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It’s here. 161 laps around Mount Panorama, 1000 kilometres in all. The Great Race – the 2022 Bathurst 1000 started at 11.15am AEDT.
And it’s delivered absolute mayhem from the very start in a bonkers first-lap incident that brought out a safety car. And when the action resumed, there was an even bigger crash of terrifying proportions, writing off a number of cars.
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RACE CENTRE: LIVE TIMES AND FULL SESSION RESULTS
In a horrible start, pole-sitter James Moffat (co-driver for Cameron Waters) all-but-stalled on the start line, allowing Lee Holdsworth to surge to the front. Fabian Coulthard (co-driver for Chaz Mostert) blasted down the inside and took two places to rise to second.
The cars safely made it around the first corner, only to smash into each other on the way up Mountain Straight.
Jack Perkins – co-driver for Will Brown – was slammed by veteran Jamie Whincup, sending the pair of them spinning around. Perkins copped a shunt from Dale Wood (co-driver for Andre Heimgartner).
Perkins was sent back to the pits and immediately put up on jacks for major repairs.
Will Brown said: “Who knows whose fault it was? I think it was just everyone crossing the water.”
“We got out of that pretty lightly in the end.”
Zak Best, co-driver for Tom Randle, found the wall as he tried to avoid the chaos. The car required a tow back to the pits.
Mark Winterbottom and Jack Kostecki also limped back to the pits after copping shunts.
Tony D’Alberto (co-driver for Anton de Pasquale) dropped 14 places to 25th after being involved in the drama.
A safety car was called immediately. Moffat had fallen four places to fifth, while Warren Luff (co-driver for Nick Percat) rose three places early to sit in third.
Whincup fell to 22nd.
But once the action restarted, on the first lap – number five – there was an even worse crash.
Zane Goddard tried to get by Greg Murphy at The Chase, but locked his rear wheels and surged across the grass. However, he attempted to return to the track through the mud and, out of control, “completely clean bowled two cars,” as Mark Skaife said in commentary.
Dale Wood (co-driver for Andre Heimgartner) and Matt Campbell (co-driver for David Reynolds) both absolutely smashed into Goddard at full speed.
Narrowly avoiding the chaos, Mark Winterbottom immediately spun out after being hit in the rear by d’Alberto.
“Oh my god that is a massive shunt,” Mark Skaife said.
“That is dead set ordinary,” he said of Goddard’s decision to return to the track while out of control.
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RACE CENTRE: LIVE TIMES AND FULL SESSION RESULTS
What now for Bathurst? | 02:22
MORE NEWS
SHOOTOUT CANNED: Weather sees 44-year first axing as grid decided
DRIVERS REACT: ‘Right decision’ to axe Shootout…but stars are gutted
FULL GRID: Starting order confirmed as start time locked in
It’s already been an epic edition of Australian motorsport’s biggest weekend. From the returning veterans lighting up the track, to the stunning crashes, to the wild weather causing absolute chaos and the first cancellation of the Top 10 Shootout in its 44-year history. This weekend has had it all.
Sunday is set to ratchet things up one more notch, as 28 driver duos – 56 drivers in all, including a whopping seven rookies – vie to become King of the Mountain.
“I reckon there’s 15 combinations that can win today,” Mark Skaife declared on Fox Sports.
The grid is set, based on Friday qualifying order after the Shootout was cancelled.
Cameron Waters, runner-up in the last two editions, starts from pole (with James Moffat), but is only second-favourite with the bookies behind 2020 winner Shane van Gisbergen. The reigning Supercars champion and runaway series leader will start seventh after a three-place grid penalty for causing a qualifying crash.
BOLD EREBUS CALL
Erebus managed to get all three cars into the Top 10 – Will Brown, Brodie Kostecki, and the wildcard entry of Richie Stanaway.
But on Sunday morning, Erebus boss Barry Ryan declared the team would pull a bold strategy call from the start.
“All three cars, co-drivers will start. We’ll do the winning strategy and it’s pretty clear what that is.”
He added that the team was anticipating mostly dry conditions.
“We’re pretty much a dry set-up, fully… We’re ready to go either conditions, but I think it’ll be dry all day.”
Racing legend Russell Ingall told News Corp: “The best strategy you can have is to actually let your co-driver start because you want your main driver to finish.”
James Courtney, who will leave co-driver Zane Goddard to start the Great Race, was fully supportive of the decision.
“It’s a massive day. Bathurst fans are going through the roof! For people to be here through thick and thin, through all of the mud, it’s amazing. Can’t wait to get it started,” he told FoxSports.
“Zane’s starting. I said to him: ‘you’ve done this a thousand times. Do everything you’ve done your whole career and you’ll be fine’. The little bloke’s a little bit nervous but we’ll get him over the line.”
Veteran driver Lee Holdsworth gave commentator Mark Skaife a little dig when describing his strategy to get off the start line.
“It’s very difficult, I haven’t done a practice start since last year!” he said pre-race.
“You don’t want to burn the clutch out, as Skaifey knows. You want to get a bit of heat to take out that bite.”
Holdsworth was referring to Skaife’s infamous 2006 race that ended in total heartbreak after he couldn’t get off the start line before losing car speed up mountain straight where he was then hit from behind and pushed into the wall – his race ending on the opening lap.
Race control did issue a warning to all teams pre-race start with water pooled at the right of turn one – on the race line at Hell Corner.
WEATHER REPORT
The weather is set to play a crucial role, as it has all weekend. The Bureau of Meteorology forecasts a 60 per cent chance of any rain, with just 0 to 2mm likely. Sunday began under sprinkling rain from 7.30am.
It is a great result after the Top 10 Shootout was cancelled. The rain should ease through the day, and may even dry up before the race begins.
Speaking on Fox Motorsport’s coverage, Mark Larkham said everything we thought we knew leading into the race was out the window.
“What do we know about this event? Form guide, can’t help you. First time ever there ain’t one,” he said.
“Car set-up? Sorry, can’t help you. That’s all over the shop. Strategy? No idea.
EARLY CRASHES IN BIG WARNING SIGN
The first race of the day delivered an ominous warning of what could be to come for the remainder of the day. As rain sprinkled over the mountain, the Super Utes began to race under safety car conditions. But the green flag waved and the action began in earnest – before ending in tragedy.
The retiring Craig Dontas in his Ryco 24.7 Racing Mitsubishi Triton slid across the top of the mountain on the third lap and slammed into the wall in the slippery conditions.
42-year-old Dontas has been a mainstay of the SuperUtes competition, having stood on the podium in the Bathurst round of the competition in the past.
And there was more drama in the Porsche Carrera Cup, with the Chase causing multiple cars to run into the sand, while the wet and muddy first corner of the lap also saw a bunch of wild shunts.
‘BETTER BE BLOODY CAREFUL’: STAR’S SPECIAL WARNING
There are wonderful stories all up and down the grid. But for James Courtney, this weekend is like no other. After tying the knot in an elopement just last week at the Brisbane Registry, his new wife Tegan is expecting their first child together in two weeks.
Tegan, a make-up artist, is remaining on the Gold Coast – and is desperately hoping her husband won’t miss the birth of their child.
“It sucks that I am not down there this time, I’m spewing,” Tegan said, per The Daily Telegraph.
“But it’s OK. I would rather give birth on the Gold Coast than in Bathurst, so I have just got to choose that over going to Bathurst.”
“But I will be pretty upset if he does come when James is in Bathurst,” she added.
“I joke with him and say: ‘Don’t bother coming home’ if I’ve had the baby while he’s in Bathurst.”
Her biggest concern is staying calm watching the race.
“I’m like: ‘You better be bloody careful’,” Tegan said.
“I keep telling him to drive safely and don’t do anything stupid. It doesn’t help with all the rain that is predicted either.”
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