Mount Panorama Redevelopment (Merged)

[Adam Laws]

The pitlane part was OKish, it was the garages and paddocks that were an abomination, especially when it rained. Good to have your very expensive race car and all its attendant support gear wallowing mud and slosh.

The need to lug gear back and forth between your garage and the pit lane bunker was a pain in the back side, especially just before a session when the cars were on the access road and everyone is trying to have a gander. I suspect there are a few people who still have the impressions of tool boxes and the like embedded in them as they made a wrong step as a crew person came through.

As I understand it the garages will now be directly on pit lane a la Eastern Creek, Philip Island etc. A much better way to go for the teams, though no doubt far less spectator friendly.

[sevi]

The timekeeping must of been one of the original buildings then, I was a bit scared it would fall down, and the hallway would have to be 3ft wide, woudn't it RT.

[Monaro]

Originally posted by GTRMagic
There was nothing physically wrong with it... not flash enough for Aussie Bernie I'm afraid

Not quite right.The old pit lane was 1m to narrow,so the choice was remove the pit wall and reconstruct Pit Straight or knock down the pit buildings and keep TC happy with new corp boxes and pits.Better still if the tax payers would pay for someone's stuff-up.

[Average Punter]

Originally posted by GTRMagic
There was nothing physically wrong with it... not flash enough for Aussie Bernie I'm afraid

Not so sure GTR. I stood with a builder in the pouring rain in the shootout one year (2000? Gardner on pole?) who had been doing some work on the pit buildings and he said they were riddled with "concrete cancer" and were all but falling down.

Now I don't know what concrete cancer is but I'll bet knocking them down wasn't a big job!!!

Teams have also complained for years about the step down from the garages to the pit bays and the fact all the gear had to be wheeled around through the gates. Methinks the new builders' spirit levels will get a bit of a workout this time...

[pplater]

Too narrow for whose standards?
I was in pitlane for B24, and the proximity of the cars to you was fantastic, particularly the mosler, which (i think) had a limiter on it that made it sound like a top fueller trying to idle. sweet. probably dangerous though

[pplater]

...but the rain was much more disconcerting. One team had their PIT flooded, and the lane behind the pits was a three inch swamp for saturday afternoon:

[Bigguy]

And, during the worst of the deluge, one team had to place a hand trolley on its side to try and divert the 3" deep river of water from continuing to flood the pit bays.

Probably what was worse still, was to see water pouring UP through a drainage grill in pit lane itself, and flowing at least 2" thick down the lane. At that stage, lap times were around the 12 minutes behind the pace car...

The whole area needed major reworking, and certainly not just the pit structures.

I just hope that the new construction works well for the B24, and not just for the taxis.

[pplater]

was there talker of Larger pit bays (less total) in the new compound. that'd be good for the supertaxis, but not for B24...

[GTRMagic]

The Bathurst pitlane was arguably no worse than the Eastern Creek variant.... it did a job... that the rest of the stuff around it was a throwback to the '60s is more the issue...

It still pains me to think the ARDC had to sell Amaroo Park because they built the thing... and ran out of cash...

[Monaro]

On local news today a council spokesperson announced that a building contractor will start building works at the Mount within 3-4 weeks.I hope this contractor stays in business and completes the pits in time for October.Our council hasn't been good at picking solvent contractors lately.

[GTRMagic]

Sounds scary They might need some tents

[GTRMagic]

MotorSport Tours is popular... http://www.motorsportours.com.au/

Andrew Bagnall's Gulliver's Travels used to do the same kind of thing from Auckland..

[just a racer]

Has anyone seen any plans of what the new pit complex will look like once completed?
Also, has anything begun on the apartment complex over near the chase?

[Gaz170]

Originally posted by Average Punter

Now I don't know what concrete cancer is but I'll bet knocking them down wasn't a big job!!!

Concrete Cancer occurs when the steel reinforcing inside the concrete rusts, it expands and starts to crack the concrete. Quite expensive to fix usually.
I'm surprised it occured at Bathurst though, usually a problem with coastal buildings (the salt sea spray does wonders)
Makes you wonder about the quality of the materials used in the old buildings for this to happen so soon.

[Bigguy]

Originally posted by just a racer
Has anyone seen any plans of what the new pit complex will look like once completed?
Also, has anything begun on the apartment complex over near the chase?

At B24, I saw some sketches of the new complex. Basically, the pits will be levelled so that the transporters can be backed up to them. The design is rather flashy. Some news at http://bathurst.local-e.nsw.gov.au/a...3802_6231.html

[Ozfords]

What of the sand trap just before the dipper that Cromly was complaining about at last years 1000, are they going to tar over that?


Ozfords

[vortexo]

Foung these pics - not sure how current they are but the site says they will update click here

[racer69]

Originally posted by Bigguy
At B24, I saw some sketches of the new complex. Basically, the pits will be levelled so that the transporters can be backed up to them. The design is rather flashy. Some news at http://bathurst.local-e.nsw.gov.au/a...3802_6231.html

A pity for the fans, it'll probably mean we can't walk directly behind the pits anymore. It was always an interesting walk down there, especially during the 24 Hour races early in the morning. I won't get the chance to have a Ferrari 360GT being unloaded off a quick-lift truck at 1.30am right infront of me 3 years running now........

Ozfords - I hardly see them doing anything to that. Crompton was the only one to complain and the first time it was mentioned was last year.

[Bigguy]

Originally posted by racer69
A pity for the fans, it'll probably mean we can't walk directly behind the pits anymore. It was always an interesting walk down there, especially during the 24 Hour races early in the morning. I won't get the chance to have a Ferrari 360GT being unloaded off a quick-lift truck at 1.30am right infront of me 3 years running now........
SNIP

I don't believe PROCAR will be making it hard for fans to get amongst the action. They have quite a different attitude to involving the fans than the V8 brigade.....

[GTRMagic]

The cars will be like they are at Sandown or Eastern Creek, shielded away in their garages with the doors shut

So the great unwashed who pumps cash into the series by buying tickets cant see a thing....

[Ozfords]

I think we're beginning to reach a point of two arguments, the comfort of the entertainers and the value of entertianment.

I too came to Bathurst 1000 last year on Thursday and was amazed at how the teams operated from garages and pits only to have a lonley stretch of road between the two covered with fans. You had a genuine feeling of getting amongst the drama and entertianment.

But how many hassles did the teams have? Starting off with that stupid step down from the garages meaning the teams had to pull alot of heavy equipment around to the front of the pit complex and has there been any thefts by race fans of equipment left just for a second?


Ozfords

[Onlooker]

Originally posted by Bigguy
I don't believe PROCAR will be making it hard for fans to get amongst the action. They have quite a different attitude to involving the fans than the V8 brigade.....

Not much that you can do when you have a truck,marque and stuff all behind the garages,I think that the fans will miss out,funny how there has been no mention of the improved facilitys elsewhere on the rest of the track?????:confused:

[Monaro]

Originally posted by Onlooker
Not much that you can do when you have a truck,marque and stuff all behind the garages,I think that the fans will miss out,funny how there has been no mention of the improved facilitys elsewhere on the rest of the track?????:confused:

The State and Council have provided half the funds needed so TC & Teams get looked after first.When the Feds come to the party(if ever) then facilitys for the fans will be next.As usual it shows how the fans rate.

[275 GTB-4]

Originally posted by Monaro
The State and Council have provided half the funds needed so TC & Teams get looked after first.When the Feds come to the party(if ever) then facilitys for the fans will be next.As usual it shows how the fans rate.

Puulleezee tell me that they have bulldozed those god-awful ablution blocks and putting modern ones up for the long suffering campers (lots of un-happy campers have not returned and vowed never to return!!

[Bigguy]

Originally posted by Onlooker
Not much that you can do when you have a truck,marque and stuff all behind the garages,I think that the fans will miss out,funny how there has been no mention of the improved facilitys elsewhere on the rest of the track?????:confused:

I tend (there's that word again! ) to disagree there.... at B24, teams generally had more infastructure than the V8s do, as they needed to cater (literally) for a large personnel count for 24 + hours.

But despite this, fans were not shut out...