix attracting 20,000 visitors. Since then, Bathurst has held the Australian Grand Prix an additional three times (1947, 1952 and 1958), as well as being the home of the Australian motorcycle Grand Prix from 1984 to 1987 and a variety of other sports competitions.

By 1973, the racing distance had been increased from 500 miles to 1,000 kilometres, in keeping with Australia's move to the metric system - the Bathurst 1000 was born.