Police seize Ford Falcon GT for turning laps at Mt Panorama

It’s a sign of the impact of your achievements that, some five decades later, people are still trying to emulate them. Allan Moffat conquered the Bathurst 500 in 1970 and 1971, and more than 50 years on people are still bringing their XW and XY Falcons to the mountain. 

Although some are flying a bit close to the sun when it comes to emulating their Mount Panorama heroes. 

The NSW Police Traffic and Highway Patrol Command Facebook page recently shared yet another example of a rev-head being pinged for speeding on the mountain circuit. For those unawares, the Bathurst circuit is a public road most days of the year, with several houses and vineyards dotted around the track. 

This most recent speeding breach concerned a 49-year-old man and his classic Ford XY Falcon GT. It reports that the man was spotted breaking the speed limit and driving on the wrong side of the road. 

“Police received a phone call from a member of the public advising that a green Ford Falcon with no registration plates was driving at excessive speed and on the incorrect side of the roadway on Mountain Straight, Mount Panorama Bathurst,” says the NSW Police.

“Police attached to Bathurst Highway Patrol were already conducting speed enforcement on Mount Panorama at this time and quickly acknowledged the job. […] Within moments, police observed the green XY Ford Falcon with no registration plates driving at high speed on Conrod Straight. The speed of the vehicle was checked at 125km/h.

“Police stopped the vehicle and spoke with the driver. The 49-year-old Sydney man was breath-tested which returned a negative result. It was identified that he was a suspended driver as he had been caught drinking-driving by police two weeks earlier.

“When the man was asked about his manner of driving and excessive speed, he replied ‘I’m just doing a re-enactment,’ referring to the Bathurst race,” it adds, leaving little doubt that this Falcon owner is a big fan of Allan Moffat’s work. 

Evidently the most interesting story here may well be the history of the Falcon. The driver says the car was recently imported to Australia from South Africa. There the Aussie-bred Falcon was sold way back when as a Fairmont GT. 

This matters little to the NSW Police, who have taken a stern line not only at the speeding but also the fact the car was pinged while unregistered. The driver’s reported excuse that “they were closed” is unlikely to fly. To add insult to injury, the driver had already been suspended for drink-driving just two weeks prior. 

“The vehicle was unregistered, with the driver telling police that he had imported it from South Africa. He had picked it up in Melbourne a few days prior and was driving it back home to Sydney.

“Police impounded the XY Falcon for three months due to the excessive speed. The man was issued with a field court attendance notice to appear at Bathurst Local Court in March 2022 for the offence of driving whilst suspended. He was issued penalty notices for the offences of exceeding the speed by more than 45km/h and using an unregistered and uninsured vehicle.”

The speeder could face between six and 12 months jail for driving while suspended, with thousands of dollars in fines also likely to be on the way following his court appearance next month.