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Magical, mystical, elusive, daunting, glorious – no one word in the English language can quite do justice in describing the Bathurst 1000.
It also isn’t easy to describe the spectrum of emotions that the most significant race on the Australian motorsport calendar brings out in the drivers and teams as they prepare to tackle the great Mount Panorama.
For some the event has more meaning than the Supercars championship itself, so strong is the desire to have your name etched into the history of the mountain alongside legends like Peter Brock, Jim Richards, Larry Perkins, Allan Moffat and the recently passed Bob Jane.
In 2017 the great race saw mother nature play her hand, creating a wet and wild 161 laps. Out the door went the conventional form guide and pre-race predictions – the 1000-kilometre spectacle became a contest for survival.
The mountain does not discriminate and will cruel even the mightiest of competitors, as seen in unfortunate races for 2017 title contenders Jamie Whincup and Scott McLaughlin. The latter is still chasing an appearance on the Bathurst podium.
Amid the chaos David Reynolds went from the self-professed ‘mountain goat’ to a mountain great, taking the giant-killing Erebus Motorsport to their first Bathurst 1000 victory with seasoned Luke Youlden.
As inspirational as the David vs Goliath result was in 2017, it was the biblical shootout lap from McLaughlin the day earlier, invoking Greg Murphy’s ‘lap of the gods’ from 2003, which stands out as a perfect example of man, machine and mountain in harmony.
Chasing a 2:04.274 set by Reynolds for pole position, McLaughlin had been a qualifying specialist all year long, though the most important pole of his career at that point was on the line.
The No.17 Shell V-Power Falcon and its driver had the eyes of the nation glued to the Kiwi youngster and the 6.2-kilometre stretch of tarmac that lay before him as he squarely exited Hell Corner and blasted up Mountain Straight.
A smooth departure from Griffins Bend marked the beginning of McLaughlin’s ascension up the mountain, and as the walls closed in on the run up to The Cutting, the first timing intermediate flashed green to indicate he was quicker than the Erebus Holden by 0.009 seconds.
Then came the dance across the top of the hill, arguably the most crucial part of nailing a lap at Bathurst – only a perfectly balanced car can execute the run across McPhillarmy Park with precision. Though flat out, McLaughlin almost binned it, having stuck two wheels the dirt on the approach to Skyline.
Was that it? Had the lap been compromised? With hearts in mouths, the scramble down Mount Panorama began with eyes on the timing screens to see what the second sector would yield, and upon exiting Forrest’s Elbow there was miraculously another flash of green showing a 0.3-second advantage.
Next was the fastest corner in Australian motorsport: The Chase. McLaughlin charged down Conrod Straight as fast as his Falcon FG X would allow before squarely negotiating The Chase and pulling up straight into the chicane before the final corner.
One last corner, with the garages of Erebus and DJR Team Penske anxiously looking on, and as calm he’d been for his 13 pole positions before this, the Kiwi flew out of Murrays and completed the home stretch to record a 2:03.831, the fastest lap ever recorded by an Australian touring car.
Who knew that Murph’s lap of the gods would one day be shattered by the boy who grew up idolising him in New Zealand.
So what will await the drivers and teams in 2018? Will McLaughlin and his long-time co-driver Alex Premat at last earn redemption for years of toil at Bathurst? Can the retiring Craig Lowndes move one step closer to equalling his great mate Brock’s record of nine wins? Or will there be another David and Goliath narrative?
Whatever unfolds, there will still be another enthralling chapter to record in Bathurst mythology and another 1000 kilometres of an endurance spectacle to marvel.
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