2014 Liqui Moly Bathurst 12 Hour: 7-9 February (Merged)

[Reload]

Is there a reason as to why we don't see a lot of Asian entries ?

[Sheep Stations]

'As far as the 12 hour grid goes, whilst we didn't have the numbers this year, I think most would agree we have a big improvement in quality. Obviously we'd all like to see a full 55 car grid turnout for the event, so perhaps the promoter could do a bit more advertising both locally and overseas, look at the cost of entry fees, or put together some well priced freight packages for the overseas teams, to encourage a few more solid entries?'

In defence of the promoter and administration...they're already doing all of above and more to encourage international participation.

The growing success of the event should give Yeehah the confidence to be a little more selective and have some reasonable control over entries for next year, specifically a serious financial commitment before announcing a teams entry.

Try entering Spa24 or Nurburgring 24 without paying your 100% up front non-refundable entry fee.

[one five five]

Those bagging the HQ support races, why would a promoter turn down a 55-car entry for a support race? HQ racing guarentee's a full field and therefore a full field of entry fee's!

I think the HQ's are better served with a couple of sprint races though rather than 1-hour enduro's

Radical's in my opinion were a poor substitute for the Sports Sedans

I'm not sure why anyone would be pushing a production car enduro on the Saturday when those cars are eligible for the 12hr and we couldn't even fill the 12hr grid this year....

Originally Posted by alfacors

The problem with a "Parade Lap" is the length of the circuit. It would take ages for all of the field to complete the parade lap. Pretty sure we haven't had it for the 1000 for many a year either.

John Goss, Tom Walkinshaw and Ken Mathews did a parade lap after the 1985 JH1000.

Peter Brock did one in his Vectra after finishing the 1997 Bathurst 1000 in 6th place also, they are the last two i remember

[Reload]

Originally Posted by one five five

Those bagging the HQ support races, why would a promoter turn down a 55-car entry for a support race? HQ racing guarentee's a full field and therefore a full field of entry fee's!

I think the HQ's are better served with a couple of sprint races though rather than 1-hour enduro's

Radical's in my opinion were a poor substitute for the Sports Sedans

I'm not sure why anyone would be pushing a production car enduro on the Saturday when those cars are eligible for the 12hr and we couldn't even fill the 12hr grid this year....



John Goss, Tom Walkinshaw and Ken Mathews did a parade lap after the 1985 JH1000.

Peter Brock did one in his Vectra after finishing the 1997 Bathurst 1000 in 6th place also, they are the last two i remember

Well that's the payoff in having a successful 12 hr event isn't it in putting up with an ordinary support category in order to keep the promoter happy. Can't have everything at this stage.

[peckstar]

couldnt understand why some of the permanent food outlets were not open. would have been great to get some food that wasn't carnival food. A nice steak sandwich for instance.

Tried to purchase food up top, out of chips and out of buns (they got more).

That being said, got a great coffee from rydges and they looked like they were doing food as well.

[one five five]

Originally Posted by Reload

Well that's the payoff in having a successful 12 hr event isn't it in putting up with an ordinary support category in order to keep the promoter happy. Can't have everything at this stage.

What is ordinary about the HQs?

[Reload]

Originally Posted by one five five

What is ordinary about the HQs?

Too slow.

[porsche91722]

Loved the race, loved the event..... it had it all this year. Yeehah should be congratulated on the success.
Re the food, they had a bit more on offer this year, but (in our case anyway) we found it just as easy to make a quick run into town for lunch. I carried a stash of muesli bars and some fruit and the required supply of drinking water. Can't say, after having a whinge over last years lack of decent food that I really care now. Probably would have bought the T shirts, but they'd already sold out by the time we got back there. Never mind, we are already dead set starters (attending, that is ) for next years race, so I'm sure we'll score some merch eventually.
As others have said, the laid back atmosphere of the event, and to actually meet and talk to the world class drivers is a real bonus. I had a couple of rock star moments in the paddock. It's great to see they are modelling the race on the easy going nature of overseas sports car races where the drivers aren't totally out of bounds. We ran into Pat Long, who was quite happy to have a quick chat and the photo taken and the young bloke had decent talk to Harold Primat who was quite open about their pre race tactics, early Sunday morning before the race started. RLM proved again that they are absolutely required as the comms team. The race wouldn't be quite the same without Hindy and Trussers calling it.
Bit of a shame the 2014 thread was locked up, as I would have posted in there. Been away for the last week but it sounds like the usual disruptive pains in the arse have been playing up again!

[alfacors]

Originally Posted by one five five

Those bagging the HQ support races, why would a promoter turn down a 55-car entry for a support race? HQ racing guarentee's a full field and therefore a full field of entry fee's!

I think the HQ's are better served with a couple of sprint races though rather than 1-hour enduro's

Radical's in my opinion were a poor substitute for the Sports Sedans

I'm not sure why anyone would be pushing a production car enduro on the Saturday when those cars are eligible for the 12hr and we couldn't even fill the 12hr grid this year....



John Goss, Tom Walkinshaw and Ken Mathews did a parade lap after the 1985 JH1000.

Peter Brock did one in his Vectra after finishing the 1997 Bathurst 1000 in 6th place also, they are the last two i remember

Sports Sedans couldnt get the number of entries to commit in order to secure their spot. If they committed and didnt get the numbers they needed they would have lost a lot of money. Radicals were able to commit and so they got their spot.

Yep, I can't remember that far back regarding the parade lap, but it's been a while.

[one five five]

Originally Posted by Reload

Too slow.

When has outright speed had to do with the quality of a motor race?

The saturday afternoon HQ race i thought was a beauty to watch.

[Hingo]

I was there for the HQs on Saturday and although I am sure it is thrilling for the drivers, as a spectator it isn't all that great. At an event aiming for international attention and trying to bring in the crowds, seeing these slow old cars go around doesn't really cut it. I understand heir importance as an amateur racing category but as a support act they were past their use by when I saw them back in the 90's supporting V8's...

It is a tough one as there aren't a lot of support categories to choose from. The V8s get the pick of the best (TCM, Carrera Cup). I think Formula 3 and Radicals would be the best fit for a weekend of high aero and high speed weapons.

[rich07]

Loved the relaxed nature of Saturday evening just wandering through the pitlane and watching the teams prepare for the race. Being a Bathurst virgin I had no idea how to get from the back of the pits to the pitlane so thanks to the United Autosport chap who let me through their garage. It was great chatting to another of their team, I'm not sure if it was the team manager or not but he was happy to have a chat about the Audi and their plans for this year. Busy guys by the sound of it.

I really enjoyed that part of the weekend.

Looking forward to next year and I'll be there for the entire four days this time

[ff s conscience]

The HQ and Geminis were fun.

From balcony at Rydges, one lap of HQ racing is about 300mm of shadow movement up the track.

If you put your beer on the table and sit behind it, A fast lap is about the thickness of the beer bottle in shadow movement on the track surface... If you squint....

[TCR]

Another option we discussed during the course of the weekend was sprint sessions in lieu of the HQs. Wouldn't imagine that it'd be hard to get two groups of 40 cars together and give each group 3 x 20 minute sessions. Invite the Porsche, BMW, Audi, Ferrari & Lambo car clubs and get them involved in the event. Even open it up to anyone who might just have a unique or unusual car that people may not get to see everyday.

[D.R.T.]

Originally Posted by Hingo

I was there for the HQs on Saturday and although I am sure it is thrilling for the drivers, as a spectator it isn't all that great. At an event aiming for international attention and trying to bring in the crowds, seeing these slow old cars go around doesn't really cut it.

I dont think international attention will be gained or lost via the support categories. The HQ's have supported the event for many many years and I think we need to respect that. As has been stated a 55 car grid assists with the whole event being viable via entry fees, camping etc. I think definitely keep, maybe a format change for more of a sprint race set up.

Speaking of international attention though, the Radio Le Mans guys absolutely loved the HQ's, even talking about them in their Midweek Motorsport podcast. Hindy, even mentioned that he would love to race in the HQ event in 2015!

[TCR]

Surely part of the attraction for those guys is the novelty factor, rather than them being an interesting race car. Credit where credit is due, they have supported the event well and getting the numbers in any support category has to be a priority for vaibilities sake, but it's a bit like going to a World Sprint Car meeting and watching a caravan race

[rich07]

When I was setting up the tent on Saturday morning and the HQs roared up mountain straight for the first time everyone around stopped what they were doing and checked out what was happening.

Haha it was like watching a bunch of meerkats or prairie dogs swivel their heads in unison.

[Axeman444]

Originally Posted by rich07

When I was setting up the tent on Saturday morning and the HQs roared up mountain straight for the first time everyone around stopped what they were doing and checked out what was happening.

Haha it was like watching a bunch of meerkats or prairie dogs swivel their heads in unison.

Com-pare-the-HQ-dotcom-dotAU...

Simples!

Sorry, it just popped into my head

[old fart]

Further to Alfacor's post #87 re issues with running a Saturday evening event herewith is an overview of the basic schedule for officials:
Friday & Saturday-race control manned from 0535 with officials sign on at 0545.Sign off is after 1725(F)/1740(S) with race control close at 1800.
Sunday-race control manned & officials sign on at 0415.Sign off after 1725 with race control close at 1830-------then comes the completion of reports/logs etc and the dismantling of race control/return of all equipment including the fire extinguishers trackside and throughout the venue.
Beer o'clock is usually when everybody is too shagged to enjoy it.
Remember these people are not paid for their services, they are passionate motor sport people who donate their time and expertise so the competitors and spectators may enjoy the day in safety.
Re;TCR's post # 80 "late afternoon qualification sessions"- over the weekend the hottest and windiest part of the day was late afternoon thus most likely to nullify any fast times(the race was different as it was a case of ballsy red mist desperate
lapping).

The problem with a cooldown/parade lap is that all vehicles must proceed directly to Parc Ferme for scrutineering etc.If the cars are allowed to do another lap a competitor could stop and fiddle with the car before entering parc ferme-not that they would do that of course!!. plus some of the walking wounded would not make it around.

[old fart]

OOPS-sign off time after the event was 1825 not an hour earlier-sorry.

[peckstar]

Originally Posted by old fart

Further to Alfacor's post #87 re issues with running a Saturday evening event herewith is an overview of the basic schedule for officials:
Friday & Saturday-race control manned from 0535 with officials sign on at 0545.Sign off is after 1725(F)/1740(S) with race control close at 1800.
Sunday-race control manned & officials sign on at 0415.Sign off after 1725 with race control close at 1830-------then comes the completion of reports/logs etc and the dismantling of race control/return of all equipment including the fire extinguishers trackside and throughout the venue.
Beer o'clock is usually when everybody is too shagged to enjoy it.
Remember these people are not paid for their services, they are passionate motor sport people who donate their time and expertise so the competitors and spectators may enjoy the day in safety.
Re;TCR's post # 80 "late afternoon qualification sessions"- over the weekend the hottest and windiest part of the day was late afternoon thus most likely to nullify any fast times(the race was different as it was a case of ballsy red mist desperate
lapping).

The problem with a cooldown/parade lap is that all vehicles must proceed directly to Parc Ferme for scrutineering etc.If the cars are allowed to do another lap a competitor could stop and fiddle with the car before entering parc ferme-not that they would do that of course!!. plus some of the walking wounded would not make it around.

how is it though that at most other tracks they get to do an extra lap, But not Bathurst. for soem reason Bathurst its always just turn it after turn 1.

[Notso Swift]

Parade lap isn't that big a deal IMHO

Originally Posted by one five five

Those bagging the HQ support races, why would a promoter turn down a 55-car entry for a support race? HQ racing guarentee's a full field and therefore a full field of entry fee's!Thing is the promoter is paid a flat fee for the supports, they got the same for 20 radicals as 55 HQ's, but less clean up 20 cars putting on a good show is more important. In some ways we were lucky the Hislop had problems in IP, it became one of the best races as a result

I think the HQ's are better served with a couple of sprint races though rather than 1-hour enduro's There wasn't much wrong with the HQ's themselves, but an endurance race is, err...

Radical's in my opinion were a poor substitute for the Sports SedansAgree, but Radicals had the money to buy the slot

I'm not sure why anyone would be pushing a production car enduro on the Saturday when those cars are eligible for the 12hr and we couldn't even fill the 12hr grid this year....There isn't cross over in all of the classes, but I think if you had the Proddies in a smaller enduro as part of their championship they would get some cross over, even if it was as a reserve list for the main race.

[TCR]

Originally Posted by rich07

Loved the relaxed nature of Saturday evening just wandering through the pitlane and watching the teams prepare for the race.

Agreed, this is a great part of the event and really eliminates the need to have any on track activities on the Saturday evening.

Originally Posted by old fart

Re;TCR's post # 80 "late afternoon qualification sessions"- over the weekend the hottest and windiest part of the day was late afternoon thus most likely to nullify any fast times

Fair enough if that was the case, just thought the ambient and track temp may have dropped a bit by that time of day, making for quicker times. As it was, it did seem to work quite well with the trade off between lower temps and traffic in the morning session VS higher temps and clear track in the afternoon session.

[nafe!]

This years event despite the lower numbers turned into an awesome race. Its certainly become the biggest race of the year of me and the one I most look forward to. Its basically the only event in the Australian motorsport calender that I wont miss and that comes from someone who grew up loving V8supercars and group A before that.

As far as changes go for this year?

Non refundable up front entry fees would be a start, I think the race has enough credibility and strength world wide now that it no longer needs to be so forgiving to entrants.

The GT only qualifying shootout needs to be held Saturday morning if we are to see the ultimate pace of the cars. Theres a very real chance that in cooler conditions we would have seen a 2.02 lap time.

As far as support categories go it would be nice to see some higher quality categories. There are a tonne of production cars sitting around that could race on the Saturday in their own races if given the chance. Aussie racing cars, Carrera Cup, Porsche GT3, Historics like Group N and A/C all spring to mind as options. However the HQ's and improved production fields are always large fields so I guess it helps prop up the event money wise.

4wd's did block large areas of potential spectating areas and as much as its nice and laid back to be able to do that kind of thing I think for the general spectator it isn't really fair. I also think any tent that's setup right on the fence and cant be seen through(not including its roof of course) shouldn't be allowed.

As far as the actual race itself, maybe a 6 am start for some darker running. (really who cares if you have to be there 15 minutes earlier for a better spectacle)

I would also like to see any minimum allowable lap times completely removed for the event. Its racing and may the best win, no matter what class they come from.

If driver seeding rules are to be used they need to be completely adopted from Europe, some of the so called unseeded drivers out there were a bit dubious.

The RLM crew on Saturday night seemed pretty confident from what they were hearing from drivers/teams and what they were going to tell everyone around the world that by next year the event should get pretty big!.

Cant wait for next year, its so fantastic to see an amazing race getting up in Australia separate to the supercars.

[EfiOz]

Entry fees were non refundable. You're still going to get drop outs. They need to start taking provisional entries so there's a waiting list. If the hype is true, they would have had over 50 cars.

Saturday AM is a good time for a shoot out but what of the rest of the day? Maybe have all qualifying over by 10am so that any incidents can be fixed for the race? I think a 2.02 with the current spec cars is a fantasy, even at 7am the conditions aren't right.

Historic sports cars would be good.

The only minimum lap times are for the invitational class and I can see a point there.

Driver seeding? They have driver seeding??

The good part about this looking froward is that it seems to be a viable proposition for teams and organisers, unlike the B24H.