There’s plenty of excitement, intrigue and a significant element of the unknown as the 60th Bathurst 1000 at Mount Panorama officially gets underway with practice on Thursday.
Rarely has the mountain seen changes as significant as those set to be unleashed this weekend.
The all-new Gen3 cars have stood up to the test of the season so far, but it presents teams with an unprecedented challenge in the sport’s ultimate test of endurance.
Other big changes include Dunlop bringing its soft tyres for the first time and alterations to rules including no set amount of mandatory pit stops — setting the stage for a thrilling tactical battle.
Bathurst 1000 5-8 OCT | Live and Ad-Break Free in racing on Kayo Sports | Join now and start streaming instantly >
SVG admits Kostecki has the quicker car | 01:25
The biggest political battle of the season has also been saved for the sport’s biggest stage as the controversial parity issue continues to bubble under the surface.
This year’s great race also represents an important piece of the 2023 championship buzzle with four drivers still in the hunt — Brodie Kostecki, Shane van Gisbergen, Broc Feeney and Will Brown — with 900 points up for grabs over the last five rounds.
No driver can mathematically win the title this weekend but they could lose it — a DNF would likely immediately count them out of the race, adding another layer of intrigue and tension to this weekend’s racing.
The Supercars action gets underway at 1.20pm AEDT on Thursday, with the second practice session held from 4.50pm.
After heavy rain in Bathurst on Wednesday conditions have cleared up, with cool but mostly clear conditions forecast between now and Sunday.
PRACTICE 2 UPDATES
The red flag flew early in the co-drivers session as Dean Fiore sent it into the wall at Murray’s Corner.
‘SCARED THE CRAP OUT OF MYSELF’: DRIVERS GET FIRST TASTE OF NEW ERA
One of the biggest questions heading into this year’s race was how the new cars — and the drivers — would handle Mount Panorama’s high-speed corners with less downforce in the Gen3.
Drivers got their first real experience of the new era in Thursday’s opening practice session, topped by Will Brown.
The feedback from the drivers was that things went well, but could get interesting … and a little hairy.
Cam Waters said on the Fox Sports coverage going through the Chase — one of the fastest corners in Australian motorsport — was not quite as hairy as expected, yet.
“(It felt) a little bit different to past years,” Waters said. “Top of the mountain the car didn’t actually feel that bad. fairly stable, maybe just going a bit slower than you previously would.
”Even the Chase, I was surprised, it wasn’t that bad. I thought it was going to be super loose. That I was going to be out of throttle and battling it but it felt not too bad.”
‘Scared the crap out myself!’: Kostecki | 01:28
Asked whether he gave the car full throttle through the Chase Waters added:
“Yeah, I could. I’m not doing it yet. I’ll save a couple of things up my sleeves for qualies. The car doesnt feel too bad.”
Contender Brodie Kostecki relived a hairy moment after he set the early pace in the session.
“I held it flat on my first flyer,” he said. “I did a warm-up lap, and then going into the chase I scared the absolute crap out of myself.
“I was only just able to pull it up – I thought I was going to end up in the fence on the right hand side.”
Chaz Mostert said drivers would be foot flat to the floor heading into the corner.
“But I think we’re rolling out of it a lot earlier than we would have in the older cars,” Mostert said.
“It’s going to be fun. Going to be interesting.”
Supercars great and commentator Greg Murphy said he noted plenty of caution from drivers in the opening session but with that out of the way, “they’re going to be bold now”.
‘This track suits us well!’: Mostert | 03:22
Brown pipped Matt Payne to Practice 1 honours, turning in a 2:05.9653s aboard his #9 Coca-Cola Chevrolet Camaro with 20 minutes remaining to set the early pace.
The Queenslander edged Penrite Racing Ford driver Payne to top spot, albeit by just 0.0071s as the Kiwi turned up the wick in the closing minutes.
— with Supercars.com
Top 10 BRUTAL Bathurst 1000 crashes | 05:21
SUPERCARS MAKES CALL ON PARITY DRAMA
The latest stand-off over the burning parity controversy ended minutes before action got underway after Supercars rejected Ford’s efforts to lobby for aerodynamic changes.
The team had been pushing for tweaks that would have boosted the Mustang’s downforce, arguing that independent data proved that the Camaro has enjoyed a performance advantage this season.
The request had been met with staunch opposition from the Chevrolet teams and Supercars released a statement early on Thursday afternoon saying the request had not been granted.
“After numerous meetings with all Teams and key stakeholders, the requisite consent from the Supercars Teams has not been established to support the requested parity adjustment for the 2023 Repco Bathurst 1000,” the statement read.
“We value the input and perspectives of all involved parties and aim to continue working in a manner that preserves the integrity of our sport and the rules and regulations that govern it.”
PRACTICE 1 RESULTS
1. No.9 Will Brown/Jack Perkins Chevrolet Camaro 2:05.965
2. No.19 Matt Payne/Kevin Estre Ford Mustang +0.007
3. No.99 Brodie Kostecki/David Russell Chevrolet Camaro +0.106
4. No.25 Chaz Mostert/Lee Holdsworth Ford Mustang +0.342
5. No.26 David Reynolds/Garth Tander Ford Mustang +0.503
6. No.20 Scott Pye/Warren Luff Chevrolet Camaro +0.564
7. No.88 Broc Feeney/Jamie Whincup Chevrolet Camaro +0.624
8. No.11 Anton de Pasquale/Tony D’Alberto Ford Mustang +0.800
9. No.8 Andre Heimgartner/Dale Wood Chevrolet Camaro +0.834
10. No.888 Craig Lowndes/Zane Goddard Chevrolet Camaro +0.888
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Kostecki ‘feeling pressure’ as favourite | 00:50
HOW TO WATCH & SCHEDULE
The 2023 Bathurst 1000 is live and ad-break free during racing on Kayo and Fox Sports.
The dedicated Bathurst 1000 channel will run from Monday, 2 October, until Sunday, 8 October, on Fox Sports 506.
The following times are all in AEDT.
Thursday — coverage starts at 7:25am
Practice 1 (all drivers): 1:20pm to 2:20pm
Practice 2 (co-drivers): 4:50pm to 5:50pm
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Friday — coverage starts at 7:25am
Practice 3 (all drivers): 10:00am to 11:00am
Practice 4 (all drivers): 1:05pm to 2:05pm
Qualifying: 4:15pm to 4:55pm
Saturday — coverage starts at 8:15am
Practice 5 (all drivers): 10:00am to 11:00am
Practice 6 (co-drivers): 1:00pm to 2:00pm
Top-10 shootout: 5:05pm to 5:50pm
Sunday — coverage starts at 7:15am
Warm-up: 8:00am to 8:20am
Drivers parade: 9:00am to 9:20am
The 60th running of the Bathurst 1000: 11:15am (161 laps)
LIVE UPDATES (if the blog does not appear, click here)