Will Davison’s Trading Post Racing Falcon is the first big name to be eliminated from contention at the Supercheap Auto Bathurst 1000.
Davison’s co-driver Luke Youlden ran off the road at Murray’s Corner as the field were about to take the green flag, having been under Safety Car conditions due to kerbs breaking up.
Running second at the time, the incident was driver error and has caused the #6 car to go down a lap.
After qualifying second and leading the race in the opening stint, Davison was devastated.
“That’s Bathurst for you,” Davison said after the incident.
“It’s devastating to be honest. There’s not much I can say at the moment. I know Luke will be kicking himself on a restart. He must have been caught out by the full fuel, cold tyres, whatever.
“We were just circulating – you don’t start racing until lap 130, so it’s a bit of a shame.”
Other early casualties include Fabian Coulthard/Craig Baird (Bundaberg Racing), Grant Denyer/Cameron Waters (Shannons Mars Racing) and Jason Bargwanna/Shane Price, who have all seen their Great Race hopes end early.
Coulthard was the first to see his hopes dashed, collecting the wall on the exit of The Dipper after trying to avoid a slowing Jason Bright.
Rookie Cameron Waters saw his Bathurst dream evaporate on only his fifth lap in the race when he hit the wall at Forrests Elbow.
“At the end of the day, it was my mistake and there’s not much I can do about it,” Waters said.
“I was on cold tyres and I probably pushed a little bard for what I had.”
At the 50 lap mark, Andrew Thompson (#88) leads from Nick Percat (#2), Craig Lowndes (#888), John McIntyre (#9) and Allan Simonsen (#11).
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