HARDTOP REVENGE
NOTE: I would like to extend an invitation to any hardtop revenge participant to swap pictures with me to maximise our photographic memories of the event. Anybody interested should contact me at webmaster@gtfalconpics.com
Each year at Bathurst there is a parade lap held in honor of the cars that raced around the same piece of road in days gone by. In 2004 it was the Holden Torana that recieved the honor and this year it was Fords turn. So the Various Hardtop models from the XA to the XC were chosen to participate in the parade lap.Through the various GT clubs and via magazine advertising the word spread that it was our turn to partake in the spectacle.
The trip out to Bathurst proved very uneventful and I did not spot another hardtop the entire trip.
Upon arriving at the event on Friday for registration we were greeted by Tod the event organiser and given our little bag of goodies our entry had purchased. Included in the items was our sponsor banner to be placed at the top of the windscreen. Nearby a group of tents had been erected on the camping ground and sitting near tents sat several gleaming Hardtops. Inside the showground auditorium sat several authentic race cars from back in the day. Cars which rarely feel the warmth of the sun on their bodies im sure. After registration and a brief look around it was time to depart.
Arriving at the Showground on Saturday for the planned show and shine we were greeted by a full field of cars cleaned, polished and ready for show. We gave our car a quick tub and lined it up on the end of one of the rows. I set off to take photos of all the cars on display and have a yarn or two to the owners of those magnificent machines.
The Friday show was a great event. But Saturday loomed to be something special. We arrived at the showground on the Sunday morning to find the majority of owners had fallen out of bed early and all the hardtops were already out of their beds and washed ready to go. In fact most were actually running warming up. So with haste I gave the GT another tub and set off in chase to the National Motor Racing Museum. This was the staging ground for the Revenge. We arrived to find a mud paddock awaiting our gleaming machines. Not impressed we fit as many on the ashphalt carpark as we could and the rest either parked on the road or braved the mud pit that was the only other parking. Eventually sanity prevailed and the cars in the ashphalt were moved as close together as possible and the rest of us stuck out in the elements were able to squash into the small carpark ready to hit the track.
Eventually the hands on my watch performed enough laps of the face and it was nearing time to hit the track. Tod gathered all the owners on a nearby hill and outlined the lap ahead of us. He advised the crowd of owners that we were to stay in colums of two cars and drive around the track at around 60km/h which was met with some suspicious chuckles from the gathering crowd. We were to be lead by an official avesco pace car. The time finally arrived for our "Lap of a Lifetime" as it was called and the first of the Hardtops turned from the carpark onto a short entry lane to the main straight.
The carefully explained rules from Todd lasted less than the distance of the main straight. Nearly straight away the cars in front of me put the foot down and spread out to perform some nice burnouts for the gathered crowd. As it was only one hour prior to the V8 supercar race the crowd was already rather large. I followed the lead group for the length of the main straight. Looking back from the end of the straight I realised we were out on our own. The rest of the cars leaving the carpark were only just entering the main straight. So I shrugged the shoulders and set off after the breakaway group. Following them up the mountain and enjoying the view along the way was an awesome experience. Arriving at the top to start the twisting corners that lead to conrod then gunning the car once on conrod only lifting off at the rise before the GMC sign was unforgettable. The lap was over all too quickly in the end and part of me wishes we just stuck to the 60km/h theoretical limit and made the lap last that much longer. The rest of me will never forget the fun of Conrod and the experience of the whole event.
A few days after the race was all said and done. We returned to the great track for one last lap before heading on the long road home. We couldnt resist taking some more pics along the way and this time we could actually stop the car and take some more time to take the photos.
More pictures to come soon. I have alot more on another memory card I havent looked at yet