Mount Panorama Circuit
Mount Panorama Circuit
CATEGORY
Mount Panorama Circuit
Mount Panorama Motor Racing Circuit CCW is 6.2 km, 23 turns, counter-clockwise.
Opened 17 March 1938
Circuit length 6.213 km (3.861 mi)
Elevation change 174 m (571 ft)
Fastest Point Conrod Straight
Slowest Point Forrest's Elbow
Highest Point 862m above sea level
Steepest Grade 1 in 6.13
Length of Conrod Straight 1.916km
Length of Mountain Straight 1.111km
Length from bottom (Pit Straight) to top (Skyline) 174m “as the crow flies”
Signature event Bathurst 1000 (Supercars Championship, annual since 1963)
FIA grade Grade 3
Track status Public road outside race events
Direction Counterclockwise
Uploaded Laps 40
Length 6.21 km
Vertical Gain 181 m
Turns 23
Average Speed 139 kph
Average Lap Time 2:40.7
The track has an unusual design by modern standards, with a 174 m (571 ft) vertical difference between its highest and lowest points, and grades as steep as 1:6.13. From the start-finish line, the track can be viewed in three sections; the short pit straight and then a tight left turn into the long, steep Mountain straight; the tight, narrow section across the top of the mountain itself; and then the long, downhill section of Conrod Straight, with the very fast Chase and the turn back onto the pit straight to complete the lap.
The Mount Panorama Racing Circuit starts and ends at Pit Straight, down in the plain land in the outskirts of Bathurst. After passing Hell Corner, riders start speeding up at the Mountain Straight, a 1.1-km uphill road where velocities can go as high as 250 km/h. From that point on, there are eight turns with different radiuses going uphill until reaching Sulman Park, at 862m above sea level. A frenetic downhill trip with constant steering starts from there, with nine steep downhill turns packed in quick succession. The fastest (and longest) straightaway in the road course comes next, Conrod Straight, where racers at 300 km/h battle hard to pass each other. All in all, the 6.213 km (3.861 mi) circuit is an exciting place for motorsports and a temple for Australian racing enthusiasts.
The 6.21 km lap pairs long straights with tight left-hand corners at The Cutting, Forrest's Elbow and Murray's Corner. A straight of about 1,040 m leads into Turn 21 at The Chase, while another of about 950 m ends at the right-hand Griffins Bend. Skyline and The Esses link a right-left-right sequence through Turns 13–15.
Elevation spans about 173 m, with the highest point near Sulman Park and the lowest near Murray's Corner. A typical dry lap takes about 2:23 in a car.
The Pit Straight of Mount Panorama, which is adjacent to the pit complex, has a different start line and finish line. For the standing start only, the start line is 143 m (156 yd) closer to Hell Corner so that traffic does not go too far around Murray's Corner when the start grid is formed. The finish line is positioned such that all of the pit bays are located after it.
Contact
Mountain Straight, Mount Panorama NSW 2795, Australia
+61263336100
Mount Panorama Circuit
History
Mount Panorama Circuit is a 6.213-kilometre motor racing track cut into a public road on the outskirts of Bathurst, New South Wales, Australia. Opened on 17 March 1938 as a scenic tourist drive built partly as a Depression-era employment project, it doubles as an ordinary public road for most of the year, with a 60 km/h speed limit and normal traffic rules in effect whenever a race meeting isn’t underway.
Mount Panorama Circuit is a motor racing track located in Bathurst, New South Wales, Australia. It is situated on Mount Panorama and is best known as the home of the Bathurst 1000 motor race held each October, and the Bathurst 12 Hour event held each February. The track is a 6.213 km (3.861 mi) long street circuit, which is used as a public road when no racing events are being run, with many residences which can only be accessed from the circuit.
The road course in its current form was born in 1936, as an initiative from Martin Griffin, the Bathurst Mayor of the time, who wanted to organize racing in the town.
Historically, the racetrack has been used for a wide variety of racing categories, including everything from open-wheel racers to motorcycles. With tighter safety regulations and less tolerance of risk, motorcycle racing is no longer conducted at the circuit, and open-wheel racing events did not occur for many years until a Formula 3 event was added as a support race for the Bathurst 12 Hour in 2012. It is registered as a Grade 3 racing circuit by the FIA. Grade 3 racing circuits are permitted to hold FIA-sanctioned events with cars with a weight/power ratio of 2–3 kg/hp, which includes all current Australian domestic racing categories except S5000 (which were consequently modified to reduce maximum power for the event held there).
The area's racing history dates back to the 1900s. A man by the name of Dr. Machattie persuaded two local builders to drive from Melbourne to Bathurst- a 793 km (493 mi) drive in his steam-powered Thomson. Various circuits made up of public roads made up of dirt and tarmac were raced on starting in 1906. Until 1913, races took place on the 33.0 km (20.5 mi) Peel-Limekilns circuit, then from 1914 to 1925 the 24.9 km (15.5 mi) Yetholme circuit was used, then the incredibly long 100.6 km (62.5 mi) Sunny Corner (also known as the Mount Horrible circuit) circuit was used from 1926 to 1930 and the 11 km (7 mi) Vale Circuit was used from 1931 to 1937. Construction of the Mount Panorama circuit commenced in mid-1936. The first race meeting, for motorcycles, was held on 16 April 1938 and the first race, the 1938 Junior Tourist Trophy, was won by 20 year old Queenslander Les Sherrin riding a Norton. The first car race, the 1938 Australian Grand Prix, was held two days later and was won by Peter Whitehead driving an ERA.