Porter death casts shadow over Bathurst.

[nota]

I still think that bridge should be removed.

Touching on the other point, where can we say that a car has out grown the track its racing on?

Well isn't Mt Panorama itself a good example of that?

Open wheeler races used to be held there (eg: Niel Allen's McLaren M10B F5000 held the outright lap record for over 30 years) but aren't those types of cars now long gone, as deemed unsuitable/unsafe? Likewise the sports prototypes etc, and the bikes?

Historically, the racetrack has been used for a wide variety of racing categories, including everything from open-wheel racers to motorcycles. However, the factors that make the track so unusual, and tighter contemporary safety standards, make it unlikely that major race meetings in these categories will be held there again

That footbridge has always been a worry

[SlickHolden]

Last year skaife broke the lap record of 2.08? 6 years or more ago they would have been happy to qualify in that time.

[fpv_gtho]

He did, people were expecting Murph's 2:06 to be broken in the shootout as well but IIRC rain washed all the rubber off the track so they lost a whole heap of grip there.

Big thing though is now they run the 3.15 diff whilst a few years ago it was still the 3.25 they had to use at Bathurst. They reckon its given them about 10km/h more again, but if you think back a few years before they put the restrictions on the weight of particular engine parts, teams were hitting 300km/h almost, so this hasnt done too much compared to a few years ago. Depending when those engine weight restrictions came in (either 2003 or 2004), it also adds more weight to Murph's lap. I first thought they came in for 2004, but 2003 as part as Project Blueprint makes sense. IIRC, GRM were the only ones to get caught out. Tander had i think 70 points taken off him over it.

[SlickHolden]

Didn't seto clock a 302-306kp/h on conrod one year in the 90's?
My brother always comments ON how the HRT cars always hit the rev limiter down the straight faster and longer then anyone else.

[nota]

Didn't seto clock a 302-306kp/h on conrod one year in the 90's?
My brother always comments ON how the HRT cars always hit the rev limiter down the straight faster and longer then anyone else.

Colin Bond's Toyo Sierra was pretty quick in a straight line IIRC. With only 450hp under the bonnet of the old XE 351 Falcon, Dick Johnson says he got 280km/h in 1984

Btw that lap record of 2.07.7s which stood for 33 years was set on the 30th of March 1970, would've been a wild ride considering how rough the track was back then

[SlickHolden]

Back then it would have scared the pants off you

[Daz27]

Imagine how many pants it got off for Neil Allen in the years since in bragging rights at the pub...

Nota, I didnt quite word my statement as well as I should have, I meant to say 'Where else do they still race where the cars have outgrown the track, just about every series in the world has its glamour track, why cant Mt Panorama be V8SC's?'

Id hazard a guess and say possibly the reason why they dont run open wheelers there would be the possibility of becoming a plane somewhere up the top due to wheel to wheel contact etc. Very unlikely to happen in V8SC. Bikes is self explanetory.

Come to think of it don't they still have a meeting there for bikes?? And, with the hill climb there every few months, arent u allowed to run an open wheeler?

[nota]

Imagine how many pants it got off for Neil Allen in the years since in bragging rights at the pub...

Oooh yeah and didn't Allen come across as a bit of a playboy anyway. Had a heap of big-power machinery, they always seemed to be black with the polished rims. I remember a CanAm type thing, and that '67 Camaro ..

Nota, I didnt quite word my statement as well as I should have, I meant to say 'Where else do they still race where the cars have outgrown the track, just about every series in the world has its glamour track, why cant Mt Panorama be V8SC's?'

Id hazard a guess and say possibly the reason why they dont run open wheelers there would be the possibility of becoming a plane somewhere up the top due to wheel to wheel contact etc. Very unlikely to happen in V8SC. Bikes is self explanetory.

Come to think of it don't they still have a meeting there for bikes?? And, with the hill climb there every few months, arent u allowed to run an open wheeler?

Nah Daz I was just resorting to pedantry, ugly not stupid only an idiot would call for Bathurst's biggest moneyspinner event to be canned. But someone canvassed the possibility of yet more major track modifications (re fatality) which led to my observation about how much more speed the cars carry now, and how the track keeps getting altered (reduced in character) to keep up

I went to one of the Easter bike races before the riots (awesome to watch but dead mates made it a bit too fearsome for me to get in to) and yeah I think they did hold a revival meeting for the bikes recently. But the hillclimb events are different by nature; they use only part of the circuit, and in reverse direction

The local trackside commentary through the PA is always really good at Bathurst. During practice one year I recall them blabbing about outright lap records. By comparison IIRC, for pushbikes it was down to an impressive 15 minutes - not bad when you see in person how steep the place is - and amazingly some ironman once ran an entire lap of Mt Panorama on foot in about 20 minutes!

Last time I went there it took me that long just to struggle back up 'heart attack hill' between The Dipper & Skyline

[fpv_gtho]

Nota i think there could be a solution looking at NASCAR with their restrictor plates. Nothing permanent, just something that can be put in to keep them under control if thats what's decided is needed.

[charged]

Nota wrote--Last time I went there it took me that long just to struggle back up 'heart attack hill' between The Dipper & Skyline

She is one steep bit of track,

I was wondering when was the last race for Sports Sedans at Bathurst, I was told Cams wont allow them to race due to their over 300km/h top speed down Conrod, also the V8 supertaxis wouldnt be happy with cars going quicker than them