Niedzwiedz: 'sorry' for cheating Bathurst 1987

Twenty-three years after the fateful race, veteran German race driver Klaus Niedzwiedz has apologised for the 1987 Bathurst 1000 scandal that saw him and his teammates wiped from their one-two finish after their Texaco Ford Sierras were found to be cheating.

In an interview with the Carsales Network at the Nurburgring 24 hour production car race at the weekend, where Niedzwiedz was driving a Volkswagen Scirocco powered by natural gas (pictured), the endurance race specialist revealed he and the other drivers knew of the question mark over the legality of their Ford Sierras, and that cheating was rife in the World Touring Car Championship that year.

He also said he was "sorry" for the whole episode, which eventually saw Peter Brock notch up his ninth Bathurst win once the disqualification was enforced.

"We got a protest because some parts were not legal, whatever, it was all bullshit," he said.

"The whole thing was a political problem, because BMW and Ford were trying very hard to get the championship title, and BMW had some parts that were not really legal and the Ford had some parts that were not really legal, but this was in every championship race.

"But finally, when we got to Australia, some of the Australian Ford Sierras didn't have these parts, and so then they [BMW] made the protest. We lost the points and the win."

He said it was routine for team officials from Ford and BMW to be in a stand-off outside the scrutineer's office ready to lodge a protest against each other after every WTC race.

"I remember outside the front of the [scrutineer's] office at the end of every [World Touring Car Championship] race ... there would be one guy from Ford and one guy from BMW waiting for a phone call from Munich [BMW head office] or Cologne [Ford Europe head office]. If nobody went in then there would be no protest. It was like this at every race."

Niedwiedz also admitted that the drivers knew about the question mark over the legality of their cars but accepted it at the time.

"They [BMW and Ford teams] always work on the limit and sometimes they work over the limit to hope nobody will see or they don't get the protest," he said.

But he said it was the race drivers who carry most of the shame as they are the public faces of the sport.

"Every racing driver wants to win the race, you go a long way to be in Australia and then you fight in qualifying and in the race and win the race and then lose just by political problems. It's very sad. Believe me, as a driver, we paid the price.

"It was very difficult for Dick Johnson and Peter Brock and the other top Australian drivers. They were upset at us because we were very comfortable in front of them. I'm sorry about this. But as a race driver, every race driver wants to win."

Niedwiedz said Ford team boss Rudi Eggenberger was "very clever".

"Perhaps he had some better parts. I don't think it was illegal, it was just a discussion if it is right or wrong. Sometimes the rules are open to interpretation."

Niedwiedz said he has tremendous respect for the Australian drivers and Bathurst.

"I was really surprised to see Dick Johnson. He was not a typical race driver. He had a big belly but he was really quick. And Peter Brock I also had a lot of respect for. They were really friendly. In the race car they are really little devils but outside the car they were always very friendly."

Niedzwiedz said Bathurst was still the most demanding race track in the world, even compared to the world famous 21km Nurburgring circuit.

"Bathurst is just like the Nurburgring in that it is very quick, very dangerous, you have to be a real man.

"But in some parts Bathurst is much more dangerous and much more difficult because you have the walls and you can crash very easily.

"You have more space [on the Nurburgring]. If you spin and have a problem you can go left and right but at Bathurst it's not possible.

"So for a real racing driver Bathurst is the number one race track in the world."

Niedzwiedz competed in the Bathurst 1000 six times: 1987, 1988, 1989, 1990, 1992 and 1996. His highest finishing place was second.

Niedzwiedz has been competing at the Nurburgring since 1972, won the Nurburgring 24 hour race outright twice (1982 and 1987) and has numerous class wins.

Niedzwiedz says he would love to return to Bathurst but suspects, at 59, he may be too old.

"I would like to go back to Bathurst but I think maybe I'm too old now for this type of car and this type of race. Having said that, this week week at the Nurburgring I am doing the same lap times as the younger guys."

The 1987 Bathurst 1000 was the eighth round of the inaugural World Touring Car Championship.

The race was won by Eggenberger Motorsport Ford Sierras of Steve Soper and Pierre Dieudonné two laps ahead of Klaus Ludwig and Klaus Niedzwiedz.

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