Bathurst 1000 not just for grown ups but a sweet ride for kids
Two lucky lads in lanyards soaked up the motorsports scene, saw plenty of action on track and enjoyed all the fun things for young fans to see and do when Supercars burned into Mount Panorama
READING LEVEL: GREEN
More than 200,000 people watched this year’s Bathurst 1000 race, including thousands of kids who ended their spring break on a Mount Panorama high last weekend.
Children aged 12 and under had free entry to the longest race on the Supercars calendar, an event considered to be one of the nation’s top sporting spectacles.
Each year, there is plenty for kids to see and do at the circuit – and remarkably much of it is free.
Companies that sponsor the racing want more young people to support their teams, so there are many opportunities to try new things without families copping extra costs.
Repco had a pit stop challenge that required fans to simulate* the service of race cars during the event by changing tyres and using a fuel bottle during a timed challenge.
Hot Wheels brought an enormous “Stunt Zone” for kids, including pedal cars, mini golf, an enormous track for toy cars and a sand pit for adventures.
Car companies such as Ford and Toyota invited people to look at their latest cars – and even take them for test drives on driving simulators that proved immensely popular.
Several other companies had driving games, with prizes including team merchandise*, toy cars, hats and sunglasses.
Young and old fans could test their reaction times, refine their rodeo* skills on a mechanical bull, and practise dispensing* the perfect amount of fuel for a pit stop.
Young fans Jake and Deke travelled to the circuit from Gulgong in NSW.
“Bathurst is fun because of all the activities you can do for free,” Jake said.
“It’s also very fun to meet the drivers.”
Racing drivers often meet with fans when they are not driving on Mount Panorama at speeds up to 290km/hr.
People can talk to their racing heroes, have a photo taken, or even get their signature on a poster, piece of clothing, or model car.
“I find it fun to get their autographs,” Jake said.
“You can get a bit nervous to talk to them or forget your question. But overall I find it exciting.”
Fellow fan Deke agreed that meeting drivers was a highlight.
“I like going to Bathurst and getting autographs and meeting drivers,” he said.
“It’s very fun to get autographs, though it’s sometimes scary. You have to be a little bit brave.
“This year I got autographs from many drivers including Cam Waters, Jayden Ojeda, Cooper Murray, Jack Le Brocq, James Courtney and all the Shell drivers including the Bathurst winners, Todd Hazelwood and Brodie Kostecki.”
As for the best activities?
Aside from tasty trackside food such as pizza, Dagwood dogs, cheeseburgers and choc tops – all of which you do need to pay for – Jake and Deke agreed that free driving games were the most fun.
“I usually drive on the driving simulators – I mainly find the driving simulators my favourite,” Jake said.
“I’ll come back next year and collect more autographs, as well as set some new personal best times on the racing simulators.
“And of course, the cars are extremely entertaining to watch.”
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GLOSSARY
- simulator: a piece of equipment designed to represent real conditions, as in an aircraft, spaceship or car
- merchandise: goods that are bought or sold
- rodeo: a sport and public entertainment in which cowboys show different skills by riding horses or bucking bulls and catching cows with ropes
- dispensing: giving out portions or smaller parts of something from a larger supply
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QUICK QUIZ
- How many spectators watched this year’s Bathurst 1000?
- Drivers zoom around the track at speeds of up to how many kilometres per hour?
- Guest cub reporter Deke scored autographs from which drivers?
- What was Jake’s favourite activity?
- What activities were included in the Hot Wheels Stunt Zone?
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CLASSROOM ACTIVITIES
1. Design a logo!
Create a new name and a logo for the kids’ activities at Bathurst 1000. Your logo should also include a catchphrase or motto. Use information from the story to help you.
Time: allow at least 20 minutes for this activity
Curriculum Links: English
2. Extension
What kind of training do you think a racing car driver would have to do to be in top form? Write a list of skills that you think they need and suggestions for how they could practise and develop each skill.
Time: allow at least 20 minutes for this activity
Curriculum Links: English, Health and Physical Education
VCOP ACTIVITY
Driver profile
The Bathurst 1000 is a huge event in motorsports and has a great history. Do your research and choose a past or present champion to profile. Create a template for a character profile that we can fill in with all the information you want to know about some Bathurst 1000 success stories Make sure the layout has subtitles, and perhaps questions under each subtitle, to help us fill it in.