Before you watch the Wallabies get wet in Wellington, join us for a massive live blog of the iconic Bathurst 1000 today. We will be providing updates, news, informed discussion and wild speculation from the moment the lights change at 10:30am EDST until the chequered flag 161 laps later.
All the ingredients are at Mount Panorama today for a classic race.
Topsy turvey grid? – Check!
Greg Murphy will start the race on Pole alongside Will Davidson after a burst of rain soaked the track and ruined the qualifying chances of the three fastest drivers from practice.
The veteran Kiwi who always finds an extra gear at Bathurst still managed to out pace Craig Lowndes, defending V8 champion James Courtney and the speedy Shane Van Gisbergen to take top spot.
In addition to the novelty of seeing some different faces at the front, we will also enjoy watching Jamie Whincup, Garth Tander and Mark Winterbottom fighting their way forward from 8th, 9th and 10th.
Hot on their heels will be Lee Holdsworth who was spitting chips at his five place penalty to 13th after missing a direction to weigh in during final practice.
Legends on fire? – Check!
The clear favourite both sentimentally and on form is the 88 Commodore of Lowndes and Mark Skaife. With Eleven race victories between them and a cosy place up the grid away from trouble, they are doing everything right to repeat their terrific victory from last year.
Brilliant track? – Double check!
The 6.2km of tarmac that twists and turns up and down Mount Panorama is known throughout the Motor Racing world as one of the great tracks. It is daunting to drive, fabulous to watch and steeped in history.
It rewards commitments and punishes indiscretions. And we get to enjoy it all day.
Crazy weather? – Fingers crossed!
The bottom line is that you could ignore all of the above and simply delight in the following… it is forecast to rain. And then stop, and then rain again. And then stop and start for the entire day.
When you consider that rain has the ability to make dull motor racing fun, then the thought of a wet/dry affair at Bathurst is truly manna from heaven.
So log on for the race start at 10:30 or any time before the race finishes as The Roar goes 1000km
Mark Young
Roar Guru
Thanks Tristan! I enjoyed it a lot. And a win for the Wallabies to boot! 4'000 reads is terrific!
Tristan Rayner
Editor
Entertaining blog - great job Mark well done and thanks. You had more than 4000 reads!
Mark Young
Roar Guru
At this point, with seven hours of comments and general smart assery behind me, it is time to sign off. So a big thanks to my sponsors, Twisties, Nescafe and Tooheys. A big thanks to my patient and wonderful wife. And a big thanks to The Roar for our first motor racing live blog. Cheers everyone and it's over to Wellington on our knees to pray that we can get back in front of South Africa!
Mark Young
Roar Guru
The next race will be in two weeks time at Surfer's Paradise where the international stars will share the driving on the most punishing circuit on the calendar. Short of quirting oil out of the safety car there is not much more they could do to guarantee incidents really. Matt White confirming that this is the closest finish to Bathurst we have had. Gripping finish! Far better then the six lap victories Peter Brock used to record that Peter McKay was pining for this morning.
Mark Young
Roar Guru
Driver of the day, has to be Tander, a mighty effort from a rubbish grid spot. Percat stayed out of nonsense but will buying lotto tickets after hitting the wall on the outside of Griffiths without damaging the car terminally. It was a much bigger error then what Youlden, Fiore etc did into Murray's but had a much softer penalty.
Mark Young
Roar Guru
So what did we see today. Best Overtaking move/s - Craig Lowndes onto Tander and later Murphy into the Chase. Very squirrely moves. Biggest Drama - The fire on Besnard's car into Griffiths Dumbest move - Poor Luke Youlden hitting the curb outside of Murray's on a safety car restart. Ford or Holden? - Holden 1,2,3 The red Lion roared today
Mark Young
Roar Guru
Lowndes has to console himself with the fact that he leads the championship over Whincup and Van Gisbergen
Mark Young
Roar Guru
Do you ever wonder what the grid girls are thinking at times like this. Should I get a pepsi? Or a coke? pepsi? coke?
Mark Young
Roar Guru
Leanne Tander looks on with a curious mix of pride and envy.
Mark Young
Roar Guru
Lowndes and Skaife look a little disappointed but they drove a wonderful race. No shame in being beaten by a champion
Mark Young
Roar Guru
Final Results 1. Tander/Percat – Commodore Started 9th +0.3 2. Lowndes/Skaife – Commodore Started 3rd +11 3. Murphy/Simonsen – Commodore Started 1st +19 4. Winterbottom/Richards – Falcon Started 10th +20 5. Bright/Jones – Commodoes Started 18th +33 6. Van Gisbergen/McIntyre - Falcon Started 5th +36 7. Courtney/McConville – Commodore Started 4th +37 8. Ingall/Perkins – Commodore Started 25th (How is that for moving up the field!) +41 9. Alberto/Wood - Falcon Started 23rd +47 10.Caruso/Marshall – Commodore Started 14th
Mark Young
Roar Guru
He joins Greg Murphy and three bonafide Bathurst Legends in Alan Moffat, Harry Firth and Bob Jane with his fourth victory. It is also a victory for men with glasses, not since Nick Farr-Jones has a short-sighted man stuck it to the normals with such vigour.
Mark Young
Roar Guru
What a wonderful effort from the Champion of HRT Garth Tander. He has been the fastest man at the track all weekend long and richly deserves his fourth win at Bathurst. And a mighty effort by Nick Percat to stay on the pace under pressure from Whincup, Skaife and Lowndes.
Mark Young
Roar Guru
LAPS COMPLETED! 161 1000km Garth Tander Wins!
Mark Young
Roar Guru
There will be something happening on the way into the chase.......
Mark Young
Roar Guru
Lowndes all over Tander's gearbox through Reid Park and up to the Skyline
Mark Young
Roar Guru
LAP 161 994km completed! Lowndes is in Tander's slipstream up to Griffiths
Tristan Rayner
Editor
What a finish! This is cracking.
Mark Young
Roar Guru
LAP 160 988km Craig will be able to take a shot at him. Stand by....
Mark Young
Roar Guru
LAP 159 986km Less then 2 seconds separates them. Time is now irrelevant, if Garth slips up, Craig is through...