A SUPERCAR SEASO
Australia’s annual great race at Bathurst’s Mount Panorama took on a whole new significance in this COVID-19 pandemic-disrupted year. Becoming the Supercars’ grand final round for the first time in 20 years, the event held from October 15 to 18 marked the end of a continuous 106 day, 15,000 kilometre plus journey for the Supercars drivers, teams and organisers. Due to the numerous and constantly changing state border closure regulations, most staff from the Victorian Supercar teams had not been home since early July, sacrificing their own time with loved ones during a global pandemic, just to keep the Supercars show on the road. After staging a number of spectator free events and some with limited spectators, the racing remained fierce and an unprecedented number of new race winners emerged. This was thanks largely to changed tyre regulations that helped to create some outstanding race battles during the truncated 2020 season.
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The 60th staging of the Bathurst 1000 classic in 2020 was also subject to a limit of only 4,000 spectators per day, no camping, no open paddock area and no access to pit garages except for team and event staff. This made for a totally different and somewhat quieter event, particularly across the top of Mount Panorama, which was totally closed to fans. This ensured that more than 1.5 million Australians were glued to their televisions and mobile devices throughout the six and a half hours of racing that saw Kiwi Red Bull Holden Racing Team driver Shane Van Gisbergen finally take the chequered flag after coming tantalisingly close several times during his career. His Western Australian co-driver, Garth Tander, who had been unceremoniously dismissed from his full time Supercars drive the season before, scored his 4th Bathurst 1000 victory with Van Gisbergen, exactly 20 years after racing to his inaugural Bathurst crown. The fact that the winning margin to second placed Tickford Racing Mustang drivers Cam Waters and Will Davison was just 8/10ths of a second after 1000
