On a night where Mother Nature would bring havoc to many races around the world, including the postponement of NASCAR action to Sunday, all eyes would be set on Mount Panorama in Australia. Here, the greatest race in Australia was set to go green, the Bathurst 1000 for the V8 Supercars.
The race attracts drivers from all over the globe to compete with the series regulars, on a track that literally runs up and down the mountain. Drivers from IndyCar, sports car racing, and all other types of motorsport would descend on the track to battle each other, and like many other races, Mother Nature as well.
At the start, the pole-sitting driver duo of Reynolds and Canto would drive out to lead the first twenty or so laps, until the dynamic duo of Red Bull Racing’s Whincup and Dumbrell caught up. From there, the #1 Holden would pass for the lead and not look back for nearly one hundred laps, building a lead of over twenty seconds.
As the race wore past halfway, and the drivers battled the transition between a dry to wet track, Whincup would run into issues after a sensor failed. This would lead to an extended pit stop, bringing the entire field back into contention for the win. While Whincup would try and stay in contention, a penalty for passing the safety car and two off track incidents would spell an end to his chances at victory.
In the end, the race for the win would come down to a battle between two championship contenders, Mark Winterbottom and Craig Lowndes. Winning the battle though would be Jamie Whincup’s teammates at Red Bull Racing, Craig Lowndes and Steven Richards. The co-drivers would win the Bathurst 1000 at Mount Panorama, one of the longest races in the world.
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