BATHURST: Camping pilgrimage underway for Bob Jane T-Marts 1000
3/9/2003 14:12 (Press Release) -
Tents are being packed, sleeping bags are at the ready, and barbecue menus are being prepared. With five weeks until the Bob Jane T-Marts 1000, campers and spectators are busily organising their pilgrimage to Bathurst for the 2003 'Great Race'.
Camping at Bathurst leading up to and during the annual Bob Jane T-Marts 1000 has been written into Australian folklore.
Tens of thousands of enthusiasts make the trek to Mount Panorama each year to enjoy the great outdoors and the motorsport spectacular that is the Bob Jane T-Marts 1000.
This year is no exception as the campgrounds are filling at a rate of knots for the October 9 to 12 event. Along with the campgrounds, grandstand ticket sales are booming and general ticket sales are up on last year.
The demand for grandstand seats has prompted organisers to build a new stand for 2003 called the Bob Jane Grandstand which will be located on Shell Corner.
Across the five campgrounds around the Mount Panorama circuit, more than three quarters of the sites have already been sold with three of the campgrounds, McPhillamy Park, the Chase and the Paddock almost sold out.
IMG Director of Motorsport, James Ashworth, said people needed to book camp sites quickly to avoid disappointment.
"More and more campers are booking earlier each year and we are delighted to be in this sales position five weeks out from the Bob Jane T-Marts 1000," said Ashworth.
"There is still some good room at Reid and Sulman Park Campground at the top of the Mountain, and Max Cameron Campground near Pit Straight, but both are selling fast.
"It is fantastic that camping has become an annual feature of the event, and so many campers come back from year to year. There are some wonderful stories out there.
"Especially pleasing is the fact that more and more families are camping each year decked out in their team merchandise and contributing to a fabulous atmosphere."
Ashworth said that the current rate of grandstand and general ticket sales pointed towards another record crowd in 2003.
"There was a record four-day crowd of 163,840 last year for the 40th anniversary of the Bob Jane T-Marts 1000, and current indicators suggest we are going to exceed this."
Ford Performance Racing driver David Besnard said that camping and parochial crowds were as much a part of the Bob Jane T-Marts 1000 as the V8 Supercars.
"It is an amazing experience to race around Mount Panorama being cheered or jeered by the tens of thousands of campers and spectators situated all around the world famous circuit.
"It is a sight to behold especially from the driver's seat and it really gives you a rush of adrenaline. It's also one of the few tracks in Australia where you can actually hear the roar of the crowd especially at the top of the mountain.
"My family has made it an annual excursion, and they love the atmosphere in the paddock where they set up camp.
"I'm really looking forward to getting amongst it this year and if everything goes to plan, a podium finish isn't out of the question."
One of the legendary campers at Bathurst is a Holden supporter who is known by all and sundry as Dicky Knee.
"This year will be my 28th year at Mount Panorama and I have witnessed changes in the cars, the crowds, the campers and facilities over this period," said Dicky, who lives in Melbourne.
"In the mid-seventies, the campground was just a bog hole. Since then the local council has made some vast improvements and the whole circuit is a great facility.
"We have a group of between 80 and 100 that meet up each year at Reid Park Campground and we wouldn't have it any other way. It is a great social atmosphere and a way to meet some wonderful people."
Campground sites are currently available by contacting the campground coordinator on phone (07) 5588 6829.
Tickets for the Bob Jane T-Marts 1000 are available from Ticketmaster7 on phone 1300 136 122 or through the official event website at www.bobjanetmarts1000.com.
--Bob Jane T-Marts 1000 press release
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