It was love at first sight for Tony Hawton when he went to his first Bathurst 1000 in 1977.
“I hit the track at 4:00 in the morning and was addicted, the electricity was running through me, the hair was up on my neck and I swear to you I said I’ll be back,” he says.
The Ford fanatic has been to Mount Panorama every year since then and is always one of the first campers to line up at the gates.
This year would have been his 44th to stand at those gates, but coronavirus ruled it out.
“Obviously it was very disappointing, I’ve been up there for 43 years in a row,” says Tony.
Instead, Tony has turned his humble house in west Sydney into a supercars playground.
For 10 days he sleeps in his makeshift backyard “Bathurst”.
“I started sleeping here last weekend and will be there until Monday morning – so I’ll pack in Bathurst as usual after the race.”
Tony has everything he needs. A kettle, a bed, a refrigerator and a grill – and of course everything is in Ford blue down to the smallest detail.
“My tomato sauce bottles are blue, if you sit them on your bench you will see the Ford sticker, and if you turn them the other way it must of course have the Ford logo on the right place.”
All sockets have Ford stickers.
“My whole house is powered by Ford,” he says.
For over four decades in Bathurst, his campsite has become famous among other race goers with over 100 flags.
A visit to the “Flag Inn” is a must and even attracts the attention of racing drivers.
“John Bowe, Dick Johnson called our warehouse in Bathurst every Saturday morning,” says Tony.
“Glenn Seaton, Neil Crompton, David Parsons – all these drivers come on the track and sit in the back of my trailer, sign for us, take photos – they stop every year without us asking them, which is pretty cool is. “
This year camping was banned and only 4,000 spectators per day are allowed to participate.
In a normal year there would be more than 200,000 fans in the four days, but this year there were only 16,000.
According to a social media call, over 800 diehards are doing the same thing as Tony.
“A lot of people just put it on their chin and make the most of it like me and just camp in the back yard,” he says.
“It’s all about the friendship, the people you meet up there – I have so many friends now that I met in Bathurst.”
Ford has been his passion for a long time, but the brand no longer makes cars in Australia. He hopes the following will stay alive.
“Obviously it’s very disappointing – I have a Falcon here that is a 2005 GT Falcon – to think this will be one of the last GTs – it’s done and there won’t be any more [it] is certainly a shame. “
Will the Bathurst 1000 be the same without the crowds?
Without the buzz on the mountain and the fence with thousands of screaming fans, Bathurst will look very different.
Scott McLaughlin, the leader of the Supercars Drivers Championship, is not too impressed to get over the top of the mountain and not see anyone on the bank.
“No matter what it looks like in relation to the fans – it’s still Bathurst and will still have that awe. It’s a special place for all of us drivers,” says Mclaughlin.
He’s right – the Holden-Ford rivalry is really going to be alive in households across the country, just ask Tony’s grandson Lucas.
“When I say the H word [Holden] I’m going on time off and I get really big problems, “says Lucas Touma.
The nine year old went to the race last year and it has become a tradition of grandfather and grandson.
“I love Bathurst so much 100 percent just because my pop loves it and it inspired me to do it,” says Lucas.
Fortunately, there is still room for a few visitors in the caravan because his four grandchildren camp with him on weekends.
And while the pandemic has postponed the annual gathering this year, punters like Tony are looking forward to flying the flag in 2021.
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