2017 Liqui Moly Bathurst 12 hour: Feb 3-5

[Ad.]

Originally Posted by D.R.T.

The event schedule is usually jam packed of categories from 8am to 5pm daily through Friday and Saturday and obviously the 5.30am to 5.30pm (or similar) on the Sunday.

As for other attractions to see, I would highly recommend checking out the Bathurst Motor Museum right next to the track, along with a trip walking the pits on Friday and Saturday evening.

From my experience, a 3 day general admission ticket is perfect. Allows you to get anywhere on the circuit (well potentially another $10 to drive to the top of the mountain - a disgrace).

I would recommend the viewing the race from all available vantage points during the day / weekend. Each is spectacular and interesting in its own way.

Watching the start from turn 1 is particularly good, as well as from top of the mountain with the cars poking there way through the darkness.

Originally Posted by peckstar

Hi Ad
you will have a great trip

1. The event is reasonable packed. Friday is a day of practise for all categories, Saturday is about racing for support categories and qualifying for the 12 hour cars and Sunday is about the 12 hour race. The support categories are pretty basic, lots of cars, but not awesome categories

2. As mentioned the museum is good, chances are it will be Hot weather wise, so you maybe looking for shade. Bathurst township has lots of restaurants and is a short distance from the track

3. I recommend General admission for this event, will allow you to walk around and choose your favourite places, however you will need to bring a seat (or you are ont he ground), Many stores in Sydney will have them for $10-$20. Still the grand stand on pit straight isnt overly expensive and gives a base. There is a new grandstabnd for this year on the first corner (Hell Corner) this seems expensive to me and out of the way

4. Get in quick for hotels, Many are already booked. They come at a premium for this weekend and minimum nights. Visit bathurst Another option is Tent city which is at the track Tent City.

5. Different people like different things when it comes to bathurst, spend your time walking around the track on the saturday (and or friday) and find a spot you like. i like pit straight as it keeps you on top of the strategy, others prefer the mountain as it is shady and provides some great viewing spots

Thanks for both of your replies. I am guessing first thing I should do (now) is to secure some kind of accommodation for those two nights.

May I ask which category will be the support race for 2017? (Or some info. from previous years..)

Ad.

[D.R.T.]

Ok great to see we now agree that passes weren't on sale at the main booth in 2016 but good to see that sanity has prevailed and they will be more readily available for purchase in 2017.

I still don't understand the justification for the addition of camp sites requiring a financial charge on top of your ticket (rather than price gouging) - but we will need to agree to disagree on that.

[peckstar]

Originally Posted by D.R.T.

I still don't understand the justification for the addition of camp sites requiring a financial charge on top of your ticket (rather than price gouging) - but we will need to agree to disagree on that.

So what stop the casual attender to the top of the mountain just claiming an available spot for free? Security! Security costs money$. Has to be funded. Charge the car going to the top $5 a day to fund the security. As part of the security there are all the other checks that security do

Is it really that hard. the cost of the event have to be funded somehow

[one five five]

Originally Posted by peckstar

The support categories are pretty basic, lots of cars, but not awesome categories

Great, lets start putting a downer on the support categories....

[peckstar]

Originally Posted by one five five

Great, lets start putting a downer on the support categories....

am i wrong?

[rich07]

To be blunty honest buy a campsite up the top and you have to worry about this crap. That sticker on the windscreen? It gets you up and down the mount for the whole weekend. Mind you when I rolled up On Friday this year there was a line of people waiting to buy passes and was at least one person who prepaid passes who had problems

This isn't a Supercar bash btw.

[rich07]

Originally Posted by rich07

To be blunty honest buy a campsite up the top and you don't have to worry about this crap. That sticker on the windscreen? It gets you up and down the mount for the whole weekend. Mind you when I rolled up On Friday this year there was a line of people waiting to buy passes and was at least one person who had pre purchased camping passes who had problems

This isn't a Supercar bash btw.

Fixed as time ran out to edit original post.

[D.R.T.]

Originally Posted by Ad.

Thanks for both of your replies. I am guessing first thing I should do (now) is to secure some kind of accommodation for those two nights.

May I ask which category will be the support race for 2017? (Or some info. from previous years..)

Ad.

Support categories include combined Sedans (not exactly something I would call boring with the number of 7 Litre sport sedans on offer), Improved Production and Radicals.

Formula Ford were also announced before being removed by the promoter unfortunately.

[Richard Craill]

Originally Posted by D.R.T.

Formula Ford were also announced before being removed by the promoter unfortunately.

To be clear, the event never announced FF was on the support program.

[one five five]

Originally Posted by peckstar

am i wrong?

Full grids of Improved Production cars (which are seemingly good enough for the Clipsal organisers), Combined Touring which features Sports Sedans at the top end of the grid?
Sounds pretty awesome to me

I'll agree with you on the Radical's though.

A field of exactly the same Porsche's or Toyota 86's might float your boat more on the support bill at Bathurst, each to their own.

[champcarman]

Not sure about the support categories but I would prefer FF and Radicals any day over a motley crew of sports sedans and improved production.

[D.R.T.]

Originally Posted by Richard Craill

To be clear, the event never announced FF was on the support program.

Apologies you are correct - never announced to the public.

That said looking at these quotes it appears it was something pretty strong was communicated to the category management and competitors

In a statement posted on its website, the FFA informed its competitors that it “will no longer be included in the 2017 Bathurst 12HR support event”.

The FFA had already fielded expression of interest payments from competitors for Bathurst following discussions with event organisers.

“We are shocked at the news which has come out of the blue to us,” said FFA coordinator Phil Marrinon.

“We more than met the event organisers requirements and we find it very surprising that they invited us to then pull the event from us this far into our preparation.

“I have spoken to the event organisers and they apologised and have advised that they have chosen to run the same categories they had last year and there is no option for Formula Ford to be included in the 2017 event.”

[peckstar]

something that has already been well dicussed, but here is the official announcment

Pirelli named Bathurst 12 Hour tyre supplier

[D.R.T.]

Remarkable announcement. Who would have guessed this outcome?

[Tourer]

Makes sense as Pirelli are the supplier for the Aus GT and Endurance series and the Blancpain series.

[peckstar]

Pirelli Shootout to ignite qualifying day

No 3 on my list. Tick

[Mixer]

Now that is cool, and should get some more people watching on the Saturday.

Also gave me a chill that they have named it after Simonsen, that is very fitting.

[D.R.T.]

Originally Posted by Mixer

Now that is cool, and should get some more people watching on the Saturday.

Also gave me a chill that they have named it after Simonsen, that is very fitting.

Has it not been named after Allan Simonsen for many years?

[Mixer]

Originally Posted by D.R.T.

Has it not been named after Allan Simonsen for many years?

You are right:

The fastest car will receive the now iconic Allan Simonsen Pole Award, inaugurated in 2014 following the passing of one of Bathurst’s fastest ever drivers.

[racer69]

I like Shootouts, but I also liked the Class A 20min session we've had the last few years.

The 12hr should be continuing to develop their own traditions. When it comes to Bathurst, a Top 10 Shootout is a 1000 tradition. While i realise Supercar Events promotes both, it'd be a shame to see too much "Copying and Pasting" going on between the two events....

[bludvl_x19]

Originally Posted by racer69

I like Shootouts, but I also liked the Class A 20min session we've had the last few years.

The 12hr should be continuing to develop their own traditions. When it comes to Bathurst, a Top 10 Shootout is a 1000 tradition. While i realise Supercar Events promotes both, it'd be a shame to see too much "Copying and Pasting" going on between the two events....

Yeah, I agree. The moments between the end of the general Qualifying and the Group A only session had some electricity; almost as if everyone was anticipating the drivers to dip into the reserves to eke out every last thousandth of a second to try for pole, knowing that it was only the fastest of the fast out there.

Honestly, shootouts bore me. I didn't even pay attention to the last one I was at (last weekend)

[D.R.T.]

Agreed. The build up from the end of qualifying session into the Class A session was highly entertaining - especially as drivers build up speed across the two sessions.

Constant action across the session rather than 1 car on track at a time.

Lauren Vanthoor and Chris Mies were perfect examples of this in the 2015 installment - electric stuff ultimately leading to Vanthoors 2:02.5.

The 12 hour needs to develop its own traditions - not be a step brother to the ugly brother.

[Axeman444]

Winterbottom potentially in with Richo in the BMW. His comments on not wanting to do Pro-Am as he doesn't want to race for the hell of it have left me a little... disappointed? IT shows the difference between him and for example SvG, where Shane will race anything anywhere because that's what he likes doing, whereas Frosty will only race for a trophy with other professionals. I am a Frosty fan, but I am finding it harder to like him as time goes on. Whincup is the same, coming out of the woodwork for a Pro only entry, but he has the trophies in the cabinet. Whereas I was a fan of SvG when he 1st arrived on the scene, his likeability went down when he did quite a few dodgy things on the track and the whole retiring/no-i'm-not thing, but recently i'm starting to like him again. He is just a guy having fun racing, who also happens to be bloody quick

Well that's my pondering for morning done...

http://www.speedcafe.com/2016/11/11/...hurst-12-hour/

[Mixer]

Originally Posted by racer69

The 12hr should be continuing to develop their own traditions. When it comes to Bathurst, a Top 10 Shootout is a 1000 tradition. While i realise Supercar Events promotes both, it'd be a shame to see too much "Copying and Pasting" going on between the two events....

It isn't like a shoot out for pole is a VASC invention though, it has been around in touring cars and open wheelers forerver...

Originally Posted by Axeman444

Winterbottom potentially in with Richo in the BMW. His comments on not wanting to do Pro-Am as he doesn't want to race for the hell of it have left me a little... disappointed? IT shows the difference between him and for example SvG, where Shane will race anything anywhere because that's what he likes doing, whereas Frosty will only race for a trophy with other professionals. I am a Frosty fan, but I am finding it harder to like him as time goes on. Whincup is the same, coming out of the woodwork for a Pro only entry, but he has the trophies in the cabinet. Whereas I was a fan of SvG when he 1st arrived on the scene, his likeability went down when he did quite a few dodgy things on the track and the whole retiring/no-i'm-not thing, but recently i'm starting to like him again. He is just a guy having fun racing, who also happens to be bloody quick

Especially amusing given how "professional" the Brazilian cars he goes off and races are...

[peckstar]

very interesting observations. Interesting comparison to SVG, who for some reason is not in NZ racing this weekend. Maybe there is more to it than just what Frosty has been quoted to have said (which amazingly Frosty also alluded to in the article)

How many kids does SVG have, does anyone know, and whats his wife's name?