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Shane van Gisbergen and Garth Tander lead the Repco Bathurst 1000 after a chaotic first half of the race.
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After 81 laps, Tander is seven seconds clear at the front of the field in the #97 Red Bull Ampol ZB Commodore, from David Russell in Brodie Kostecki’s #99 Boost Mobile ZB Commodore and Jamie Whincup in Broc Feeney’s #88 Red Bull Ampol ZB Commodore.
James Moffat is fourth in Cameron Waters’ #6 Monster Energy Mustang despite being spun earlier by Brodie Kostecki and Matt Payne is fifth in Lee Holdsworth’s #10 Penrite Mustang.
Sixth is Mark Winterbottom/Michael Caruso (#18 Irwin Tools ZB Commodore), from Chaz Mostert/Fabian Coulthard (#25 Mobil 1 Optus ZB Commodore), Craig Lowndes/Declan Fraser (#888 Supercheap Auto ZB Commodore), Bryce Fullwood/Dean Fiore (#14 Middy’s ZB Commodore), and Will Davison/Alex Davison (#17 Shell V-Power Mustang).
Tony D’Alberto is 12th in Anton De Pasquale’s #100 Shell V-Power Mustang after a slow brake rotor change in the just-completed pit cycle.
The track was largely dry for the start but muddy and wet on the exit of Hell Corner, prompting Race Director James Taylor to warn teams before drivers were sent for the formation lap, but it would indeed lead to chaos on Lap 1.
Moffat bagged it up on pole position and dropped several positions, meaning Holdsworth, the only primary driver in the top 10, bolted to a clear lead by the first corner.
The drama, however, was in the mid-pack as Whincup broke traction on the water, with both he and Dale Wood (#8 R&J Batteries ZB Commodore) appearing to make contact with the rear of Jack Perkins (#9 Boost Mobile ZB Commodore).
Both Whincup and Perkins went spinning, with several cars incurring damage including the latter, who was briefly bogged on the grass.
Only the #55 Castrol Mustang was taken completely out of the hunt after Zak Best clipped Perkins and cannoned into the wall, before a restart on Lap 5.
There was more carnage that lap when Zane Goddard (#5 Snowy River Caravans Mustang) ran off at The Chase in a bungled attempt to pass Greg Murphy (#51 Boost Mobile ZB Commodore).
He appeared to stay in the throttle through the muddy outfield and lost control on the rejoin, spearing across the track and taking out Wood before he was shunted broadside by Matt Campbell (#26 Penrite Mustang), triggering a second Safety Car.
That left a running order of Holdsworth, Coulthard, Warren Luff (#2 Mobil 1 NTI ZB Commodore), Moffat, Tander, Russell, Murphy, Alex Davison, Lowndes, and James Golding (#31 Subway ZB Commodore).
Whincup was 20th after his early visit to the pits and D’Alberto 21st with a new steering arm after he was also caught in the Lap 1 incident, while Perkins took the wave-by ahead of the Lap 10 restart to get back on the lead lap in 24th.
Race Control advised ‘no further action’ for the Lap 1 spins but a post-race investigation for the Goddard drama.
There was more drama just two laps into the third green flag period of the race when a brief rain shower began in locations including The Cutting and Conrod Straight/The Chase.
Moffat jumped from fourth to second when he passed both of the Walkinshaw Andretti United cars on Lap 12, getting #25 after Coulthard had a moment exiting The Chase.
However, Coulthard’s pace was good and he stuck with Car #6, as Holdsworth galloped to a five-second lead at the end of Lap 16.
A third Safety Car was called on the next lap in order to recover the #56 Tradie Mustang after Jake Kostecki got himself bogged at The Chase.
All except D’Alberto would pit, leaving Car #100 in the lead from Payne, Coulthard, Brodie Kostecki, Waters, Tander, Alex Davison, Dylan O’Keeffe (#31 ZB Commodore), Fraser, and Scott Pye (#20 ZB Commodore) in 10th.
Luff was 14th and Whincup 15th after double-stack pit stops before the race restarted on Lap 20 with a drying race line again.
Tander was fast but Car #97 soon had a five-second penalty hanging over it due to an unsafe release in pit lane, while Waters was on the march.
He passed Brodie Kostecki at The Chase on Lap 23, then completed a move on Coulthard at Griffins Bend on Lap 25.
A lap later, he went under Payne for second position at the same corner and asset the gunsights on Car #100, which was just tenths ahead.
Waters picked off D’Alberto at Hell Corner on Lap 29 and helped himself to a second-plus lead by the time they were back to the Control Line, as the #100 co-driver complained of a long brake pedal and Brodie Kostecki hung on to fifth despite an engine problem.
Waters’ lead was almost two seconds when a Safety Car was called on Lap 31 in response to Alex Davison going off at The Chase, hitting the barriers, and getting stuck in the mud.
Again, most pitted, but Fraser and Richie Stanaway (#51 ZB Commodore) stayed out and assumed the top two spots, from Waters, Brodie Kostecki, Mostert, van Gisbergen, Payne, O’Keeffe, Pye, and D’Alberto, with Feeney 14th and Nick Percat (#2 ZB Commodore) 16th.
Mostert looked quick immediately upon the Lap 34 restart but when he attacked Brodie Kostecki at Forrest’s Elbow on Lap 36, it in fact allowed van Gisbergen to get into the slipstream of #99 as they ran down Conrod Straight and pinch fifth.
Waters passed Fraser for first at the start of Lap 37 before van Gisbergen got both the #99 and #51 Erebus Motorsport cars in consecutive laps at The Chase to rise to third.
He had all but caught Triple Eight Race Engineering team-mate Fraser when #888 pitted on Lap 40, at which point Waters was more than three seconds to the good.
When Tim Blanchard (#3 CoolDrive Mustang) ended up in the wall at Forrest’s Elbow after contact with Percat, a fifth Safety Car was called, and strategies diverged.
Van Gisbergen stayed out and assumed the lead, from Pye, Fullwood, Percat, Macauley Jones (#96 Wet & Forget ZB Commodore), Todd Hazelwood (#35 Truck Assist ZB Commodore), and Aaron Seton (#34 Truck Assist ZB Commodore), then Moffat in eighth from Brodie Kostecki, Payne, O’Keeffe, De Pasquale, Mostert, and Feeney.
Will Davison got the wave-by and the #17 Mustang was thus back on the lead lap in 22nd as the race restarted on Lap 45, and officials gave word of no further action on Percat-Blanchard.
On Lap 46, the effective lead changed in controversial fashion when Brodie Kostecki tagged Moffat at The Cutting, the #6 Mustang spinning but staying off the walls and dropping to 21st, with officials also deciding no further action on that incident.
Feeney dropped from ninth to 18th when he had an off at The Chase on Lap 48, as van Gisbergen disappeared at the head of the field to a lead approaching five seconds.
Pye pitted on Lap 54 and van Gisbergen from a lead of 10 seconds on Lap 55, at which time #97 served its hold penalty, while Percat was in on Lap 56.
Brodie Kostecki was in place by then to assume the lead, but when Jones beached the #96 ZB Commodore at pit entry, a Safety Car was called on Lap 57 and all ahead of #97 came into the lane.
The 2020 race-winning entry was thus leading again, in the hands of Tander, from Russell, De Pasquale, Percat, Winterbottom, Tyler Everingham (#20 ZB Commodore), Golding, Holdsworth, Fullwood, Whincup in 10th, Coulthard, and Lowndes, with Moffat 16th and Davison 21st for the Lap 60 restart, and everyone essentially back on the same strategy.
Tander put the hammer down and was three seconds to the good on Lap 67, by which time Everingham had pitted after a big understeer moment at McPhillamy Park which suggested a geometry problem for #20.
Will Davison was up to 10th when he pitted on Lap 74 and handed over to Alex Davison, as Tander moved six seconds clear of Russell.
Percat was still fourth when he bounced off the walls coming into Forrest’s Elbow on Lap 78 and while he reversed out of the tyres to crab down to pit lane, Tander pitted that lap but stayed in #97 despite having completed his minimum driving distance.
Russell led before he pitted on Lap 79, leaving De Pasquale at the head of the field from Whincup and Coulthard.
De Pasquale and Whincup pitted on Lap 80 and the former’s #100 Mustang had a slow rotor change, before Coulthard handed over to Mostert on Lap 81 and Tander resumed the lead.
Meanwhile, O’Keeffe runs 20th after quick-fire trips to the pits for the #31 ZB Commodore which needed a new front splitter.
