DRIVERS, teams, cars and weather may change year on year, but one constant at the Bathurst 1000 is the presence of Ian Watson.
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This year, Mr Watson is celebrating 50 years of camping at Mount Panorama for the Great Race.
It is a tradition in his family that started with his own father, who began camping at the Mount 80 years ago, and one that will likely be continued with Mr Watson’s sons, who have been coming along since they were five years old.
Mr Watson said that his father was a flag marshal, a role that took him to Mount Panorama, and the children would get to camp with him.
It wasn’t until around 16 years ago that Mr Watson moved to Bathurst himself, but even though he lives a short distance from the Mount, he still chooses to camp there each year.
The whole family are Ford supporters through and through, which is why the only event Mr Watson has missed is the 1980 Bathurst 1000, as he didn’t want to see Peter Brock win for a third consecutive time.
It was a smart choice, because Brock did in fact win that year, with co-driver Jim Richards in a Holden VC Commodore.
Mr Watson said that being a Ford supporter is not optional in his family.
“I think if they [the kids] did change they’d become the black sheep of the family,” he said.
When it comes time to set up a temporary home on the mountain, it is in the same spot each year, virtually where the tradition started.
They decorate their site with flags and don’t leave for around a week.
When it comes time to watch the action on track, they stake out a spot relatively close to their campsite.
Mr Watson said that staying at Mount Panorama instead of at home makes the race experience much more enjoyable.
“It’s just the atmosphere that you don’t get to see watching it on TV,” he said.
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As he is a Ford supporter, Mr Watson’s favourite moment from the mountain was the Ford one-two finish in 1977 with lead drivers Allan Moffat and Colin Bond.
He was also pretty pleased to see the factory Ford team take out the Great Race in 2013 and again in 2014.
Mr Watson said he hopes to see Mark Winterbottom take out Sunday’s race.
“It would be real good if he could do it, but we’ll just have to wait and see,” he said.
