So who actually went to Bathurst???

[Average Punter]

Just curious how many of you forum-ites made the long trek to Mount Panorama.
Where did you sit?
And how far did you travel?
Prize for the longest drive...

We drove up from Wagga on Friday night and spent Sat at McPhillamy. Stayed at a house in College Rd, parallel to Conrod over the paddock from the Chase. Thanks to a tip off from GTRMagic, we left the lounge behind. Thanks!!!
Wandered over to have a look at Hell Corner at about 11pm Sat night and it was so crowded we decided to sleep the night on the ground to save a spot.
Closing the Chase to us plebs made a huge difference to the crowd at Hell, especially with all the big teams at the exit end of the pits, and the big screen up Mtn Straight...
Had $5 on the TAB at 100:1 on a Murph/Richo 1/2 which looked pretty good until Skippy intervened.

I had a few SMS's from GTR, saw Patto in the green XU-1 speed past in the historics and I'm sure Crash and MtP were there too.

Where were the rest of you hiding????????

[mixxer]

Rode around Melb on Wednesday 4.30 am finishing up with 18 other bikes at Kalkalo, then rode straight thru to private lodgings near Oberon. Thursday first look at the track, spent Fri, Sat and race day on the inside near pit exit after 1 of the group ran into the appropriate person or person's and procured the necessary paperwork.
Had a ball, best one out of 23 visits Ive made due to the spot we were in, first 5 with the ol'man were good as he was out of Aus most of the time.

[Aarrgh8]

Originally posted by Average Punter
Where were the rest of you hiding????????

We were at Hell Corner too. Actually just at the beginning of Mountain Straight, opposite the big screen. Plenty of room. We had two marquees set up and weren't crowded.

All of Saturday and Sunday recorded by wife back home. Two hours exact from my driveway to Mount Panorama, so I'm not competing in your 'longest drive' contest.

Australia won the cricket , John Howard won the election and a Holden won Bathurst . A good weekend spent in the company of Ford fans .

[Crash Test]

Yeah, im in the process of writing a novel on the experience

We stayed up at "McPhillamy Heights", top stuff indeed

[malarky]

Yep, grandstand 9 seat J122.

Took a trip up the mountain on Saturday. I haven't been up there in a few years (since I used to camp there actually).

Things seem to have calmed down considerably.

Although it still feels a bit like MAD MAX Beyond Thunderdome!

This was my 25th trip to the mountain (not counting a couple of visits when it was a round of the championship).

It's a pilgrimage I'm proud to say I'll make as long as I can (or as long as there's racing up there).

And seeing as how I'm only in my 40's, there's plenty of trips left in me yet!

[GROUPA]

Flew up by light plan on the day from melbourne

[B!tchie Renault]

A whole groups of Nuts (sorry officials) made the long trek from Brisbane, via Goondoowindi, Morree, Narrabri, Dubbo etc.

We were scattered all over the track. I was located at the Chase (outside of circuit) and saw the 21 car rollover (plus numerous other incidents - totally 14 for the weekend).

Now I am getting ready for Indy.

[Driver]

I was a home while my ****** wife went. See what happens when you get your missus involved. She was in the devil racer fan club on top of the new pits and camped at Max Cameron with friends.

[Bruce Moxon]

Camped in the paddock, worked me butt off in pit lane for four days - went home to Sydney and died for three days.



Bruce Moxon

[browney]

I drove from Adelaide to Bathurst, it was worth it. Had seats on pit lane but ended up standing at the chase for most of the race. I was in my seat for the start-line crash in saturdays Carrera cup race though.

[alfacors]

Went for one day only (Thursday), and spent it trekking across the top of the mountain, all the way down to Forests, then back up....followed by walking down the Mountain because we couldn't be bothered waiting for the shuttle bus. Still, got over 2000 photos out of it....

[Peregrine]

Was there for my annual dose of Bathurst Blues (or Reds as the monotonous case may be)......

[brendan24688]

Yep got there on Friday Morning after a 10 hour drive and camped at the top of the hill WOOHHOO! AWESOME experience again

[V8 Supercars]

Drove down from the Gold Coast so I don't win that one.
I guess I will have a chance with Darwin!

Was a great 4 days though and although we got to move around the track a lot I spent more time at pit exit next to SBR's pit. Then just spent the time wondering around pit lane until we got a job.

Originally posted by alfacors
got over 2000 photos out of it....

Nathan, I only took around 200 so you beat me on that one.

[mtpanorama]

I drove from my house to the track, approx 5km......do i win the prize
I went to the track on Tuesday and Wednesday to do some work at the top of the mount. Spent thursday putting up cougar billboards and signs on a Formula ford.
Spent most of friday and sat at the track, watched the first 20 laps on sunday and then went home while the safety car was out and didnt miss a thing.
Saw crashtest on friday a couple of times and spent most of friday with GTR. We drove over to the inside of the chase and watched konica and v8 qualifying and saw how badly some of the cars dealt with the bump in the in the chase.

[GTRMagic]

It was good fun.... thankfully this year parked at 4 star accomodation (built this century too!) within walking distance (if you had an hour to walk I guess...) of the circuit...

Nice to have a warm shower, comfortable bed, air conditioned room, with teev, video, dvd player, stereo, and all the meal preparations facilities of home

Oh, the racing was good too...

But seriously....

Good to meet up with mtpanorama, CrashTest, David Paterson, Jezza and a load of conrod and ten-tenths types.... some working, many of whom like to remain anonymous as various nom-de-plumes

... even spotted someone who I was later told was redshoes... out here taking loads of pics of the cars

[Crash Test]

Mt- remind me to remind you to remind me to email various pics over. Ditto Patto.

[Crash Test]

Originally posted by GTRMagic
Nice to have a warm shower, comfortable bed, air conditioned room, with teev, video, dvd player, stereo, and all the meal preparations facilities of home

Compared to top of the mountain at McPhillamy Heights..

Warm shower- very much so, unless you go just after they fill up that dammed spa bath. Also, don't go in the morning when 10,000 other punters want to use them.

Comfortable bed- no dramas, a bit of Tooheys New will fix anything. Saying that, I had bruises on my legs to prove that my tent was sitting on top of a tree root

A/C room- leave the flap open on the tent

TV- I think the campsite had 5 of them

Video, DVD, Stereo- done done and done in multiples

Kitchen- 5 BBQs, two trailers that fold out into kitchens, two spits, boiling water 24/7, 2 fully stocked fridges, lots of eskys, massive supply of salted peanuts

It's not really roughing it!

[V8 Supercars]

Originally posted by GTRMagic
It was good fun.... thankfully this year parked at 4 star accomodation (built this century too!) within walking distance (if you had an hour to walk I guess...) of the circuit...

Nice to have a warm shower, comfortable bed, air conditioned room, with teev, video, dvd player, stereo, and all the meal preparations facilities of home

I have to agree with you on that GTR. Its good to stay in a place like that and have a nice warm clean shower.

Did the camping thing behind the pits in 1997. First and LAST time doing. A couple of idiots playing music very loud all night ruined it for all that had to work the next day. Also having showers in the shower block weren't that fun I must say standing in someone else's results of lack of walking to the toilet.

I won't be giving up my very nice place in William St. Just a very short drive to and from the track. Nice and quiet/warm at night an nice warm clean shower in the mornings at 6am.

Hope everybody had a great time like we did

[Group'C']

My 16th trip to the mount was a bit different for me,
Left Hobart a week and half before and went to Rally of Melb,then meet up with more Tasweigans that had been to Mallala for HQ Nationals.
Changed over vehicles in the Truck( out with the Q and in with the L34), headed to Benalla and picked up a pop top van and cruised to Bathurst. Camped at the Show Grounds with 100 plus other Torana punters.
Saturday morning and 13 group'C' Torana's head to the mount from the showgrounds and joined by a couple of red/white A9X's do a lap of the circuit(whish we could have done a couple on Sunday)
watched most of the action from Hell corner/Chase & murrys. the cue for the busses was to big to go to the top.

[lowndes2b1]

My 6th trek to the mountain this year.

First few days had to stay in a holden shrine, then needed to cleanse my soul so spent the rest of the week in a ford shrine(complete with ford bed spread cover }

Was all over the place, so here are some links for some photo's I took from the different vantage points I was at.

http://groups.msn.com/Melsbathurstpi...5/shoebox.msnw

http://groups.msn.com/Mels2005Bathur...I/shoebox.msnw

http://groups.msn.com/MelsBathurstPi...I/shoebox.msnw

http://groups.msn.com/MelsBathurstPo...4/shoebox.msnw

[adz_34]

hey guys and girls, drove up on tuesday from canberra to stay with the old folks. went up to the track on wednesday snooping around the pits. Thursday spent lurking around the top of the mount taking photos with my shiny new camera. Friday more top of mount roaming. Saturday and Sunday spent down the bottom of the mount but favoured the chase. In total: free ticket! thanks boss $30 for paddock pass. 3000! photos taken with new digital camera and a bloody good result for murph and rick again. Bring on 2005!!

[adz_34]

oh btw if anyone would like some photos just shoot me off an email to adz_34@ozemail.com.au. good chance i will have a shot of the car you like in the spot u want! see ya

[DAVID PATERSON]

My sixth trip to the Mountain, my third Bathurst 1000. We towed the Torana down from Bne and arrived at noon on Wednesday. Hired a caravan from Forbes and stayed in the paddock. Had a hot shower every day, wearing thongs though!

We were busy in the Group N paddock and on track until Saturday afternoon, the first time i did some spectating.

Watched the first two hours of the 1000 from inside turn 1 and spent the rest of the race watching it on TV in the caravan, except for a couple of walks behind the garages top watch the pit stops. Crash Test, introduced me to GTRMagic on one such walk.

Also, bumped into MtP earlier in the week and Hoonboyz was one of the officials who pushed my car to the dead car park when it died, just after the finish of our last race.

[V8 Supercars]

David, I could have taken your Torana down on my truck as I live on the Gold Coast.

Just give me an email from here or PM next time if you are at all interested as I wouldnt charge you that much anyway if I have room for an extra car.