Do you own a fast car and want to test your skills around Mount Panorama, Bathurst? This could be for you.
Motor racing legends John Bowe and Glenn Seton will lead a group of performance-car owners in a rare opportunity to lap Australia’s most famous motor racing circuit at speed – in the lead-up to this year’s Bathurst six-hour race in April.
The drivers – joined by former production-car racers Tim Leahey and Chris Reeves – combined have more than 100 Bathurst race starts between them.
They will lead a group of ordinary car owners for two half-hour sessions around the daunting mountain circuit – for a price.
Mount Panorama is a public road for most of the year, when it is not being used as a race track.
So opportunities for mere mortals to cut some laps are few and far between.
Local highway patrol officers have a long list of fast cars clocked at huge speeds, busting countless people who ignore the 60km/h limit when the circuit is not closed for motor sport.
Most recently, police impounded a rare 1971 Ford Falcon GT after the owner drove it unregistered and at high speed around the iconic road circuit.
The suspended driver faced fines in excess of $7000 – several times more than the registration would have cost.
Few people get to experience Bathurst from behind the wheel unless they are fully-qualified race drivers.
However, a number of events have begun popping up in recent years as organisers make a limited spots available for car enthusiasts to experience the circuit when it is closed for racing use – to live out the dreams of their youth.
The latest opportunity – run by Unique Motoring Events – will allow up to 40 cars across the two groups.
The only limits: only one passenger allowed, no passing, and speed is capped at 160km/h. Occupants must wear a helmet and protective clothing.
The program, which costs $5250 – coincidentally the same price as a Ford Falcon GTHO Phase III in 1971, but less than the speeding Falcon GT driver was fined last month – includes VIP hospitality and tickets to the event, including pit lane access.
There will also be an “after party” road drive to the club racing circuit at Marulan, near Goulburn, where advanced driving tuition continues.
“It’s just such an iconic circuit and not everyone can experience it,” says organiser Hamilton Urquart. “This way, non-race drivers get to experience the circuit, at speed, in their own car, and get expert guidance by racing legends along the way.”
Keyword: Need for speed? Here’s how you can drive fast around Mount Panorama, Bathurst