Armor All Bathurst 12hr. 12th-14th Feb 2010.

[Oldtony]

Had to scrub my planned trip to the Bathurst 12hr so I'm pretty cheesed off.
May I recomend it to anyone who can make it as about the best weekend of racing that you can get too.
The big added thing this year is that they will be streamung the on course big screen pictures and commentary live on the Bathurst 12hr website. Judging by last year that should be very good as the camera work and commentary were both very good.
Probably the major new interest this year is the inclusion of the Mustang GT500 entered by Marcus Zukanovic. Good team of drivers, certainly enough power, but will be interesting in terms of brakes, tyres and fuel stops.
I think you would still have to go for one of the usual EvoX suspects, although the Eastern Creek BMW has supposedly found a bit more speed and there are a couple of WRX Subs that seem to have good preperation and driver credentials. The Monaro Centre Holden Sportswaggon is also there with Mconvile, Ingal etc aboard.
Don't know if there will be any live feed of the Saturday supports, but if so look for some good Group N racing, HQs, Porsches, and best of all the improved prodution.
There is also a SuperKart evaluation run on the Friday. Get your head round a Kart round Bathurst if you can!!!

[Everso Biggyballies]

Sorry to hear you wont be making your usual pilgrimage to the Mountain OT.

Its all come round a bit quick, and is on this coming weekend, 12th-14th Feb, and thanks for the reminder of its happening. Its always a good sign when the 12 hour is on as it is generally the kick start to the season start.

Great news on the live feed.....

A bit more info on the live streaming (which I will for sure be taking advantage of) Also added a bit of news re regular TV coverage promised.

The coverage will be served via US based streaming company Upstream and will be available on the official Armor All Bathurst 12 hour website: http://www.bathurst12hour.com.au.

The commentary team for the streaming of the Armor All Bathurst 12 Hour will be headed up by local radio station 2BS General Manager Phil Cole and his team, with well known and experienced reporter Grant Boyden interviewing live in pit lane.

The race will be televised in a 3 hour special on the SEVEN Network, through Fox Sports, New Zealand and other International Markets. No word as to whether that is delayed coverage or live.

As OT suggested we will have new cars eligible and the 'Stang will be great to see, and they are talking of a real grid, even more than the 48 of last year with over 50 hinted at, not the sub 30 odd cars the V8s provide.

Its been a while since we have seen a current Mustang racing on these shores. Probably Dick and his Green machine. Of course before that we have had a long and beautiful relationship with the Mustang brand right back to the original model.

Norm Beechey, Bob Jane and Ian ‘Pete” Geoghegan dominated the Australian Touring Car Championship in the mid 60’s. Geoghegan won four Championships back to back from 1966 to 1969 all Mustang mounted.

Allan Moffat’s arrival in 1969 with the famous Coca Cola Trans AM Mustang significantly raised the bar for local improved tourer racing and Alan's on track clashes with Bob Jane were legendary.

Mustangs have a special memory of the Mountain as well, when Moffat and Geoghegan staged one of the greatest ever duels seen at Mt Panorama during the 1972 Easter Monday Australian Touring Car Championship round. Geoghegan’s new Ford Falcon 635 bhp GTHO Improved Touring car and Moffats Mustang swapped the lead at least twice on every lap for almost all 13 laps with Geoghegan narrowly winning after Moffat turned on the windscreen wipers to clear oil from his windscreen. The windscreen was so badly smeered with oil leaking from the Falcon’s catch tank, Moffat had to undo his seat belts and look out of the driver side window while hitting 270 kph down Conrod Straight. The Mustang/Falcon stoush has gone down in history as “one of the greatest ever” touring car races.

Jason Bright, our AussieDane Alan Simonsen, and owner Marcus(and son Michael) Zukanovic will be peddling the the supercharged 5.4 litre V8, which boats 373 kilowatts and 648 nm of torque. It will be quick over a lap for sure, however unknown over a 12 hour endurance distance, and whether it can break the Evo X is a big ask. Hopefully it wont be a slug over the top of the mountain (I still think of American cars as only being capable in a straight line)

Also 5 support categories promised and total of approx. 250 vehicles in all.

For those going you will also get to see the SUPER STREET NATS 2010, Drift Cars, Street Cars, Superutes and RC Cars. ......on saturday the drifters will compete in a big entry comp at Murrays corner with drivers testing their skills as they try to outdo each other in high speed sideways approach to the corner at the end of "conrod".
More on that part of the weekend from as part of the entertainment
http://www.racelineevents.com/

List of ArmorAll Bathurst 12 Hour Class’s:

Class A High Performance (All Wheel Drive)
Class B High Performance (Rear Wheel Drive)
Class C Performance
Class D Production (Sport)
Class E Production (Small)
Class F Alternative Energy
Class H V8 Utes
Class I Invitational

ArmorAll Bathurst 12 Hour Showroom Enduro Race Schedule:

Fri, 12 Feb 9.05am – 10.05am Armor All Bathurst 12 Hour, Practice
Fri, 12 Feb 1:50pm – 2:50pm Armor All Bathurst 12 Hour, Practice 2
Sat, 13 Feb 7.30am – 8.10am Armor All Bathurst 12 Hour, Practice 3
Sat, 13 Feb 1.30pm – 2.00pm Armor All Bathurst 12 Hour, Qualifying (Bottom 50%)
Sat, 12 Feb 2.05pm – 2.35pm Armor All Bathurst 12 Hour, Qualifying (Top 50%)
Sun, 14 Feb 6.30am – 6.30pm Armor All Bathurst 12 Hour, Race

[Yoda]

Good news on the live stream, i will certainly be taking advantage of it.

[DVST8R]

Well I'll be trying to watch some of it, it just happens to also be Valentines Day on Sunday, so I don't know if the missus will be too impressed with me spending the whole day watching a race.

[Oldtony]

10 to 20mm rain forcast for both Sat and Sunday at Bathurst.
Makes the Mustang's chances against the EVos a little more remote.
Tell the missus DVS that you have to retreat to in front of the computer because you are in mourning for the victims of the Valentines day massacre.

[Everso Biggyballies]

Interesting re the weather forecast. Sadly that will likely make it an AWD benefit, and as OT said gives the Mustang a bit of an extra challenge it doesn't need.


Meh, Valentines day.... I always thought the basis of a good relationship was to love your partner every day, not just when someone tells you its a 'special day'.

(From one cynical of contrived commercialism)
Oh and I'm divorced (Happily so mind you)

[Eno the Wonderdog]

The SuperKarts are within a bees bollocks of teh V8 Lap records most everywhere.. the last rules I saw was 250cc two stroke (unless you ran 2 125cc motors) with a gearbox..

If it wasn't for the uphill bit I'd reckon there'd be a new new lap record on line - certainly the speed over the top!!

[stevanford]

The SuperKarts are within a bees bollocks of teh V8 Lap records most everywhere.. the last rules I saw was 250cc two stroke (unless you ran 2 125cc motors) with a gearbox..

If it wasn't for the uphill bit I'd reckon there'd be a new new lap record on line - certainly the speed over the top!!

Fairly certain that the superkarts are faster than a V8 supercar around eastern creek.

[Everso Biggyballies]

I have a feeling the SUperkarts might be just an evaluation excercise using limited number of karts rather than an all out race.
If the evaluation is deemed a success (ie Safe I think, as Superkart speeds are expected to be topping 240+kph) then kart races will be part of future events. It has to be said this is a 12 hour inspired and requested evaluation, where the 12 hour organisers approached the Karting guys. Its nothing to do with V8's so even if the evaluation is successful it doesnt mean it will be on the October card. We may have to wait to the next 12 hour for them to actually race. I guess lets get past the evaluation stage first. )

The Superkarts power to weight ratio is superb, certainly bettert than a V8SC and somewhere in the region of 100bhp to 200 kgs so I would imagine they might get close to V8 times, although as I said in view of the nature of the excercise they might not be pushing flat out. Certainly in other tracks they are quicker than V8s.... its just whether the V8s would gain too much up the hill and on Conrod (where they will have a 50kph top end) to be caught. The V8s wouldnt get anywhere near the Karts across the top for sure.

It will certainly be the first time a winged 'open wheel' /non Touring Car has been there for a while. I recall an Indycar doing a demo in a Bathurst Festival weekend, but other than that the only latter day open wheelers have been Super Vee and F-Ford, ie categories with zero aero add ons.

The last time there was a pukka open wheel (with aero) race was probably 40 years ago in the F5000 days.... and it took the Touring Cars 30 years to match the lap times they set.

But 250kph down Conrod with no seat belts or suspension, and your butt an inch off the ground is big cohones and brown driving suits mandatory. Good luck to them.

[Oldtony]

They live streamed the first part of qually (fastest half of field) this aftrenoon. Great pics and very good, informative inside the loop commentary as you would expect from th B12 crew. Buffered a bit on my reception but that is probably my connection as it happens with everything.
Only 1.5 secs between the top 5. The Evo's look dominant even with a dry track this afternoon. Steve Owen quickest again this year, about 2 secs faster than last year with Seton and Bargs chasing. The BMW 335i in 7th and the Mustang 10th the only non Evos in top 10. Subarus rather disappointing. The Joe Camileri Mazda looks a bit interesting for pace and the Walde Holden is quite a bit quicker than the (factory?) Sports waggon.
Be watching live streaming for the start at 5am Bris time or 6am southern time.

[Everso Biggyballies]

Hehehe OT I was aboout to remind people it was on this weekend.

Top 10 of qualy was basically an Evo party, but for the Paul Morris BMW and the Bright Mustang Shelby..... As OT says top 6 covered by 1.5 secs, then another 1.5 secs back to the BMW in 7th, and the Mustang Shelby in 10th is 5 seconds down implies a tough weekend for anything not an EVO.... and thats dry. If it is as wet as threatened.....

Top 10

Pos Car Competitor/Team Driver Vehicle Cap CL Laps Fastest...Lap Gap

1 96 Supabarn Supermarkets J.Koundouris/ T.Koundouris/S.Owen-Mitsubishi Evo X RS -A-1 1 2:26.8553*
2 35 Pro-Duct N.Crompton/G.Seton/M.King-Mitsubishi Evo X RS A 9 6 2:26.9200 0:00.0647
3 33 Pro-Duct B.Pearson/S.Glenney/J.Bargwanna - Mitsubishi Evo X RS A 11 10 2:27.7881 0:00.9328
4 1 TMR Australia R.Salmon/D.White/I.Tulloch =Mitsubishi Evo X RS A 11 1 2:28.1585 0:01.3032
5 29 VIP Petfoods -T.Quinn/K.Quinn/M.Twigg Mitsubishi Evo 9 RS A 15 8 2:28.2160 0:01.3607
6 55 West Surfing Products-G.Crimp/W.Luff/S.Kostera - Mitsubishi Evo X RS-A 14 13 2:28.3633 0:01.5080
7 20 Eastern Creek International Ka G.Holt/P.Morris/J.Bowe - BMW 335i -B 15 11 2:29.8089 0:02.9536
8 62 GLOBE / Westrac -P.Hill/E.Bana/T.Leahey Mitsubishi Evo X RS A 9 5 2:29.8164 0:02.9611
9 38 East Holiday Parks-D.Wall/D.Wall/T.Symonds Mitsubishi Evo 9 GSR A 17 10 2:29.8219 0:02.9666
10 71 Action Racing - M.Zukanovic/A.Simonsen/J.Bright - Ford Mustang Shelby I 12 1 2:32.3840 0:05.5287

Full qualy results here: http://www.natsoft.com.au/cgi-bin/resul ... 10.MOUN.Q6

For those into checking results in the support Groups (Group N Historic Tourers, HQ's, 2010 Australian Saloon Car Series, Improved Production, and Porsche GT3 Cup Challenge Australia) and every category race and practice take your pick from this page....

http://www.natsoft.com.au/cgi-bin/resul ... /2010.MOUN

[Everso Biggyballies]

Hehehehe just had a look at some of the practice times on Natsoft, and this mornings 12 hr practice session must have been wet as the times were some 20 sec/lap slower for the quick EVOs. The Mustang was 5 secs off the Evo pace in qualy, but in the wet was 15 secs shy.

Interestingly the BMW of G.Holt/P.Morris/J.Bowe was about the same difference wet or dry, some 3+secs, although the Rondo Building Services Morcom/P.Stubber Beema was over 7 secs off pace.

[Everso Biggyballies]

Hmmmm..... anyone else watching on the live stream?

The internet stream is great..... the ones on the track are not. Currently running under Safety Car due to the wet of the track.

Near enough half way at the moment...

Car #1, the TMR Evo of Rod Salmon (last years winner) leads the race at the moment Having said that they have just pulled in for a routine pit stop and the #38 East Holiday Parks Evo of D.Wall/D.Wall/T.Symonds Mitsubishi takes over ....

Its clearing up so expect to be racing again soon.

Just a reminder, live streaming link is http://www.bathurst12hour.com.au/

[Oldtony]

How many laps before the Lambo needs fuel?
Can understand the need for the safety car, but after last years brilliant race it is a bit disappointing.
One thing I am happy about is that if I did get down there it was going to be tent rather than caravan. Would not have been vert comfortable!

[Everso Biggyballies]

Interesting on the live feed Garth Tander is tweeting to let them race. I asked the SC fuel question as well OT
It seems to be more the fog is the problem atm.... the marshalls cant see from point to point on the mounttain. But it is clearing up now.