FOSC - Easter 2011 - EASTERN CREEK

[Whittie]

As follows:

 

 

 

 

 

Hi Tom,

 

 

 

I don’t really know how best to say this: we are not going to be conducting a FoSC Mount Panorama Easter event next year.

 

 

 

Selfishly, I am going to miss the pride watching the drivers’ faces returning to the paddock after their event, experiencing the fabulous camaraderie in the paddock, feeling such wonder at and pride of the flaggies returning in the evening smiling and making “high fives”, hearing continued praise for our Masters, receiving shouted welcomes and congratulations from complete strangers during the weekend and returning home and working through literally hundreds of excitable emails after each of the three years we ran at Bathurst.

 

 

 

I am totally overwhelmed just thinking back over those only three years.

 

 

 

Really, all of us in FoSC have had an absolutely wonderful time, taking into account all the difficulties we had to overcome to just get to the Mountain, it is the greatest experience we have all had in our time in our great sport. The friendships based on just being there together are numerous.

 

 

 

If you were there, you know the sheer pleasure we all experienced at Bathurst. We were all part of something very very special, watching everyone soak up the spectacular moment that was “us on the Mountain”.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

We all came to enjoy this magic circuit, but we made it more than just magic, we joined together, driver, official, pit crew, family, everyone and we came together for a momentous period.

 

 

 

“We ran the Mountain”, from an office or behind a steering wheel, from a flag point or in the timing box, from a tilt tray or the spectator gate, and we all made it momentous.

 

 

 

We had no film stars or professional drivers, no models on the grid or sponsors pouring dollars into the event, we were just amateur motor sport at its best – enjoying ourselves.

 

 

 

Unfortunately, circumstances have conspired so the “team that is FoSC” cannot overcome them for 2011, so we have decided to retain our sanity, go to Eastern Creek next Easter for a different but new event and keep our Mountain powder dry for another time.

 

 

 

So, I am sorry, as are each of the FoSC team, but we did it, and maybe we can do it again, if circumstances allow us or another club, to bring amateur motor sport to arguably the best circuit in the world. Above all I am feeling a great hole at the thought of not being at Mount Panorama with all those wonderful people next Easter. A great circuit, but greater people, who came to enjoy!

 

 

 

On behalf of FoSC, we hope WE ALL can do it again!

 

 

 

 

 

My Best Regards

 

Charles Jardine

 

www.fosc.com.au

 

 

 

 

 

This is very sad as I know more than a couple of people on this forum alone were pushing builds to make Bathurst at Easter 2011. I hear it has to do with a few individuals who run competing events and having a few contacts in the shire council. It's really disgraceful that people would want to pull down an event like this, it was just incredible for everyone involved! I guess selfishness got the best of this event this time.

 

So, my car won't be going to Bathurst next year, but I might be going with my Dad and entering his '93 Toyota Supra instead at Eastern Creek, but we'll see what happens.

[260DET]

Yep, motorsport attracts its share of egomaniacs unfortunately. Was going to be my first Bathurst and already I was psyching myself up to max the boost and put the pedal to the metal down Conrod Straight to crack a few kays

[Lgee]

I also got this email and was not happy, i was my dream to goto bathurst and drive MY car around the circuit, with my mate whom we do lots of racing togeather, i had to face the harsh reality in early feb that my car was not going to be ready in time, i was shattered but resoved myself to the fact that i would go next year and continued preperations on my car, i went to bathurst in April with my mate to give him support as it was my idea to go in the first place, it was a trip and a half in more ways than one, we drove a coaster bus which was our base for 4 days with a race car on the trailer behind, i got 5 laps in one of the masters classes with some old guy that scared the poop out of me, i can only hope that when im his age i can still throw a car around like that, we had deciced that we were going next year before this years event so that i could get run, so full forged engine rebuild, rebuilt gearbox, larger turbo and all associated parts, bigger brakes, tein coilover suspension and so on, car made 225kw at all four wheels still needs to tuned, and now my dream has been taken away, i have no real desire to drive eastern creek not like bathurst, its a long haul from melbourne especially when phillip island is my home track only 45 mins away, we did a video diary of our trip to the mountain like Ewan and Charlie (long way down/round), when and if the chance comes up again i will be first in the que.

[Whittie]

My Dad has been keeping close contact with Charles on this, given our distance away and need to plan well ahead, and apparently it's all in the courts at the moment, but it should be back on track for 2012. Fingers Crossed!! FOSC were given dispensation to run last year and it was always going to be a coin toss whether or not they would run this year. I do recall hearing from several people that the opportunity to run Bathurst would not last long, that's why I jumped every occasion I could, just incase something like this happened. Personally, I think racing attracts MORE than it's fair share of egomaniacs....

 

There is another person who sells drives around Bathurst for 5k a weekend, and he's arguing that FOSC are ripping of the council, stealing his customers, etc etc. and that's what's caused all this nonsense in the first place. Hopefully all will be sorted out soon and we can just get back to enjoying the mountain the way it was built to be enjoyed!!