Bathurst Trivia

BATHURST TRIVIA TIME

SEEKING some drivers to fill your prospective qualifiers for the top-ten shootout? Eight drivers have an average qualifying position better than tenth at Bathurst in Championship races, namely: Anton de Pasquale (4.6), Shane van Gisbergen (6.6), Mark Winterbottom (8.1), Jamie Whincup (8.2), James Courtney (9.5), Chaz Mostert (9.8), and Cam Waters (9.9). On the all-time Supercars list, Scott McLaughlin tops the charts with an average starting position of 3.9.

OF THE lead drivers, Mostert’s average Mount Panorama Championship race finishing position of 8.7 leads the way from van Gisvergen on 9.3 and Whincup on 9.7. Whincup led the way on 9.2 before last year’s faux pas. THE infamous 2014 race featured ten safety car appearances, equal with 2006 and 1999, although smashed by the 13 appearances in 2000. The most laps under the safety car in a race was 2006 with 36, primarily due to Paul Radisich’s awful shunt at The Chase. Meanwhile, 2013 and 2018 featured six laps of Safety Car activity each, with two and three interruptions respectively. Last year there were five cautions for ten laps.

WILL this be the first Bathurst 1000 to break the Six Hour barrier? Since the race extended from 500 miles (805km) to 1000km in 1973, it took until 1977 for the seven-hour mark to be bettered, which was achieved by Allan Moffat/Jacky Ickx with a time of 6hr, 59min 7.8sec. The race record belongs to Craig Lowndes/Steve Richards in 2018 with a time of 6hr 1min 44,5456sec, while the longest recorded race was 2014, with Mostert/Morris winning with a time of 7hr 58min 53.2052sec, which dragged on due to a mid-race red flag.

AFTER seven rookies were entered last year, Zak Best will be assured Rookie of the Year honours when he lines up alongside Jack Le Brocq in the Truck Assist Mustang as the sole first time starter in the field.

THERE are five drivers not returning this year, namely Jordan Boys, Rick Kelly (retired), Scott McLaughlin (Indycar), Tyler Everingham and Steve Owen.

Taking their place will be Russell Ingall, David Wall, Matt Campbell, Luke Youlden and Best.

OVER the past 20 years, the race winner has started on the front row eight times. Of course, Mostert/Morris put in a big burn from the stern to win in 2014 from 25th on the grid. Still, there have been some other sizable drives through the field on race day in recent times: Davison/Webb started 17th in 2016 to win, a year before Lowndes/ Richards were victorious from 15th, the same position as Bright/Richards in 2008. Last year, van Gisbergen/Garth Tander won from fourth.

2009 - David Wall & Leanne Tander with Wilson Security Racing PCR Ford

A TOTAL of 25 cars are set to feature on the starting grid, the equal lowest of all time with 2014 and last year.

2010 - James Moffat DVS

WITH 11 of the last 20 pole positions, Anton de Pasquale is clearly carrying over the legacy of Scott McLaughlin’s one-lap pace in the Shell squad. For reference, in the corresponding time period of McLaughlin’s first year at the team in 2017, he scored 14 pole positions.

SINCE winning The Great Race in 2013 and ’14, the team known as Tickford Racing has always been in the Bathurst conversation. Following second for Winterbottom/Owen in 2015, the team has also earned a fourth for Waters/Le Brocq in 2016, fourth for Mostert/Moffat in 2018, and a second last year for Waters/Davison. At the season-opening Mount Panorama 500, all three of their cars finished races within the top-eight. SHANE van Gisbergen has had a ridiculous season. From 35 races, he was 19 wins and 29 podiums. First in the New Zealand Grand Prix, first in the Bathurst 6 Hour, a winner in the GT World Challenge Australia at Bathurst, won both races of the Mount Panorama 500, both races of the Townville 500, the only race of the SMP 500, a total of 14 Supercars races, and so on. By the way, his Bathurst co-driver Garth Tander has claimed the 1000 on four occasions. Handy stats.

CAN the GOAT go out as a full-time driver a winner? Clearly, Whincup’s trials and tribulations at Bathurst have been well documented, but he does have four wins in the 1000, and three second-place finishes on his remarkable CV. Also, he has never finished lower than fourth in the Bathurst 12 Hour. Don’t forget, his co-driver Craig Lowndes put a fullstop on his final full-time season in 2018 with his seventh Bathurst 1000 success.THE brothers Davison, Will and Alex, have partnered four times previously for the Bathurst 1000, with a best result of fourth in 2014.

2018 - Will and Alex Davison 2010 - Tim Slade & Jack Perkins