The Mount Panorama circuit is quite simply the greatest piece of road here in Australia. Internationally, Bathurst is up there with the best like Laguna Seca, Le Mans and of course Nürburgring. In terms of atmosphere and anticipation, it’s the motorsport version of Melbourne cup or a full house in the MCG for a AFL Grand Final.

Bathurst is located in the state of New South Wales. The first ever touring car race held in Bathurst was in 1960 where Harry Firth and Bob Jane took out the then 500 mile event. While the landscape and cars have changed greatly since the early days, the desire to win for any driver has not changed. The track does not reward whips or cautious drivers. Bathurst rewards those who put the car on the line to get that ultimate qualifying lap on Saturday and the brave on Sunday.

Only one driver has truly become the king of the mountain. That is of course, “Peter Brock”. Possibly Australia’s greatest ever race driver won Bathurst on nine separate occasions, even once by 6 LAPS. Peter will always be remembered for his ability to commentate live on TV from his car while driving over the mountain, with his elbow resting on the window sill, while leading the race. He was our motorsport champion and a legend in all respects.

Things have changed today since the early Bathurst days. Back then you drove up to the circuit in the race car, and you sold the car on Monday. Today, there's more pressure to win from sponsors while not damaging the car as the next race is in two weeks. Those who dare to second guess Bathurst generally get bitten hard by the mountain.

In the past three years, Team Vodafone’s Craig Lowndes and Jamie Whincup have been the most impressive combination we have seen in a long time. To win Bathurst once is an enormous achievement but three consecutive wins is a rare performance. While other teams have reviewed the performance of Team Vodafone in their following weekend debriefs, no other team has looked better than 888.

Since announcing their 2010 plans of switching manufacturers (to Holden) prior to this years Sandown round, Team Vodafone have made rare mistakes in the pits and on track. Whether or not that is pressure to beat the current top team at Holden, HRT, or just bad timing, it should be a concern for the Bathurst champions.
That’s not to say HRT have not made mistakes this year. The HRT pit crew have been one of the slowest top level teams and have cost the drivers important seconds in a few sprint races. Those vital seconds could have changed a 4th result into 3rd but history can’t be changed now.

HRT and Team Vodafone remain the hot two favourites if all goes their way. However any slip ups or mechanical problems with those two lead cars will bring Ford Performance Racing into the picture. FPR have been disappointing all season to be frank and internal pressure could have contributed to that. Castrol announced their departure from the team while V8SFG has it on good authority  Orrcon will follow suit.

Possibly the quiet achievers are the Jim Beam Racing guys of Steven Johnson and James Courtney as well as the Kelly’s. All four drivers have had highs and lows this season but come endurance time, both teams generally take it to the next level.

It is difficult if not impossible to predict what Bathurst will throw up. Weather always is important to keep one eye on as it can be wet on the top of the mountain yet dry on the pit straight. Tyre failures played a massive role in 2008 and with the recent tyre problems again  this year, it is likely to play a big part again. Track conditions were blamed but twelve months later, you would expect some kind of improvement  whether it is circuit maintenance or the tyres itself

Unfortunately, kangaroo’s are not uncommon on the track. In 2008, the Fujistu series race had an unexpected visitor, a kangaroo almost causing a few accidents across skyline into the dipper.

There are so many unknown’s and variables that always occur at Bathurst but the best always rise to the top. Based on the results and racing this year from all teams, as well as past experience, here is the hot top ten for Bathurst - tenth being the tenth favourite and first as top favourite.

10TH - TOLL HOLDEN RACING TEAM (Dumbrell and Baird)
Paul Dumbrell just excelled at Phillip Island when he swapped his Team Autobarn car for a red one. You just feel that if he continues on the same path and does not get involved in other peoples incidents then he will be in the top ten. Not much to say about Baird as he is a proven endurance driver and will do great job.

9TH - JIM BEAM RACING (Luff and Youlden)
Luff has been fastest driver in all the co driver sessions this year. He was consistent at Phillip Island easily putting car eighteen in the top ten. If he and Luke Youlden get things right in terms of setup and stay out of trouble then these guys will be good.

8TH - GARRY ROGERS MOTORSPORT (Besnard and Ritter)
Besnard is a bit like Luff in terms of a driver in general. He is fast, tidy and consistent in race mode. Ritter has been with GRM for a few years now and always does a great job. Ritter almost out smarted the field in 2007 during the wet conditions by changing tyres so these guys will be strong.

7TH - GARRY ROGERS MOTORSPORT (Holdsworth and Caruso)
Inexperience has put these pocket rockets in 7th instead of the top five. Both drivers have less experience then their sister car which can work in your favour but of course, it can have a downside. These guys will be higher in the placing if the sweet spot in the setup is found while keeping it consistent come race day.

6TH - JACK DANIELS RACING (Rick and Todd Kelly)
The Kelly's last drove together in 2006 where they finished second. They would clearly be in the top three favourites if car reliability wasn’t a concern. This year, the new team have put in some fantastic efforts but come the end, managed to find their way outside of the top ten. Both Kelly's know how to win at Bathurst doing it before (with separate co-drivers) so things look positive for the brothers.

5TH - SPRINT GAS RACING (Murphy and Skaife)
Possibly the best Australian and New Zealand drivers on “paper” for this years event. Both driver stats combined make them the most experienced and most successful pairing this year as well. While Skaife may have lost some speed since last year, he definitely knows his way around Bathurst. Murphy has been on the podium in the last few years. The only downside or question over this team is consistency which has ruined some good results this year. If these two Holden hero’s get the setup right, the rest will just fall into place.

4TH - FORD PERFORMANCE RACING (Winterbottom and S. Richards)
As stated earlier, FPR have been poor in 2009 with some horrible races. Putting that aside, Winterbottom has found some form in the last two V8 Supercar events. FPR have also seemed to fixed some mechanical parts on the car to improve their race package. FPR will be on the podium if Steven Richards also finds some much needed form and pace. Richards has been poor in some events this year but the Castrol backed driver usually steps up another level come Bathurst time. Ford fans in particular expect these guys to be somewhere near the front.

3RD - JIM BEAM RACING (Johnson and Courtney)
Johnson and Courtney are well known to be better suited to the longer races. Bathurst is definitely the best circuit for both of these drivers speed-wise and in consistency. Dick Johnson Racing always produce strong engines and 1000 kilometer ready cars. These Ford boys will be a pair to watch.

2ND - TOLL HOLDEN RACING TEAM (Tander and W. Davison)
Despite winning the L & H 500 ,Tander and Will Davison are only second favourite. The only negative playing on there chances is the question mark over tyre life. As seen at Phillip Island, the car had great speed at the start of each stint but dropped off a lot there after. But Bathurst is completely different so that aspect may be too. HRT always does well at Bathurst and the drivers are race winning material.

1ST - TEAM VODAFONE (Lowndes and Whincup)
Can Team Vodafone win four in a row? Fans said no after they were going for the second and third wins. How is it different to those times? The drivers are winning material, the team and the cars are the best in the field. While questions remain over car reliability (every team this year though), these guys have the race package to win the race if history is any reference. If Team Vodafone win, they may become the only team in history in win four in a row but in motorsport, “if” is a big word. Expect the 888 car to be at the front providing nothing untoward happens to it.

Copyright - V8SFG 2009 | Author - Justin