Best Spectator Moment?

Chatters · 24 Jul 2006, 09:31 (Ref:1663225)

Hey, I bet we've all been to at least one race meet sometime in our lives, and I tell you, it's the best time listening to Holden and Ford fans yelling at each other.

What's been the best moment you've had in the crowd guys?

I've got a few. One was at Eastern Creek last year. Anyone who was in the grandstand will know what I'm talking about. It had been a pretty full on day, with the whole Skaife and Ambrose accident. From that point on almost everyone in the stands (apart from the Ambrose fans) hated Ambrose.

In race 3 Lowndes and Ambrose were battling for P1 when the Pit-Stops came around. Seeing as everyone hated Ambrose, all of us wanted to see Lowndesy beat him out of the pits.

It was so hilarious! Lowndes beat him out, and the whole grandstand, even the Holden fans, went up in cheers. Man it was fun.

Raglanparade · 24 Jul 2006, 09:38 (Ref:1663230)

Sandown Historics circa 1998..

the commentator still referring to an italian bloke as a 'new australian' even though he'd been here for 25 years ..

peckstar · 24 Jul 2006, 09:41 (Ref:1663233)

londes on skaife sandown 2005 with just afew laps to go, it was deafining, its probably not my favorite , but i rate it highly and its recent

pete55 · 24 Jul 2006, 10:14 (Ref:1663253)

Kevin Bartlett threatening to punch Ron Wanless's lights out at Bathurst early 80's (83 i think).

XW GT · 24 Jul 2006, 10:17 (Ref:1663257)

Slightly off topic but amusing. Back in the eighties the Austalian GP was held at Calder Park, one of the headline acts was Italian F1 Alfa Romeo driver Bruno Giacomelli (not sure of the spelling), he was reffered to in the press as the Irish F1 driver "Jack O Malley"

retro · 24 Jul 2006, 11:09 (Ref:1663288)

At the Paper Clip 4 or 5 years ago there was a group of blokes sitting on the hill with rather large numbers (ala Olympic Diving) and every time a girl went past the blokes were holding up a number.(out of 10)

What I did notice was that some of the girls walked past spun back around and walked past again in an attempt to get their numbers a bit higher.

I16 · 24 Jul 2006, 12:10 (Ref:1663331)

At Albert Park F1GP some years ago, after very good drivers had shown great speed - it came time for the V8 Aussie Touring cars to make their debut.
They rumbled around on their warm up lap and a big fat aussie fan turned around in our corporate box and announced to all that "this was real motoracing"
Only problem was there was only me left in the seats - everyone else had ******** off !

Chatters · 24 Jul 2006, 12:27 (Ref:1663342)

I got another one from Eastern Creek '05.

After the Skaife/Ambrose clash in Race 1, both the drivers were called to a hearing. About an hour or so after the race, Skaife comes walking down to pit lane talking to someone I asusmed to be Jeff Grech (possibly Uncle Tom was with the team then?). Anyway, he walks down, and some Ford fan yells out "******!" I was standing right behind him, moved past him when some HRT fan turns around and goes "In the crowd!" Everyone in that area burst out laughing.

Ah, memories.

Matt · 24 Jul 2006, 18:37 (Ref:1663558)

Quote:

Originally Posted by Chatters

I got another one from Eastern Creek '05.

After the Skaife/Ambrose clash in Race 1, both the drivers were called to a hearing. About an hour or so after the race, Skaife comes walking down to pit lane talking to someone I asusmed to be Jeff Grech (possibly Uncle Tom was with the team then?). Anyway, he walks down, and some Ford fan yells out "******!" I was standing right behind him, moved past him when some HRT fan turns around and goes "In the crowd!" Everyone in that area burst out laughing.

Ah, memories.

I don't quite understand that, could you explain it better? Sounds pretty funny.

DAVID PATERSON · 25 Jul 2006, 03:50 (Ref:1663830)

Years ago i was watching the ATCC at Lakeside. There was a group of yobboes who had been hitting the grog hard since 6am. By 10am they had all passed out/fallen asleep drunk and they didn't wake until after the last race. What a waste of time & money.

The highlight was in the middle of the day, when there was a huge crash right in front of us. In the commotion, one of them woke suddenly and hit his head hard on the underside of the car he had crawled under. He then lost interest on the incident and went back to sleep under the car.

Average Punter · 25 Jul 2006, 05:27 (Ref:1663854)

Sitting in the gum tree at the chicane at the Adelaide GP watching Ayrton Senna on a qualifying lap in 1991. Thinking about that yellow helmet in those flying red and white McLarens still puts goose bumps on my neck. BTW you can't climb up that tree anymore. It's all corporate boxes...

The sound of the big 12 cylinder TWR Jags bellowing up the mountain at Bathurst in 1985...

Indy 2002. Man what a party!

In Adelaide again at the very wet 1989 GP, the organisers put down some bark chips over a section of the pathway behind the pit straight grandstands. As the water got deeper, the bark chips started floating and a large crowd of blokes gathered on either side to "shepherd" people down the "path".
As you can imagine the crowd gave a huge roar every time some poor unfortunate went in up to their waist in the bark chips!!!!!!

darren holliday · 25 Jul 2006, 05:42 (Ref:1663859)

For me it has to be sitting on the hill at Eastern Creek in 2003 to see Ambrose win the championship. The first for Ford in a long time.

That was the same event that Ingall and Skaife came together. Its amazing how many people dont like Skaife. We could see Skaife go into the Stone Brothers pit, the crowd was going nuts abusing Skaife. Every time Ingall drove past he was hero worshipped.

Then with a few laps to go in the last race it absolutely poured with rain, we were in shorts and a t-shirt. Got soaked to the bone - I didnt care, it was a huge day and weekend.

lowdown · 25 Jul 2006, 05:42 (Ref:1663860)

Gardner and Crompton taking each other out on turn one at Bathurst back when they were team mates in the Coke days when they used to go Bathurst twice a year. Once as a sprint rounds and the 1000, 96 i think. Hell corner went nuts. i was standing on the fence where Gardner went in. It was Gold.

Chatters · 25 Jul 2006, 06:55 (Ref:1663889)

Quote:

Originally Posted by MattA1

I don't quite understand that, could you explain it better? Sounds pretty funny.

Basically it went like this:
Ford Fan (to Skaife): ******!
Holden Fan (to Ford Fan): In the crowd.

Resulted in everyone in that area laughing at him.

Quote:

Originally Posted by lowdown

Gardner and Crompton taking each other out on turn one at Bathurst back when they were team mates in the Coke days when they used to go Bathurst twice a year. Once as a sprint rounds and the 1000, 96 i think. Hell corner went nuts. i was standing on the fence where Gardner went in. It was Gold.

Captain Chaos and Co. I was Murray's that race, but I saw it from where I was.

rdmdog · 25 Jul 2006, 09:07 (Ref:1663994)

When I was at the Lady Wigram race meeting in '87 (I think) the truck next to the one we were sitting on (No grandstands at the air base) covered in hay bales went up when someone dropped a lit cigarette, not funny at the time, but after the meeting was delayed due to the fireies putting out the fire (hot day, very dry) and the racing had settled down, a yobboish bloke in a strong Kiwi accent said,

"Wull, I hope Dougall didn't want his bales back!!"

May not sound so funny now, but at the time for a 14 year old travelling O/S for the first time, i thought it was a ****er!!

Chuggwald · 25 Jul 2006, 09:12 (Ref:1664001)

Symmons Plains, the year they brought it back... 2004? Anyway Toddler parked it just after turn1/2, and got out and watched himself "watching himself" on the huge tv erected nearby

i have a photo somewhere, might try upload it if anyones interested.

Average Punter · 25 Jul 2006, 09:12 (Ref:1664003)

I thought of another one!

After going to Hidden Valley this year I have decided that Darwin is THE home of the funny t-shirt.

In the crowd this year I saw
**** off. I've got enough friends.
Please read this while I stare at your t*ts and
I may not be Mr Right. But I'll **** you until he shows up...

rustyinsthoz · 25 Jul 2006, 10:13 (Ref:1664043)

Quote:

Originally Posted by pete55

Kevin Bartlett threatening to punch Ron Wanless's lights out at Bathurst early 80's (83 i think).

Until he found out Ron Wanless was an ex boxer.

Boxy · 25 Jul 2006, 11:22 (Ref:1664083)

For mine it would have to be when I was a young bloke, sitting on my dad's shoulders at the '86 Adelaide GP, watching those amazing F1 machines at full noise down Dequettiville (sp?) straight. I've been hooked on motorsport ever since.
That, and seeing a Top Fueller at night for the first time.

Pirtek_Falcon-1 · 25 Jul 2006, 11:41 (Ref:1664103)

Marcos Ambrose @ EC 04. Leading upto the round everyone was saying he would crack etc. He wins R1 by ~12secs, R2 by ~19secs, and R3 by ~30secs.

Chatters · 25 Jul 2006, 13:13 (Ref:1664178)

This one is more of a best moment for a spectator/fan.

I think it was the '97 GP at Albert Park, early morning the V8 drivers were down at Brocky's Hill signing autographs. We'd been waiting there for about 45 minutes waiting to meet Skaife, Lowndes and Ingall, when the bloody announcer says no more and says that everyone should leave. What do those bloody HRT guys do? They ****-bolted out of there. Ingall however stayed back for about 10 minutes signing autographs.

Now thats a true sign of a fan-friendly driver.

hgmonaro · 25 Jul 2006, 13:49 (Ref:1664202)

Jones (Porker 935 or whatever it was) and Brock (Monza) at Sandown in early 80's.

Top Fuellers should be experienced once in your life time!

coln72 · 26 Jul 2006, 00:20 (Ref:1664592)

Watching Schumaker (spelling?) taking Damon Hill out at the Adelaide GP right in front of us stcks in my mind as well as being in the grand stand at Sandown for the 500 when Alan Moffat appeared in the HDT Commodore. The crowd just errupted.

Nearly having my feet run over at a Vic Championship rally is right up there too

Henry · 26 Jul 2006, 02:17 (Ref:1664617)

1985, Mountainview hillclimb, a round of the state or national hillclimp championship or something, late arvo, and Robert Rumble smashes a national hillclimb record in an old yellow Cheetah... it was greased lightning - the crowd were on their feet by the second corner, applauding by the third... it was my first live motorsport event, and I was enthralled.

hoffy · 26 Jul 2006, 05:29 (Ref:1664660)

Not quite spectator moments, as I was flagging, but it still sends a shiver down my spine.

Clipsal 500, 2003, working the flag point on Wakefield Street. The cars would come out of Vic Park & just about use the flag point as a turning marker. The first lap of race 1 was just awsome as the whole field came screaming past. By the end of the day (on both days) all the flaggies looked like racers of old, with oil splattered faces & sun glass "panda" eyes.

The being said the worse moment was again as a flaggy, when John Faulkner hit the wall at our flag point, Canberra (cant remember the year now)

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