The Great Race 18 – 1998 AMP 2-LITRE
Priced: A$66.00

Invited Schedule S cars from New Zealand competed for class honours in 1998, along with local production cars. The classes drew criticism from some quarters, and a crash from one of their number at McPhillamy Park led to a multi-car pileup that eliminated three leading contenders in one hit, among them the Holden Vectra of local favourites Russell Ingall and Greg Murphy.

Joining the local entries were British Touring Car Championship factory teams from Volvo, General Motors and Audi, plus a works '98 BTCC Nissan fielded by a privateer team. Some of the world's best drivers, personnel and equipment had assembled at the foot of Mount Panorama for the 1998 AMP Bathurst 1000.

From start to finish, it featured one of the closest battles in the event's history. There was rarely more than a handful of seconds separating the Jim Richards/Rickard Rydell Volvo S40 from the Steven Richards/Matt Neal Nissan Primera. In the end Rydell's winning margin over Neal was a scant 1.9975s - the closest finish ever in the race's history (outside of staged 1-2 team finishes).