BUCKET LIST: National Motor Racing Museum, Bathurst

With the motorsport world on hold, and travel bans in place for Australia, you might be forgiven for contemplating a future escape.

Speedcafe.com has worked to develop a list of dream places, events and experiences for fans of motorsport and motoring for you to tick off your Bucket List.

NATIONAL MOTOR RACING MUSEUM: BATHURST, NSW

There is probably no better place for the National Motor Racing Museum than on the outside of Murray’s Corner at the spiritual home of Australian motorsport, Mt Panorama, Bathurst.

While it has a focus on traditional touring car racing which has made Mt Panorama one of the most famous circuits in the world, the museum’s collection has grown substantially over the last 30 years to pay tribute to all facets of motorsport dating back to the 1920s.

The tour begins before you get inside the museum with a mandatory photo with the memorial sculpture of the “King of the Mountain”,  Peter Brock.

This stone piece, which has Brock standing on top of his 1984 Bathurst-winning VK Commodore, was created by Julie Squires and was unveiled on October 8, 2008, two years after Brock was killed in a tarmac rally in West Australia.

The museum started as a temporary display, but, ironically, was opened at its current site by Brock himself in 1988.

The museum may not have the glitz and glamour of some of the world’s great automotive showcases, but there is enough inside to get any local motorsport fan salivating.

There are more than 100 vehicles that are rotated through the museum including some of the most prized pieces in Australian motorsport history.

Some of these vehicles are owned outright by the museum, while others are on loan from individuals, teams, manufacturers and corporate entities.

There is also a treasure trove of artifacts including helmets, suits and trophies, which all have their own unique story to tell.

Leading the charge is the Allan Moffat XC Falcon coupe from his famous 1977 1-2 form finish with teammate Colin Bond.

This car was reunited with the sister car for the first time on track in the PITEK Legends event at the Gold Coast 600 in 2009 with Moffat and Bond behind the wheel.

For the Holden fans there is the “Holy Grail” of Peter’s Brock’s 1984 VK Commodore which he drove to victory with Larry Perkins in the James Hardie 1000 – commonly known as the “Last of the Big Bangers”.

Other Bathurst 1000 winners include the Channel 7 LH Torana of Bob Morris and John Fitzpatrick (1976), the 1965 Cortina of Barry Seton and Midge Bosworth and the 1988 Benson and Hedges Sierra of Tony Longhurst and Tomas Mezera.

The museum is also home to the Nissan Bluebird of George Fury which was the first turbo-charged car to take the pole at Bathurst in 1984. Clocking a time of 2:13.85.

The now-defunct Bathurst 24-hour is also represented with the 7.0L Holden Monaro 427C driven to a win in the 2002 event by Garth Tander, Steve Richards, Cameron McConville and Nathan Pretty.

A list of motorcycles is headed by the 1987 world 500cc championship Rothaman’s Honda of Wayne Gardner.

The National Motor Sport Museum is part of a group of exhibits managed and promoted by the proactive Bathurst City Council, including the Australian Fossil and Mineral Museum, Bathurst Rail Museum, The Central Tablelands Collection Facility and the Chifley Home and Education Centre.

If you are heading to Bathurst and have a bit of extra time they are all worth checking out.

CLICK HERE for a gallery of the National Motor Racing Museum.

VENUE OVERVIEW