Convicts: Part Two

[Danielsun]

Oh shyte. The Pommy authorities are sending their worst criminals to Australia again...

It's been confirmed that Matt Neal now will certainly drive with Paul Morris at Bathurst next month, making this year's 1000 a truly world-class event.

The stars on their way Down Under:
Yvan Muller
Jason Plato
Alain Menu
Matt Neal

Don't forget, there's also former BTCC drivers in the thick of the season-long action:
Paul Radisich
Craig Baird

How do you think the current BTCC mob will go?

[Crash Test]

Neal/Morris -fast but no race winner
Muller/Plato -fast but no Skaife/Clowndes beater, if car one fails, they are in with a big chance..
Menu/Larko -Fast, in with a shot

Don't forget Cleland/Forbes -no chance

[gomick]

holden young lions will beat muller/plato in 2nd hrt car!

[Crash Test]

With all due respect to the Plato/Muller car, Plato is the Super Touring lap record holder around the mountian, dating back to 97, and ten if you compare Muller to Pretty...even though Nathan is a good steerer, I doubt that he is a Muller...

[gomick]

with all due respect - i doubt a super tourer is a v8 supercar.

[Crash Test]

I guess time will tell...

[Danielsun]

Plato and Muller were apparently less than a second off Skaife and Lowndes' pace at their first ever test at Philip Island last week. With more time in the car, they're sure to get the hang of it rather quickly.

Forget not that, as Crash Test said, Plato does still hold the Super Touring lasp record and Muller is used to driving over-powered cars - cool as ice...

[Danielsun]

Originally posted by Crash Test
Don't forget Cleland/Forbes -no chance

Tell me not to forget them and then go and shoot them down. I'll set Invader on you for that remark if you're not careful...

[Crash Test]

It's not Cleland's fault Forbes is a goose...at QR, the easiest track in the known universe, he would have spun a grand total of about 30 times...Ok, he is the defending privateer class winner at Bathurst, but Full helped out a lot, and if McLean didn't blow up, CLELAND would have won it by a streak...

Just looking at past results and experiences, Plato/Muller should beat HYL. Kelly really hasn't done too much this season, ok Canberra reverse grid....but that was a joke, and you would assume that he would have a fairly gun piece of equipment under him. Then again, the team would not revote as many resources behind it, and I guess the same will happen at Bathurst. I don't think Pretty has really been given the chance to get any big results on the board yet, so it's a bit hard to comment on him.

Once again, time will tell...

[Jared]

Could someone here answer a few questions? How many races do they have a Bathurst? How many types of cars? Is this race for Super Touring cars?

Speedvision here in the U.S. showed a two-hour version of the 1998 Bathurst 1000. I taped it and watch it every so often. One of the best races I've seen on one of the best tracks I've ever seen.

[Danielsun]

Bathurst is one of the - if not the - best tracks out there. Unspoilt by Bernie's F1 circus (but wouldn't that be hilarious seeing the GP drivers pussyfoot down the Dipper?!) the Mountain is a truly great track.

For a great race. The 1998 running of the Super Touring Bathurst 1000 was the last official running of the Great Race, as it became known throughout its almost-40 year history. The current race is a 'new' one set up in 1997 for the V8 Supercars. Next season, the race will move into the October slot - hopefully regaining Great Race status.

The 1998 race was indeed one of the most exciting - and officially the clostest ever finish on record. And the Bathurst 1000 Classic is the only major race on the Mountain yearly. There is what remains of the Great Race run (at last news for me) at Easter, but everyone goes for the Big One...

Crash Test, please say they've canned the 'celebration'...

[White Van Man]

Bloody convicts - cannot keep anything straightforward!

[Crash Test]

This year apart from the "1000" in November, there was the Easter Bike race, which was a complete flop, and wont happen again, and various sprints/hillclimbs throughout the year.

There was no race this October for several reasons:
1. They weren't allowed to hold an international event so close to the Olympics.
2. 7 sold out of Bathurst.
3. 7 was covering the Olympics.
4. Super touring is dead, and the future tourers hav never really happened -about 3 cars at most per meeting.
5. Plus there was a general lack of interest....the crowd last year could have been counted on the fingers on one hand.

Next year the V8s WONT ove back to the long weekend, as it clashes with the NRL and AFL grandfinals...

[elephino]

The bikes won't be back as the backer has run out of money (I think).

Crash is correct as to why no 1000km race in October (Sunday was so boring this year...).

Bathurst was spoilt by the FIA. For 1987 Caltex Chase was put in on Conrod Straight. A few stories exist for why. The main ones are danger at the end (Murray's Corner) and that Conrod was too long a straight and therefore needing a chicane. I'm not going into which or any other reason.

[Crash Test]

Also Mike Burgman's death helped in the installation of the chicane. It was Bathurst 86 where Bathurst lost it's innocence, but it came of age (or so I'm told by the long time regulars, who with myself spent Thursday ST 98 sitting on top of the mountain...) in 1987.

Ok, much of the old rough and tumble was gone about the place, but such is the way of progress. Would they allow cars to still run down Conrod without a wall there these days? I don't think so. They would have had to make considerable changes to Murray's to make it safe. The run off road is at a 45 degree angle to the plane of straight. Even then the 5m long sandtrap is at the far right hand side of the escape road....

Yes the cars are still very fast and there is a danger there. As shown by the Suzuki in practice for 98. (Although Win Percy walked away from his mash with the armco in 93. I guess it might say something about the safety of small cars...)

Still, it's a bit sad I was never there for the rough and tumble days with no facilities....besides, Tony Cochrane wouldn't go there if the facility was sub-standard