MOTORSPORT: SVG the man to beat at Bathurst 1000

The 2022 Repco Supercars Championship heads to Mount Panorama this weekend for the Repco Bathurst 1000, where runaway title leader Shane van Gisbergen will be the man to beat.

After an impressive debut at Rally New Zealand, in which he finished third in the WRC2 class, SVG will once again partner with four-time Bathurst champion Garth Tander as the duo look to emulate their Bathurst success from 2020.

To date in 2022, van Gisbergen has racked up an incredible 18 victories from the 29 races contested in his Red Bull Ampol Racing Commodore, and with a 500-point advantage he could realistically seal the title on Sunday with two events to spare.

This year’s Bathurst 1000 will be the final fling for Holden, the winningest marque in the history of the event, before the now-defunct Aussie brand and its imported Commodore make way for the Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 next year.

After more than 50 years of racing, Holden Motorsport will make way for Chevrolet Racing when the new-look Gen3 Supercars series kicks off at Newcastle in March 2023.

Meantime on the blue side of the equation, this weekend’s Bathurst 1000 will host the world debut of the new S650-series Ford Mustang in competition trim.

Another major talking point will be leading Ford squad Dick Johnson Racing’s 1000th championship race start, following an incredible history that dates back to 1980.

For the event, the team’s Mustangs will be decked out in a livery paying tribute to the scheme carried by the team’s EL Falcons of the late 1990s, with Will Davison set to be partnered by brother Alex and the outfit’s unchanged line-up seeing TCR Australia series leader Tony D’Alberto pair with Anton De Pasquale.

Ford’s other serious hope will be looking to go one better this year, with Cam Waters once again joined by James Moffat in the Tickford-prepped Monster Mustang, after the combo finished second last year – the same position Waters and Will Davison claimed in 2020.

Meanwhile, the Grove Racing Fords could present an interesting prospect at the bookmakers, with David Reynolds to be joined by Porsche factory ace Matt Campbell, and reigning champion Lee Holdsworth with rookie Matt Payne.

Other contenders aboard Holdens include four-time Bathurst 1000 victor Jamie Whincup, who will return for his first race since retiring. He will line up alongside Broc Feeney, who has been growing in confidence in his rookie full-time campaign.

Chaz Mostert will be out to defend his Bathurst crown, this time with Fabian Couthard riding shotgun in his Optus-backed Commodore, while Erebus Motorsport has been strong at The Mountain in recent outings, with Brodie Kostecki and David Russell finishing third last year, while Will Brown and Jack Perkins fill and unchanged roster.

Adding to the depth of this year’s field is a trio of wildcard entries, which bring with them varying storylines.

After closed international borders scuttled their 2021 campaign, Greg Murphy and Richie Stanway finally get to hit the track in their Boost Mobile-sponsored, Erebus-prepped Commodore.

Their current campaign also almost came to naught when Will Brown suffered a sizeable shunt last time out in New Zealand, necessitating a major rebuild of his wreck rather than commandeering the car commissioned for the wildcard entry.

Triple Eight Race Engineering returns with another Supercheap Auto-backed additional entry, this time with Craig Lowndes joined by Super2 Series leader Declan Fraser.

Since the wildcard concept was initiated in 2009, this squad has posted the best wildcard finish of 10th in 2013, and the best qualifying effort of 15th, which was registered by Feeney last year.

The third and final extra runner is a true privateer effort, with Super2 campaigners Matt Chahda and Jaylyn Robotham running an ex-Walkinshaw Andretti United car under the Caltex Young Stars banner.

Outside of DJR’s landmark stat, there are numerous other significant markers set to be brought up this weekend.

Lowndes will be starting his 300th Supercars championship event, in which the driver of car 888 will be gunning for his eighth Great Race crown, while Reynolds (400) and De Pasquale (150) will set Supercars race start milestones.

Elsewhere, Mark Winterbottom will start his 20th Bathurst 1000, a race he won in 2013.

Now in its third year with major backing from Repco, the event will be set to be the best attended in years, with all campgrounds selling out, although fans trackside should pack their gumboots, with significant rain forecast throughout race week.

Thursday running will feature two practice sessions, with Friday capped by all-in qualifying, before Saturday’s top-10 shootout. The 161-lap main event is scheduled for lights out at 11:15am on Sunday morning.

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