Cameron Waters smashed the Bathurst lap record to put his Tickord Mustang on pole for long-awaited 2020 Bathurst 1000, but thunderstorms are forecast to dispute the race. Join The Roar for a live blog and race updates from 10:45am (AEDT).
The countdown to Australia’s great race is over. The grid is set for the 2020 edition of the Bathurst 1000.
In a year that has tossed up all sorts of uncertainty, it is almost a tear-jerker of a sight that the Supercars endurance classic will ahead and as the championship finale for the truncated 2020 season.
Ahead of the 50 drivers is 161 laps of the famous Mount Panorama circuit for 1000 kilometres of endurance racing.
Weather-wise, there is much uncertainty about the stability of the conditions. Rain and storms are expected throughout the day.
It’s a race that’s difficult to win, as the 11 drivers on the grid who’ve won the Bathurst 1000 in the past can attest, though it’s an easy one to lose given the unforgiving nature of the mountain.
Pole position is no guarantee of victory, as we saw in 2014 when Chaz Mostert and Paul Morris won for Ford Performance Racing from dead last on the grid. But claiming the race form the front fo the grid is an opportunity dark horses Cameron Waters and co-driver Will Davison will relish for Tickford.
Waters and Davison, the latter a two-time Bathurst 1000 winner, have been the pacesetters all weekend and are genuine favourites behind the usual suspects from Shell V-Power Racing and the Red Bull Holden Racing Team.
Joining the Monster Energy Mustang on the front row of the grid will be defending race winner and Supercars champion-elect Scott McLaughlin, who’ll be out for redemption following the controversial circumstances of his win last year. The Kiwi will be partnered this year by Tim Slade.
Leading the charge for Holden in what shapes to be their final Bathurst 1000 as a Supercars manufacturer will be Walkinshaw Andretti United combo Mostert and veteran co-driver Warren Luff.
They’re joined on the second row of the grid by Brad Jones Racing duo of Nick Percat and Thomas Randle, with team owner Jones searching for a first win on the mountain. Holden have a total of 33 wins in the Australian touring car enduro, well ahead of Ford’s 21.
Strategy-wise, there’s a minimum of 54 laps required for the co-drivers to complete and a minimum of seven compulsory pit stops for fuel and tyres. How this takes shapes will depend on the impact of the weather.
In terms of the Supercars championship, the drivers title has already been decided in McLaughlin’s favour. Mathematically Waters has a chance of taking second from four-time Bathurst champion Jamie Whincup from his current 200-point deficit. There’s also 100 points between Shell V-Power Racing and Red Bull in the team standings.
Whatever the outcome, here’s to another 1000 kilometres of exciting racing at one of the best circuits in world motorsport, for which there’ll be live blog coverage of the race on The Roar from 10:45am AEDT.
Lights out: 11:00am (AEDT)
Track: Mount Panorama
Race length: 161 laps (1000 kilometres)
TV: Network Ten, Fox Sports
Live stream: Kayo Sports, 10 Play, Foxtel
Grid
1. Cameron Waters/Will Davison (Tickford Racing), 2. Scott McLaughlin/Tim Slade (DJR Team Penske)
3. Chaz Mostert/Warren Luff (Walkinshaw Andretti United), 4. Shane van Gisbergen/Garth Tander (Triple Eight Race Engineering)
5. Lee Holdsworth/Michael Caruso (Tickford Racing), 6. Anton De Pasquale/Brodie Kostecki (Erebus Motorsport)
7. Fabian Coulthard/Tony D’Alberto (DJR Team Penske), 8. James Courtney/Broc Feeney (Tickford Racing)
9. Jamie Whincup/Craig Lowndes (Triple Eight Race Engineering), 10. Nick Percat/Thomas Randle (Brad Jones Racing)
11. Bryce Fullwood/Kurt Kostecki (Walknshaw Andretti United), 12. Scott Pye/Dean Fiore (Charlie Schwerkolt Racing)
13. David Reynolds/Will Brown (Erebus Motorsport), 14. Andre Heimgartner/Dylan O’Keeffe (Kelly Racing)
15. Jack Le Brocq/James Moffat (Tickford Racing), 16. Todd Hazelwood/Jordan Boys (Brad Jones Racing)
17. Macauley Jones/Tim Blanchard (Tim Blanchard Racing), 18. Mark Winterbottom/James Golding (Charlie Schwerkolt Racing)
19. Rick Kelly/Dale Wood (Kelly Racing), 20. Alex Davison/Jonathon Webb (Team Sydney by Tekno)
21. Garry Jacobson/David Russell (Matt Stone Racing), 22. Jack Smith/Jack Perkins (Brad Jones Racing)
23. Chris Pither/Steve Owen (Team Sydney by Tekno), 24. Tyler Everingham/Jayden Ojeda (Garry Rogers Motorsport)
25. Jake Kostecki/Zane Goddard (Matt Stone Racing)
Micko
Roar Rookie
Yes, it does make me suspicious! :stoked:
Rabbitz
Roar Guru
Thanks for the blog. It was much appreciated.
Rabbitz
Roar Guru
It does make one wonder if Supercars and Channel 10 pay the also-rans to put it into a wall with 10 laps to go...
Jawad Yaqub
Roar Guru
Well that then wraps up this live blog of the Bathurst 1000. Thank you so much for tuning in here on The Roar with me throughout the day, I have thoroughly enjoyed blogging this year's Great Race - which also is the final Supercars race of the season. Keep your eyes out here on The Roar for my usual 'Talking Points' which'll be coming shortly, but otherwise thank you all again for the continual support for this website throughout what has been a difficult year for many. Cheers and have a good evening all!
Jawad Yaqub
Roar Guru
Thanks for following Graham! Hope you enjoyed the race too.
Jawad Yaqub
Roar Guru
The trophies have been presented and the Peter Brock trophy held aloft by the winners Shane van Gisbergen and Garth Tander.
Jawad Yaqub
Roar Guru
Celebrations down at the Shell V-Power garage as the championship trophy is presented to McLaughlin. Will this be the last time we see the Kiwi race in the Supercars championship?
Micko
Roar Rookie
It's amazing how they all end up with the winner winning by around a second.
Jawad Yaqub
Roar Guru
Hard to believe that this is the first Great Race win for 2016 Supercars champion Shane van Gisbergen. Those final two stints were epic and will surely go down as some of the driving in the Bathurst history books. It's a fourth Bathurst 1000 victory for Garth Tander too! Let's not forget his amazing co-driver stint which saw him emerge in the lead during the middle of the race.
Jawad Yaqub
Roar Guru
RESULTS FROM THE 161-LAP BATHURST 1000 1 S. van Gisbergen/G. Tander 2 C. Waters/W. Davison 3 C. Mostert/W. Luff 4 F. Coulthard/T. D’Alberto 5 S. McLaughlin/T. Slade 6 S. Pye/D. Fiore 7 L. Holdsworth/M. Caruso 8 M. Winterbottom/J. Golding 9 A. De Pasquale/B. Kostecki 10 J. Courtney/B. Feeney 11 A. Heimgartner/D. O’Keeffe 12 A. Davison/J. Webb 13 M. Jones/T. Blanchard 14 J. Le Brocq/J. Moffat 15 D. Reynolds/W. Brown 16 C. Pither/S. Owen 17 R. Kelly/D. Wood 18 N. Percat/T. Randle 19 T. Everingham/J. Odeja DNF Z. Goddard/J. Kostecki DNF J. Smith/J. Perkins DNF B. Fullwood/K. Kostecki DNF G. Jacobson/D. Russell DNF T. Hazelwood/J. Boys DNF J. Whincup/C. Lowndes
Graham
Guest
Followed you all day Jawad, great coverage, thanks so much !
Jawad Yaqub
Roar Guru
Scott McLaughlin who finishes fifth is doing some burnouts at the top of the hill, as he is officially crowned Supercars champion of 2020. A third consecutive championship for the young Kiwi, who'll jump on a plane tomorrow to the US to make his IndyCar debut for Team Penske next weekend.
Jawad Yaqub
Roar Guru
Cameron Waters and Will Davison miss out by under a second, but will still feature second on the podium. And a solid run from Chaz Mostert and Warren Luff to give Walkinshaw Andretti United their third podium in consecutive years. WHAT A RACE!
Jawad Yaqub
Roar Guru
SHANE VAN GISBERGEN & GARTH TANDER WIN THE BATHURST 1000
Jawad Yaqub
Roar Guru
Lap 161/161: 2:05.641 was the fastest lap of the race from van Gisbergen and it looks like he has broken Waters behind. Gizzy dances the Red Bull Holden across the top of the hill for the final time and the last time for a factory Holden in the Australian touring car championship.
Jawad Yaqub
Roar Guru
Lap 161/161: FINAL LAP
Jawad Yaqub
Roar Guru
Lap 160/161: It's 2 laps to go and Shane still leads by half a second over Waters and has the pace advantage clearly. There appears to be enough of a gap now between the #97 and the #6, as van Gisbergen continues to drive his heart out chasing his first Bathurst 1000 victory. SVG was quickest through the second sector across the top of the hill, this could all over for Waters.
Jawad Yaqub
Roar Guru
Lap 159/161: WE GO GREEN! Waters gets a better run out of Turn 1, though Mostert is right behind the #6 too! He'll get a run down Conrod, though has to keep it behind the #97 for now.
Jawad Yaqub
Roar Guru
Lap 158/161: SAFETY CAR 5 IN THIS LAP
Jawad Yaqub
Roar Guru
Lap 158/161: SAFETY CAR 5 Four laps to go then as the Safety Car compresses the field once again. Anything can happen now with another chance to be afforded to Waters, to have a crack at van Gisbergen. Doesn't look like there are any lapped cars that are in the way either of the leaders, so so should be able to restart this race with a couple of laps in hand.