Bathurst 1000: Predictions ahead of Supercars’ return to Mount Panorama

Supercars returns to Mount Panorama for the Bathurst 1000 this weekend. Photo / Getty Images

The Gen 3 Supercars are at the Mount Panorama circuit for the first time this year and the race has the making of the most unpredictable and open Bathurst 1000 in decades.

The new cars will be the biggest challenge for drivers and co-drivers with less aero, softer tyres, no anti-roll bar adjustment, heavier fuel load and longer stints.

Despite these added challenges to what is one of the most difficult tracks to navigate, Kiwi co-driver Richie Stanaway is looking forward to partnering Shane van Gisbergen in the Great Race.

“I’m more focused now than I’ve probably been in my life,” Stanaway told the Weekend Herald. “I like the track and its challengers and it’s one of the best races there is.

“Driving with Shane and Red Bull Racing is an opportunity that no one would turn down.”

Former Supercars great Greg Murphy tempted Stanaway back for a tilt at the Bathurst 1000 last year where the duo finished a credible 11th.

“I was pretty happy with last year’s wild card entry results and now I have another opportunity to race here so I’ve grabbed it with both hands.

“It was hard last year with no enduro round before Bathurst and it was a tall order, but I didn’t feel out of my depth and we did pretty well, I think.

“I’m a lot better prepared this year than I obviously was last year, and have a less demanding role being the co-driver this time.

“This time I don’t have to worry about qualifying speed, just consistency.”

Stanaway has been away from fulltime racing for a few years now after walking away from a fulltime Supercars drive in 2019.

Having regained his passion for racing, the 31-year-old will roll out for the Grove-run Penrite Racing team fulltime in 2024. His latest outing before Bathurst was the Sandown 500 and he looked like he’d never been away from tin-top racing finishing third with van Gisbergen.

“Usually as a co-driver you’re very much sitting back. I went to Sandown with a different mentality knowing I’m going to be here fulltime next year and it was incredible being part of the team.

“I couldn’t have asked for a better garage to be in, I loved every minute of it. It would have been a shame not to have got on the podium and I’m just really pleased we came through,” said Stanaway.

The new Gen 3 cars have made a few of the drivers and teams scratch their respective heads so far this season in getting the car in the sweet spot and to work at its optimum.

Stanaway has always had the ability to get into a car and make it work for him.

Sharing a car can sometimes be hard on engineers and mechanics trying to build a car that works for both drivers. Not so in the van Gisbergen, Stanaway case.

“The car is quite different to the old version. At the end of the day he’s [van Gisbergen] the one driving the car at the end of the race and that’s all that matters. I just drive what I’m given.

“In my opinion though, the car needs a wider rear tyre because the suspension settings are way out of their window to give the car grip.

“However, the team is very good at rolling out a baseline setup that is very fast and I leave it to Shane and the engineer to tune it and then I’ll just drive it,” he said.

Number one pick

Broc Feeney and Jamie Whincup won at Sandown and will be flying around the mountain. Whincup’s pedigree goes without saying and at Bathurst is almost without peer. Feeney has really come into his own this year, looks the real deal and drives very similar to Whincup. There is speed all through that car and both looked like they were enjoying the Sandown race, always a worry for the rest of the field.

Odds on

Brody Kostecki and David Russell are a pairing of a hot-to-trot driver in Kostecki and probably the most underrated co-driver in the field Russell — he always gets the job done. At Bathurst last year Russell was the second fastest co-driver which will complement Kostecki’s speed. The Erebus Racing pairing arrive at Bathurst on the back of a second-place finish at the Sandown 500.

Don’t discount

Cam Waters and James Moffit were quick at the Sandown 500 but had some bad luck. Waters is consistently quick at Bathurst and finished on the podium the past two years. Moffit is regularly one of the fastest co-drivers and is always in the mix and will do his job well. If Waters is within touching distance towards the end of the race, he’ll be hard to beat and Ford’s best chance for a win.

In with a chance

Dave Reynolds and Garth Tander both know how to win at Bathurst. They had speed at Sandown 500 before mechanical dramas so really don’t know their true form. Reynolds is always fast at Mount Panorama and Tander is an astute racer. Tander is one of the best at getting a car right for the conditions, and if Reynolds is in the zone the combination is good enough to challenge anyone.

Outsider

Andre Heimgartner and Dale Wood had a good Sandown 500 race finishing fifth. It’s hard to gauge their Bathurst 1000 form from the past as they have been beset with problems. Wood has speed and always gets the job done at Bathurst. Heimgartner is one of the most underrated drivers in the category and has shown good speed finishing on the podium six times this year.