Bathurst is one of Australia’s great sporting events
Columnist
By Adrian Musolino, 12 Oct 2008 Adrian Musolino is a Roar Expert
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- AFL, AFL grand final, Bathurst, Channel 7, Horse Racing, Melbourne Cup, motor sports, V8 Supercar
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Bathurst’s importance to the V8 Supercar series is immeasurable. It is the categories’ showpiece event, its chance to reach viewers who ordinarily wouldn’t watch the regular V8 Supercar rounds. And as such, it ranks up there with the Melbourne Cup and the AFL Grand Final.
But where does it fit within Australia’s sporting landscape?
It has the name recognition like other events synonymous with others sports, such as the Melbourne Cup, the Indy 500 or the Le Mans 24 hours.
Bathurst is intrinsically linked with Australian touring cars and many drivers would rather win at Bathurst than win the overall drivers championship. This says a lot about the series and the importance the great race has in its makeup.
It can stand alone as a spectacle. Many fans only switch on for Bathurst while not necessarily switching on for the other rounds.
Bathurst may not stop the nation like the Melbourne Cup, or have the national pull of the AFL, NRL or soccer internationals, but it holds an important place in Australia’s sporting landscape despite the relative popularity of V8 Supercars, which is difficult to gauge.
There are quite a few fans that have been left cold by the current guise of V8 Supercars, missing the diversity of cars, drivers and rounds of the pre AVESCO led revolution in the mid-nineties.
The days of amateurism, privateer entries campaigning backyard creations at Australia’s greatest race, are gone.
But it was during this age that Bathurst cemented its legend.
The days of Moffat, Brock, Monaros and GTs, not to mention the age of Nissans, a rock on the track and Channel 7’s increased coverage of the race that took it to new levels.
It was as a result of this that V8 Supercars can make the claim to being one of Australia’s biggest growth sports today.
But the days of the Ford versus Holden platform are over.
It is failing to attract new fans and it is an antiquated, harking back to the days pre-internationalism of the car market.
It is important that the marketing of the great race moves away from this.
In terms of attendance, the series ranks amongst the big names of Australian sport, thanks to marque rounds such as the Clipsal 500 in Adelaide and the Indy carnival at Surfers Paradise – popular city based events that combine racing with plenty of off-track entertainment.
It is hoped next year’s new events on the streets of Townsville and Homebush will also prove to be a success, while the latter will help crack the Sydney market.
But in terms of media attention, V8 Supercars still has a way to go, especially against its various football rivals.
V8s rarely command back page headlines or significant time in news bulletins.
Bathurst is V8 Supercars’ one chance every year to dominate the press, away from the AFL and NRL seasons, taking centre stage for one weekend at least.
It is this contradiction that stalks V8 Supercars.
On the one hand other championship rounds barely raise a blimp in awareness, while Bathurst ranks amongst Australia’s biggest sporting events.
Today’s race is crucial, therefore, as a link to the sports past, and a demonstration of its present.
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Michael C said | October 14th 2008 @ 5:21am | Report comment
Personally I found the racing dull this year, saved only by the last 10 laps – -
perhaps for those of us whose first memories of Bathurst are Moffatt-Bond 1-2, the big Falcons and nimble Torries, and Peter Williamson and his celica and the axe……….
actually, for me, Bathurst started losing me with the ruddy Ford Sierra’s…………..I don’t think I ever saw one of those on the road.
so – - – perhaps I just have to warm a little more to the rising ‘legend’ of Craig Lowndes? I’m not sure. However, the magic to me I’m pretty sure is the “mountain”, I’ve only ever driven it (in a family station wagon and caught behind a tour bus!!). I do harbour a desire to attend the race weekend and will ensure that that happens within the next couple of years. Maybe then, I’ll rediscover a love affair with the racing itself.
Jason Cave said | October 14th 2008 @ 6:59am | Report comment
What makes this race even more special, is the fact it’s totally unpredictable. You can never predict who’s going to win at Mount Panorama. Even your favourite driver or team could hit a major problem while racing on the Mountain. It’s not like Formula 1, where you could tell who’s going to win even before the race finishes. In fact, the Bathurst 1000 is my favourite motor race-100 times better than the F1 Grand Prix in Melbourne.
True Tah said | October 14th 2008 @ 7:19am | Report comment
I always thought Bathurst was renowned for what happened off the track moreso than what happened on it. Ive never been camping up the mountain, but from what Ive been told it was quite an experience.
Like when that woman from Victoria had her car flipped over and burnt by a bunch of yobbos on the mountain.
My best memory is when the kangaroo leapt onto the track a few years ago.
sledgeross said | October 14th 2008 @ 11:20am | Report comment
“sporting event” hahahahaha
Its an iconic cultural event, but to call motor racing a sport by itself is incorrect. So the rev-haeds can enjoy their hobby on this special day in the Australian calender, but its no “sport”.
Yes, I am a qualified sh*t-stirrer!
Millster said | October 14th 2008 @ 11:28am | Report comment
I’m with sledge. Apart from allowing all of us once a year to celebrate our inner bogan, it is not really anything special.
True Tah said | October 14th 2008 @ 11:33am | Report comment
sledge
whats so cultural about a bunch of bogans sitting on top of a mountain drinking copious amounts of beer while cars are driving around the mountain?
Michael C said | October 14th 2008 @ 12:06pm | Report comment
TT -
a lot of the culture is of the week or two after VFL/AFL and NSWRL/NRL Grand Finals – that we are yearning for tv sports and along comes Bathurst – - it was the TV era that created the Bathurst monster and created the legends of Brock and Moffatt – - it was the growing up of Aust TV coverage, via the ‘innovations’ of Ch.7 and the images in a predominantly localised market craving for images – - that created a cultural icon…………of it’s time.
Is it strong enough a product now to continue? Seemingly so.
btw – what’s so cultural about a bunch of drunken yobbos trying to pick up a bunch of drunken shiela’s while horses are galloing around a track?
Just like the Melb Cup – - there’s the ‘cultural facade’ and the ‘cultural symbolism’ and there’s the live on course reality which may be poles apart.
True Tah said | October 14th 2008 @ 12:26pm | Report comment
Michael,
there’s nothing cultural about yobbos trying to hit on sheilas at the track either, I would be ashamed if someone regarded that as the pinnacle of Australian culture.
Having read my post again, maybe there is some sort of culture in that the guys on the mountain were trying to live like our prehistoric ancestors did, such as torching various items to keep warm.
Im a bit younger than most on this blog, so maybe I dont appreciate the value of Bathurst 1000 and Peter Brock, my impression is that its just an excuse for a bunch of bogans to get on the piss and run riot…well it was like that when I was growing up, its a bit differant now.
Michael C said | October 14th 2008 @ 12:46pm | Report comment
TT -
I just reckon some of these events work on several different levels and that may be there beauty (so to speak).
And when an event effectively ‘owns’ it’s calendar date in the annual sporting almanac, then it’s a bit like a structural load bearer of Australian sports – - and that means it’s part of our ‘culture’, just like (superficially) the Easter break, and Queens Birthday long weekend…..
re the guys on the mountain – - well, theirs is in many cases an annual pilgrimage – similar to the bikes going down to Phillip Island. The reality is that the first generation of mountain campers has grown a little older and perhaps are bringing their kids with now.
That’s a level of difference, the Melb Cup is over 150 years old, – Bathurst really established itself through the 70s by virtue of it’s national importance via the medium of television.
but then, can I say I’ve ever watched the full coverage from start to finish………nah!!! I’ve always had to get outside for a period and then would return for updates and then settle in for the home stretch.
sledgeross said | October 14th 2008 @ 1:14pm | Report comment
TT, I didnt say it was the pinnacle, but it is entrenched in our culture. I dont like motor-hobbies
at all, but I will still look with interest to see whats doing on the Mountain.