Bathurst GTHO

Nothing to do with trucks but what a great video of a 3 lap historic racing duel from the days when you could not enter a car that basically could not be bought on Monday in the showroom. That old 351 is really getting wrung out.

They keep the dream alive not like the pure race cars now that claim some sort of production car "heritage".

www.facebook.com/reel/765055005188314

Thanks Lang.

Real car racing. Fighting with the balance, adjusting the mirror and dodging Nan's Cortina.   Awesome.

A recent event by the look of the adds on the wall, and the kink in the strait that hasn't been there that many years and a few other bits and pieces, I wrote my XR GT falcon off going  around the cutting, wasn't going that fast just came around the corner and a goose in a council truck pulled out of the Ampitheater gate at the end of the wall. Was working at the mapping authority building installing the "Little John" Camera that they used to blow up the aerial shots, and was just heading up to the top of the mount to sit and have lunch, mid 70's. Had done a couple of midnight quick ones before I lost it though so had a bit of fun with it and a couple of hill climb things the wrong way up the ess. By today's standards they weren't that fast and handled like a bag of shit in stock form, I would like to have a crack at it in the ED XR8 that I have now and had for the last 30 years that's been dropped a bit, up graded brakes and a good chip, it would be a lot of fun and hell of a long way ahead of the old HO.

“Kink in the straight hasn’t been there that many years?” I think it went in after the 1985 fatality.

overnite wrote:

“Kink in the straight hasn’t been there that many years?” I think it went in after the 1985 fatality.

 Yes probably a couple of years after that, I lost interest in the mount when they stop the bikes racing there and moved away in 1980 for work. Brought a farm, had a couple of kids, they're both over 40, shit it's no wonder the candles on the birthday cake set fire to the house.

Amazed at the variety of models on the track.
Customline, Fairlane, Studebaker, Valiant and heaps of 4 pot jobs. Once through the traffic, really got some pace.

That historic racing is still good fun and well supported by enthusiasts. They do not hold back on 60 year old cars and flog them to within an inch of their lives (and sometimes kill them). You have to be dedicated to do that as parts are far from common these days. Almost everyone driving them is second and third generation who were not born when they were in front-line action and most do not even have a direct family connection but have somehow caught the bug of racing from a time where the ordinary punter could compete (though probably not win) with the big money professional teams.

Used to be “no substitute for cubic inches”.
Then “no substitute for cubic DOLLARS”.

In 1974 I raced a GTR Torana in Production Touring and had the honour to race against all the names of the day.

Brock, Bond, Moffatt, Gibson et al.

I never passed any of them except Moffatt when he blew an engine at Amaroo. They all got to pass the slow guy in the Torana.

I could always match the Lap record at each track I raced at, but never got to beat it.

I entered Bathurst that year and denied entry as I hadn't had enough experience in their view. Probably a good decision by them.

I went broke after 6 moths of throwing money I didn't have at it.

While we are on the mountain stories, there is a very funny story that involves the Little John camera, a young lady sunbaking on top of the Marlboro bus behind the pits, 2 Mormon preachers, a three-legged dog called Tripod, a cake tin full of Hash Cookie's, and two push bikes. If I put it on here, I will be bared for life and probably shot by the authorities if you see me at an event somewhere ask me about it