Bathurst Class Winner Bill Evans Dies at 85: Four-Time Mount Panorama Champion

Four‑time Bathurst class champion Bill Evans passed away on Sunday, August 9, 2025, at the age of 85. The veteran racer, who competed in 11 editions of the Bathurst 500/1000 from 1968 to 1979, was best known for winning the smallest capacity class at Mount Panorama on four separate occasions.

Evans made his Great Race debut in 1968, co‑driving a factory‑supported Datsun 1000 with John Colwell. The pair initially recorded a class win, but the car was later disqualified after two judicial enquiries—first because a carburettor did not match the workshop manual, and then over a lap‑scoring irregularity that required a second appeal. Despite the controversy, Evans quickly established himself as a consistent front‑runner in the under‑1300cc category.

His breakthrough came in 1972, when he piloted a Datsun 1200 to Class A victory in the final 500‑kilometre race at Bathurst. The following year—the first 1000‑kilometre edition—Evans and co‑driver James Laing‑Peach charged from 46th on the grid to finish 15th outright, securing his second class win. A clutch failure denied him a three‑peat in 1974, and he finished second in class in 1975.

In 1976, Evans teamed with Bruce Stewart to claim a third baby car class win in a Datsun 1200. As the under‑1300cc class was phased out, he stepped up to the under‑2000cc category. His fourth and final Bathurst class victory came in 1978, driving a Brian Wood‑Ford‑supported Escort with Rod Stevens. That year, he also achieved his best outright finish, ninth place in the Bathurst 1000.

Beyond Bathurst, Evans was a formidable force in Australian rallycross, where he traded blows with legends like Peter Brock and Bob Watson during the sport’s golden era. He also won his class in the Australian Sports Car Championship. In 1979, he competed in only one round of the Australian Touring Car Championship but still finished 14th overall, thanks to maximum class points earned at the Calder round in the Brian Wood Escort. For the endurance races that year, he and Stevens drove an XC Falcon in a rare outright class entry.

V8 Sleuth extends its condolences to Bill’s family and friends. His four class wins at Mount Panorama place him among the most successful small‑car specialists in Bathurst history, and his contributions to Australian motorsport—from rallycross to touring cars—will not be forgotten.

(Note: This article has been updated to reflect the latest information available as of August 12, 2025.)