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Over the 123 laps there were 13 lead changes and nine different race leaders. The winners made 11 pitstops, a strategy move to get through their six compulsory (90s transition) pitstops as early as possible and while there were safety car period.
The team of Jayden Ojeda, Simon Hodges and George Miedecke only hit the lead on Lap 111 and remained there to the end.
The race had 12 safety cars which equalled the most in the event’s previous seven years. Of the 58 starters, 21 didn’t make it to the chequered flag. Others did get there but had trouble along the way.
Disappointment ranged from early in the production car enduro to very late into the event.
Who was the unluckiest is also debatable. Was it the first official retirement, the Ford Focus RS of Ashley Wright/David Brown/John Bowe with a blown head gasket? It had been a troublesome throughout the weekend and may have been a blessing.
On the other side of the ledger, Tyler Everingham in a BMW M3 and sharing with Brianna Wilson and Michael Auld was in fourth and in winning contention when it blew a fuse 12 laps from the end.
The BMW M2 that won two years ago, driven this time be Dean Campbell and Cameron Crick were very strong contenders. That was until a controversial pitlane penalty coincided with a computer gremlin that plague them for the last 24 laps.
In between many others had their own dramas to sort through. The Tony Quinn/Ryder Quinn/Grant Denyer Ford Mustang crash out when leading Class A2. Previously the A2 Chev Camaro of Chris Lillis, Nathan Callaghan and Josh Muggleton were the class, and race leaders, seemingly in line for a possible fourth outright until a fuel tank issue cruelly stopped their momentum.
Another that led the race, albeit briefly and out of left field was the Peter O’Donnell/Matt Chahda/Garry Mennell Class B BMW 335i. The race’s most travelled car (in terms of Bathurst laps) was in front for two laps, obviously due to pit strategies. But clutch and lost gears meant they struggled in the second half of the race.
Dimitri Agathos and Harry Hayek dragged their Subaru Impreza WRX STi all the way to fifth and were second in Class A1 when the turbo let go 12 laps from the end.
All 58 entries had stories, and these are just some of them.
