With the back half of the grid set, the top ten will have a one-lap dash to fight it out for pole position at Australia’s greatest race, the Bathurst 1000. Join The Roar for live coverage of the shootout from 5pm (AEDT).
As the poet William Blake once said, “Great things are done when men and mountains meet.” This indeed is how the Top-Ten Shootout to determine pole position for the Bathurst 1000 can be described.
With qualifying having been contested yesterday, the ten fastest drivers from that session will now challenge the all-important Shootout.
Each driver has one lap and the enormous 6.2-kilometre Mount Panorama circuit to themselves, as they attempt to qualify for pole position for the 1000-kilometre Enduro on Sunday.
The order in which the drivers go out will be the reverse of how the top ten finished in the 30-minute qualifying session on Friday.
Garth Tander will be the pioneer for Garry Rogers Motorsport, while provisional pole sitter Scott McLaughlin will have the agonising wait until the very end of the shootout to record his lap.
Lap records tumbled across Friday, with McLaughlin recording a 2:04.225 in the initial qualifying, to become the unofficial lap record holder at Bathurst.
The 24-year old Kiwi’s form in qualifying throughout 2017 has been unassailable, with a total of 13 pole positions to his name.
As far as pole position at Bathurst, the DJR Team Penske driver is yet to record one at the iconic circuit, although he has been on the front-row.
Only four of the drivers in the Top-Ten Shootout have previously been on pole for the Bathurst 1000, and they are David Reynolds, Mark Winterbottom, Shane van Gisbergen and, of course, Tander.
In recent years, however, pole position has not equalled a race victory. In fact, it has not been since 2009 that pole has been converted to the win, demonstrating the ferocity of the race itself.
Since 2014, all the winners of the Bathurst 1000 have come from outside the top ten, which gives a glimmer of hope to those unable to contest the Shootout.
However, the importance of qualifying at the pointy end of the grid is to avoid getting caught up in the carnage that commonly occurs in the midfield during the early part of the race.
As far as picking which driver will be on pole, it is difficult to go past McLaughlin, considering his strong form so far during the weekend.
Could we see the Kiwi emulate his hero Greg Murphy and redefine the ‘Lap of the Gods’?
Tune into The Roar for live coverage of the top ten Shootout from 5pm (AEDT), as we get set to determine who starts on pole for the great race.
Garry Edwards
Guest
Campbell spins at the cutting
Jawad Yaqub
Roar Guru
Still in awe of it, even an hour after! Best of luck with the call tomorrow Scott.
Jawad Yaqub
Roar Guru
So many variables and with the agony that McLaughlin has endured at Bathurst so far during his career, you'd expect him to race as perfect as his qualifying lap was.
Jawad Yaqub
Roar Guru
It's a stretch to get it sub-2 minutes, but with the right tyres and right aero, it may just be possible in the next decade!
Garry Edwards
Guest
Simply sublime lap, well done Scotty, so much talent and Penske Racing for providing a well prepared car. I just sat there eyes glued total concentration oblivious to what the other half is saying, my fingers gripping the chair arms I kid you not. Man what a lap. And tomorrow.... well it's all about tomorrow. But I have a quiet bet on the side.
Jason Cave
Guest
You can put your money on Scott McLaughlin winning the Bathurst 1000 tomorrow, because that Shootout lap around Mount Panorama was just extraordinary. What chance of a Shootout Lap going under 2 minutes or further within the next few years?
Scott Pryde
Expert
That's damn amazing. What a lap. Cheers Jawad! Can't wait for tomorrow.
Jawad Yaqub
Roar Guru
That about wraps up this live blog for the Top-Ten Shootout, thanks again for tuning in here on The Roar. Scott Pryde, who has done an amazing job covering the Bathurst 1000 weekend thus far, will return tomorrow with lap-by-lap coverage of the 161 lap race itself. Be sure to join him here, for what should be an amazing race. I'll be on hand for the Japanese F1 Grand Prix later in the afternoon, so there will be plenty of motorsport action going on! Thanks and adios!
Jawad Yaqub
Roar Guru
Thoughts on the results of the Shootout then, Roarers?
Jawad Yaqub
Roar Guru
BATHURST 1000 GRID 1 17. Scott McLaughlin/Alex Prémat 2 9.. David Reynolds/Luke Youlden 3 5.. Mark Winterbottom/Dean Canto 4 55. Chaz Mostert/Steve Owen 5 97. Shane van Gisbergen/Matt Campbell 6 6.. Cameron Waters/Richie Stanaway 7 12. Fabian Coulthard/Tony D’Alberto 8 56. Jason Bright/Garry Jacobson 9 33. Garth Tander/James Golding 10 22. James Courtney/Jack Perkins 11 88. Jamie Whincup/Paul Dumbrell 12 15. Rick Kelly/David Wall 13 23. Michael Caruso/Dean Fiore 14 8.. Nick Percat/Macauley Jones 15 20.. Todd Kelly/Jack Le Brocq 16 19. Will Davison/Jonathon Webb 17 18. Lee Holdsworth/Karl Reindler 18 14. Tim Slade/Ash Walsh 19 888. Craig Lowndes/Steven Richards 20 02. Scott Pye/Warren Luff 21 99. Dale Wood/Chris Pither 22 34. James Moffat/Richard Muscat 23 78. Simona De Silvestro/David Russell 24 21. Tim Blanchard/Todd Hazelwood 25 3.. Aaren Russell/Taz Douglas 26 62. Alex Rullo/Alex Davison This is how the field looks then, as the grid is set for tomorrow's 161 lap/1000km enduro.
Jawad Yaqub
Roar Guru
POLE POSITION #14 for McLaughlin then in 2017 and possibly the best of his career so far.
Jawad Yaqub
Roar Guru
TOP-TEN SHOOTOUT RESULTS 17. Scott McLaughlin - 2:03.831 9.. David Reynolds - 2:04.274 5.. Mark Winterbottom - 2:04.498 55. Chaz Mostert - 2:04.587 97. Shane van Gisbergen - 2:04.668 6.. Cameron Waters - 2:04.680 12. Fabian Coulthard - 2:04.969 56. Jason Bright - 2:05.227 33. Garth Tander - 2:05.326 22. James Courtney - 2:05.489
Jawad Yaqub
Roar Guru
After sticking two wheels in the dirt at McPhillarmy Park, it is pretty astounding to see the FASTEST EVER lap of Mount Panorama produced by a V8 Supercar. Sorry Murph, but this is the new 'Lap of the Gods'.
Jawad Yaqub
Roar Guru
MCLAUGHLIN SECTOR 3 SCOTTY IS ON POLE! 0:40.414 is another purple sector and he bags a 2:03.831!
Jawad Yaqub
Roar Guru
MCLAUGHLIN SECTOR 2 He sticks a wheel in the dirt at McPhillarmy but still goes fastest in sector 2! 0:32.843
Jawad Yaqub
Roar Guru
MCLAUGHLIN SECTOR 1 Scotty goes purple in the first with a 0:50.573 by a whisker over Reynolds.
Jawad Yaqub
Roar Guru
What can McLaughlin produce now? He readies for his lap.
Scott Pryde
Expert
Great lap from Reynolds... McLaughlin is going to need something pretty damn special.
Jawad Yaqub
Roar Guru
REYNOLDS SECTOR 3 He goes to the top! 0:40.529 in the final sector sees a 2:04.274 for Reynolds.
Jawad Yaqub
Roar Guru
REYNOLDS SECTOR 2 Decent run across the top of the hill yields a 0:33.162.