After experiencing the Bathurst 1000 and 12 Hour events last year, my anticipation levels were high for another jam-packed weekend of motorsport action on what is universally agreed to be one of the world’s best racing circuits. Armed with my trusty Canon 70D and with my equally car-mad mate Haydn in tow (whose last visit to Bathurst was way back in 2002), we were primed for an adrenalin-pumping 48 hours.
DAY ONE
Leaving Sydney under the cover of darkness around 5 am, we head for the Bells Line of Road, a 59-kilometre, single-lane stretch that meanders up and over the picturesque majesty of the iconic Blue Mountains. Passing over Mount Victoria, we descend down a maze of winding, fog-filled roads into sleepy Lithgow for a coffee stop (and a superb sunrise view), then drive the final leg into Bathurst for our first taste of the Liqui-Moly Bathurst 12 Hour event.
It’s around 8 am and a balmy 24 degrees and weL set our sights on the open-air displays, where rows of shiny supercars are gloriously on show. McLaren, Bentley, Porsche, Audi – all the big brands are here, with the highlight undoubtedly the La Ferrari, the jewel in the crown of the company’s current hypercar line-up. This left-hand drive beauty is a rare site, and although timing restraints cancel its anticipated demonstration lap, we capture a glimpse of an older gentlemen carefully negotiating her back to her pit stop later on in the day. Cue the green monster!
Mid-morning, we check out a number of Improved Production Class vehicles – old V8’s, restored Hondas and a souped-up Commodore or two – prepping for their 10-lap showdown. We spot a made-to-order Nissan GT-R Nismo, then take a load off to watch the 12 Hour qualifying races that rev up around 10.30am. The Sponsor Ride Session and the Combined Sedan races follow, with our action-packed day ending with the Top 10 Shootout mid-afternoon. By then, our weary, sun-drenched selves are well and truly ready for the drive back to Lithgow and a decent night’s rest.
DAY TWO
After only four hours of shut-eye, we arrive for a 5.45am race start, and wow! Watching 50 or so supercars tearing around the track in pitch darkness, headlights aglow, is definitely a surreal experience. As sunrise unfolds, we head for the bridge near the first corner, where, after jostling for our own patch of space, nab a great vantage point directly down the straight - the perfect position for a bunch of long exposure camera shots.
A B&E-roll-and-coffee break later, we hop on board the bus for a trip up the Mountain, only to be confronted by an endless array of inventive camping setups, where the whir of generators and smell of freshly fried breakfasts is interspersed with the odd mini-TV loudly relaying live commentary tent-side. We traipse shakily down the rough track towards Skyline, through the Esses, the Dipper and Forrest's Elbow, then negotiate our way back up the hill and around the top of the Mountain, where we are awarded a magnificent view of the track and the township of Bathurst. By now, it is scorchingly hot, so after an air-conditioned bus ride back down and a spot of lunch, we settle in for the finale.
Things have certainly started to heat up trackside, as we witness Shane van Gisbergen in his Mercedes-AMG GT3 dashing all hopes of winning back-to-back titles when he makes contact with the #51 Porsche entry. An untethered case of the ‘red mist’ then clinches the deal, when he pushes a little too hard coming out of the Dipper and fails to get his vehicle back to pit lane.
Jamie Whincup finally scores the checkered flag at around 5.45pm with a win for the #88 Maranello Ferrari, along with team members Craig Lowndes and Toni Vilander. The win is both Maranello’s and Lowndes’ second in the 12 Hour, and teammate Vilander is quoted as saying that his amazing late-race stint was one of the better moments of his entire career.
After the race, we scamper quickly over the barrier into the pit area near the finishing line (a first for myself and Haydn) to join a crowd of hysterical, like-minded racing fanatics enjoying the champagne-soaked festivities in front of the podium. Sleep deprived? Yes. Sun soaked? Yes, but what an unforgettable experience. And another supercharged, supercar festival, is done and dusted!
Images from the Weekend:
All images © 2017 Car Hamlet.