As NSW Premier Nathan Rees jumps into bed with AVESCO, the Australian Vee Eight Supercar Company, to bring car racing to the streets of Sydney’s Olympic Park, he should buckle the seat belt for a rough ride.
Just ask the City of Bathurst which has hosted the Bathurst 2000 at Mount Panorama since 1967.
In early 2004, the media hacks who write generous public relations for the event began a campaign saying that this would be the “last” Bathurst 2000 due to budget difficulties.
Pressure was applied to federal, state and local governments. The free publicity worked wonders, largely because Bathurst falls into deeply contested federal and state marginal electorates.
AVESCO released a triumphant statement in May 2004 saying:
The long-term future of one of the world’s most prestigious motor racing events, the Bathurst 1000, has been assured through a 20-year deal between AVESCO and the Bathurst City Council.
It comes hot on the heels of Federal Treasurer Peter Costello announcing that the Commonwealth Government had allocated $10 million in Tuesday’s budget to complete the works at Mount Panorama to make the circuit truly world class and a tourism hub.
The agreement was signed by AVESCO chairman Tony Cochrane and Bathurst mayor Kath Knowles and described as “the most significant deal in the event’s history”.
The press release went on to make the extraordinary claim that the Bathurst 2000 “ranks alongside the Melbourne Cup on the world sporting stage”.
Cochrane was so enthusiastic about the federal government’s financial package that he invited Howard to become the Grand Marshall of the event.
The agreement involved $22.5 million worth of improvements to the track and facilities paid for by NSW taxpayers and the ratepayers of Bathurst.
Cr Knowles is no longer mayor and no longer on the council. Her enthusiasm for the annual Easter car extravaganza is not shared widely in the local community which has to pick up the tab after each event.
A local business leader contacted by Crikey said that spectators slept rough, brought their own food and grog with them and didn’t give the local economy the boost that was promised.
NSW taxpayers will be anxious to know if there is anything rubbery about the agreement just signed by Rees and Cochrane.
On September 16, 2005, The Sun Herald published an intriguing report under the headline: “Fanciful AVESCO figures just don’t add up — AVESCO’s facts and figures have Peter McKay’s bullsh-t meter at red alert.”
The veteran motoring journalist wrote:
Most of us stopped reading fairytales at about the age of six. During the week, though, memories of that old reading material came flooding back, prompted by a press release on V8 supercar attendance figures, TV audiences and internet usage from AVESCO, the group behind the two-make category.
He concluded: “As a lover of motor sport, I’d like to believe AVESCO assertions that the V8 supercar racing is the third most popular sport in Australia. But my bullsh-t meter is telling me that this is too good to be true.”
Against this background, it’s no wonder The Sydney Morning Herald’s FOI editor Matthew Moore is demanding publication of all the Cabinet submissions detailing the attendance claims, the TV ratings and the economic returns from the five-year deal at Homebush.
Whatever the rights or wrongs about the V8 race at Homebush and V8 supercars in general, can someone with a modicum of knowledge about car racing write about it rather than Alex Mitchel? Yesterday Alex had the V8’s rallying around Homebush. Please Alex, a rally is where individual cars compete on timed stages, usually but not exclusively on dirt roads one at a time, not in a pack of 20 or 30 cars at once.
And todays item is about the Bathurst 2000.
Try the Bathurst 1000 Alex. It has been known by various names since it began:
1963-65 ARMSTRONG 500 Miles
1966-67 GALLAHER 500 Miles
1968-1972 HARDIE-FERODO 500 Miles
1973-80 HARDIE-FERODO 1000 Kilometres
1981-87 JAMES HARDIE 1000 Kilometres
1988-95 TOOHEYS 1000 Kilometres
1996-98 AMP 1000 Kilometres
1997 PRIMUS 1000 Classic
1998- 2000 FAI 1000 Classic
2001 V8 SUPERCAR 1000
2002-04 Bob Jane T-Marts 1000
2005-2007 Super Cheap Auto 1000
Speaking of history – in summer of 1995-6 the city’s denizens were hot, bored and down at Bondi. They came to see the backpacker in bikinis or less, and when that turned out to a bit blase started making some ‘fun’ of there own. Bottles started smashing on cop cars. Wandering hordes not least the infamous rev heads and “car hoons” were at it till the early hours in a curtain raiser to Cronulla but without the race issues.
Sooo … how did the Bondi Safety Committee resolve this? We got lectures from crowd control academics from Bond University and their case study on how to NOT escalate crowd mayhem? Bathurst car races. Makes you wonder doesn’t it. But as the Daily Telegraph tells us – its all about ‘bogan fun letting the keg run free’ and everyone else can get stuffed. So suck it up Sydney!
Alex, it’s the “Bathurst” 1000 (km) and it was first raced at Mt Panorama in 1963 as the Armstrong 500 (miles). It became the 1000 in 1973. Having explained all that, I’m only a pedant, not a rev-head.
Apart from Joseph and Jeremy being spot on, where can I hire the V8 Supercar salesmen? What a snow job they pulled on Morris and Nathan. Eastern Creek is good enough AS IT IS to host A1 international racing let alone if they spent the millions on the circuit they are wasting at Homebush. For f_ck’s sake, the government owns Eastern Creek. Nathan should tell them to take their overpowered taxis and put the where the sun don’t shine.
I agree with all the previous comments and also wonder how it is that Alex’s single piece of evidence that the whole city of Bathurst shares no benefits from the V8 race is an unamed, indirect quote? If it was that big a deal could you find noone willing to go on record? Whilst I am not a wholehearted supporter of the race, as someone who grew up in the town I can assure that it does indeed bring a great deal of money into the area, not just on that weekend but throughout the year, as on nearly every day you can find a racing tragic filming their home movie of themselves crossing the finishing line! This topic deserves more informed commentary than this story.