Bathurst 1000 fanatics justify $10k per night Conrod Straight property
The group of 28 have secured one of the best seats in the house for Bathurst 1000.
It costs $10,000 a night to stay and would set you back around $200,000 to secure a five-year "lease" – but the tenants of Australia's most unique sporting vantage point have bad news for anyone looking to muscle in on their territory. They're not going anywhere.
As we previously revealed, 505 Conrod Straight at Bathurst's Mount Panorama is so close to the famous race track visitors are warned not to stand on the fence line in case they find a Supercar in their steak. It will set you back $10,000 a night to stay during Bathurst 1000 race week – or $200k if you wish to lock it in for the next five years.
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Any while that sounds like a lot of money, a group of mates has been happily forking out the hefty fee for a number of years to secure front row seats for the Great Race. With the roar of the V8 engines clearly audible in the background, organiser Aidan O'Shannessy told Yahoo Sport Australia on Sunday: "It’s expensive but when there's 28 of us, like this year, it’s not too bad.
"We all pay something like 1500-odd bucks for a whole weekend. Everything we do is communal. We pool our money to pay for food, drink and the rental, which works out pretty well.
"I love being here and we will be coming as long as we're still allowed back. We're not in a hurry to give it up." O'Shannessy and his mates previously stayed in the campgrounds at Bathurst but had decided not to return when they chanced upon an Airbnb posting for 505 Conrod Straight a few years ago.
$4 million home provides Bathurst 1000 experience
Owner Keith Tucker had just purchased the property and was keen to rent it out to fellow motor racing enthusiasts. The $4m-plus home boasts six bedrooms, three bathrooms, a swimming pool with a view of the track and numerous televisions strategically positioned to catch the race action.
"It started with 12 of us going camping in the campgrounds and then we found this place four or five years ago and we couldn't book it fast enough," O'Shannessy said. "I don't think we could come back again if we lost it."
Sunday's Bathurst 1000 is the highlight of the week - rev head heaven for O'Shannessy and his crew.
As the race got underway, he said: "We've got 20 kilos of chicken and lamb on the spit and the smoker is going with some ribs in it.
"We eat like kings and have a few beverages as we watch the race from three or four metres away. It's a pinch yourself moment when you sit here as motorsport fans and think 'how in the hell did we land this?'"
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