Bathurst V8 Supercars 2007
9—18 October
Participants
– Ken Winders (Trip Leader) , Graham and Ann Thatcher, Rob Edwards, Rob Brouwers
and guest Steve Fluerty (the plumbers), and Graham Corbett and his guest Trevor
Fry.
The trip began with five of us leaving Brisbane at 6am on Tuesday
and travelling all day via the Newell Highway to meet with Rob Edwards at the
gates of the circuit at Mt Panorama just outside Bathurst. Security was very
tight this year and after being quizzed as to whether we had anything that was
prohibited, and tagged with wrist bands, we were allowed into our camping area
at The Chase. Security and Police at the gate to our area had a shipping
container to store confiscated items and by the end of the weekend it was full
with glass bottles of mainly alcohol. The ban on glass containers also included
items like tomato sauce. This area had about 500 sites available and we found
our designated spots. We had pre-booked 2 adjacent sites to accommodate a
caravan, camper trailer and two Oz-Tents. Camping area 5% full.
Wednesday
morning and we were off into Bathurst for a free breakfast and 10am parade of
the trucks that are used to transport the V8 supercars and their equipment. We
did a short tour of the main street of Bathurst purchasing cheap merchandise
before returning to the track and meeting Graham and Ann who had arrived from
Sydney. While away the wind had sprung up from the north and was causing havoc
in the camping area. Some people had setup tents etc and had left for the day
and were not going to be impressed with what the wind had done to their
equipment. We dined that evening at La Famiglia, a restaurant attached to one of
the pubs in Bathurst. Camping area 10% full.
Thursday was
the first day of activity on the track at Mt Panorama. There were five different
types of cars racing over the weekend, the V8 Supercars, Fujitsu V8 Supercars
(the wannabes), Porsches in the Carrera Cup, Performance cars and a class called
the historic cars. The historic cars included old Mustangs, Camaros, Monaros and
even an Escort. This day was devoted to the first practice sessions for all
classes and qualifying sessions for all but the V8s. We watched the cars firstly
at The Chase and then at the corner at the end of Conrod Straight. It was
Steve’s birthday and he provided beer and prawns for lunch back at the
campground. After that feast we went to visit the area on the inside of the
track at the back of the pits known as The Paddock. This is an area where all
competitors, apart from the V8 supercars, are provided with covered space to
store and work on their cars. At the back of the Paddock is another large
camping area where these people are able to stay. We wandered around the rows
admiring the work that had gone into preparing these cars for the weekend. After
that we went at watched the rest of the day’s events at The Chase. The camping
area was slowly filling up with now about 50%. We got word that the container at
the gate was full of confiscated grog and as our area was one of five camping
areas you could only imagine how much was taken over the whole weekend.
Friday and
the practice and qualifying continued for the V8s while the other classes had
the first of their races. We started the day with a visit to the back of the V8
supercar pits. Each of the 31 cars is allocated an area within the pit lane
complex. The public is able to wander around at the back of the pits but not
into the garage areas where the cars are located. If you are lucky you will
probably get up close to the drivers as they also wander around. It is a hive of
activity during practice sessions. We found a spot on the hill at the end of pit
straight and watched the V8s practice.
After lunch we made the trek (via bus) to the top part of the
circuit known as McPhillamy Park, the Skyline, The Esses and Forest Elbow. There
are a couple of camping areas up there and this is where most of the trouble
occurs with the patrons. We stayed as a group and sat at various areas and
watched the V8 wannabe’s race1 and later the first qualifying sessions for the
V8 supercars. The TV coverage that we see at home does not give you the full
picture of what speeds these drivers are doing across the top of the mountain
and through the corners. While we were there one of the drivers came to grief
and after clipping the wall, slewing across the track, ripping off a front wheel
on some Armco, he powered his car off the track into the sandpit right where we
were sitting. Self preservation was still in his mind as he had purposely driven
into the sand to get out of the way of any approaching drivers. We had a front
row seat of all the activity that took place to extract the driver from his
mangled mess. He survived but with concussion and a big headache and repair
bill.
The Esses and Forest Elbow were particularly good viewing. We
watched the Porsches in their first race and got the bus back down while the
Performance cars were racing, Security at the top of the hill was everywhere
with riot police and sniffer dogs roaming freely through the crowd. As we were
leaving to come down we ran into John Parkinson who regularly travels down with
a group from the Bayside 4x4 Club and stays at the top of the mountain. Camping
area 80% full.
Saturday. We
started the day with a visit to the National Motor Racing Museum located
adjacent to the track. We wandered around looking at cars and bikes that had
raced over the years. A particular wing is dedicated to Peter Brock and some of
the cars that he had raced. After that we watched V8s practicing from the pit
straight viewing areas. The crowds are building up today with good viewing spots
at a premium. After lunch we watched more cars race and the Top 10 shootout. We
also were planning our strategy for a good viewing position for Sunday. The
plumbers purchased a cheap tarp, pegs and marking pen and after the end of
racing for the day claimed a spot for Sunday. Saturday night was a very noisy
affair in the campground with a lot of the patrons turped up after a day at the
track.
Sunday and
the plumbers were off early to check on our spot but were disappointed to find
that the place was packed and that most of the tarps had mysteriously
disappeared overnight. We still managed to find a good spot opposite the pits of
the Toll racing team and that’s where we stayed for the whole day. V8 racing
didn’t start until 10.30 but we were kept entertained by a couple of other races
and the pre race entertainment. The organisers of the event have lots of large
screen TVs around the track so one is able to watch and listen to what is
happening at other locations around the circuit. The sound is also broadcast on
FM radio so you can listen to the on-course commentators. The main race was an
interesting affair which was livened up with the activity that we could see in
the pits. Safety cars were kept to a minimum and the race certainly became a lot
more interesting towards the end with the sprinkling of rain. The whole day was
quite cool and the shower at the end made it a bit cold. There was not much rain
really but when you are driving on tyres with no tread it made for an
interesting finish. The drivers are a special breed of people with nerves of
steel. After the end we jumped the fence and wandered down to the presentation
area where the winners were presented with their spoils. Sunday night in the
campground was a lot quieter affair with a lot of people leaving after the race.
Monday and it
was time to pack up and leave after a memorable visit. Some of us decided to
take a drive around the circuit which was a bad decision as a lot of other
people had also decided to do the same. A trip around which takes a V8 supercar
about 2 minutes and 10seconds to complete took us about 30 minutes but we were
hampered by the 60kmh speed limit. The plumbers and Rob and Trevor decided to
head straight for home while Ken, G1, Ann and G2 took another 3-5 days to get
home via Barrington Tops, Myall Lakes and Port Stephens. Thanks to our intrepid
trip leader for organise this memorable trip.
Graham Corbett
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