FoSC RAISES THE BAR ON THE MOUNT.

When the Festival of Sporting Cars won the contract to run club-level motor sport meetings at Mt Panorama, their mission was to bring back “motor sport as it should be.”

Over 800 cars and drivers competing.

This coming Easter, their third at Bathurst , they’ll achieve that in spades, with a total of five days of competition for over 800 entrants. Not only that, but they’ll also be bringing dozens of the original Group C and A “big bangers” back to their spiritual home – an initiative which will stir the memories and emotions of every Australian motor sport fan. “It’s also something of a reward for the citizens of Bathurst , a way to say thank you for your continued support” say FoSC.

Mt Panorama – The Way It Was

The (very) long weekend, dubbed Mt Panorama – The Way It Was, kicks off on Good Friday April 2 nd 2010 , with three days of racing and regularity, featuring the Group C and A cars, plus Historic Sports and Touring cars, Improved Production, Combined Touring and Marque & Production Sports. You can also expect to see many of the mountain’s conquering heroes in the paddock, so remember your autograph book.

Car Clubs Festival & Display

Then on Easter Monday and Tuesday, another 80 teams of drivers – including nearly 200 Porsche owners – from around Australia will participate in the first ever AustralianCar Clubs Regularity Festival, created especially for car club members who want to fulfil their dreams of competing at this world-famous circuit.

Not only that, but the FC Holden Car Club will be bringing 150 of their favourite cars to the circuit for a display and parade laps around the mountain.

More to enjoy for locals and visitors.

Now more than ever it seems the interest is out there, among drivers and fans, to get back to affordable, grass roots motor sport and have a good time in the process. The FoSC organisers say their aim is to create a relaxed family-friendly atmosphere, where camaraderie and sportsmanship come before egos and trophies, and local businesses will be supplying affordable food and refreshments.

Historic touring cars hit Hell Corner at the Festival of Sporting Cars
(Photo courtesy of Gary Cooper)

Tickets and discounts

A 3-day pass, Good Friday to Easter Sunday 2 – 4 April, is $50. For individual days, it’s Friday $20, Saturday $25 and Sunday $20. For Monday and Tuesday a 2-day Pass is $30, while daily tickets are $20 each. (Children under 16 accompanied by an adult admitted free.) All tickets include access to the paddock area and grandstand, plus entry discounts to the National Motor Racing Museum on Conrod Straight. For more details visit www.fosc.com.au or call the Meeting Secretary Mr Chris Payoe (02) 9481 0297 or 0404 025 520.

The real deal

Added to that, the cars which now race in the C and A category are not replicas, they are the actual cars that raced between 1973 and 1992, many of them still carrying the names of sponsors and drivers who competed in that magnificent period of Australian motor sport. Many of the motor racing legends made their names in that era, including Peter Brock, Allan Moffat and Dick Johnson; and among the ‘big bangers’ they drove were several models of Ford Falcons, and Holden Toranas and Commodores, as well as exotic imports from the USA, UK, Europe and Japan.

Blasts from the past

In the field of over 30 starters this Easter are five Torana A9Xs, two L34s, 10 Commodores, from 1982 to 1990, three Geminis and a pair of German RS2000 Escorts, even a Triumph Dolomite and an Alfa GTV 200. From the more modern era, there are three BMW M3s, a 635 CSI, and a Jaguar XJS. And what would that period be without wild cards such as the Volvo 240T, Mitsubishi Starion, Toyota Sprinter and Mazda RX7.

Names to stir the memories.

Notable among these entries are David Towe’s JPS BMW – the first M3 to win a touring car race in Australia; Richard Prince’s ex-Laurence Hazelton Volvo 240T; Tony Pallas in the former Garry Willmington 1983 XJS; Troy Stapleton’s ex-Tim Slako Walkinshaw Commodore; Craig Neilson’s Xerox Shop Starion; David Patterson in the ex-Bob Holden Corolla Sprinter; Adrian Brady in the stunning Jim Richards BMW 635; Bill Cutler in the former Schnitzer Team M3 from 1987; Mark Taylor’s ex-Trevethan VL Commodore; Wayne Clift’s Deluxe Coaches VK Commodore; and Jamie McDonald’s VK Commodore, previously piloted by Steve Masterton in 1985.

But wait, there’s more…

Racing starts on Friday afternoon and goes through until Sunday. Other categories include Historic Sports and Touring Cars, Marque & Production Sports, IPRA, Combined Touring and Regularity. Then on Easter Monday and Tuesday another 400 cars will contest the first ever Australian Car Clubs Regularity.

PORSCHE MUSEUM CARS MAKE HISTORY AT MT PANORAMA.

This Easter FoSC is proud to welcome some distinguished guests to the mountain, all the way from the Porsche Museum in Germany . The museum, which was opened last year to celebrate Porsche’s 60 th anniversary is adjacent to the Porsche headquarters and factory in Zuffenhausen, Stuttgart . It was here that two remarkable cars were built and they will be on display in the Porsche area just above the main Paddock.

1976 Porsche 935 Race Car.

The distinctive 935 proved to be especially suited for endurance races. Following a break of five years, this car took Porsche to the Manufacturers’ World Championship in 1976. At its premiere in Mugello, Jacky Ickx and Jochen Mass drove to an overall victory in this coupe with its conspicuously flat front and adjustable rear wing. Many factory and private drivers went on to celebrate successes with the 935, as well.

1998 Porsche 911 GT1 Straßenfahrzeug.

This vehicle is the street version – and the only model in existence – of what would become the 1998 Le Mans winner. Driven by Laurent Aiello, Allan McNish and Stephane Ortelli, the 911 GT1 race car achieved 330 km/h on the Mulsanne Straight during testing with a low downforce setup. But even with a higher downforce, it was good for 310 km/h and gave Porsche its 16 th overall win at Le Mans – more than any other manufacturer in history.

Our third guest.

Accompanying these stunning cars is Klaus Bischof, Director of Porsche’s “ Rolling Museum ”. Although Klaus has been on the Targa Tasmania, neither he nor the cars has been to Mt Panorama, so there’ll be a steep learning curve for everyone. Please make an effort to give him and his charges a warm welcome.

Thank you Porsche Australia .

We owe a huge debt of gratitude to Porsche Cars Australia, not only for helping to get the first Australian Car Clubs Regularity Festival off the ground, but also for persuading the Porsche Museum to let us see and hear these stunning pieces of motor sport history. This is a once in a lifetime opportunity – be sure not to miss them.

Porsches strut their stuff around the Mount
(Photo Courtesy Gary Cooper)

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