99% nothing to do with bikes.

Hey guys, If you'r sitting around with nothin to do today, Flick the TV on to Fox or Speed tv or go to the computor
and type in V8SUPERCARS.COM.AU. Go to BATHURST CURCUIT.
You will see the greatest road circuit in the world, with the greatest 4 Door cars in the world having fun for 1000 klms.
Australian built, GM-H, They are the "Holdens" refered to, an off spring of GM, and FORD. (only open to Aussie biult cars at this stage and better stay that way)
6 ltr engines, 6 speed sequential gear box, about 800 kgs (I think) about 850 hp.
Approx 6 klm track length, average speed 175 kph, slowest corner 85 klm, fastest section, at the end of "Conrod Straight",
on the rev limiter is 300 + kph.
It's typical Aussie Telecast. They have several cameras inside the Car, watch the drivers feet, they get pretty busy.
Guest comentator, several times Nascar Champ, Daryl Waltripp ( hope I spelt that right), said it frightened the crap out of him.
Very steep uphill, at 280 kph, across the top of the Mountain and then down very steep, 65kph in your car,.
Oh yeah, the 1%, you WILL see the word NORTON, and you might see a couple of reasonably fair Bike riders in,
Casey Stoner,and Chad Reed.
have a good look at the Circuit, they do race bikes there too.
Give it 10 minutes of your time.
AC.
PS, you might get to see the "UTES" raceing, ( the Americans call them Pickups) Ute is the abbreviation of Utility vehicle, every
Farmer or Building contractor has one, good for a bit of "Fender Bending." Also 6 Ltr engines, H pattern.

For those in the states, when you hear "ute" think Ranchero or ElCamino. or a cruck. Not a car not a truck. VW ans Subaru made some attempts at a Ute, the VW rabit pickup and the subaru brat. All never quite caught on. There is also a newer 4 door subaru with a small bed on it. I was watching Top gear the Australian challenge special. Those holden cars really move. The ute they ran wholloped a supercar, it was cool.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-6Um377aeFc&NR=1

Here's a link to the '81 Bathurst Easter races, there's 6 parts of old film. The track hasn't changed much apart from a chicane on conrod straight.

Some good times in years past,,,,,

graeme

Waay back when I was a rather impecunious student, living in a share house and riding a Yammy XS360. We'd decide to jump on our bikes Easter Thursday night and head off to Bathurst for the bike races. We'd ride all night to get there, drink a lot, watch the racing, ogle the bikes, get bugger-all sleep and then ride home Easter Monday. So desperately un-PC by today's standards.


During the day there's some really wonderful racing.


There's some excellent specials to be found. A Vincati in this case.


Our camp. Later that night some guys walked past and chucked a handful of bullets into the fire. Funny, gosh we laughed and laughed. No we didn't, we ran like buggery.

It got a bit silly that night. Can't remember what sparked it all off. I spent at least a half hour talking to the police to get my mate's Bol D'or back as it was parked in front of the compound. Not normally a problem, but several Molotovs had been thrown in that general direction. I got lucky and got the bike back. I spent a large amount of the rest of the night up a tree watching the melee below. Pity I didn't have a camera with me.


This is where you buy beer. Why can you see the side of the truck at the back of the shop? Because the boys needed some bricks the night before!


You really don't want to drive your camera car through the pack at night, do you.

I remember leaving the mountain the last time, heading down the exit road on the Tuesday morning. Beautiful clear cold morning. One last Molotov sent a perfect smoke ring 10s of metres across up into the sky. Should have taken that shot too. Damn.

The last time we rode up there, the DPO was on the Norton. Never dreamed (nightmared?) that I'd own it one day.

And now they just race cars around it. What a loss.

OMG Dave you blokes know how to have a blast so wishing I was there to share. Yoose guys got a habit of stealing some motorcraft from other nations then beefing them up then putting some extra power in them to suit the state of mind.

Dave, was that you who sorted out the tv hire car that parked in the middle of the donut ring? I remember some of that night, but not much. I think I know some of the gentlemen in your picture of the beer shop. I do remember the flaming Dunny rolls soaked in petrol football, and the trg full riot gear Batton charges, and the dick controlling them with the loud hailer and the whistle. I'll dig out some pictures and post them, you might be in them?

It was a channel 7 car if memory serves. Story went that it was a new hire car full of camera gear and all got trashed. What an idiot - I'll just drive through the pack. Hmm yes, oh excellent idea! And the Flamin' Footy, loved it. A Bathurst staple. Always a blast.
I'd love to see some more pics of those days Graeme and you might be right, you might have snapped me somewhere. Blue XS360 with an oversize fairing bunged on it. Do you remember a red CB900 BD parked outside the police compound during the height of the "battle" by any chance?
Life was a bit more raw back then Hobot. I think you might have enjoyed the experience. Motorcyle life without garnish. I've got a write-up of my last ride up there, Winter this year on the just-rebuilt TRX if anyone's interested. Big contrast to how things were half a life further back in time.

Don't remember your blue 360,,, I do remember a red CB 900 in the dunny with its wheel in the trough doing a burn out till the tyre blew then keeping it at full throttle on the rim till it died.
And the BM that donut'd into a fire, fell over and burn't. And the Norton fellows buying one of the Laverda club's ladies for a bottle of Jack Daniels.
And dropping my 900 ss in the 3 up dirt drags,,,,, and the scrubbing brush on the wounds 2 days later. (I must say I'm not sure all this happened in the one year though)

The races, MV 750



Crowd,





Monday morning











Sorry for the crap pictures, but I didn't go to take pictures.

good times a long time ago.

graeme

GRM 450 said:

Sorry for the crap pictures, but I didn't go to take pictures. Good times a long time ago.

Click to expand...

No apologies required. Thanks Graeme, that says it all.

Hey Brent, yes Australia is Car mad, most young guys grow up spending money on cars, and some of us
on Bikes as well.
The Aussie biult GM-H, 2 Door "Monaro" from the early to mid 2000s, sold in the States as the new model GTO, I think.
Graeme and Dave, what can I say, I bet you were the naughty boys at school.
Bloody rif raf. Wish I had been there, sounds like a bit of Black powder might have been handy.
AC.

Great pics, I went in 85 the last one, on my 82 Truimph Tunderbird, all quite during the day great racing and lots of beer, after 5 pm the cops move up the mountain for a bit of biker bashing later on in the night, if they weren't up there then there wouldn't have been no trouble, just bikers having lots of fun, the fun police just to spoil it.

Ashley

so, this is where they got the idea for "mad max"???