If you want to know why the off-track action at the Bathurst 1000 is as fierce as what happens on the bitumen during Australia’s biggest motor race, you only have to go back to a story that made headlines around the world in 2009. .
Authorities imposed a rule restricting spectators to 24 cans of beer or four liters of wine per person per day, and some of the event’s die-hard fans reacted by sneaking onto the track at night so they could bury stocks of alcohol in raffles. the restriction.
Breathlessly reported by outlets such as the BBC, it was a window into the outrageous behavior that sometimes goes unreported amid all the accidents and kangaroo and snake invasions that make the event a must-see.
Held each October at the famous Mount Panorama track in Bathurst, about 200 kilometers west of Sydney, the 1000 has been a highlight of the Australian motorsport calendar since it was first held there in 1963.
The race has produced legends such as Peter Brock, but is also famous for the out-of-control behavior of fans who take their love of the drink to disturbing heights and keep the police very busy.
Bathurst’s most die-hard fans camp at the top of Mount Panorama, with lookouts such as McPhillamy Park, with its view of the winding stretch at the highest point of the track, known for hosting some incredibly rowdy behaviour.
In past races, drunk fans have been known to use half-discarded cars to burn, then overturn them and set them on fire; some especially reckless onlookers even rushed towards the burning wreckage to grab souvenirs and test their bravery.
When your author attended the first Bathurst 24 Hour race in 2002, he spoke to a police officer who told him that working at Mountain on 1000 Day was one of the worst shifts a NSW police officer could have .
He also recalled an episode from a previous race in which an ambulance was sent racing to the top of the mountain to treat a spectator who had suffered a heart attack.
But when the paramedics tried to reach it along a service road that borders the track, a group of drunk fans stopped the vehicle and did not let it move forward unless it burned down.
Pictured: Petrolhead fans drink beer atop Mount Panorama, where campground scenes can make the action on the track seem tame.
V8 Supercars fans have put up huge party tents over the years (pictured), one of which even features a full-size pool table.
When racegoers were restricted from consuming 24 cans of beer per person per day, some reacted by sneaking onto the track at night and burying beer to get around the restrictions.
Other motorsports enthusiasts engage in wild but non-life-threatening activities as the race takes over the area for four days.
In 2007, Mal Webster made the trip from Melbourne with a motorized buggy he had built for two sixeskies that were packed with adult snacks.
At the top of the mountain there used to be fan-built spectator structures, some with space for up to 50 people, with televisions and generators to power their beer coolers, and in 2002 one of those makeshift party houses was called ‘No Hotel in shit’.
Supercar superfan Scott Coleman recalled sneaking into a huge “circus tent” that had been erected atop Mount Panorama and discovering that the men who set it up had somehow managed to fit a pool table into it. full size.
He also spotted a racing fan riding a custom-made lawnmower with a 5.8-liter V8 engine wedged into it.
And in 1998, fans started a huge fire on top of the mountain in worrying scenes after Jason Bright and Steven Richards won what was then called the FAI 1000 Classic.
While that type of alcohol-fueled behavior has largely disappeared in recent years as organizers crack down and the event becomes more family-friendly, the race regularly demonstrates that not all larrikinism has been eliminated.
The Revheads used to burn half-scrapped cars on the track and then set them on fire when they were finished, and some fans tested their bravery by running towards the burning wreckage.
Follow snake invasions (like this dangerous, poisonous noodle that went out of business in Bathurst on Thursday) and kangaroos come to the fore every year.
On Sunday, accidents like this shocking one from 2014 will be in the highlights, but going to Bathurst in person also means adopting some fun behaviour.
Rule nine of the terms and conditions for campers at Mount Panorama states that “no power or battery-operated tools are permitted,” because some overzealous revheads were using that type of equipment to remove souvenirs from the track.
The area has street signs bearing the names of famous drivers such as Peter Brock and Alan Moffat, and during last year’s race, a fan wearing pajamas adorned with ducks was filmed leading police on a foot chase when he was caught. removing signs red-handed. from the track.
“Every year people would take the signs home as souvenirs and the local council and taxpayers would have to foot the bill to replace them,” said one Bathurst resident.
“You’d go there on Monday after everyone had left and there would be all these poles without the street name on them.”
More than 200,000 visitors are expected in the country town for the race this year, and police have responded with a huge response dubbed Operation Bathurst.
In 2023, officers issued more than 350 violations, and five people were charged with traffic-related violations, but it’s safe to say that none of them were for driving a buggy towing six eskies or riding down the road with a lawnmower with V8 engine.