For the last few days, I’ve been shin-deep in the mud at the Bathurst 1000 event in New South Wales.
However, despite a gloomy weather forecast threatening to dump even more rain on sodden soil, spirits here are remarkably high.
I went for a wander today around the campsites at the top of Mount Panorama and got to meet some of the diehard petrolheads who make Bathurst an annual pilgrimage.
At first, I bump into Geoff, but his mates have nicknamed him Squeaky, on account of a noisy fan belt in his car.
He’s been coming to Bathurst since 2005.
“I just tell the boss I'm going away, that's it, they know it now,” he said.
Squeaky tells me he’s a hardcore fan, but you’d know that if you looked at his calf muscle.
It’s dominated by a tattoo outline of the iconic track at Bathurst.
A few hundred metres down the road you meet Stuart Ward. He’s a diehard Ford supporter and has been camping here for 30 years.
“You see a lot of the same people every year that we get the same campsite. So that's good to catch up. You don’t know half the blokes’ names, but you just have a beer with them and chat, the boys get a bit loose away from the families for a few days.”
At 9am he’s already cracked a beer, and his mates have been drinking since 7am.
“So, I'm one of the late starters this morning,” he laughs.
Beer is a big part of the spirit of Bathurst.
I've been told by many campers that it's common to drive up the mountain several weeks before the big race and bury a stockpile of beverages.
With officials warning fans of the 24 can limit per person, many feel that's quite not enough, and dig up their secret supply at a later date.
Fast cars, warm company, phenomenal views, and a drink or two.
What’s not to love about that?
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