Bathurst 1000 2023 as it happened: van Gisbergen claims third win in four years with epic race in Mountain farewell

The grid is set and at last the talking stops, as 56 drivers in 28 cars get set to tackle the biggest challenge in Australian motorsport in the Bathurst 1000 at the famed Mount Panorama circuit. Join The Roar for live scores and full race coverage from 11:15am (AEDT).

2023 sees the first time the new Gen3 Supercars race at The Mountain, with it being the first time since 1984 that a Chevrolet Camaro has participated in the Great Race. 15 Camaros will represent General Motors, while there are 13 Ford Mustangs.

A total of 27 individual Bathurst 1000 wins are represented as well across the field, with Craig Lowndes still the most successful of the current drivers at seven victories. Two off the all-time record currently held by the late great Peter Brock.

161-laps is the target, though this a race that has seen plenty of Safety Car interventions to slow proceedings through the years – as well as the infamous red flag during the 2014 race. Survival has always been a key aspect of the Great Race, as well as attrition.

This year, strategically the race should play out differently with no minimum pit-stop requirements unlike previously. Instead, there will be only the mandated brake pad change required between Laps 55 and 120 – as well as the minimum co-driver time of 54-laps.

The Supercars championship will also be on the minds of the key contenders, with a 294-point spread between the top four drivers. 300-points is on offer to the victors of the Peter Brock Trophy, but how important will it be for the title aspirants to finish as classified runners?

Weather wise, a mild and mostly sunny day of 19 degrees is expected. Though it is Bathurst and endurance racing – anything can happen.

Championship leader Brodie Kostecki, along with co-driver David Russell have finished in the top three in all sessions leading up to the Top Ten Shootout, where the Coca-Cola Racing driver but 0.483-seconds over a sensational lap from Broc Feeney and third placed Cameron Waters.

Erebus teammate and title rival Will Brown will start with Jack Perkins down in seventeenth, after their crash during qualifying on Friday. Their hope in pursuit of a maiden Bathurst victory and handy championship points will be to move forwards.

While reigning Bathurst champion Shane van Gisbergen has lamented one-lap pace in his Red Bull Ampol Camaro, though he and fellow Kiwi in Richie Stanaway could have themselves a more handier race car.

Ford fans will have their regular hopefuls in the Shell V-Power Racing duo, plus the Penrite Mustangs, the Monster Energy Mustang and the Walkinshaw Andretti United car of Chaz Mostert and Lee Holdsworth to mount a challenge from inside the top ten.

Now for another historic 1000km of racing, all of which you can find live blog coverage of on The Roar from 10:50am (AEDT). Who will be crowned Kings of the Mountain in 2023?

Race Information

Lights out: 11:15am (AEDT)
Venue: Mount Panorama Circuit, Bathurst
Laps: 161
Distance: 1000km
TV: Fox Sports 506, Channel 7
Online: Kayo Sportsl
2022 winners: Shane van Gisbergen/Garth Tander (Red Bull Ampol Racing)

Grid
1 99 Brodie Kostecki David Russell Chevrolet Coca-Cola Racing
2 88 Broc Feeney Jamie Whincup Chevrolet Red Bull Ampol Racing
3 6 Cameron Waters James Moffat Ford Monster Energy Racing
4 31 James Golding Dylan O’Keefe Chevrolet Nulon Racing
5 11 Anton De Pasquale Tony D’Alberto Ford Shell V-Power Racing
6 97 Shane van Gisbergen Richie Stanaway Chevrolet Red Bull Ampol Racing
7 26 David Reynolds Garth Tander Ford Penrite Racing
8 19 Matthew Payne Kevin Estre Ford Penrite Racing
9 25 Chaz Mostert Lee Holdsworth Ford Walkinshaw Andretti United
10 17 Will Davison Alex Davison Ford Shell V-Power Racing
11 55 Thomas Randle Garry Jacobson Ford Castrol Racing
12 20 Scott Pye Warren Luff Chevrolet Team 18
13 8 Andre Heimgartner Dale Wood Chevrolet Brad Jones Racing
14 35 Cameron Hill Jaylyn Robotham Chevrolet Truck Assist Racing
15 34 Jack Le Brocq Jayden Ojeda Chevrolet Truck Assist Racing
16 5 James Courtney Zak Best Ford Snowy Rivers Caravans Racing
17 9 Will Brown Jack Perkins Chevrolet Coca-Cola Racing
18 23 Tim Slade Jonathon Webb Chevrolet Nulon Racing
19 18 Mark Winterbottom Michael Caruso Chevrolet Team 18
20 888 Zane Goddard Craig Lowndes Chevrolet Supercheap Auto Racing
21 14 Bryce Fullwood Dean Fiore Chevrolet Brad Jones Racing
22 3 Todd Hazelwood Tim Blanchard Ford CoolDrive Racing
23 2 Nick Percat Fabian Coulthard Ford Walkinshaw Andretti United
24 96 Macauley Jones Jordan Boys Chevrolet Pizza Hut Racing
25 98 Kai Allen Simona De Silvestro Ford Shell V-Power Racing
26 7 Aaron Love Jake Kostecki Ford Blanchard Racing Team
27 4 Jack Smith Jaxon Evans Chevrolet SCT Logistics Racing
28 56 Declan Fraser Tyler Everingham Ford Tradie Racing