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| Nürburgring Nordschleife - December 2005 |
Hello and welcome to the "currently in the process of being revamped" Mount Panorama Appreciation
Website. For those of you who have stumbled onto this website for the first time, This webpage
is dedicated to the greatest permanent road race circuit of all time. A racetrack that is up
there with the Nürburgring Nordschleife or quite simply "Northern Loop" or the
Circuit de Spa-Francorchamps. But Mount Panorama has a special place in every fans heart.
Billions or thousands of years ago (depending on your train of thought), God created the Earth and the
Heavens and in doing so created the very Mountain, on which a bunch of Engineers (over-enthused with
Motorcycling) created a mountain scenic road. Well that road started a tradition of racing
festivals that ultimately shaped up to the Bathurst 1000 race you see today.
Bathurst Countdown
10:30am Sunday 11th October 2009 (AEST)
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Racing started at the Mountain in the 1930's with the early Formula 1 races. Soon after Motor
Cycle Racing found its Easter time slot, but in October of 1963, the annual 500 Mile enduro around
Phillip Island made its way to the Mountain and the fascination has been growing ever since.
By 1963 Mount Panorama was a fully sealed circuit, but the same can't be said of its concrete
walls or rock cuttings that made this place so special. Over the years, Concrete, Arnco and other
protective measures were installed until in 1987, the biggest change of all was initiated. During
the previous years, many a folk had had accidents and even lost their lives due to the inherent
dangerous nature of Con-Rod Straight. So it was that 'The Chase' was created, to slow drivers
approaches to Murrays Corner, the approach to which had a very sharp crest that was right on the
braking marker for several race categories before the Chase went in. Subsequent improvments such
as resurfacing the track came in 2002 and an entirely new pit complex, the likes of which Australia
has never seen was constructed for the 2005 race.
There is much more to this event than meets the eye, there is the other side of the hill, that if
the Quartz (that spells Mount Panorama on the side of the mountain) could talk, would tell you all
the 'other' goings on that just doesn't make it to TV. Have a look on YouTube or follow the links on
my page to "I still know what you did last Bathurst" and you will see a very different story. Piles of
Beer cans, almost all of them VB or some other nasty brew are littered over the landscape almost to
the point that they have become part of the natural habitat. You may also see barren wastelands where
no mammal dare tread for fear of being KO'd and turned into Kanga Bangers. Several years ago if you
got bogged in the Bull Pit, your vehicle was usually a burnt sacrifice to the gods of mount panorama,
and judging by the reactions of all the drunken bogans on the mountain, the gods were pleased. Occasionally
the sounds of satan burping could be heard (or is it just the Stig?).
The Australian spirit is well and trully alive, but don't count on it when you turn your back away
from your one case of beer a day, what were they thinking? Someone has to be sober just to get down to
the shops, or you may have been wise enough in the past to bury your brew in the sand and pray to God
you got your burial site right, or you'll be paying half your load to the rightful occupants.
Occasionally other things happen there too that aren't quite motor sport related, I have heard of
countless drives around the mountain of newly weds on the way to their honeymoon and speaking of which,
I proposed to my wife not too far from Skyline at about 6pm when the city lights were ablaze at night.
Not too long before that I was hurtling carrots into the distance with a little help from some compressed
air. The boys in blue did see us, so I gave them a wave and they went on their merry way knowing full well
what a beast I had in my arms at the time. Mind you I did have references to Mount Panorama in my wedding
vows. "Just as Mount Panorama has no end, so does my love for you..." well you get the picture, you're
probably gagging on your coffee right now, so I'll stop there.
