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Refuel the engine - Full guide to who will win the 2015 Bathurst 1000

Chaz Mostert and Paul Morris of Ford Performance Racing after taking out Bathurst in 2014.
Roar Guru
5th October, 2015
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The Bathurst 1000 is the pinnacle of motorsport in Australia. The gruelling event is the most cherished endurance race in the nation, and the most difficult to win.

While the format of the race has changed over the years, as well as the teams and cars that have competed in it, one thing has not changed since the first race in 1963: in order to win the Great Race you need everything to go your way.

A strong car, a good co-driver, and good strategy just isn’t enough to win the race these days.

You need more than that. You need luck; everything to go right, and the track to be on your side. It’s called an endurance race for a reason – you need to be on for over eight hours in sweltering heat, and you need your team to do the same.

The best example of how this race is so difficult to win is last year’s edition, which was decided on the final lap.

It also had plenty of heartbreaking stories. Scott McLaughlin, in his Volvo, would learn first up just how hard the track bites.

After leading for 55 of the opening 58 laps, he would hit the wall at the top of the cutting on lap 120, to end his chances of winning.

Shane Van Gisbergen would be next with a starter motor failure on lap 151 as he pitted in the lead on the final safety car of the race.

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His car would stall, lose valuable time, and end any chance of him and Jonathon Webb winning the Great Race.

Finally, as talked about for months and months after it happened, Jamie Whincup would run out of fuel on the last lap to fall just short of a fifth Bathurst 1000 title.

The current king of the endurance event had been dethroned.

Chaz Mostert, who provided another contender for a Steven Bradbury moment in Australian sport, won the race from last position and also without leading a lap in the race.

They also had plenty of luck after crashing on lap 46 at Griffins Bend and staying on the lead lap with qualifying laps afterward.

Everything went their way that day and they had a good car, a bit of luck, but most importantly the perseverance and energy to win.

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That is what it takes to win the Great Race.

Over the years the race has bitten even the greatest.

In 1980 a rock ended Dick Johnson’s first race at the mountain. Just 15 years later another Ford legend would also encounter heartbreak.

Glenn Seton, who led with the quickest car, had an engine failure with less than 10 laps to go.

Ten years later, after dominating for the opening 18 laps, Craig Lowndes would clip a wall to end his race.

For the Holden camp they have also had heartbreak.

In 2006, with the best drivers and car in the race, the Holden Racing Team with Mark Skaife and Garth Tander would be taken out of the race after the first corner by Jack Perkins in a fellow Holden.

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You need focus for eight hours, and whoever keeps their focus during this time, minimising mistakes, will run out the winners.

So who will win it this year?
Like last year there are up to 15 combinations who can win it in 2015.

Leading the charge is Prodrive, who are looking for their third straight Bathurst 1000.

After Mark Winterbottom and Steven Richards won in 2013, Mostert and Morris made it back to back for the team last year.

Both main drivers are back, and now lead the championship in first and second, having incredible seasons to date.

With Steve Owen and Cameron Waters co-drivers respectively they look to have improved on their winning teams from the last two years. They are certainly in contention and look hard to beat.

Fellow Prodrive entry, Bottle O Racing, also looks strong.

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David Reynolds and Dean Canto combine for the fourth straight year looking to finally break the drought of the 1000 win.

They got close in 2012, with a second place, and were on track last year before an alternator failure. They have the car and the combination is strong and consistent as well. Can they get a bit of luck to go their way? That is the million dollar question.

Another Ford duo to look out for is Scott Pye and Marcos Ambrose. Both drivers have experience at the mountain, and the car is similar to the other Prodrive entries, despite it being a Dick Johnson Racing/Penske team.

Penske, who have had an incredible 2015, will look to add the 1000 to their Daytona 500 and Indianapolis 500 wins earlier in the year.

With a bit of luck they can make it a unique triple.

Leading the charge for Holden will be Red Bull Racing.

They have won five out of the last nine Bathursts, and 50 per cent of endurance races in the last four years. We know they have the right stuff, and can execute under pressure for long periods at the wheel.

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Once again they have strong combinations, with Red Bull retaining the same team as 2014.

Paul Dumbrell and Steven Richards will combine with Jamie Whincup and Craig Lowndes respectively once again.

Whincup, as illustrated earlier, almost won his fifth Bathurst 1000 but ran out of fuel on the final lap.

His record at Bathurst is incredible with nine top five finishes in the last 10 years.

Craig Lowndes is looking for his sixth Bathurst 1000 and can’t be discounted. He was also in contention last year. This team knows how to win.

Another team who knows how to win is the Holden Racing Team. They have won two out of the last six editions with the best chance looking to come from Garth Tander and Warren Luff. Hopefully they will start the race this year after crashing in qualifying on the Saturday in 2014.

If the car is strong, as shown in Sandown with a fourth place finish, this combination can be a contender.

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The other car, which looks to feature James Courtney, is also among the top chances for the win. The only drama is over his fitness. He is still struggling after the incident with the advertising signs at Sydney Motorsport Park.

Jack Perkins, who is his co-driver, is the only person confirmed so far.

Russell Ingall will replace Courtney if he is unfit to race. They are a chance to do well but the confusion over who will race may hurt them in the preparation for the race.

Other Holden teams that are in contention include Tekno Autosport, Brad Jones Racing, Walkinshaw Racing and Lucas Dumbrell Racing.

The best looks to be Shane Van Gisbergen and Johnathon Webb for Tekno. They almost won last year and showed good form at the Sandown 500 with third.

This team will be hoping that the starter motor can survive the full race distance this year.

Other combinations, including Lee Holdsworth/Sebastien Bourdais (Walkinshaw), Nick Percat/Oliver Gavin (Lucas Dumbrell), Jason Bright/Andrew Jones (Brad Jones Racing), and Fabian Coulthard/Luke Youlden (Brad Jones Racing), are all in contention if things go their way.

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They can all surprise this weekend.

For the other manufacturers, Volvo, Nissan, and Mercedes, they also have a chance of winning.

Scott McLaughlin and Alex Premat, who led last year, are the best chance of winning for Volvo.

They may not be as strong as 2014, with reliability issues, but you can’t write-off a team who has had previous wins at the mountain.

For Nissan the best chance comes with Rick Kelly and David Russell who finished the highest at Sandown in 10th.

The Japanese manufacturer’s big problem is the pace of the car. If that can be resolved this weekend then they can surprise as well.

Finally the Erebus of Will and Alex Davison is also a chance of doing well this weekend.

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They finished fourth last year and know how to get a result at the mountain.

With so many teams capable of winning the race, it promises to be another dramatic 1000 kilometres of racing. Who will be the king of endurance in 2015?

If it is anything like last year, we are in for a treat – an edge-of-your-seat day of racing.

Even spectators need endurance for the Bathurst 1000! Fuel up for the race with NEW Ice Break Refuel – it’s real coffee packed with protein. Bring it On!

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