It used to be said that Australian motor sport only had one real race a year and all the rest was just practice. That race of course was the Bathurst 1000 (or the Bathurst 500 in the days of imperial measure). The 2012 event marked the 50th year of Australia's Great Race at Mount Panorama. While it would be unfair to all the other events on the local motor racing calendar to suggest the earlier statement is still true today, there is little doubt that the Bathurst 1000 remains the 'Jewel in the Crown' of Australian motor sport. For one weekend a year, this regional city, 210 kilometres west of Sydney, becomes Australia's motor sport Mecca. It is little wonder then that this race has become the most hard-fought and the most important to win of all races. A win at Bathurst can erase the pain of an entire poor season. If you said to most Australian race drivers at the start of a season, "You can have your choice of a good year in the V8 Supercar (touring car) championship or you can win Bathurst?" nine out of 10 drivers would choose the latter. There is no arguing that Bathurst is a sacred place for Australian motor racing and the classic 500-mile or 1000-kilometre races held at the famous Mountain circuit annually since 1963 have provided countless memories for many Australian race fans.
