Ford v Holden to the mountain

With the going down, out through Goondiwindi and down the Newell highway, onto the Oxley, into Dubbo for the night, there is the anticipation, the dreaming of The Great Race.

It is some 1100km from the centre of Brisbane to the hallowed Mount Panorama at Bathurst, 210km west of Sydney.

There are truck stops – with dining rooms for professional drivers and prints with campfire Indians dreaming of buffalo. There are wide open plains, stands of cypress pines and tidy country towns.

There are the spring-green paddocks of Bathurst, dotted with sheep.

And then there is the Mountain, home since 1963 to the greatest of Australian motor races and now the domain of Australia's V8 Supercars. It is the old argument, handed from father to son, Ford versus Holden.

This is a solid 12-hour run from Brisbane without red flags and with a co-driver. It is a run through the heartland in a V8 Falcon and V8 Commodore, a run through places where these sedans can stretch out a bit.

Out here a V8 tourer makes sense, for comfort, safety and fuel economy.

The 5.4litre, Ford V8 returns 12.4litres per 100km going south. Holden's 5.7litre comes in at 11litres per 100km on the run back.

The big V8s are strolling here, the Commodore running just over 1500rpm in sixth gear for 110km/h. The four-speed auto Ford is running closer to 2000rpm. Neither car is stressed, not even when the taps are opened to flow past slower-moving machinery.

There is need to sweep past, with hard acceleration and some V8 authority, as a little Korean machine is tucked between an interstate trucker and caravaner struggling uphill at 90km/h, and all nose-to-tail.

Maybe the Ford or the Holden, slip briefly into the illegal zone. This happens from time to time, for it is a far safer option than hanging out on the wrong side of the bitumen. Tell that to the judge. And tell it on the Mountain, this big lump of hill that rises out the central western plains of NSW.

This is a sacred place and on October weekends an extra special place for rumbling and roaring V8 Holdens and Fords that share body shells and some other bits with these road-going SS and XR8 warriors.

This year it was again Greg Murphy and Rick Kelly's KMart Commodore at the end of a long day, 161 turns up and over the mountain. Then the tribes disperse, back to all corners of the country.

The return is a bit more of a drag, more traffic, more tired. The sandwich stops are quicker, less fun.

Up and back the red SS Commodore attracts the most attention. This is the VZ with the fake air-intakes on the flanks.

The XR8 is a more subtle purple and there is less detail work. It is bold in the bonnet, the power bulge standing tall and proud.

That minimalist feel is carried through to the cabin. It's simple and workmanlike, yet comfortable and more spacious than the SS.

The Holden cabin too works well. It is a bit busier and bolder in detail work, with shades of grey, silver and red instrument dials.

The SS has more sporting ambience; the XR8 is more sombre in its approach.

The Holden turns in a little sharper and the ride is a little edgier. Here with the six-speed manual there is the chance to run up and down the gearbox for maximum effect and best use of the 470Nm of torque for the best chance of getting away from trouble.

It may be a little notchy but the six-speed manual is tops for touring. Drop back to fifth for the uphill climbs or a gentle pass, back to fourth for a quick and hard run around another convoy of trucks and trailers.

Sixth helps with highway economy.

The Ford XR8 is that bit smoother over this 1100km run to the top of the mountain.

This is a more gentle tourer, the ride more compliant, the four-speed auto less work.

Never be fooled, for when the lever is flicked to sport and revs lift, the 5.4 litre Ford rises to the occasion with a full-throated bellow.

There's a little extra, and earlier, torque here over the Holden. And here the Ford recognises its connection to those Falcons running up Bathurst's mountain straight.

Neither Ford nor Holden put a wheel wrong over the Brisbane-Bathurst haul.

Both cabins are quiet and comfortable, packed with bits from six-stacker CD players to airconditioning and cup holders.

Both run with good economy, stress free.

Both these heroes can run hard to stay out of trouble on the wrong side of the road.

These are fine road machines that pay homage to those mighty V8 Supercars and they still make sense on these long runs.