The first year supporting the Grand Prix in Adelaide, won by Dick Johnson in the only victory in his Ford Mustang GT, was notable for Gerhard Berger competing in both the Grand Prix, for Arrows-BMW, and in the Group A touring car support race in an ex-Schnitzer Motorsport BMW 635 CSi. Berger had to obtain special permission to enter the Group A race, as it was outside regulations for drivers to compete in other races in the 24 hours before a Grand Prix. Eventually, he only lasted three laps in the Group A race before being spun off by local veteran John Harvey in the second Mobil Holden Dealer Team VK Commodore at Turn 1. The 1986 and 1987 races were part of the short-lived South Pacific Touring Car Championship. In 1989, there were two touring car races on the Grand Prix weekend for the first time.