85 entries were received and the 79 starters included 23 overseas drivers and 14 overseas navigators. The seemingly total dominance of Mitsubishi and Andrew Cowan over the past four years didn’t seem to discourage entrants to have a go to try to finish well in this tough and prestigious event.
This year works and semi-works teams represented Mitsubishi, their now perennial rivals Datsun, and Subaru; eight crews entered from New Zealand, including NZ Champion Mike Marshall/Arthur McWatt in a Ford Escort RS1800. Of course, most of the top Australian crews were out in force.
Mitsubishi entered Lancers for Cowan, Hannu Mikkola of Finland, and Australians Barry Ferguson and Doug Stewart.
Nissan’s attack was based on the Datsun 710SSS, with Rauno Aaltonen from Finland, driving one, Harry Kallstrom (Sweden) driving a second and Australia’s George Fury in the third car. The 710s had a 30 plus bhp advantage over the Lancers. Greg Carr/Wayne Gregson fronted in a Datsun 180B SSS.
Ford, now managed by Howard Marsden, was represented by Bob Watson in an Escort RS2000, and other leading drivers were Bruce Hodgson (RS1600) and New Zealander’s Champion Mike Marshall (RS1800).
The Japanese attack of 14 cars was headed by Tatsuo Yaginuma and Kenjiro Shinozuka in Mitsubishi Lancers. All the cars being prepared to works team standards. Most of the Japanese drivers brought their own navigators.
Subaru entered its A22 for a number of Japanese and for Australian James Laing-Peach. These were powered by a 1600cc engine (usual size being 1360cc).
Leading Australian ‘privateer’ entries included Stewart McLeod/Adrian Mortimer (Datsun 260Z), Ross Dunkerton/John Large (Datsun 240Z) just fresh from winning the 1975 Australian Rally Championship, and Greg Carr. Evan Green/John Bryson competed in the Alfetta GT.
A notable absentee was the Holden Dealer Team.
| No. | Driver | Country/State | Co-driver | Country/State | Car |
| 1 | Hannu Mikkola | Finland | Brian Hope | NSW | Mitsubishi Lancer GSR |
| 2 | Rauno Aaltonen | Finland | Fitz Souminen | Vic | Datsun 710 SSS |
| 3 | Harry Kallstrom | Sweden | Roger Bonhomme | Vic | Datsun 710 SSS |
| 4 | Andrew Cowan | Scotland | Fred Gocentas | ACT | Mitsubishi Lancer GSR |
| 5 | Mike Marshall | NZ | Arthur McWatt | NZ | Ford Escort RS 1800 |
| 6 | Barry Ferguson | NSW | Lindsay Adcock | NSW | Mitsubishi Lancer GSR |
| 7 | George Fury | Vic | Monty Suffern | Vic | Datsun 710 SSS |
| 8 | Doug Stewart | NSW | John Dawson-Damer | NSW | Mitsubishi Lancer GSR |
| 9 | Stewart McLeod | SA | Adrian Mortimer | SA | Datsun 260Z |
| 10 | Rod Millen | NZ | Steve Halloran | NSW | Mazda RX3 |
| 11 | Tatsuo Yaginuma | Japan | Haruo Okada | Japan | Mitsubishi Lancer |
| 12 | Ross Dunkerton | WA | John Large | WA | Datsun 240Z |
| 13 | Bob Watson | Vic | Jeff Beaumont | Tas | Ford Escort RS2000 |
| 14 | Greg Carr | ACT | Wayne Gregson | ACT | Datsun 180B SSS |
| 15 | Kenjiro Shinozuka | Japan | Gary Connelly | Qld | Mitsubishi Lancer |
| 16 | Evan Green | NSW | John Bryson | NSW | Alfa Alfetta GT |
| 17 | Yoshi Iwashita | Japan | ? Sukima | Japan | Subaru A22 |
| 18 | Bob Riley | NSW | Neil Faulkner | NSW | Mitsubishi Galant |
| 19 | Dean Rainsford | SA | Graham West | SA | Porsche Carrera RS |
| 20 | Bruce Hodgson | NSW | Chris Heaney | ACT | Ford Escort RS 1600 |
| 21 | Takashi Hirabayashi | Japan | Yoshimasa Nakahara | Japan | Subaru A22 |
| 22 | Paul Adams | NZ | James Scott | NZ | Ford Escort RS1600 |
| 23 | Shigeru Kanno | Japan | Kiyoshi Kawamura | Japan | Mitsubishi Lancer |
| 24 | Alan Brough | NZ | Michael Gall | NZ | Toyota Levin |
| 25 | Robert Jackson | NSW | Ross Jackson | NSW | Holden Torana XU1 |
| 26 | Kunio Ishiguro | Japan | Masahiko Tominaga | Japan | Mitsubishi Lancer |
| 27 | Colin Taylor | NZ | K.Foulkes | NZ | Ford Escort RS1600 |
| 28 | Yoshio Takaoka | Japan | Graham Elliott | ACT | Subaru A22 |
| 29 | Adrian Taylor | Qld | Sid Smith | Qld | Honda Civic |
| 30 | James Laing-Peach | NSW | Barry Lake | NSW | Subaru A22 |
| 31 | Wayne Bell | NSW | Brian Mepham | NSW | Mitsubishi Galant |
| 32 | Bruce Cheesman | NSW | Alan Horsley | NSW | Mitsubishi Lancer |
| 33 | Allan Lawson | Qld | Greg Weale | Qld | Mazda RX3 |
| 34 | Howard Collier | NZ | Colin Webster | NZ | Ford Escort RS |
| 35 | Noriyuki Koseki | Japan | Takao Ishii | Japan | Subaru A22 |
| 36 | Gary Meehan | NSW | Martin Fell | NSW | Toyota Corolla |
| 37 | Hiroshi Watanabe | Japan | Koji Watanabe | Japan | Honda Civic |
| 38 | Ken Rohan | PNG | Dale Smith | PNG | Mazda RX3 |
| 39 | Murray Coote | Qld | Brian Marsden | Qld | Datsun 1200 |
| 40 | Hoichi Hirata | Japan | Hideo Ogawa | Japan | Mitsubishi Lancer |
| 41 | Gary Bevan | ACT | John McDonald | ACT | Datsun 1600 SSS |
| 42 | Bob Moore | ACT | Roger Moore | ACT | Toyota Corolla |
| 43 | Hideya Satoh | Japan | Tamotsu Watanabe | Japan | Mitsubishi Lancer |
| 44 | Barry Dyer | NSW | Brian McQuirk | NSW | Subaru A22 |
| 45 | Brian West | NSW | Ian Lincoln | NSW | Holden Torana XU1 |
| 46 | Masayoshi Horike | Japan | Toshiyuki Shibasaki | Japan | Mitsubishi Lancer |
| 47 | Ian Hill | NSW | Graham Roser | NSW | Mitsubishi Lancer GSR |
| 48 | Gary Mecak | NSW | John Trumpmanis | NSW | Mazda RX3 |
| 49 | Susumu Enjitsu | Japan | Osamu Nishimura | Japan | Mitsubishi Lancer |
| 50 | John Munro | Vic | Wal Harris | Vic | Ford Falcon XW |
| 51 | Takao Banno | Japan | Kuniharu Ujima | Japan | Honda Civic |
| 52 | Doug Coulter | NSW | Kerry Anderson | NSW | Mitsubishi Lancer |
| 53 | Rod Jones | NSW | Arthur Davis | NSW | Datsun 180B SSS |
| 54 | B.Brawn | NSW | J.Innes | NSW | Toyota Corolla |
| 55 | Keith Goodall | Qld | Joe Keaney | Qld | Ford Escort RS2000 |
| 56 | John Buttsworth | NSW | Len Broad | NSW | Datsun 1600 |
| 57 | Richard McCoy | NSW | James Jones | NSW | Chrysler Galant |
| 58 | Bill Adams | NSW | Dennis Russell | NSW | Holden Torana XU1 |
| 59 | George Kahler | NSW | Rod van der Straaten | WA | Mazda Capella |
| 60 | Wally Pywell | ACT | Bill Streeter | ACT | Chrysler Lancer |
| 61 | Des Collins | SA | Ted Dobrzynski | SA | Ford Escort TC |
| 62 | Tony Jewels | Qld | David Kortlang | Qld | Subaru A22 |
| 63 | Allen Hunter | NSW | Brian Partridge | NSW | Datsun 180B SSS |
| 64 | Brian Clark | NSW | Peter Hardy | NSW | Datsun 1600 |
| 65 | Dennis Lloyd | NSW | Colin Mate | NSW | Datsun 1600 |
| 66 | Brian McIlvenna | NSW | Max Roberts | NSW | Mazda 1300 Coupe |
| 67 | Geoff Ross | NSW | Peter Brown | NSW | Honda Civic |
| 68 | George Goodwin | NSW | Steve Pearce | NSW | Datsun 1200 Coupe |
| 69 | Robert Kahl | NSW | James Kahl | NSW | Holden Torana XU1 |
| 70 | Malcolm Horsley | NSW | Keith Bateson | NSW | Volkswagen beetle |
| 71 | Wilf Slater | NSW | Thomas Smith | NSW | Morris Cooper S |
| 72 | Doug Mulholland | NSW | Ann Heaney | ACT | Datsun 1600 |
| 73 | Tom Hayden | Qld | Tony Best | Qld | Mazda RX2 |
| 74 | Fred Thompson | Qld | Jeff Tremain | Qld | Holden Torana XU1 |
| 75 | Paul Bramble | NSW | Stephen Bradley | NSW | Mitsubishi Lancer |
| 76 | Trevor Seaman | NSW | Graham Kilby | NSW | Triumph 2.5Pi |
| 77 | Phil Walters | NSW | John Meany | NSW | Ford Capri V8 |
| 78 | Robert Waller | NSW | Roger Lynch | NSW | Ford Escort TC |
| 79 | Tony Masling | NSW | Ken Smith | NSW | Holden Torana XU1 |
| 80 | Ruggero Rotondo | NSW | Enrico Zanarini | NSW | Alfa Alfasud T1 |
| 81 | Clem Harris | NSW | Chris Morris | NSW | Holden HD |
| 82 | Joyce Ryder | NSW | Oriel Ryder | NSW | Leyland P76 V8 |
| 83 | Ron Denning | NSW | Heather Denning | NSW | Chrysler Lancer |
| 84 | Ron Marks | NSW | Fred Thomas | NSW | Datsun 1600 |
| 85 | John McGinn | NSW | John Pearson | NSW | Mazda 1300 Coupe |
