Bathhurst 24Hr - Shortie's Australian Adventure
Discussion
try this - the direct link to the audio stream is www.quickstream.com.au/styles/55/default.asp?5D50308D69
Looks like they underestimated the interest this race would create...
Looks like they underestimated the interest this race would create...
Very well done and congratulations to all involved in the Rollcentre crew. 
I tried to get the lastest info from the Bathurst site but couldn't get through during the race. It's still slow now, hours after the race.
Also, congratulations to the winning Holden team. A 23 lap lead is quite a bit of a distance to the rest of the pack.
It's a funny thing to see NO Porsche in the top ten ranking. Stuttgart... we have a problem...
I tried to get the lastest info from the Bathurst site but couldn't get through during the race. It's still slow now, hours after the race.
Also, congratulations to the winning Holden team. A 23 lap lead is quite a bit of a distance to the rest of the pack.
It's a funny thing to see NO Porsche in the top ten ranking. Stuttgart... we have a problem...
Hi Folks
Thanks for all your messages!
We ran a very conservative pace as we were unsure as to if or what we would have break, and figured that Bathurst would be a car breaker by mechanical or driver means. As it turned out Gricey broke the Porsche whilst pushing hard to catch the Marilyn Monroe, and the Marilyn failed to break as predicted ( a rumour put about by Holden I would imagine....).
The Monaro had a Le Mans Corvette C5 engine unrestricted producing 680 bhp, with 13" wide wheels, and fabricated suspension, with a 120 litre tank. A production or road car it aint, by a long chalk......which for what was supposed to be a GTO/NGT headlining class championship didn't quite add up.
It might as well have been a Saleen, so it was a bit of a sledge hammer to crack a nut frankly
however, not bitching as we had a great time!
We ran like bloody clockwork for over 10 hours, with the other drivers putting in solid and reliable performances with good pace, as asked to do
At 2.10 am Dilantha lost the clutch, we got him back in the pits and bled it, sent him out again but still no good, so thereafter, we ran the next 14 hours with no clutch. It was the master cylinder which wasn't returning inside. Then we had a couple of punctures, and brake lites playing up, but that was it, nothing really lost us much time, we serviced the car with pads and oil (not needed)when we bled the clutch, and the brake lites were fixed in a routine stop.
The car was bloody amazing, and was capable of running really quickly if we wanted to, but we refrained. It was in as good a nick bar clutch and two brake lites at the end as it was at the start.
Apart from.........some plonker rammed me up the arse on the last lap racing to the finish like he had just started a 10 lap sprint, and damaged the rear, and half an hour before that a TURTLE (!) crossed the Conrod straight....well nearly crossed it...until I met him with the splitter at 162mph....Where he briefly became a land speed record holding Turtle...RIP oh Turtle..
Pictures to come to prove it
We are all delighted as you can imagine, and off to Sydney now to get pissed!
Weather. 37 degrees. Blue Skies.
Beer. Ice cold.
Women. Flat arsed wide shouldered swimmers, but Luke and Steve say they'll do....I'll be home shortly darling XXXX
And BEAST....still creaking. I have some Goanna oil for you to fix up that nasty rash!
Martin
Thanks for all your messages!
We ran a very conservative pace as we were unsure as to if or what we would have break, and figured that Bathurst would be a car breaker by mechanical or driver means. As it turned out Gricey broke the Porsche whilst pushing hard to catch the Marilyn Monroe, and the Marilyn failed to break as predicted ( a rumour put about by Holden I would imagine....).
The Monaro had a Le Mans Corvette C5 engine unrestricted producing 680 bhp, with 13" wide wheels, and fabricated suspension, with a 120 litre tank. A production or road car it aint, by a long chalk......which for what was supposed to be a GTO/NGT headlining class championship didn't quite add up.
It might as well have been a Saleen, so it was a bit of a sledge hammer to crack a nut frankly
however, not bitching as we had a great time!
We ran like bloody clockwork for over 10 hours, with the other drivers putting in solid and reliable performances with good pace, as asked to do
At 2.10 am Dilantha lost the clutch, we got him back in the pits and bled it, sent him out again but still no good, so thereafter, we ran the next 14 hours with no clutch. It was the master cylinder which wasn't returning inside. Then we had a couple of punctures, and brake lites playing up, but that was it, nothing really lost us much time, we serviced the car with pads and oil (not needed)when we bled the clutch, and the brake lites were fixed in a routine stop.
The car was bloody amazing, and was capable of running really quickly if we wanted to, but we refrained. It was in as good a nick bar clutch and two brake lites at the end as it was at the start.
Apart from.........some plonker rammed me up the arse on the last lap racing to the finish like he had just started a 10 lap sprint, and damaged the rear, and half an hour before that a TURTLE (!) crossed the Conrod straight....well nearly crossed it...until I met him with the splitter at 162mph....Where he briefly became a land speed record holding Turtle...RIP oh Turtle..
Pictures to come to prove it
We are all delighted as you can imagine, and off to Sydney now to get pissed!
Weather. 37 degrees. Blue Skies.
Beer. Ice cold.
Women. Flat arsed wide shouldered swimmers, but Luke and Steve say they'll do....I'll be home shortly darling XXXX
And BEAST....still creaking. I have some Goanna oil for you to fix up that nasty rash!
Martin
I'd just like to thank you and your team for coming out to Bathurst for the 24hr and congratulate you on a job well done.
The car looked superb on the track, particularly when watching from the esses and seeing the Mosler appear from over the top at Skyline.
Now with the benefit of finishing a 24hr at Bathurst do you think you would be able to push the car a bit harder next year (you ARE coming back aren't you? - ...and bring your friends!). You appeared to be running extremely conservative - even before the clutch gave out. What lap times do you think would be possible in 2003? - consistent race laps under 2:20 maybe? Qualifying around the 2:15 mark?
What part of the track did you find the most difficult to master?
I'm sure by next year the Monaro will have had it's wings clipped quite a bit to bring it inline with the rest of the cars in the category.
While in Sydney try a few of the James Squire beers from the Malt Shovel Brewery.
Thanks again. Bob.
The car looked superb on the track, particularly when watching from the esses and seeing the Mosler appear from over the top at Skyline.
Now with the benefit of finishing a 24hr at Bathurst do you think you would be able to push the car a bit harder next year (you ARE coming back aren't you? - ...and bring your friends!). You appeared to be running extremely conservative - even before the clutch gave out. What lap times do you think would be possible in 2003? - consistent race laps under 2:20 maybe? Qualifying around the 2:15 mark?
What part of the track did you find the most difficult to master?
I'm sure by next year the Monaro will have had it's wings clipped quite a bit to bring it inline with the rest of the cars in the category.
While in Sydney try a few of the James Squire beers from the Malt Shovel Brewery.
Thanks again. Bob.
Congratulations Martin and Crew 
Pity it was so far away that Ali and I couldn't gate crash your pits as in Spa! p.s. Thanks for not throwing us out!
Hope you had a great time in Sydney.
Hansgerd - How do I get hold of your calender (where from, cost etc.)? Did any of my photos meet the required standards?
Pity it was so far away that Ali and I couldn't gate crash your pits as in Spa! p.s. Thanks for not throwing us out!
Hope you had a great time in Sydney.
Hansgerd - How do I get hold of your calender (where from, cost etc.)? Did any of my photos meet the required standards?
Hi Rob, yes, it's more than a pitty that Australia is a bit too far away for us from the north side of the globe. Daytona is too far away too, I'm afraid. I checked air fares and hotel prices but it's too expensive. Sorry Martin, no cake from me at Daytona.
Ted has a PDF copy of the calendar and I'm sure he will post it on here as soon he has moved house. A printed version will be available too. There are some of your pictures in it and one with you on it. So, stay online... I'll see you and Ali latest at LM next year.
Ted has a PDF copy of the calendar and I'm sure he will post it on here as soon he has moved house. A printed version will be available too. There are some of your pictures in it and one with you on it. So, stay online... I'll see you and Ali latest at LM next year.
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