Well-known local builders Dave Pennells and his son Stuart were tearing up the mountain in their Porsches yesterday as they competed in the Bathurst Motor Festival. 

“Dad will be faster, but I will be more consistent,” Stuart grinned before taking to the circuit. 

Dave was driving his GT3 Porsche and Stuart was racing his 944s2 Porsche.

There was the maximum field of 55 Porsches competing in this year’s regularity events at Mount Panorama.

With Dave clocking times of 270 kilometres per hour along Conrod Straight and 245kph up Mountain Straight, and Stuart doing times of 250-260kph along Conrod and 170kph over the top of the mountain, both agreed the circuit was faster than it had ever been.

“With the new surface, the track is faster – no question,” Dave said. 

“My times are at least three or four seconds faster than last year.

“I’m really pleased – over the moon.”

Dave came on board with the Porsches about five years ago when Porsche club member Vic Watts came to him looking for a place to stay. He started hanging out with the drivers and was hooked. 

“They all had Porsches, and they were having too much fun not to be a part of it,” he laughed.

Dave said he was a member of the Light Car Club when he was just 17 and has been involved in motor sport ever since. He said he used to run with local drivers like Brian Nightingale in the early days.

He also competes in the NSW Formula Fords, Super Sprint events with the NSW Porsche Club and Light Car Club events. 

Dave said he fell in love with motor sport because of the speed, but has made some great friends out of it. 

“I think one of the nicest parts of running with the Porsche guys is that we all have expensive cars, so we tend to look after them and each other’s. No-one is reckless,” he said.

“The racing is a bit more gentlemanly, but boy do we have speed.

“I love this. Everyone here is a real motor sport enthusiast. It’s definitely a drivers’ event.”

Twenty-eight-year-old Stuart has been competing in the Bathurst Motor Festival for two years, after his dad encouraged him to become involved. 

Throughout the year Stuart also competes in Supersprints with the Porsche Club. 

“What keeps me coming back is the enjoyment of driving fast cars and the people who are involved.”