In 1973 many racing regulations of the Great Race were changed, one of which was the race being increased from 500 miles to 1000 kilometres, which added an extra 33 laps. Another was due to the media backlash against limited edition 'Supercars' available for public sale, it forced new homologation rules, reducing the grid to cars openly sold on the Australian market.
The Goss and Bartlet pairing in the XA Falcon took pole position, with Forbes and Johnson further back in 11th position. At the start of the race, the large capacity Falcons stormed away from the pack, but their increased fuel consumption would allow the Toranas to catch up. A series of retirements allowed the Forbes/Johnson pairing to run as high as 4th, but by the end the race they finished in 5th position, 9 laps down from the winners of Moffat and Geoghegan. The race took a toll on the field with almost half the field failing to finish.