The Virgin Supercars Championship—formerly V8 Supercars—will tackle the daunting Mount Panorama Circuit this weekend for the 54th running of Australia’s Great Race, the SuperCheap Auto Bathurst 1000. Once a fairly obscure international event, the 1,000-kilometer race has grown to enjoy some spotlight if not for the close racing and intense rivalries the Mount has bred over the years than for the sheer guts required to navigate the circuit itself.
The 6.2-kilometer track scales the side of Mount Panorama on what is, for most of the year, a section of public road intended as a scenic drive. The confines are incredibly narrow and unforgiving when running alone, let alone with 23 other drivers strapped into 640-horsepower machines all around. The twisting mountain section leaves no quarter, but it eventually gives way to Conrod Straight, a downhill run off the slow Forest Elbow corner that sees top speeds around 300 kph (~186 mph). The end of Conrod Straight brings maybe the fastest corner in all of road racing with drivers taking The Chase flat-out before braking. It’s an epic track with a tendency to produce some of the most amazing racing in the entire world over the course of 1,000 kilometers.
The Bathurst 1000 is not a race for the feint of heart and the decades-long rivalry between Ford and Holden still lingers while the long-term future for both brands in Australia remain in jeopardy. Whatever the future holds, fans of Ford and Holden have no love lost to this day; you’ll find no shortage of stories about skirmishes between members of the two camps during the Great Race. Volvo and Nissan—both former winners in the touring-car days of Bathurst—also bring V8 cars to the mix that could keep it interesting.
While I cannot find a free international feed or even a live United States broadcast partner, you should be able to find recaps from Bathurst on CBS Sports Network or on MotorTrendOnDemand. If you really want to watch the Great Race, you can pay $40 AU (about $32 American) for Superview, which allows you to watch replays of the entire season along with Bathurst (and the rest of the season) live. This may be difficult since Bathurst is 13 hours ahead of Eastern Standard Time in the U.S., but the race would begin at 8:10 p.m. ET on Saturday if you’re in the U.S.
Here’s our quick guide to who should be in the mix. If you don’t follow Australian racing, few of these names will be familiar to you, but consider this a brief introduction to the world of Supercars. This being one of three rounds of the Pirtek Endurance Cup, the race will feature a co-driver that will be listed second after the full-season driver.
#888 Triple Eight Racing, Holden VF Commodore (Craig Lowndes/Steven Richards) – While no one will ever take the King of the Mountain title away from the late Peter Brock, Lowndes might be considered the successor. This will be his 23rd start and he’s won six times with 13 total podiums. Another win for the wily old Lowndes would tie him Jim Richards for second all-time to Brock’s nine wins. Fittingly enough, Jim’s son Steven Richards, a four-time winner himself, shares the car with Lowndes.
#88 Triple Eight Racing, Holden VF Commodore (Jamie Whincup/Paul Dumbrell) – Whincup is a six-time V8 Supercars champion and a four-time winner at Bathurst, though three of those wins came co-driving with Lowndes. He currently sits second in the championship by seven points headed to Mount Panorama and would love the points boost from winning the Great Race. Dumbrell is an old hat in Supercars and will hold his own when it’s his turn to drive.
#97 Triple Eight Racing, Holden VF Commodore (Shane Van Gisbergen/Alex Premat) – The always-exciting Van Gisbergen made a show of the first Pirtek Endurance Cup race, the Sandown 500, finishing just behind Garth Tander. Earlier this year, Van Gisbergen smashed the all-time lap record at Mount Panorama in a McLaren 650S during the Bathurst 12 Hours so he knows how to find speed. He also comes to Bathurst having taken the championship lead from Whincup at Sandown. If he and French driver Premat can avoid mistakes, they will have the pace to run with either of the two teammates or the best that Ford can throw at them.
#1 Prodrive Racing Australia, Ford FG X Falcon (Mark Winterbottom/Dean Canto) – “Frosty” is the defending Supercars champion, though he’s had a rough go of it in 2016. However, Winterbottom did win at Bathurst in 2013 and he seldom backs down. A Winterbottom-Whincup showdown would reignite that personal rivalry and send the Bathurst fans into a frenzy. Canto is a regular endurance-round co-driver and though his resume lacks the lustre of Dumbrell or Richard, he co-drove to Winterbottom’s 2013 win.
#55 Rod Nash Racing, Ford FG X Falcon (Chaz Mostert/Steve Owen) – In 2014, Mostert stunned Australia by stealing a win at Bathurst in his rookie season. He had pushed Jamie Whincup to run out of fuel on the last lap, which allowed Mostert to lead only the race’s final lap. Last year, Mostert didn’t get the chance to defend his victory when a massive crash left him injured and unable to compete. It’s been an up-and-down year for Mostert so it’s hard to know what to expect, but he should want it as badly as anyone this year. Owen is no stranger to pressure; he scored Bathurst podiums co-driving for both Whincup (2010) and Winterbottom (2015).
#33 Garry Rogers Motorsports, Volvo S60R (Scott McLaughlin/David Wall) – Along with Shane Van Gisbergen, McLaughlin represents the solid young talent coming out of New Zealand. Like Tander, he won’t be returning to this team next year, having been signed by DJR Team Penske for 2017. Regardless, nobody is more competitive than McLaughlin and if the Rogers team put a good car under him, watch out. With Volvo pulling the plug on the whole program after 2016, this team should be out to prove that the Swedish manufacturer is making a big mistake.
#19 Tekno Autosport, Holden VF Commodore (Will Davison/Jonathon Webb) – Davison has stepped up to fill Van Gisbergen’s shoes on the one-car team. He and Webb, who co-drove with Van Gisbergen in the McLaren in the Bathurst 12 Hours, managed a third-place finish at Sandown to open the Pirtek Endurance Cup this year. They are a solid pairing that will be mixing it up and down the mountain.
#2 Holden Racing Team, Holden VF Commodore (Garth Tander/Warren Luff) – Tander won the opening round of the Pirtek Endurance Cup, his first win since 2014. His team, HRT, celebrated by telling him he won’t be rehired for 2017. It will be interesting to see how he responds, whether he’ll be fired up to prove a point or have checked out with a yet-unannounced ride in the works. Luff is best-known for his sports car racing career in Australia, but he has enjoyed career success at Bathurst in both Supercars and sports cars.
#22 Holden Racing Team, Holden VF Commodore (James Courtney/Jack Perkins) – Tander’s teammate Courtney started the year with a second place and a win, but he’s been unable to find that success again this year. When Courtney is on form, he’s as good as anybody, but he’s struggled to find it this year. Perkins is a journeyman who is a bit of a wild card, but if both he and Courtney are in sync, they should contend for a podium.
#23 Nissan Motorsport, Nissan Altima (Michael Caruso/Dean Fiore) – Earlier this year, Caruso picked up Nissan’s first Supercars win since 2013. For a team that’s been knocking on the door of a win all year, it was a big confidence boost for Nissan and for Caruso. Oddsmakers suggest this pair is a mighty longshot and that the #15 Nissan with veterans Rick Kelly and Russell Ingall are better bets, but I like this younger duo as Nissan’s leaders.
#12 DJR Team Penske, Ford FG X Falcon (Fabien Coulthard/Luke Youlden) – The collaboration between Dick Johnson Racing and Roger Penske continues to blossom and while the team are still looking for their first win, Coulthard has looked solid this season. He and Youlden still face long odds, but it helps having two of the biggest racing names from two continents collaborating to make things happen.
#360 Nissan Motorsport, Nissan Altima (Simona de Silvestro/Renee Gracie) – The all-female crew are unlikely to be competitive as a one-off entry this year, but it will be interesting to see how former IndyCar driver and Sauber F1 test driver de Silverstro fares. She recently signed a three-year contract to become the first full-time female Supercars driver and likely also the only driver next year from outside Australia and New Zealand. With her resume, she should be able to hang with anyone else if she can get a good car.
