Stock up on the chilly bins and jandals – the Kiwis are coming. Perhaps spurred on by a stronger New Zealand dollar, it looks like motor sport fans from across the ditch are preparing for an assault on Bathurst like we have never seen before.
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Local accommodation owners say they are not surprised that the city is all but booked out six weeks out from the 2015 Supercheap Auto Bathurst 1000, but they are surprised that so many of their guests are coming from the Shaky Isles.
It’s perhaps a sign of changing times that Australians used to fly to New Zealand for a cheap holiday; now the tide has turned.
But that won’t concern the local motels, restaurants and pubs who will just as happily put the New Zealand visitors’ cash in their tills as they would from visitors from across Australia.
Of course, the Kiwis’ support is quite understandable given New Zealand has very strong links to the V8 Supercars series.
New Zealand-born drivers including Greg Murphy and Shane Van Gisbergen have had a fantastic impact on the series and the whole roadshow will be taken to Auckland in November for a round of the series.
But before we get to that we can all again look forward to the excitement of the Great Race here in Bathurst.
No matter how long you have lived in Bathurst and how many Race Weeks you have survived, it is almost impossible not to get swept up in race fever as the big day draws near.
The history of the race, the champions it has bred and the mystique of the Mount always combine to create something special.
Looks like those New Zealanders sure know a good show when they see one.
