Home > Members at Play > Bathurst, Easter 2010
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HSCCV trip to Bathurst 2010
I never thought the day would come when I could drive my own competition car on a public road. That it was Bathurst made it the most special time I could possibly have imagined. That it was at competition speed was extraordinary. This was after all, the very place that inspired the little boy inside me to want to be a racing car driver. When I first arrived in Australia in 1975, and on Channel 7 saw Allan Moffatt‘s red XB Falcon coupe, resplendent with gold wheels, tearing around Mt Panorama, I knew one day I wanted to have a crack at this magic place.
Saturday the 3rd April, 2010, 3am, 6 of us (Team de Sade) left Bayswater on what was to become our most exciting competition event ever. Peter Stewart and Glenn Mason had Pete‘s white VL in tow, and travelled together in his amazing 400 thousand km VS Commodore. The Jones boy Steve was with us too. Jonesy had pick up his race mate Gavin on his way to meet us at Bayswater, so had an earlier start than us, but was keen. His race car was in its new livery, and even in the darkness, looked amazing. Julie was also coming to Bathurst to take pics of all of us on the Mount, so journeyed with me. The plan was we would meet up with Alex at Benalla, then Kim McConchie at Holbrook. We got to Bathurst with no real dramas at 1.40 pm, set up camp ready for Sunday. Oh, my, god, we are here to compete. The atmosphere was amazing. Every camp site was in use, beautiful and significant cars everywhere, this was going to be fun.
My first foray onto the track was for masters. This was a follow the leader exercise for rookies of the track. Get used to where the road goes side ways, up and down. As I turned onto mountain straight from the pits, I knew I had a problem. The car was misfiring. Oh no. all this way. As I proceeded up the hill, a vibration through the chassis became unbearable. That was another problem not anticipated. This was not looking good. By the end of the low speed lap, I decided to pull in and have a look at what was causing the problem. Misfire, easy, lead had fallen off. Vibration, don‘t know, suspect wheel weights, but with no time to fix it, I jumped out for another masters session, and did four laps, enough to satisfy the officials I had been around.
From there, the next outing was practice the next day. I took the wheels off, gave them to the Dunlop man for a balance, and then headed to my practice with the Porsches on Monday morning. 40 or so, and the only non Porsches were Peter Stewart and I in the generals finest. Practice went well, no dramas for Pete or me, and half an hour on the track. Was passed by 4 Porsches during the session, including a 1976 Le Mans 935 factory car, and a number of other 911‘s. By the end of the session, I had re-passed all of them bar the 935, and was very pleased with my car and myself. The track was fast, bumpy and exactly as I imagined it, brilliant. Pete had started one position in front of me for practice, and half way through the session, he had disappeared into the distance, not to be seen again. That car of his just flies. My first event was on Monday afternoon. HSCCV member Budge was in the same event as I was, but got an early grid spot, number 6 I think, while I was a long way down the grid order, something like 43rd. But after a few laps following some slower cars, it was time to go. Move on out, pull the finger out, get a wriggle on. So I went for it, and passed a bucket load of cars. That was the good bit about being back on the grid. You got to pass. I had a fab dice with a black RS Porsche, and was only passed by an ex Super car, down Conrod Straight.
The session went for half an hour, and the funny thing is a felt I could just stay out there for hours. The vibration was fixed, no misfire, and the 308 sounded magnificent, changing at 6 to 6200rpm. So sweet was the Aussie General I felt as though the whole world was listening to my engine. If they weren‘t, they should have been. I finished the session with a best time of 2.50.9 something, good enough for 8th in my event. I consistently made a mess of Griffin Bend, not selecting second for the climb, but staying in third, but otherwise I think I went pretty well. With the event not having a fastest nominated lap time, we were able to push as hard as we dared, and the fact everyone did so without crashing or expiring their engines, I think was testament to the preparation of the cars, and the maturity of the participants.
My second event was on Tuesday just after lunch. Again starting at the back of the pack, I had to battle past a throng of cars up mountain straight the first time out. Inside on a big XC Falcon Coupe at Hells corner, then up the hill passing 5 cars before Griffin was a blast. The RS Porsche was in my group again, and I settled for following him through the pack for a while. It had a beautiful sound from twin exhausts, bouncing off the walls, and heard above the symphony that was the 308 in Blue Softie. Needless to say, I put the foot down, and on the fourth or fifth lap, passed the RS, and tried to make like rabbit. It was not a bad thing to go slow here, because you just knew you would have more time to enjoy each and every corner, so being stuck behind someone was never the end of the world. Having said that, I had set myself a target of going faster than my first event, so had to find some space in the madness. I dreamed of getting into the 49‘s, and although I could have in the end gone much faster, I was happy to improve to 2.50.2 something.
I don‘t have a favourite part of the track, because it‘s all so damned good. None of the track intimidated me, at my speed anyway. A lap for my car consisted of second gear out of Hells corner, changing to third at 6200rpm, and the same into fourth at the top of the crest. Hold fourth until the braking point, (always way too early) down to third and gently turn right at Griffins Bend, squeezing the gas until you could go flat again. This feels great once the momentum increases, and you hold third until after you have to come in close to the wall at the kink, before the left hand cutting. I gently applied the power in second here, wanting to avoid wheel spin and over sliding into the walls. At this part of the track, the sound of the engine is at it best. Who could ever want a Ferrari after hearing my engine through the canyons? Hold second to just over the hump, pull third and with my ratio diff, stay in third till the esses. I pick second at the left side apex of the esses, just in time for the dipper. I managed to get this one right about 80% of the time, the rest, just plain slow. Out of the dipper, 6200rpm again, into third, float the car down to the elbow, again grab second, and turn close to the wall. Down Conrod, hold onto each gear till 6200rpm, and the highest revs I saw in fourth were 5800. I have no idea of my highest speed, but it felt fast. The bumps throw you around pretty severely too. Without a belt at those speeds, you would not be able to stay in the seat, that simple. Into the chase, a lift off for confidence, gentle power again for a little spurt, then back to third gear for the left out of the Chase, which if I got right, I would have change to fourth before Murray‘s Corner. If not, stay in third all the way to the braking marker, then back to second for the uphill Pit Straight, holding third all the way to Hell Corner again.
OH MY GOD, thank you for the best mountain in the world to build a race track on.
I can say, I loved the second gear Hells Corner, loved the climb up from the cutting towards Sulman Park, the short burst in second and third after the dipper down to the elbow, and of course, Conrod. But this entire place is magic. To Australians that love motor sport, this is holy ground, and I don‘t mean to be blasphemous. I will be going back in 2011, and will have my sights set on going much faster, and still coming back with a running straight car. To all the De Sade and Autocure team, well done for making the trip, keeping it off the walls, and for making my Easter 2010 the best I have ever had.
Wayne Paola
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Team AutoCure marquee |
Team de Sade camp site |
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high resolution pics available, contact photographer |
