Bathurst Motor Festival Easter 2013

[Shane001]

For anyone who missed it, big race weekend on at Bathurst again this Easter!

We're racing again this year with Prod Sports, nearly 50 cars starting including a Lamborghini Gallardo, couple of Moslers, lots of GT Porsches, a Corvette, a Ginetta, a GT40 replica, a Dodge Viper, lots of MX5's and my humble FTO

Other categories racing include Formula 3, Formula Vee, Group N Touring Cars, Production Touring, most with big starting grids!

Entry is by bank note donation to Legacy, the official charity for the event.

Full details here;
http://bathurstmotorfestival.com.au/

Should be a great weekend of motorsport

[Alan52]

I have been to this meeting the last 2 years but am giving it a miss this year as I feel it has dropped a level.Last year on Sunday there were 4 National series races (2 Aussie Racing Cars and 2 F3) whereas this year there is only 1 race at this level(F3).The rest of the program is State level which is OK but not worth the drive up from Sydney.

[ff s conscience]

They don't allow GT cars newer than 2010.

I know about 8 cars that would have been there if allowed.

And none of them driven by dominant greedy drivers..

[Shane001]

Originally Posted by ff s conscience

They don't allow GT cars newer than 2010.

GT cars still eligible to run in Aus GT cannot run with Prod Sports, they have to be I think 4 years or older, so any 2008 or older GT cars can run.

I don't know the full details of this decision but I expect it's mainly due to AusGT & CAMS. And remember Prod Sports is not AusGT, we don't want current GT cars. Current GT cars already have somewhere to race, AusGT

[ff s conscience]

Originally Posted by Shane001

GT cars still eligible to run in Aus GT cannot run with Prod Sports, they have to be I think 4 years or older, so any 2008 or older GT cars can run.

I don't know the full details of this decision but I expect it's mainly due to AusGT & CAMS. And remember Prod Sports is not AusGT, we don't want current GT cars. Current GT cars already have somewhere to race, AusGT

Wrong.

Aus Gt allow all kinds of older cars to run.

A 1999 Ferrari 360 ran at clipsal this year.

A 2012 Ferrari 458 GT3 is already no longer a current GT car.

I understand why they do it... but if they want a higher profile and greater spectacle.... the fix is easy.

It would be ideal practice for the 12 hr for any rookies considering entry... they could stipulate conditions of entry about driver experience and history to stop the big guns coming.

[GTRMagic]

Why would it matter if the 'big guns' did come?

Surely they could arrange enough time on the mountain to get laps in for all concerned, even if they had to group them based on some kind of seeding

[Shane001]

Originally Posted by ff s conscience

Wrong.

Aus Gt allow all kinds of older cars to run.

I wasn't aware of that, but tbh I was speaking from Prod Sports perspective not Aus GT. My understanding of what we will allow to race with us currently is FIA homologated GT cars 4 years or older.

[Simon S]

Originally Posted by GTRMagic

Why would it matter if the 'big guns' did come?

Surely they could arrange enough time on the mountain to get laps in for all concerned, even if they had to group them based on some kind of seeding

not sure it's the 'big guns' as you put it that are the problem...

it's the 'GT driver' attitudes and track etiquette that are more of a problem...

Last year, for the first time in years, I got taken out by one of said GT drivers (PI November) on lap 5 of a 1 hour, totally un-called for driving in ProdSports IMHO.

(I'll never forget the GT support races for the AUS F1 GP in 2010, they could not manage a single race start without total carnage.)

[alfacors]

Carnage can happen regardless of the race series. There was start line commotion yesterday afternoon for example.

[jd yort]

Originally Posted by alfacors

Carnage can happen regardless of the race series. There was start line commotion yesterday afternoon for example.

So what happened for us not at the mountain?

[ff s conscience]

Originally Posted by Simon S

not sure it's the 'big guns' as you put it that are the problem...

it's the 'GT driver' attitudes and track etiquette that are more of a problem...

Last year, for the first time in years, I got taken out by one of said GT drivers (PI November) on lap 5 of a 1 hour, totally un-called for driving in ProdSports IMHO.

(I'll never forget the GT support races for the AUS F1 GP in 2010, they could not manage a single race start without total carnage.)

almost right.

They obviosuly DID do A start eventually (Race 3)... but yeh, that 2010 AGP GT event was a joke...

Individuals are a problem at any level. Not a whole entrant category though.

[ff s conscience]

Originally Posted by Shane001

I wasn't aware of that, but tbh I was speaking from Prod Sports perspective not Aus GT. My understanding of what we will allow to race with us currently is FIA homologated GT cars 4 years or older.

The Lilley Viper is a 2010 I think???

but it has 2012 engine/running gear....

But look at the Gallrdo for example... that is Mark Seamons old car... it has the EVO up grade pack which should make it illegal then.....

But Justin Hughes is driving nicely and keeping out of trouble and away from achievable lap times... so he's no problem...

There could have been some seriously cool cars there this weekend, making all the right noises and appealing to even more people... and if no big guns were allowed to drive, lap times would be in the mid teens.....

[ff s conscience]

Originally Posted by GTRMagic

Why would it matter if the 'big guns' did come?

Surely they could arrange enough time on the mountain to get laps in for all concerned, even if they had to group them based on some kind of seeding

Big guns would go for lap times, not circuit experience.

There are 12hr potential entries that may not enter the 12hr if they don't feel ready.

Getting laps at bathurst is difficult and excluding a potential crowd pleaser is just crazy.

Could even do special session for passenger rides/prize winners...

how many people would like a ride in a 458 GT3 doing sub 2.10??? Which is about 7 seconds off the cars absolute pace so nice and safe

[ff s conscience]

Congrats to Rossco and Ash.

Also well done Justin Hughes.

And Turnbull/Garner... good effort.. and Macpherson/Porter too

Poor Peter L and Garth?? what happened?

also to Muston??

[Penelope PitStop]

Originally Posted by ff s conscience

Poor Peter L and Garth?? what happened?

also to Muston??

The Lucas car had a mechanical. Muston found (both sides of) the wall somewhere around FP 13.8...

[Downoz]

Wrong place

[alfacors]

Originally Posted by jd yort

So what happened for us not at the mountain?

[Downoz]

Bathurst motor festival page on facebook has photos of the porsche of Muston

[GTRMagic]

Ouch!



Here's hoping Mr Muston, and whatever he tangled with, are ok..

[alfacors]

I believe the Esses wall is fine.

[PVDA]

Originally Posted by Penelope PitStop

The Lucas car had a mechanical.

That doesn't sound right (Lucas Price of Darkness and all that)

Anyway enough talk about who could and couldn't enter, how did the racing all go??

[alfacors]

Good racing generally. Some problems with redflagged races though, notably with Formula Vee who had their 1st and 3rd races canned due to accidents on the opening lap. Today's 3rd race involved two Vees who tangled on the Pit Straight with one rolling quite dramatically. Drivers are OK as far as I know.

Formula 3 suffered from a wet track this morning, but Nathan Morcom held on to win under Safety Car. A shame they didn't have the weather of Saturday morning as they would undoubtedly have gotten into the 2s (Morcom qualified in a 2.03.2!)

Production Touring and Production Sports had a few incidents, but nothing race stopping, just cuased a few safety cars (Muston's Porsche above, and the Padayachee/Borness incident).

Regularity was pretty clean save for the poor guy who hit a roo this morning across the top of the Mountain which caused the session to get canned.

Just under 10,000 people for the 3 day weekend, which is not bad for a more entry level type of event. It's a great few days of racing, and well worth the trip IMHO.

Plenty of pics on the Bathurst Motor Festival facebook page too

[Simon S]

Originally Posted by ff s conscience

almost right.

They obviosuly DID do A start eventually (Race 3)... but yeh, that 2010 AGP GT event was a joke...

Individuals are a problem at any level. Not a whole entrant category though.

only because they were told in no uncertain terms NOT to start racing till after turn 2 - (still have that 'briefing' etched in the back of my memory - even more funny when you consider who was giving it and who took me out at PI.).

and let's also not forget what happened to bring the flag out in race 3 - yet more muppetry.

problem with GT is that a lot of the drivers just don't have the experience, and CAMS should look at the grade of licence required to run in GT along with how they hand out said licences.

considering how long this problem has been going on, you would think somebody (either at CAMS or GT management) would have done something.

to compare the typical Aus GT driver with the typical ProdSports driver is night and day, whilst I am sure we all moan about XYZ being in the way or slow etc, I have had very few real 'oh sh1t' moments in ProdSports, the level of respect is just way higher (and the ego's somewhat lower).

[noaxetogrind]

Originally Posted by Simon S

only because they were told in no uncertain terms NOT to start racing till after turn 2 - (still have that 'briefing' etched in the back of my memory - even more funny when you consider who was giving it and who took me out at PI.).

Ok I'm intrigued. Got any in car footage from Phillip Island you'd care to post

[Simon S]

Originally Posted by noaxetogrind

Ok I'm intrigued. Got any in car footage from Phillip Island you'd care to post

unfortunately, not (camera crashed in the assembly area

Basically, he turned in on me at turn 1 (as in he was not passed me before trying to take the apex), I ended up spinning off to the inside of turn 2 with a broken steering arm.

Looks like he did the same to somebody else later in the race as the back of his car was comprehensively torn up.

Predictably enough, did not even bother to come and talk about it (god forbid say sorry).

I guess that's just how these GT guys roll....