Wild conditions sweeping across Mount Panorama could blow the Bathurst 1000 wide open as drivers weigh up the risk-versus-reward factor of taking a gamble in the wet.
Six-time Bathurst 1000 winner Mark Skaife says the torrential downpour in Bathurst could turn this year’s edition into one of the most hotly contested races in recent memory.
Twenty-eight cars will do battle for the Peter Brock Trophy on Sunday, with a host of drivers desperate to claim the Supercars’ jewel in the crown in what doubles as the end of the Holden versus Ford era.
Shane van Gisbergen and Garth Tander are favoured to uncork a bottle of champagne atop the podium, but Skaife says the wet weather could double the number of contenders who could genuinely challenge the Holden duo in a field boasting Ford brothers Will and Alex Davison, Cameron Waters and James Moffat, and Chaz Mostert and Fabien Coulthard.
Skaife dubbed the conditions “unbelievable” in Bathurst this weekend as ripples of water run across the track, underneath cars racing at close to 280km/h in torrid conditions.
“You’ve got to think glass half-full in these conditions. It doesn’t rain like that all day, and from a competitive sport perspective, it probably makes the number of contenders far wider than if it was just dry for the day,” Skaife said.
Conditions could blow the Bathurst 1000 wide open.Credit:Getty
“What we have found through the course of practice so far is there are probably five or six cars that are red-hot chances if it’s dry. There’s probably more likely 12 cars that are chances if it’s wet, maybe even more than 12.
“I’ve been calling them ‘mud larks’, their cars are very good in the rain but in the dry, they’re probably not fast enough. The competition evens out a lot.
“There’s an element to the race when it is wet where there is a higher degree of mistakes or risk of having a crash or being involved in an incident. It tends to pull people out if they’re in the wrong spot at the wrong time, and often that can people who are in with a chance to win. It does broaden the chances of potential winners.”
Skaife expects the deluge will keep some fans away with officials expecting close to 200,000 spectators to witness Holden’s final fling at Mount Panorama, but praised the hearty souls braving the conditions while camping to watch the event.
Up to 100 millimetres of rain could fall at the motorsport mecca over the weekend, sparking concerns of floods along the Macquarie River in Bathurst. That, combined with severe thunderstorms which could bring damaging winds, has forced officials to warn campers to avoid trees and riverbanks.
Volunteers are being deployed to check in with residents and tourists camping near the Macquarie River, with free sandbags to be made available in Bathurst.
