Yep, the tv coverage doesnt show how steep it really is, the first time i went to a race, couldnt believe how steep it was, the track almost goes over a cliff.....
I was so young I don’t even remember how old I was when I went there, but I will never forget how steep and twisted that ground is and will never stop appreciating the driver skill necessary to traverse it every time I watch. Truly amazing 🙌🏾 Side note: my old man took the dipper at 60 (speed limit) in our old AU ford falcon and the screech and shudder of the tires is also something I will never forget 😅 awesome, awesome place
@@kazbutler - wasn't that the previous year with the Blue XD Falcon in the cutting? The into the trees at Forest elbow, I saw that live and many TV replays, he clipped the right side armco which broke his steering at the very last part of the corner exit. ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-nErou_JWx7A.html Yep, the rock incident was in 1980.
@@kazbutler The rock incident was 1980, the person who caused it was identified in recent years. The crash into the trees at Forest Elbow was in qualifying in 1983.
There have been 18 deaths at the mountain but many were motorcyclists back when they raced at Bathurst. These incidents resulted in the course changing and becoming more safer over time.
Side note: You've got to give it to the Australian announcers. Unlike English commentators, who seem to start screaming and yelling and talking faster and faster any time it even starts to *_look_* like someone's about to get passed, these Australians save their excitement for the actually exciting situations instead of overdoing it constantly. Their calm is almost American. I think it's because most of the Australian commentators are former race drivers themselves and have detailed, near-instinctual knowledge of what's going on out there, unlike "journalists" and "reporters" all overcome and overexcited by the spectacle of it all. Limey commentators too often act like bettors at a horse race rather than experts in a highly technical endeavor like motorsport.
Most of this is correct... But Skaife has a very UK style to his commentary, always overstating what's going on and getting jumpy at the idea someone gained 2 seconds in a lap. The rest of them know how to keep it together, and Larko is just something else altogether. Mark "Larko" Larkham was almost axed in a review of the broadcast, and the entire Australian public was ready to completely withdraw support for the whole championship if he wasn't reinstated. He wasn't being axed for any particular reason, they just wanted to "streamline". Bear in mind Larko has been a part of Broadcast for ages, and a driver for donkeys before that! He's furniture!
@@driverm4544 In other countries, fans are called "supporters." In Australia, the racing enthusiasts really _are_ supporters. Remember Dick Johnson and some trouble he had with a rock along Skyline. Broadcasters should take care not to piss them off.
the first crash the drive (Chaz Mostart) broke his femur, wrist, and had sever knee injuries. underwent surgery to get it all fixed. crash got registered at 50Gs. the tower he wiped out contained 5 marshals who were also injured.
These are only some of the worst smashes. I remember a car cutting itself in half rolling along the top of the safety rail at Skyline. Dick Johstons car into the trees at Forest Elbow and many more.
That rolling Falcon was Bill Brown. I hear the Bathurst museum has his trousers on display. Legend has it the label says "Bills Brown trousers". He walked away from that crash. No roll bars or anything, only the factory seat belts. ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-us1atrMYWgA.html
Agree, many more spectacular crashes than those. Denny Hulme died at Bathurst in 92 in a BMW. I remember it very well. He had a heart attack but managed to pull off to side of Conrod and I remember thinking at this time when his brake lights went out (he took his foot off the pedal) that’s it, he’s gone! RIP, one of my hero’s
Yeah the guy is the fire got out safely. The last driver to die on the mountain was mark porter in 06 (which I vividly remember) who had crashed into the wall and was then stationary/wrecked. As he sat there not able to move unfortunately another car came around the corner full throttle and t-boned the drivers side of marks car. Very similar to this crash 8:29 (as a side note Chris piff got disciplined for that time stamped crash) The force of the impact on Marks brain is what killed him as he left the car barley alive but died shortly there after. Left behind kids and wife. Very sad
I was there at Reid park that day, we could see Mark trying to get out of the car, the whole crowd there were on their feet trying to slow and warn the next car but drivers do not look into the crowd, he crested the mountain at close to 200 klmph and tboned Mark Porter! There was no way around and no chance to spin and side impact! Mark never had a chance and knew it! Thats why he tried to get out! RIP Mark Porter!
The last death on Mt panorama (Bathurst 1000) was in 2006 when Mark Porter clipped a wall, causing him to lose control of his car in a curve, coming to a stop sideways on the track, with his driver's side facing the oncoming cars. Driver David Clark approached the scene at 180 kilometres per hour (110 mph) and then slid his own car sideways, with his front right side crumpling the driver's side of Porter's passenger compartment. The whole back end from Frogs Hollow to Forrest elbow is the most difficult section. Multiple blind fast corners while you're fighting every step of the way. Mess up the line once up the back, and your whole lap (and possibly your race) is gone
It took 4 years for Chaz Mostert (the driver in the first clip) to make an official qualifying lap of Mt Panorama! in 2013, he crashed during qualifying in 2014, he was excluded from qualifying for a Red Flag infraction and started from the back of the grid in 2015, he crashed during the qualifying session and was airlifted to hospital with severe injuries. This was the clip shown. In 2016 he provisionally qualified 4th and was moved to 3rd on the grid after the shootout.
Because, of course, anything that happened/happens at Bathurst before 2010 just never even happened?? Shit you people make me laugh! You’re looking at stuff from the last ten years and making out like nobody ever drove a racecar at Bathurst unless it was a supercar! Ffs! This is why people leave motorsport - idiots with limited attention spans and the actual history of the track itself be damned, hey!? Typical. Idiots!
@@Grant80 Friend of mine in the US said that the crash didn't look that bad... Until he saw the onboard video and could see the actual moment Chaz's leg broke.
Yuh i just linked the video above, Bill Brown's GT, i don't think the had Rollcages then? I could be wrong, here's the video link ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-us1atrMYWgA.html
@@demolitionman9307 G'Day mate , yes they did have a roll bar ! nothing like you see today , back then for bill browns crash the roll bar a single hoop from one side to the other is what saved him with a lotta luck , a few inches to the front and he wouldn't be alive to talk about it , i watched it unfold on tv waaaaay back then , Catchya...
@@stevessoutheastasia4426 cheers Bud. Yuh, was 2 years before i was born. I never forgot the 1st time i saw the replay of the chash in late 70's early 80's, blew my mind, it amazed me.
I think 1986 when a VL Commodore (maybe VK) 3 quarters of the way down Conrod straight (when there was no kink) veered right and hit a retaining wall. The driver ended up in the backseat. He died.
@@petewrxy2578 Yes your right. After I posted I looked up the video. Was a VK as you said. There was another fatal in 1990 or 1992 in practice I think. Was at the chase this time. Commodore again I think. Edit. Don Watson in 1994 at the Chase. He failed to take it and went straight on through the sand trap.
My guess as to the most dangerous part of the circuit is the entire circuit. There are reminder warnings about animals (Kangaroo's, Wombats and Rabbits) given to all drivers. How Skippy didn't become road kill is anyone's guess, he was one lucky kangaroo.
What you have to remember about Mt Panarama, any day of the week, its a public road, yes there's alot of accidents but one group of people that dont get the credit they deserve our the tafe college guys that panel beat these cars back into shape overnight and get them on the track for the big race!, those guys are legends!, the most dangerous is the cutting, the S's onto conrod straight coming off the mountain.
In answer to your question. There have been quite a few fatalities at Bathurst over the years. Those involving the Australian Touring Cars or Supercars are 1986 Mike Burgmann (his accident is what resulted in the Caltex Chase being added to Conrod Straight), 1992 Denny Hulme (which to be fair was a heart attack at the wheel), 1994 Don Watson and 2006 Mark Porter. Sixteen competitors have died during racing in all forms associated with Mount Panorama. Two spectators were also killed in 1955 after being struck by a crashing car.
I was at GoodWood A few years ago and heard an interview with Wyn Percy and he was asked what was the most challenging track he had raced in around the world, his answer was you haven’t raced until you’ve done Bathurst.
There was also Mike Burgman who died under the Dunlop arch around 1984. Resulted in The Chase being built which has become one of the fastest corners in Australia if not the world for touring cars with little downforce.
I was there and saw the crash. He sustained a smashed windscreen in the opening laps. He was coming into the pits to have the front and rear screens kicked out. It's thought that he had undone his harness to get out quickly. Unfortunately coming over the last hump he may have been dislodged and lost control due to not being strapped in. His body was in where the back seat would be.
Been many times photographing. Reed Park is for me a spot I can watch all day. Never ceases to amaze the speed they carry through this narrow first run across the top
Been a lot of people die on the Mountain, Denny Hulme had a heart attack on Conrod Straight in his BMW. Mark Porter got collected right in the driver's door up at Reid Park and died after he hit a wall and spun, identical to the Paul Weel and Chris Pither crash. Its a pretty tough track.
There have been a least two deaths that i know of. 1986 Mick Bergman, which is why Conroe Straight is no longer straight and Denny Hulme (i don’t remember the year, but Denny had a heart attack at the wheel).
I live 40 minutes from Bathurst, and do a lap of the circuit almost every time I go up there. It's a great location, and I live watching the race each year.
In the first accident, there is an on-board shot that shows the sequential gear-shift braking Chaz's Femur. Two of the on-going problems at Bathurst are drivers not respecting yellow flags across the top of the mountain (i think they have a light system in cars these days) and problems after mandatory brake pad change (first time up the mountain after the change you have pump the peddle to get brake pressure, if the driver forget's you arrive at XL/Castrol Bend at 260k's and no front brakes).
While the narrowness of the track play,s its part it realy does,nt matter , they are pushing so close to the edge of control and limits of the track the tinyest mistake in your line means you probably will hit something , like just about any race car driver on any track , but bathurst is a special place :)
Kangaroos on the track is a relatively new occurrence, with the first making its appearance in the early 2000s. The race has also found itself under the Pace Car because of an Echidna on the track, and the 12-hour was red-flagged one year because a tree fell and blocked the track at the top of Conrod Straight. There are thousands of weird and wacky stories to come out of the place, and you learn to expect the unexpected.
And also the worlds fastest land tortoise during one of the Bathurst 24H races, that got lodged in the front splitter on a Mosler from memory, and survived the run down Conrod.
I have been several days at the Bathurst 1000 with the most recent being Mark Porter and support categorise several years ago where his car was T-bones just before skyline other drivers have died in serious accident with many drivers being severely injured. I was at the track the day Chaz had his massive crash. The entire pit crew held their breath as a waiting to hear what happened to chaz. None of us where talking.
In the first crash the driver, Chaz Mostert, broke his left leg in the impact. 1:44 Regarding the car sliding over the gravel trap, when it rains the gravel tends to pack down, reducing it's ability to stop the cars as well as becoming more slippery. 6:15 was actually the second crash for of Paul Radisich's at Bathurst. The throttle jammed open He fractured both ankles, reopened a fractured sternum sustained in an accident two years prior, fractured lumbar and thoracic vertebrae, cracked ribs and suffered bruising to his lungs. It ended his professional racing career. The crash shown immediately afterwards was the one that cause the original sternum fracture he rebroke in 2008. That crash resulted in a redesign of that area. 8:15 That one happened right in front of me. The violence of the impact was frightening.
Yeah, there are RU-vid videos of cut-down James Hardie 500 and Hardie-Ferodo 1000 races from the 60's & 70's through the 80's & 90's... Remember Jim Richards in his "Godzilla" GTR Skyline win in 1992? "You're all a pack of assholes!"
I've never been to Bathurst (race), having only watched it on TV. I've heard it said that "Skyline" is the most unnerving section of track at the top of the mountain as you're in top gear & the track does a slow left turn, where you just have to point the car where you "think" the track is - because you're approaching the peak & have to "hope" the track is where you're pointing the car, because you cannot see beyond the 'peak'. The "Esses" are also treacherous, with their fast right/left/right/left, rapidly plunging several metres downhill. Finally "Conrod Straight" (named for destroying conrods & engine blocks) used to be a straight run to the Start/Finish line, but was modified to slow cars down after a nasty crash one year - unsure if relating to a driver fatality.
The most dangerous part of the track, in my opinion, is Sulman Park....the bit they refer to as "the grate" as there's a large drainage grate there. Three consecutive left handers that unbalance the car, combined with it being the second narrowest part of the track. It's where all those cars were sideswiping the wall one after another. And there have been ten deaths at the Mt Panorama track. One wasn't from a crash. Former Formula One driver Deny Hulme had a fatal heart attack as he went down Conrod straight in 1992, all caught on camera.
When those cars get to the end of Conrod Straight they're doing about 320kmh. They put the kink (the Chase) in at the end of Conrod to slow the cars down before Murray's Corner but most cars go through it on the rev limiter in top gear! The racing back in the 60's & 70's was pretty wild when the cars were "standard" production vehicles. I can only remember 2 fatalities, the one, a few years ago, T-Boned the wall at near full speed at the chase but I can't recall drivers' name. The other was New Zealand F1 champion Denny Hulme. He had a fatal heart attack half way up Mountain Straight. He must have known what was happening because he was able to shut the car down & park it well away from the racing line. A bit sad, but they both signed off doing what they loved. Most of the rest of us won't be so lucky. Cheers.
Thanks so much for your fab reaction videos , I absolutely love to watch them all , there is a great fun channel on RU-vid called 4wd 24/7 and it is a group of guys who four wheel drive around the remote parts of Australia , they are very funny , it is interesting and informative and it will give great insight into what the Australian outback is like . I would love to see your reaction to some of their trips around the remote parts of australia . Thanks again , have an awesome day
4:25 biggest crash EVER.. The best thing about this race is you only have to still be there, in the top 10, in the laps, to have a chance too win. Races are won by car lengths after 6 HOURS of driving..
The scariest crash was Bill Brown rolling his GTHO along the fence,I think 1971. The car was totally destroyed with Brown walking away. Slomo film shows a spectator almost losing his manhood as he leaps from the path of the disintegrating car.
Kevin Bartlett prettiest roll over, Lowndes getting the wheel in his screen, Dick Johnson in the trees. Across the top is the most dangerous lots of blind turns and lots and lots of concrete. We used to race super bikes, sidecars etc there as well…They were the days
not just the crashes that hurt people, this place is so intense there have been several "medical issues" with the drivers. I do remember in the past a a bathurst event a car stopped at the top of conrod and later revealed the driver had a heart attack.
You may know this, but Marcos Ambrose used to drive in NASCAR American auto racing. He actually was a great driver, just never had a good team. He did manage to win a couple of road course races.
Condos straight used to go all the way down in a straight line until the left turn into the main straight. The big elbow was put in after a driver died crashing at the end of it.
when i went to bathurst in 2019 there was the australian toyota gazoo racing happening, and one of the gt86 of peter vodonavitch flipped about 5 times in front of me on the chance, i caught it on video on my phone but the telecast video is somewhere on youtube
Josh revell has a video on the 2014 Bathurst 1000, his favourite motor race of all time. An epic race that went down to the wire and had the usual mountain calamities
most torturous part of the track would be the grate specially when its wet. yes there has been a death at Bathurst young Mark porter Sadley passed away in 2006 after a racing incident in the development series. Mark was supposed to race the next day in the Bathurst 1000 but did not due to being airlifted to hospital because of the accident the day before. the day after the race it was announced that Mark porter had Sadley passed away.
@@andream.. I was going to list several fast laps including that one, but i figured Murphy's was a good place to start and didn't wanna overwhelm him haha
Most of the really big crashes happened in the late 1960’s to early 70’s , but before colour tv coveridge. The chase was added on Conrad straight to remove 2 of the humps and to slow the top speeds...... most of the quicker cars become airborne over 2 of the humps, but if quick enough, they sometimes took off and then back flipped . Ironically, the chase itself has caused crashes just as big as it was meant to stop. I still think the second Falcon GTHO jumping the Armco and flying into the trees was right up there ( about 1968 or 69 ) and then the GTHO coming unstuck at The Dipper ( I think was the dipper), and then rolling down the armco with the drivers arm flailing outside the car as the car rolled........ car was nearly cut in half by the armco..... driver almost untouched with both arms still attached. lol
Other viewers in the commentariat may have mentioned already, New Zealand competitor Mark Porter (32 years old) had his life end after a high velocity Tbone impact upon his drivers side door upon the section of track at Mcphillamy park on the eighth of October 2006, only six days after his b'day. Also New Zealand motorsports legend Denny Hulme(formula one world champion circa 1966) suffered a fatal heart attack at the Bathurst 1000 event that occurred in 1992/93 I think? It was. After exiting forests elbow and entering onto conrod straight. Absolute ledg, he was/is.
If you ever get to Australia, I would love to take you to Bathurst and let you drive around the track. At a very challenging 60 kms/hr. Even at that speed I would try to get your foot off the break.
This track is a public road so you can drive around yourself (below 60km/h speed limit) This track is so much steeper than you can see on TV. Worth the 2.5 hour drive from Sydney
Bill Brown crashed regularly at Bathurst. I believe 69 in the big fisrt lap crash, 70, 71 cutting the car in half and 72 he put a Charger on its side. Contrary to the results he was a very good driver
The most dangerous part if the track is the ''esses" cause it's a steep desent and with sharp turns. I went to Bathurst for the 3rd time and noticed how steep the decent and climb is.
I driven his track, you can not comprehend this track until you drive it. TV doesn’t give you anywhere near the feel of the track. Remember this is a public road that gets shut for the race every year. Bathurst is to cars what the Isle of Mann is to bikes. Come see it you’ll love it.
There was an insane crash a few years back, surprised it wasn't on here. But it was the small v8 supercars, not sure what they're called, but one was tipped on conrod straight and basically exploded into parts. Fella driving was critically injured, he recovered thank fully. But it was a pretty crazy crash, everyone thought he was dead.
Denny Hulme died in the 1992 race after suffering a heart attack while driving down conrod straight in a Benson & Hedges sponsored BMW M3. Mark Porter, was killed in 2006 in the v8 supercars development series race.
One bad crash that seems to be missing on many crash summaries was one on the top section where several ofvthese crashes had cars clip the concrete wall. There one driver had a crash that caused his car, a GT Falcon from memory do a barrel roll along the wall centred in mid car. Several tumbles along the wall lokked like the car was about to be cut in half. Other old time crashes had cars go over the wall of the S'ses. A region now with additional protections from just that crash possibility, but not then.
That was Bob Brown in a dealer sponsored GTHO Falcon in 1972! Skyline curve it was known as in the day, now its just skyline! Amazingly he walked away!
@@paulorchard7960 That is so right I was thinking the surname was Brown, but little more detail, but was uncertain enough to leave it off, sorry. I think it is more spectacular than many shown crashes, some how it is skipped all the time, sad....
Just watch the Marshall box on the first crash. They jumped for their lives. I would have hoped I was wearing the brown pants for that because if I wasn't before, I certainly would have been afterwards.😂😂😂😂😂
These cars are so safe that hardly anyone even gets injured in these crashes. The cars are designed to absorb the impact around the driver as the driver cell around the driver remains intact.
Looks like they're all "recent era" Bathurst accidents with the V8 Supercar series. But Bathurst has been going since (at least) the 1960's when it used to be a 500 mile race on the Sunday, then transitioned to a 1000 kilometre Sunday race. I remember when they (Channel 7, Australia) first put TV cameras in the cars in the 1980's (?) and I was transfixed. But even then I remember the late 1970's race where Alan Moffat limped over the finish line in his Ford Falcon, with the #2 team car driving side-by-side down Conrod Straight - the cars were so wide, no-one could overtake. The classic 1990's GTR Skyline race won by Jim Richards took the podium in front of a crowd of Holden & Ford race enthusiasts, boo-ing him & he replied, "You're a pack of assholes!"
yeah was one race me dad and i were watching where off the start grid someones car stalled and another one went up the back end of him and the whole car burst into flames (fuel/gas tank is in the rear of the cars)
The most treacherous part is going up the mountain thru the cutting, at the top across Skyline & down the mountain thru the Dipper & Forrests Elbow. Just past the cutting there's a drain cover coming into Reed Park, which unsettles the car. Catching out som drivers. A bit of trivia for y'all. Forrests Elbow's name comes from, a motorcycle racer named Forrest crashed his bike breaking his elbow. Therefore the name of the corner where accident occurred...
Play Forza 7 (I think) has Bathurst in game. One Forza game has it,.,I love ❤️ it. Australia's famous Mount Panorama Circuit in Bathurst has featured in every Forza Motorsport game since the fifth title in 2013, but it has not been confirmed for the latest instalment
Kangaroos have been spotted ontrack quite a few number of times over the years, but out of all of those times only twice has a car managed to hit one (the one most people remember is from the 2004 race).
Then there's Johnson off at Forest Elbow in '83 during Hardies Hero's, rebuilt overnight by TAFE students, started with the paint still wet the next morning. Coulthard's crash in 2010 was a close second for the biggest, why that was not included I don't know. Bill Brown had what was arguably the most spectacular crash in 1971 rolling his Falcon down the armco railing almost cutting his car in half when the race was for production cars. There are some old doco's on here that will give you a great idea of the history and progress from class racing with unmodified cars, to the first race cam in 1979, Peter Williamson winning his class in his Celica despite the extra 70kg, finishing 9th outright, Godzilla's and the Turbo's, World Touring Cars up to the huge multi media circus it is today.
