The aforementioned John (from my previous post) is the resident racing fan of the house and consequently his undying love for the sport meant the loungeroom was turned into his personal pit-stop for the weekend. All that could be heard were the repetitious hooning sounds of suped-up V8's charging around the legendary Bathurst track... over and over and over again. As you might have picked up, this kind of thing really isn't my cup of tea. Historically waking up to the discovery that motor racing was on the TV brought a bitterness to my mouth and an ache to my stomach, as it meant that neither the AFL, nor the rugby, nor the cricket, nor anything else, would be televised that day.
However, this year was different. This year brought a little bit of everything and more. Every good sporting event needs a story to grapple its viewers. While Emmanuel Adebayor's goal for Manchester City against Arsenal in 2009 was a great goal in and of itself, it was made both legendary and infamous only by the fact that it was against his old club and that he thus decided to run the entire length of the field to celebrate in front of the Arsenal support.
With bottles and other debris being pelted towards him, we were embraced by the human element of game and soon forgot that it was just football being played. The sport is a catalyst or a vehicle (no pun intended) for creating intense human interaction. This is what intrigues those without an appreciation of the talent being displayed and is why on the weekend I found myself in a position I had never been in before: being interested in the Bathurst 1000 race.
The controversy started with the rumour released by News Limited that Ford would cease involvement in the sport at the end of 2015, in line with its plans to exit production in Australia and cease producing the 'Falcon' vehicle in 2016. This had obviously rallied a huge response from enthusiasts and those within the industry, as representatives began desperately fighting for their case. I can only imagine that this was undoubtedly in the back of the minds of all Ford drivers as they embarked on the most widely renowned V8 racing event of the year.
The second bit of excitement came from the relaying of much of the track prior to the race. The process had apparently left Turn 2 as an incredibly hazardous part of the track, with little bits of tarmac littering the road. With the insane speed that these cars were moving, the commentators likened trying to traverse over the turn to driving on ice. Unsurprisingly, this created a lot of the action for the day with spills and crashes occurring one after the other. Obviously, for someone like me, this was far and away the most engaging aspect of the race. Not only was it amazing watching the sheer carnage of incredibly expensive vehicles being torn up, but it was incredible as someone who's fascinated by the strategy in sport and games to witness so many drivers unable to account and adjust to the conditions. While I can't attest to having any idea how difficult it is to actually drive a V8 supercar, it did appear somewhat strange that so many cars fell victim to the surface.
The final stroke of absurdity came late in the race when race-leader Shane van Gisbergen's car failed to start after a pit-stop. This left Jamie Whincup and Mark Winterbottom fighting it out on the last final laps for the race win. In the neck and neck battle, Winterbottom spun out, and Chaz Mostert took his place quickly pressuring Whincup. On the last lap, Whincup's fuel had run very low, leaving him to try and conserve it whilst fending off Chaz Mostert. This proved an impossible task, as the car inevitably ran out of fuel, leaving Whincup rolling over the line in 5th place and Mostert as the 2014 Bathurst 1000 winner.
Once again, if you're anything like me, that's pretty amazing; incredibly, one guy's car dies after leading the majority of the race, another guy spins out in a battle for first, and his competitor then inexplicably runs out of fuel. However, the real icing on the cake is Chaz Mostert's story. Remember that controversy surrounding Ford? Well Mostert is a Ford driver. Not only that, but he's merely 22 years of age and started in last position at the beginning of the race! This is the 'Steven Bradury-esque' story that everyone loves to see, the underdog triumphing over all odds, and was the perfect finish to what was an amazing event to witness.
So there you have it. A demonstration that no matter what sport you witness, there lies potential for some of the most exciting drama and inspirational storytelling possible... even if it's motor-racing!
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