In March, bronze portraits of two of the biggest names in Australian motor racing were unveiled at the National Motor Racing Museum at Mount Panorama, signalling an important new direction for one of the country’s most significant motor sport collections.
Owned and operated by Bathurst Regional Council, the recent $500,000 museum extensions are part of $25 million recreation and tourism redevelopment plan for the world famous motor racing circuit.
The four times Australian Touring Car Champion and three times winner of the Great Race, Bob Jane, was on hand for his induction into the museum’s new Hall of Fame. A portrait of 1987 world 500cc champion, Wayne Gardner, was also unveiled representing the museum’s strong collection of motor cycles and its race memorabilia.
Bathurst Regional Council Administrator, Kath Knowles, said the new direction for the museum is part of a significant master plan to boost Mount Panorama’s reputation as a year round tourism facility.
“Bathurst has long been the spiritual home of Australian motor racing with a proud history that covers a variety of motor racing categories in over 60 years of motor racing events,” she said. “The museum’s collection grows from strength to strength and now with more space, many of the unique items in the collection that have been carefully stored away from the public can now take pride of place as part of the expanded exhibition.
“We are very privileged to have Bob Jane here today who is not only one of the legends of the Australian motor racing but a great friend of Bathurst. We are very proud that he is the very first inductee into the new Hall of Fame exhibit and can look forward to welcoming back many other great racing identities in the future as this special exhibit is developed.
“We know that annually 300,000 visitors come to Mount Panorama just to do a ‘lap of the track’ and that the proportion of these visitors that stop at the museum is growing all the time, with 1,000 visitors through a week during the January holidays.”
“This is of course just the beginning and with stage two of the redevelopment now underway, including improvements to recreation areas at the top of the Mount, the experience will only get better.”
