1976 – Grudge match

Gillard was back aboard an Alfa for the ‘76 race, a 2000 GTV, and paired with Graham Harrison.

“That was a funny deal. I never saw that car till I got to Bathurst but it was one of the Freddy-built [Gibson] ex-factory cars, so it was a good car.

“I only found out years later how I got that drive. They’d knocked his entry back because they thought he or his co-driver wasn’t experienced enough. So they went through a list of ‘acceptable’ available co-drivers, and they came up with me.

“I did the start – and only just missed hitting

Jack Brabham’s stalled L34. We were second in class late in the race. Graham did a fair bit of the driving; but then he crashed into another Alfa. It was unnecessary. Apparently Harrison knew the other driver and there was bad blood. They didn’t get along. The funny thing about it was that, thinking back, I remember when I was in the car, that guy gave me a bad time when I was trying to pass him. He was blocking and cutting me off. Thinking about it now, he might have thought it was Harrison in the car! Had I known there was a feud between him and Harrison I would have launched him at McPhillamy Park. We went Above: The 1976 Great Race ended unceremoniously for Gillard, with co-driver Graham Harrison crashing out late in proceedings.

through there and he chopped me real bad; I had to back right out of it so I didn’t hit his left rear wheel. I could have ended the feud much earlier in the race, and we might have nished.”