To find out why the off-track action at the Bathurst 1000 is just as fierce as what happens on the tarmac at Australia’s biggest motor race, all you have to do is rewind to a news story that made headlines across the country in 2009. made it to the world. .
The powers that be had introduced a rule limiting spectators to 24 cans of beer or four liters of wine per person per day, and some of the event’s most hardcore fans responded by sneaking onto the track at night so they could bury a stash of alcohol. bypass the restriction.
Breathlessly reported by outlets like the BBC, it was a glimpse into the scandalous behavior that sometimes goes unreported amid all the crashes and track invasions by kangaroos and snakes that make the event a must-watch.
Held every October at the famous Mount Panorama circuit in Bathurst, approximately 200km west of Sydney, the 1000 has been the highlight of the Australian motorsport calendar since the venue’s first race in 1963.
The race has produced legends like Peter Brock, but is also known for the out-of-control behavior of fans who take their love of a drink to disturbing heights and keep the police very busy.
Bathurst’s most hardcore revheads camp at the top of Mount Panorama, with vantage points such as McPhillamy Park overlooking the winding stretch at the highest point of the course, known for its incredible rowdy behavior.
In previous races, drunken fans have been known to use half-destroyed cars to perform burnouts, then overturn them and set them on fire – with some particularly reckless spectators even rushing into the burning wrecks to grab souvenirs and show off their bravado testing.
When your author attended the first Bathurst 24-hour race in 2002, he spoke to a police officer who said working the Mountain on the day of the 1000 was one of the worst shifts a NSW police officer could get.
He also recalled an episode from a previous race in which an ambulance was sent to the top of the mountain to treat a spectator who had suffered a heart attack.
But when paramedics tried to get there via a service road that ran alongside the track, a group of drunken fans stopped the vehicle and wouldn’t let it continue unless it caused a burnout.
Pictured: Petrolhead fans sipping beers at the top of Mount Panorama, where campsite scenes can make the track action look tame
V8 Supercars fans have set up some huge marquees over the years (pictured), one of which even has a full-size billiards table
When racegoers were limited to 24 cans of beer per person per day, some responded by sneaking onto the track at night and burying lager to get around the restrictions.
Other motorsport enthusiasts engage in some very wild – but non-life-threatening – activities as the race takes over the area for four days.
In 2007, Mal Webster made the journey from Melbourne in a motorized buggy he had built after two six eskies packed with adult refreshments.
There used to be fan-built spectator buildings at the top of the mountain, some of which could accommodate as many as 50 people, complete with TVs and generators to power their beer fridges – and in 2002 one of those makeshift party houses was called the ‘No S* *t Hotel’.
Supercars superfan Scott Coleman recalled diving into a huge ‘circus tent’ erected at the top of Mount Panorama and discovering that the men who set it up had somehow managed to fit a large billiards table inside to get.
He also witnessed a racing fan riding around on a custom-made ride-on lawn mower with a 5.8-liter V8 engine in it.
And in 1998, fans lit a huge fire at the top of the mountain in worrying scenes after Jason Bright and Steven Richards won the then FAI 1000 Classic.
While that kind of alcohol-fueled behavior has largely died out in recent years as organizers crack down and the event becomes more family-friendly, the race regularly proves that not all larrikinism has been banished.
Revheads did burnouts in half-disused cars on the track and then set them on fire when they were done – with some fans testing their bravado by running into the flaming wreckage
Track snake invasions (like this poisonous noodle that stopped training at Bathurst on Thursday) and kangaroos are highlighted every year
Come Sunday, accidents like this 2014 shocker will be all over the agenda – but if you’re heading to Bathurst in person, it’s also all about displaying larrikin behavior
Rule nine of the terms and conditions for campers at Mount Panorama states that ‘no power or battery powered tools are allowed’ – because some overzealous revheads used that kind of equipment to take souvenirs from the track.
The area has street signs named after famous drivers such as Peter Brock and Alan Moffat, and during last year’s race a fan wearing pajamas decorated with ducks was filmed chasing police on foot when he was caught red-handed as he signage removed from the track.
“Every year people would buy the signs as souvenirs and take them home, and it was left to the council and taxpayers to foot the bill to replace them,” one Bathurst resident explained.
“You’d go there on the Monday after everyone left and there were all these poles with no street name on them.”
This year more than 200,000 visitors are expected in the rural town for the race, and police have responded with a huge response called Operation Bathurst.
In 2023, officers handed out more than 350 violations, with five people charged with traffic-related offenses – but it’s safe to say none of them drove a buggy towing six eskies or cruised down the road on a V8-powered lawn mower.