Bathurst 1976 & 1978 with Phil Aynsley
This part two Phil Aynsley’s blast from the past at Bathurst series. The first instalment covered Bathurst 1974 and 1975, while these images cover the years 1976 and 1978.
Please bare in mind that the vast majority of these (prior to 1990) are not only from my pre professional days but have been scanned from rather old transparencies! I certainly wasn’t there every year but often enough that I hope you get the feel of the occasion that was Bathurst!
Apart from the riders and their bikes, it is a bit of an eye opener to see what the track was like in the mid ‘70s and how it evolved over the decades.
![No fences here! Murray Sayle/Kawasaki KR250.](https://www.mcnews.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2016/06/PA-Bathurst76-001-1024x681.jpg)
![Ikujiro Taki/Yamaha TZ750 - winner of the Unlimited GP.](https://www.mcnews.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2016/06/PA-Bathurst76-003-1024x697.jpg)
![Warren Willing/Yamaha TZ750.](https://www.mcnews.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2016/06/PA-Bathurst76-004-1024x704.jpg)
![Warren Willing/Yamaha TZ750 trails Ikujiro Taki/Yamaha TZ750 at Forrest’s Elbow.](https://www.mcnews.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2016/06/PA-Bathurst76-005-1015x1024.jpg)
![Sado Asami/Yamaha TZ750 leads Masahiro Wada/Kawasaki H2R 750.](https://www.mcnews.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2016/06/PA-Bathurst76-006-1024x759.jpg)
![Camping on the mountain.](https://www.mcnews.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2016/06/PA-Bathurst78-001-1024x619.jpg)
![Vaughn Coburn/Yamaha TZ350. For several years Coburn’s bikes were decorated by the well known artist Alan Puckett.](https://www.mcnews.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2016/06/PA-Bathurst78-002-1024x673.jpg)
![Mike Hailwood/Yamaha TZ750. ’78 marked the serious start of Mike’s racing comeback after his trying his hand in some historic races and the Castrol 6 Hour the year before. He was one of the select few TZ 750 riders to be supplied with 36 litre fuel tanks that enabled them to complete the Unlimited GP without refueling.](https://www.mcnews.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2016/06/PA-Bathurst78-003-1024x752.jpg)
![Warren Willing/Yamaha TZ750.](https://www.mcnews.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2016/06/PA-Bathurst78-004-1024x738.jpg)
![Graeme Crosby/Kawasaki Z-1R 1000.](https://www.mcnews.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2016/06/PA-Bathurst78-006-1024x664.jpg)
![The unmistakable pairing of Eric Debenham on his Vincent 1000.](https://www.mcnews.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2016/06/PA-Bathurst78-008-1024x712.jpg)
![Tony Hatton/BMW R90S](https://www.mcnews.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2016/06/PA-Bathurst78-009-1024x659.jpg)
![Jim Budd/Kawasaki 1000.](https://www.mcnews.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2016/06/PA-Bathurst78-010-1024x683.jpg)
![Hidio Kanaya/Yamaha TZ750 on his way to winning the Unlimited GP.](https://www.mcnews.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2016/06/PA-Bathurst78-011-1024x685.jpg)
![Warren Willing/Yamaha TZ750.](https://www.mcnews.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2016/06/PA-Bathurst78-012-1024x681.jpg)
![Rick Perry/Kawasaki H2R 750.](https://www.mcnews.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2016/06/PA-Bathurst78-013-1024x679.jpg)
![Wes Cooley/Yamaha TZ750.](https://www.mcnews.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2016/06/PA-Bathurst78-015-1024x707.jpg)
![Mike Hailwood/Yamaha TZ750.](https://www.mcnews.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2016/06/PA-Bathurst78-016-1024x666.jpg)
![Graeme Crosby/Kawasaki Z-1R 1000.](https://www.mcnews.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2016/06/PA-Bathurst78-017-1024x634.jpg)
![Graeme Crosby/Kawasaki Z-1R 1000, Murray Sale/Yamaha TZ750, Rick Walden/Yamaha TZ750, Stu Avant/Suzuki RG500.](https://www.mcnews.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2016/06/PA-Bathurst78-018-1024x695.jpg)
![Hidio Kanaya/Yamaha TZ750 taking the winner’s flag.](https://www.mcnews.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2016/06/PA-Bathurst78-019-1024x674.jpg)