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poettothecars
Senior Member

since 2006-02-10

Posts 1093
New Zealand

0 posted 2006-02-12 07:23 PM

My longest ever Supercar Ballad (with footnotes)
when in sharing this works, interest comes if those who do not know the subject, still indeed understand and feel the spirit from within

also in a way it explains my user name as being a carpoet at heart

3151
The Great ‘Bathurst Ballad’
17 October 2003

With four Bathurst 1000 wins
holden to a fifth on the day
Two Thousand and Three
was if anything an easy right of way

When in favouritism that had been
handed out to the driver of a Ford
Through a combination of
Stone Brothers Racing
with Russell Ingall clambering on board

To assemble a class act to follow
if Marcos Ambrose the race leader may be
In having already won the majority of
prior rounds to be all at sea

At least in his ability to run from the front
then again at Mount Panorama
the ball game was a whole other hunt

Nevertheless it was Stone Brothers Racing
whom were backed in Nineteen Ninety Eight
When Jason Bright and Steven Richards
took to the EL model Falcon in a matter of fate

So come the year ‘two double oh three’
in a livery said to be in its own way unique
In what was an idea the ideal was to
Marcos Ambrose and Russell Ingall link (1)

However when the lap times
were fought out to qualify to race
The truth was discovered in
Greg Murphy setting the early pace

Thus the stand out entry was
holden to the accord
To show much in this relation
of Holden in Bathurst wins over Ford

With the top ten shootout
settling many an argument in fight
In a display of skill and might

Not only in the fastest ever
circuit on the Mountain never been
But in a two manufacture only formula
display a Holden and Ford front row in scheme (2)

Greg Murphy in his Kmart Commodore VY
showing who was really in charge
On the prime starting spot when gridded up
beside the OzEmail Falcon of Brad Jones at large

As behind them both Jim Richards in his
record breaking thirty second Bathurst 1000 start sat
While on the row behind was Craig Lowndes a
former Bathurst winner himself now racing for CAT

With Murphy having brought the
previous years qualifying record lower down
And the Mount Panorama road circuit
ringing out in a V8 Supercar sound

Ready for when the lights were turned out
To look on and ponder to whom
the race victory would shout

On a day the sun came to view
starting off preparing for lap one
When the deal was to seek out
the final laps in hours ahead to come

As the roar began to built
on the mission set bit from bit
Beyond the aftermath of attrition
to the first of many who’d quit

To see cars ‘thirteen’ and ‘fifteen’
out of competition before the opening turn
While others were still in experience
of the Mountain trying in times to learn

In a field roughly balanced in
the marques of Holden to Ford
Setting off to complete
one-six-one laps in reward

Not giving up unless unforgiving
matters were to swallow then up
Even when time had to be put aside
to pause for tyres and fuel to sup

Along with an addition of interruptions
for the Safety Car to intervene
Then winning the actual race
was much to the nightmare of the dream

In tactics placed in a plan to
be victors in a panoramic game
Then by numbers some would rise higher
in a period of championship points to claim

Unlike others who were to
put themselves in another's way
Such was the capacity of Jason Bargwanna
in not making several of his fellows day

Given a drive-through penalty for his trouble
reducing in speed to forty kilometres per hour
Crawling down the pit lane following
a show of adjudication in pulling power

Where so much happens
in manoeuvres to pass
Just to push on toward first place
and distance themselves further from last

The Safety Car sent packing twice
before the first hour of many was beat
To be readied again for another
incident should it happen to repeat

Meantime Greg Murphy and Craig Lowndes
conserved fuel on a pathway sequenced to pit
Knowing the importance of attempting to
a minimum of four fuel stops fit (3)

The lap record broken inside
the first twenty five laps in count
Then there was more to come in terms
of recording events across The Mount

However for Russell Ingall and
Marcos Ambrose the advent of
another round victory was slipping away
Then at Bathurst it absolutely was
The Mountain who endured the final say

The lap record belonging to Mark Skaife
by the time lap thirty they were to reach
Not that it was time to give up
and contemplate a day at the beach

With the initial pit stops for the
race leaders taking place on cue
In being serviced in tyres of four
along with fuel and kind by their crew

Greg Murphy out of the Kmart Commodore
and Rick Kelly being belted in
Should their desire and luck continue
it meant Rick was on target
to be the youngest ever to win

The twenty year-old receiving
instruction via his car radio and TV
Where Murphy watched on in advising
Rick on what angle through the apex to be (4)

As Craig Lowndes climbed from the
CAT Falcon at the end of his first stint
In a change over to Glenn Seton
under the watchful eye of a guy name Flint

The race far from being half over
in the number of kilometres to do
When the picture projected was
more over old masters teamed anew

Thus many driver combinations
were a case of never having been before
Even if when it came to Brad Jones and
John Bowe this had been done once and more

When at the Esses the leadership
of Team BROCK was about to expire
With Paul Weel dusting off a storm
having given up his regular Commodore
to Marcus Marshall and Greg Ritter on hire

Therefore the championship prize in a single
encounter looked to be all over for Jason Bright
After an earlier stage in finishing consistently
race by race in the opening fight (5)

So it was two hours down and
at least another four and more to go
When in victorious terms the result
was still for any one to know

In an endeavour getting tight at the top
and Larry Perkins controlling the race
Regardless of his form of much experience
shown by comparison to be slower in pace

With the OzEmail Falcons soldiering on
as throttle problems were to intermit
Understanding what might go wrong
if into the wall either Falcon BA was to hit

Looking to cure the problem with a strip
of elastic tied in place to assist the spring
Like it was even a sewing kit in their
tool box each team had to The Mountain bring

Sorting out the line and length
of the balance to endure
When no where was there
any guarantee to victory assure

With John Bowe in the mix of
others and his own form of grief
While in between his stints
Brad Jones stepped in to provide relief

Denting the left rear door of the
Holden Commodore of Mark Skaife
Breaking the door latch in an encounter
swinging during the closing laps of the great race (6)

An outcome to be enough
to cause protests to be made
With the black flag eventually going out
for Skaife in a capacity to come to Murphy’s aid

The race almost over in six hours gone by
Yet Mark Skaife who had been in second place
still wanted to complain to his crew why

In a turn of fate on track perhaps
for a third consecutive Bathurst result
Then that would only have come if an
unfortunate incident had brought Murphy’s
Kmart Racing Holden Commodore VY to a halt

As Craig Lowndes in the partnership
of Glenn Seton in his Falcon racing CAT
Lunged forth to show second position
was where Ford Performance Racing was at

While closing in third place with
lap one-six-one close to hand
Steve Ellery in the Super Cheap Autos
Ford Falcon BA was looking
to again on the podium stand

In Bathurst 1000 win number three
for New Zealand raised Murphy to count
All adding up in the combination of
a V8 Supercar career where
Rick Kelly numbered ‘one’ in amount

The 2003 Bathurst 1000 in the 41st running of the endurance event was to give Greg Murphy his third Bathurst victory following those of 1996 and 1999. To join in equally the results of Dick Johnson [1981, 1989 and 1994].

Steven Ellery [Super Cheap Auto Ford Falcon BA] in finishing 3rd [with Luke Youlden] matched his 1996 result with Tony Longhurst in a Ford Falcon EF. When another milestone set in 1996 was Craig Lowndes youngest ever Bathurst winning mantel aged 22 years. This record being passed to 20 year-old Rick Kelly in 2003, in claiming his first Bathurst title.

(1) With an aim of winning the Bathurst 1000 in teaming up both Russell Ingall and Marcos Ambrose in the same car. Stone Brothers racing who in a unique concept race two Ford Falcon cars in the regular V8 Supercar championship series under individual sponsorship livery. Negotiated to race in the endurance rounds under combined Caltex-Pirtek colours for each car.

(2) Once the top 10 single lap shootout had determined the final starting grid positions for the 2003 Bathurst 1000 race. The V8 Supercars formed on the start line for the 10.00 am [Australian time in the state of New South Wales, 1.00 pm New Zealand Daylight Savings Time] Bathurst 1000 start. Were placed in an order of two in each row, in alternating rows from left to right. This placed the Kmart Racing Commodore VY of Greg Murphy/[Rick Kelly] next to the OzEmail Ford Falcon BA of Brad Jones/[John Bowe] on the front row. With Jim Richards/[Tony Longhurst] one row back beside Garth Tander/[Jamie Whincup] and Craig Lowndes/[Glenn Seton] directly behind Brad Jones but on row three.

(3) While several V8 Supercar teams choose a regime of pitting early inside the opening 20 laps to take on fuel and tyres. With a few opting for a driver change in the process. Greg Murphy [in Kmart Racing car #51] and Craig Lowndes [CAT/Ford Performance Racing Ford Falcon BA] were to set up their first pit stops after 32 laps had been completed. In an issue over if four or five stops would be required during the race to take on sufficient fuel to go the full 1000 kilometre distance. Of which there was a fact the race could be won or lost by time spent in the pits. With Mark Skaife one to pit earlier on that did hold his own.

(4) With Greg Murphy on the near side of 10 Bathurst 1000 starts and his Bathurst driving partner, Rick Kelly in only his third 1000 kilometre endurance event. In having raced for Kmart Racing in 2001 as a rookie and Holden Young Lions [aliened with HRT] in 2002. During the race Greg Murphy was given to instructing to Rick, via the pit to car communications, on the run, with aid of the television pictures and local knowledge to encourage improvements in Rick’s driving style based on his lap times.

(5) In the first Bathurst outing for the revised Team BROCK for 2003. The race finished with both former HRT built VX Holden Commodores being out of the race. With the Marcus Marshall/Greg Ritter [car #16 otherwise raced in the championship by Paul Weel] lasting until 10 laps to go, despite carrying frontal panel damage. Then a DNF was also to knock the Jason Bright/Paul Weel car #50 out of the race early. Following Weel emerging from a cloud of dust blinding his vision and slamming into a stranded car.

(6) In the thick of matter involving clashes with the Holden Commodore’s of Mark Skaife/Todd Kelly and later Steven Richards/Larry Perkins. John Bowe [a two times Bathurst 1000 victor in 1989 and 1994] was also struggling over problems related to a sticking throttle during the race. To have been in the centre of damage to the rear door of Skaife’s Commodore that resulted in Skaife needing to go through an extra pit stop to effect repairs in costing him second place. Where frustrations over a lap after lap chase between Bowe and Steven Richards ended when Bowe’s Falcon was shoved from the track in the closing stages. To be briefly caught in a gravel trap forcing a Safety Car period.

In this classic highlight of the Australasian battle of Ford verses Holden [a branch of General Motors, USA]. A two make formula introduced in Australia in 1993 of Australian manufactured Ford Falcon and Holden Commodore, later to be known as “V8 Supercars”.

On a path to Mount Panorama, an icon status of Australian motorsport, represented in a single word: “Bathurst”. Named for the nearby Bathurst City inland New South Wales — an Australian settlement founded in 1885, after the Third Earl of Bathurst, at the time the Secretary of State for War and Colonies in the British Government.

The Bathurst 1000 kilometre endurance motor race, where two drivers share the same car in individual stints over the race distance - began as a 500 mile event on the Mount Panorama road circuit - a public road closed for the duration of the event - in 1963 - and was advanced from 800 kilometres (500 miles) to 1000 kilometres in 1973 when Australia adopted the metric system of measurement - over 160 laps of the 6.2 kilometre circuit - that involves climbing a steep incline and in circuit dropping down again - in a gut wrenching drive to victory of both attrition and endurance.

a poet who cares

Midnitesun

Member Empyrean

since 2001-05-18

Posts 28647
Gaia

1 posted 2006-02-13 08:14 PM

quote:
Looking to cure the problem with a strip
of elastic tied in place to assist the spring
Like it was even a sewing kit in their
tool box each team had to The Mountain bring

LOL, but this reminds me of the 'outhouse races' we had in Alaska, literally...outhouses set upon skids, then raced across the downhill snowy slopes...home made outhouses, usually held together with bailing twine and duct tape...essentials in the proverbial typical Alaskan automotive repair kit

enjoyed the race

poettothecars
Senior Member

since 2006-02-10

Posts 1093
New Zealand

2 posted 2006-02-13 08:27 PM

In my case I have the motor race described on video tape. As well as about almost every one of these motor races from 1984 on tape, but a few.

Then I am describing a 6 to 7 hour motor race in my words above - so maybe that needed length. However I have never written a ballad as my above works that long since. Most are but 40 lines and not the 80 above

The elastic comment was interesting - as to how a sticking and jamming throttle problem was cured by attaching a strip of elastic to the accelerator peddle = now that is technology for ya .

Then I'm just glad for the comment as I kinow few if any would know the subject

a poet who cares

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