The scene is set for the final 40 laps of the 2012 Supercheap Auto Bathurst 1000 with three quarters of The Great Race now complete.
With all cars in the top 10 on the same fuel strategy, the race to the flag is now in full swing.
Jamie Whincup continues to lead the race ahead of David Reynolds, James Courtney, Michael Caruso and Mark Winterbottom.
Jonathon Webb, Rick Kelly, Greg Murphy, Craig Lowndes and Tim Slade round out the top 10.
The third quarter of the race has seen three Safety Car periods – all caused by Brad Jones Racing entries.
Fabian Coulthard’s race was run when an issue saw David Besnard leave the circuit at McPhillamy Park and become stranded in the sand trap.
The next Safety Car was brought out by the second BJR car of Jason Bright/Andrew Jones when it slipped off the road at Murray’s Corner.
Besnard came off the circuit again soon after, also at Murray’s.
Championship contender Will Davison has seen his chances spin away when his team-mate John McIntyre was involved in a clash at The Cutting with SP Tools driver Luke Youlden. Car #6 spun in the incident and now sits outside the top 20 with Davison at the wheel.
CLICK HERE for Speedcafe.com’s quarter race distance report
CLICK HERE for Speedcafe.com’s half distance report.
See below for Speedcafe.com’s live tweets of the first half of the 1000km race from Mount Panorama.
CLICK HERE for live tweets of the race from Speedcafe.com.
– Lap 80 order: Dumbrell, Reynolds, Caruso, Courtney, Winterbottom, Bright, Murphy, D’Alberto, T.Kelly, Klien #V8SC
– “I think we need more pre-load. Front bar change is helping a little downhill, not uphill,” says fifth placed Winterbottom of his car. #V8SC
– Winterbottom now says he has a tyre vibration #V8SC
– “Definite tyre, definite tyre, left-rear,” adds Winterbottom. He will pit this lap. Driver change #V8SC
– Lap 81 Dumbrell pits from his 4.2s lead. Winterbottom pits from fifth as promised #V8SC
– Dumbrell, Winterbottom, Bright, Murphy, D’Alberto and Klien have in fact all pitted this lap. #V8SC
– Dumbrell stayed in the #1 TeamVodafone car and will complete his required laps in this stint #V8SC
– Lap 83 Reynolds, Caruso, Courtney, Wall and Davison pit from the top five spots. #V8SC
– McIntyre is back in car #6 with new brakes. He’s now 21st #V8SC
– Van Gisbergen currently leads after being put off-sequence by the tyre problem in his last stint #V8SC
– Order on Lap 84 following recent round of stops: Van Giz, Dumbrell, Canto, McLaughlin, McConville, RIchards, Luff, Ritter, Holdsworth, A.Davo #V8SC
– Van Gisbergen only “one or two laps away” from next stop. “Concentrate and be smooth,” he’s told #V8SC
– Richards to be given bad sportsmanship flag for blocking Luff in the battle for sixth #V8SC
– Lap 88 Luff has taken RIchards for sixth. Leader Van Giz will pit this lap #V8SC
– Order/gaps Lap 90: Dumbrell 7.9s Canto 3.8s McLaughlin 6.0s McConville 2.6s Luff 0.6s Richards 5.1s Ritter 0.3s Holdsworth 2.7s A.Davo 13.1s O.Kelly #V8SC
– Youlden has taken over from Van Giz and rejoined in 20th #V8SC
– Lap 91 Holdsworth in this lap for a driver change. #V8SC
– Lap 92 Besnard is off at McPhillamy. Car is facing backwards on grass at exit #V8SC
– “Something broke, the steering just went heavy and we were bloody lucky to keep it off the fence,” says Besnard. SAFETY CAR #V8SC
– “These dudes are coming past here pretty damn quick,” adds Besnard, who remains stranded at McPhillamy #V8SC
– “I don’t think it was a puncture, it may have been, but I think something else broke,” concludes Besnard #V8SC
– Those to pit under this Safety Car have included the formerly second placed Canto, fourth placed Luff and seventh placed Holdsworth #V8SC
– Order under SC: Dumbrell, McConville, Richards, Ritter, Canto, O.Kelly, Jones, Pither, McIntyre, Youlden #V8SC
– The Besnard car is now back in pitlane. “The steering is bloody heavy,” he says before heading back into the fray #V8SC
– “It turns right ok, maybe a bit heavy, but left it’s bloody heavy. It almost feels normal turning right,” continues Besnard. #V8SC
– Safety Car lights are out. Race will restart on Lap 95 #V8SC
– McIntyre has spun at The Cutting on the restart lap and is facing the wrong way. He eventually rejoins 23rd #V8SC
– Replays show McIntyre was tagged by Youlden #V8SC
– The Douglas/Pye Holden has gone to the garage with a mechanical issue #V8SC
– Order Lap 100: Dumbrell, McConville, Richards, Pither, Canto, Jones, O.Kelly, Youlden, McLaughlin, Reindler #V8SC
– Circuit TV reports that the Douglas/Pye Holden had dropped a cylinder #V8SC
– McIntyre will pit as he is worried about the tyres. Driver change #V8SC
– FPR had told McIntyre. “It’s your call, pit if you think it’s unsafe to continue”. The car sits 22nd before the stop #V8SC
– Davison asks of the condition of the outgoing tyre: “Tyre is screwed, tyre is screwed,” is the reply. #V8SC
– Lap 105 Dumbrell has been punching out 2:10s since the restart and holds a 5.5s lead over McConville #V8SC
– “Something is bent in the left rear. It doesn’t feel right,” says Davison #V8SC
– Lap 105 Jones is off at Murray’s corner. The car is beached. #V8SC
– SAFETY CAR deployed for the fifth time. “I braked early into this last one (corner) and it just wouldn’t stop,” says Jones. #V8SC
– Dumbrell’s 7s lead is about to disappear as the field pits #V8SC
– The top 19 all pit. Whincup escapes narrowly ahead of Reynolds. The #52 had fuel in hand but was delayed on its exit #V8SC
– Order under SC on Lap 107: Whincup, Reynolds, Ingall, Courtney, Caruso, Winterbottom, Webb, R.Kelly, A.Davison, Murphy #V8SC
– W.Davison meanwhile benefited from that as he was almost a lap down when the yellows flew #V8SC
– Strategies have been reset at the front with only one more stop required for fuel. Tyres are the question mark though of course #V8SC
– Just two cars have retired so far: Patrizi/Reid (driveline failure Lap 20), Owen/Morris (crash after brake pad change Lap 54) #V8SC
– #30 is also not expected to return to the track after its engine problems #V8SC
– Race will restart on Lap 109 #V8SC
– Craig Lowndes’ pitlane release is being investigated. He emerged side-by-side with Wall #V8SC
– “It’s just got ridiculous oversteer. I can’t even turn the steering wheel and the back is coming around,” says W.Davison in 20th #V8SC
– Lap 112 Whincup has edged away to a 1s margin over Reynolds. #V8SC
– Lowndes cleared of any rule breach over pitlane exit at last stop. He currently runs 12th #V8SC
– Lap 112 Ingall pits from fourth. Bright is also back in as the trouble for #8 continues #V8SC
– Lap 113 Besnard is in the sand trap at Murray’s Corner. Safety Car number six #V8SC
– Leaders don’t pit. Van Giz does from 10th. A.Davison, W.Davison and Gaunt follow. #V8SC
– Those pitting now will still need another stop but will have a nice little ‘fuel in hand’ advantage at the last stops #V8SC
– Lights out on Safety Car. Race to restart on Lap 115 #V8SC
– W.Davison has restarted 21st with fuel, new tyres and brakes #V8SC
– Leaders predictably tentative on restart lap with low tyre pressures. Whincup records a 2:11.12s and is 0.5s clear of Reynolds #V8SC
– Lap 118 Reynolds is pressing race leader Whincup hard at the front. Official gap is 0.3s #V8SC
– Engineer James Small asking Reynolds to take clean air when he can get it #V8SC
– “It’s rolling all over the place, it’s got no grip,” says Davison of the #6.
– Order Lap 120: Whincup, Reynolds, Courtney, Caruso, Winterbottom, Webb, R.Kelly, Murphy, Lowndes, Slade #V8SC
