It’s time for the big one, the one we’ve all been waiting for, the Bathurst 1000.
All eyes are on Mount Panorama for the real race that stops a nation!
We head in after a huge preparation back at base, as ready as we can be for whatever the Bathurst gods have in store.
161 laps, the toughest test in Australian motorsport, bring it on.
The Track
What more can you say about Bathurst? 6.2 kilometres of the most amazing piece of road in Australia (and the world if you ask us…)
From Conrod to McPhillamy, The Grate to Forrest Elbow, it’s a hold your breath operation for most of the lap, which is just over 2 minutes long.
Drivers
Fabian Coulthard ‘officially’ re-joins us in a racing sense this weekend. He has spent a heap of time around the team, both at track and at the workshop in 2022, and we can’t wait to see him alongside Chaz.
Luffy is back for year nine! We know how talented and capable he is of delivering on the big stage, providing a fantastic partner to Nick for the weekend.
As for Chaz and Nick? Well, both have climbed The Mountain before, both are hoping to do it again.
Tyres
Hard tyre all weekend, and probably some wets…
We’ve been allocated 13 new sets per car…. Yep, per car! Add in another two sets of previously used tyres we will run, and that’s a grand total of 120 Dunlop tyres across the weekend.
Format
We kick start the event on Thursday with practice. Across the weekend there six practice sessions, plus a Sunday morning warm-up.
The greatest qualifying session of the year takes place on Friday afternoon, with a 40-minute session that determines 11th-25th on the grid, but more importantly, who gets a lap of The Mountain to themselves on Saturday afternoon in the Top 10 Shootout.
On Sunday, 11:15am AEDT is when the engines will roar, and 161 laps later, a champion will be crowned.
How to Watch
Get ready for a big weekend on the couch If you can’t make it to the track.
Fox Sports will cover every session live, while Channel 7 have you sorted on Friday to Sunday.
For the full TV guide, please CLICK HERE.
Pitstops
At some stage during the race, cars will have to complete a front brake rotor change. This involves, for us, taking the entire brake calliper and rotor off, and replacing them with brand new ones, fresh out of the oven to warm up.
These changes should take under 30-seconds, and it defines what truly makes this a team sport.
Weather
It could be an interesting weekend on the weather front.
There is a lot of rain around early in the weekend, especially Saturday. Sunday could be dry, but it’s hard to predict at this stage.
Chaz Mostert
“It’s so awesome to be back at Bathurst, there’s just nothing quite like this week.
“We head in confident, but like we all know, anything can happen at Bathurst, we often joke that the Bathurst gods have picked the winner, we are just along for the ride.
“It’s been awesome having Fabs with us so far this year, nice to be able to actually race together now, so looking forward to getting the weekend started and building from there.”
Fabian Coulthard
“It’s awesome to be back at Bathurst again, I’m really excited to be able to get a full weekend with Walkinshaw Andretti United as well.
“It’s been a slightly different year, but I’ve been really lucky to be able to spend so much time with the team all year, as well as the test days behind the wheel so I’m really comfortable heading into the weekend.
“Weather looks like it could make things a little interesting, but I just can’t wait to get it all underway.”
Nick Percat
“The best week of the year, I’m really excited for Bathurst.
“The team has put in an unbelievable amount of work in the last few weeks, it’s pretty incredible to see the commitment from everyone, and on top of that I’m really pumped to be teaming up with Luffy who is a legend.
“The crowds all year have been amazing, so I can’t imagine how good it’s going to be now that everyone can attend The Mountain again, that first time over the top will be special.
“Overall, just really excited to get it underway!”
Warren Luff
“It’s so awesome to be at Bathurst again, there’s no better place in the world than this weekend.
“Really looking forward to teaming up with Nick, we’ve worked really well together this year already, I’ve spent a heap of time with him, so can’t wait to share the Mobil 1 NTI Racing No. 2 alongside him and the rest of the team.
“It’s great to be back in the WAU family again, as we know, anything can happen at Bathurst, so looking forward to seeing what The Mountain has in store for Nick and I.”