Classic Carlectables Ford XW Falcon GT-HO Phase II 1970 Bathurst

The 1970 Hardie-Ferodo 500 was dominated by the factory backed Ford XW Falcon GT-HO Phase IIs. Qualifying saw the factory cars lock-out the first three positions on the grid. Allan Moffat qualified in pole position with a lap time of 2:49.3 with Bruce McPhee in second and Fred Gibson in third. The Tony Roberts Ford XW Falcon GT-HO Phase II entry qualified with a lap time of 2:54.9 placing him in a strong 7th position on the starting grid and a great opportunity to be successful on race day. Interestingly there were 16 XW Falcons in the race, most of them dealer-entered.
Ford were discovering much to their dismay that the new Cleveland engines were not proving to be as reliable as they should have been and they went into the 1970 Bathurst race with an air of uncertainty about their engines, their brakes and the potential of the opposition, particularly the Toranas, which had done very well at the recent Sandown 250.
The first lap of the race gave heart to the Holden supporters as Colin Bond, who had already worked up from fourth on the grid, dived under Allan Moffat under brakes to take the lead in his XU-1 Torana. It didn't take Moffat long to re-pass Bond, however, and the Canadian stayed in first place for the remainder of the race. Behind him, however, a lot of Falcons found themselves in trouble.
The works car of Fred Gibson and Barry Seton had its differential seize and Bruce Hodgson, Gary Rush, David McKay, Kyrn Aunger and Bob Beasley all suffered engine failures. Bruce McPhee, also in a works car came in second on the same lap as Moffat, but the next Falcon home was the car of John Goss and Bob Skelton, who had driven a good race to come in ninth, theirs being the first non-works Falcon to complete the distance.
Roberts, in his The Tony Roberts Team entry, was unable to finish when he was involved in a sensational incident late in the race on Lap 124. After losing control, he launched his Ford XW Falcon GT-HO Phase II backwards over Skyline before tumbling down the hillside.