A trip thru Bathurst

[oscar]

Inspired by Michel's picks in the member's gallery, I just had to detour thru Bathurst on our trip to the Hunter.  Both myself and Oscarette got a lap each.  I don't know how people get cars to stick to this track but one thing I'd love to do is hog the grid with a few 116's for a photo shoot. 

For those of you outside Aus, Bathurst is a town 3hrs west of Sydney I think, pop of about 35,000+ and has our most famous race track which snakes it's way around a large hill called Mount Panorama.  I can't come up with all the stats on the track off hand, but it's a mecca for Ford and Holden nuts.  The famous Bathurst 1000 is held here every year and it used to be a production car race with different calsses and makes, all a manufacturer had to do to compete was sell 500 models locally.  Somewhere along the line, Nissan skyllines amongst other makes started winning regularly, the locally built Fords and Holdens were losing.   Now the race has been hijacked IMO with a new race series called V8 Supercars for the last 10+yrs or so which is only open to Ford Falcons and Holden Commodores with V8's and apart from the bodies, I don't think much else is standard to the off the shelf counterparts.

Although it's very popular, I'd love to see a return of production car racing being the highlight. See the jag's and beamers and of course mercs strutting their stuff.   Michel and others could clarify details or correct me about the state of affairs with the "Big Race" and production car racing.  I'd love to hear your thoughts.

But yes, a grid full of or partly filled with 116's we'll have to organise one day.


oscarette racing the Territory(the wrong way) near the under construction trackside resort.  BTW, the track is a public two way road outside race days and is policed apparaently to catch hoons doing the obvious.  I've never seen police there though, nor have I broken the 60km/hr speed limit
(http://imageshack.us)

a view from the Territory back towards the grid
(http://imageshack.us)

view from the top of the mountain
(http://imageshack.us)

view of Bathurst from the top
(http://imageshack.us)

Pit exit and first bend looking up the mountain.  How would you like to own that house on the right?  There's a number of properties in and around the track.  There's a vineyard and beautiful home which resides half way up the straight on the left.  It's got view of the track and a top panoramic view of the valley.  I suppose that's why they call it Mount Panorama
(http://imageshack.us)

[Des]

Would love to take on the mountain in a AMG pepped 300SEL or a 6.9

Up against say a GHTO Phase III and a HQ GTS 350.



I agree Bathurst should go back to its roots, production race pepped factory cars, roll cages, helmet, fat tires and flared out wheel arches, and thats about it.

V8 supercars are like NASCAR's nothing resembling a road car except maybe the badge on the front.

Should also extend it to a 24 hour endurance race.

[AMG69]

Michel
the car (AMG 300SEL 6. is a copy fo the original car (actually 3) AMG car built for Le Mans amongst other things in 1960-70.  I'll let Des tell the story as I think he knows it better than me...suffice to say it was one stinking fast Benz!

[WGB]

I drove it at road speed last year on a drive through New South Wales. Having seen the TV and Pics all my life I was surprised how narrow, tight and steep it really is - particularly up and down skyline.

I was about to leave and look for a Motel when "She who must be obeyed" who had not shown the slightest interest in Bathurst at any stage of the holiday and kept complaining as we were heading there let her feelings be known and around we went again with her at the wheel.

The next day we went to Lithgow and I got a tour of the other great passion in my life as I got a personal 2 hour tour of the Lithgow Small Arms Museum.

Bill