The 2023 Hi-Tec Oils Bathurst 6 Hour began in mostly overcast, cold and windy conditions on Mt Panorama and featured three lead changes in the first two laps.
Beric Lynton (BMW M3) led off the start before Anton De Pasquale (BMW M4) forged through from third place to lead the first lap.
Then Jayden Ojeda (M4) passed De Pasquale at the Chase on lap two to be out in front.
The race settled down until the 40 minute mark when the first safety car appeared due to Tony Levitt crashing his Mercedes AMG C63 on top of the mount.
That paved the way for many of the dominant Class X cars plus others, to take their first mandatory 90-second pitstops.
It put a lot of cars out of order but at least rid them of one they have to make.
With 50 minutes of the race gone and the safety car still on track and still to make a stop, young Rylan Gray (A2 Ford Mustang) leads Grant Denyer (Mustang) with Davison in front of the first of the pitters, Ojeda.
John Bowe (A1 Ford Falcon GT-F) is fourth from Hadrian Morrall (A1 Mitsubishi Lancer EVO X), Michael Auld (BMW M3), Anthony Soole (in for De Pasquale), Dieter Holzl (EVO X), Michael King (EVO X) and Darren Forrest (A2 HSV Clubsport).
Jake Camilleri (Mazda 3 MPS) heads up Class C in seventeenth position from Nic McLeod (HSV Astra VXR) in 24th while Mitch Maddren (Toyota 86) holds sway at the top of Class D from Scott Aho (Subaru BRZ) as they hold 40th and 44th positions respectively.
In Class E, it’s Shane Fowler in front of the similar car of Cam Beller.
A significant mover in the first stanza of the endurance race was the Speedcafe BMW with David Russell at the helm.
He started off the back of the grid, and with their first pitstop were inside the top 40 of the 59 starters.
Starting dead last Scott Turner (B1 BMW 135i) was also progressing well and was 31st.
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