Bathurst 24 hr coverage

[fdrx7]

Read my post again. I mentioned BMW's factory backed campaign with the new (for 95) M3R at the Bathurst 12hr. You obviously dont remember it!

-pete

[Corso]

Originally posted by Dazz
They don't sell that model M3-R anymore anyway so it doesn't matter from a marketing point of view if they fail left right and centre.

Exactly.

Which is why I can't understand why fdrx7 could forsee cars being pulled out of future events because of manufacturer pressure.

[floody]

Hey, I was just wondering, did we have this kind of shitfight when the RX7 SP was winning up there? I can't honestly remember if there was this much bitching then. But I guess that was a lot closer to being a production car, since it was a production car race, so there was less for people to get their Reg Grundy's in a bunch over.

[Corso]

FWIW I've been told there will be minimum of two, maximum of four M3 GTRs racing in next year's Nations Cup, and there is also strong interest from factory JGTC teams for the 24hr.

[Ben Wilson]

If the RX7 SP was running the quad rotor out of the Le Mans car, a 6-speed hollinger etc, and ws not availible to the public, there would have been just as much of a shitfight..

[fdrx7]

I remember lots of bitching about the SP. Horsley's fuel cooling was very unpopular that's for sure.

-pete

[itsnotagsr]

QUOTE:

That leaves time to tell a tale, entitled “The Evil Empire Strikes Back”

PHR Scuderia Team Manager Terry Little is not at all happy with the activities of Garry Rodgers Motorsport, which has allegedly been questioning the eligibility of the PHR M3 GTR.

“The evil empire has struck back …. with Garry Rodgers writing letters and unsuccessfully trying to get drivers and teams to sign a petition regarding the eligibility of the BMW M3 GTR.

“Garry, I have always held you in high regard, however you must question a fully professional team with eight leading drivers running cars with backing from Australia’s biggest manufacturer, with huge resources and funding, when they try to stoop to such levels to try and unsettle an unsponsored privateer team with three full time staff running a car that is four seconds off the pace of the Monaros.

“Our car is not only legal but was approved by PROCAR for this event and for the 2004 Nations Cup, prior to its purchase. It is not a purpose built hybrid that you cannot buy.

“The ‘bully boy’ tactics being employed may have worked in the past by a team which last year threayened to pack their bags and go home when they couldn’t get their own way. They got their way, subsequently winning the race.

“But I will say this to (you) Garry, put your money up and lodge your protest and we will see you in court. Or shut up and go racing, isn’t that what we are here for?”
Terry Little

[twister]

the funniest thing was when the commentator said brockys first drive aroud the mountain was in a torana which is total bull shit because i am sure the first car he drove at bathurst was a austin healy and i think he even drove a mini once before he ever drove for holden.
you are right to it is only win number nine as that was not bathurst it was a 24 hour race so you cannot say it is his tenth bathurst victory but you could say his tenth win on the mount panarama cicuit.

[Dazz]

There is a lot of behind the scenes fighting going on that has more to do with things other than the elegibility of the cars unfortunately.

[Corso]

Haha Garry seems to have tried to do what Porsche did in ALMS!

Shame.

[Dazz]

Originally posted by twister
the funniest thing was when the commentator said brockys first drive aroud the mountain was in a torana which is total bull shit because i am sure the first car he drove at bathurst was a austin healy and i think he even drove a mini once before he ever drove for holden.
you are right to it is only win number nine as that was not bathurst it was a 24 hour race so you cannot say it is his tenth bathurst victory but you could say his tenth win on the mount panarama cicuit.

Pretty sure they said it was his first win in a Torana in 1972 and first drive was a Monaro in 1969 to be honest.

And win number one was a 500 mile race so does that not count either?

This was a Bathurst endurance race, and if it makes people feel all warm and fuzzy calling it number ten then who does it hurt?

It certainly makes no difference to me one way or another.

[Corso]

He's a top bloke, no one can dispute otherwise. Was signing behind the pits on Sunday about an hour before his shift at driving, how many drivers would do that?

[Steyr]

Originally posted by floody
Hey, I was just wondering, did we have this kind of shitfight when the RX7 SP was winning up there? I can't honestly remember if there was this much bitching then. But I guess that was a lot closer to being a production car, since it was a production car race, so there was less for people to get their Reg Grundy's in a bunch over.

The RX-7 SP was a production car. Sure, Mazda only built enough to meet homologation rules, but that still meant the road car had to meet all the ADR.

[Dazz]

Nations Cup is not a production car class though in the end.

[Tommy Boi]

I think what most people seem to forget is that the Monaro 427 cars were purposely built for the 24hr race last year.

It was then entered into the Nations Cup where it obviously wasn't suited to the tracks, hence why it didn't win the Nations Cup.

As for Class A, I'm pretty sure that basically anything goes. And I'm quite sure that you can't buy a Mosler MT900R off the showroom floor as well.

Don't know if anyone noticed, but the Bogan numbers were up quite high compared to last year. And personally, I think that the more the MOnaros keep winning this event, the more Bogans you'll see, and eventually, it'll become more like the Bathurst 1000.

BTW. Does anyone know what lap times the Winfield GTR did back in its hay day around Bathurst? And also the current average lap times for todays V8 Supercars?

I say, it would be hell of a lot more interesting to watch if someone could bring in a few cars that could actually be competitive around Bathurst. Maybe the Nissan GTRs (R32, R33, R34) or maybe the F40 to take on the 427s.