Bathurst: Where anything’s possible
The rules have changed at this year’s Supercheap Auto Bathurst 1000 and the Great Race is really anyone’s game. Throw in the new regulation banning regular main game drivers from pairing up at this year’s race on top of the usual assortment of obstacles between two drivers and the Peter Brock Trophy and it is incredibly difficult to pick a winner.
Who better to ask about the key to Bathurst success than four-time victor and XXXX Gold Driver Ambassador Greg Murphy who has Allan Simonsen on board as his co-driver. “I don’t think it’s changed at all over the years; even when the competition wasn’t as deep as what it is now the key was that it always involved good team work, good preparation, to have very competitive, very fast drivers who can share a car and feel confident in the same car - and that hasn’t changed today,” Murph explained. Murph hates using the word “luck” but admits it is a factor in crossing the finish line first at the end of 161 laps.
You need no further proof than at last year’s race when he and Mark Skaife were on track to score a podium – that is, until an untimely safety car period which put them out of sequence. “I don’t like using that word but in this race anything’s possible,” said the man who put in that awesome Lap of the Gods around Mount Panorama during qualifying in 2003.
If that lap time which still stands today gets broken, make sure you have a plum possie to watch it. Anywhere along pit straight is great to be there in the flesh as the drivers cross the finish line and the crowd generally goes nuts. A trip to the top of the Mountain is a must at least once over the four days – last time we checked it was about five bucks to get a return bus trip if you are not camping up there – to take in all the action as the V8s speed through Skyline and the Esses. Another great viewing spot is right at turn one, which is also known as Hell Corner, and it doesn’t get that name for nothing! With awe-inspiring racing, a few safety car periods to mix things up and the juggling act that is pitstops, you can see how the Supercheap Auto Bathurst 1000 gets the moniker as the Great Race.
For more information visit http://bathurst.v8supercars.com.au/
