Bathurst 1000 2020 Top 10 shootout: Cameron Waters upstages legends
Cameron Waters is on track to become a Mount Panorama king after shooting down Supercar heavyweights with a giant killing drive.
Cameron Waters is now a Bathurst record breaker after stunning Mount Panorama by blasting the fastest ever top-ten shoot-out lap.
In a giant killing drive that secured him a front row shot at Mount Panorama immortality, the Ford flyer rewrote the Bathurst record books when he belted out a 2.03.55 to upstage Scott McLaughlin.
“I absolutely gave it everything,” Waters said.
“That was awesome. I knew that car had something special in it but I had to put it all together. This is so special for all the boys at Tickford Racing and it is for them. They have earned it.”
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In a one-lap blast that legend Mark Skaife declared one of Bathurst’s best, Waters wrote his name into the Mount Panorama record books by going faster than anybody in the history of the top-ten shoot-out.
Hitting a gloomy track after former teammate Chaz Mostert belted out the top-time, the new top man at Tickford glanced concrete walls as he rifled his way around the most feared race-track in the country.
Waters went hard. Almost too hard.
“I made a bit of a mistake at the dipper,” Waters said after a near miss.
“I was a bit surprised I actually got away with it but it was worth it when I saw the time. I gave it everything and that was awesome.”
Waters beat McLaughlin by almost half a second in a shock that could see him pull off a famous Bathurst upset.
“As a team we have just been concentrating on going as fast as we can,” Waters said.
“We think we can challenge the No.17 when we get it all right. Challenge any car. And today we got it all right and I got the most out of the car. It was awesome to finally get that pole.”
Waters and Will Davison will now attempt to deny McLaughlin a second straight crown.
A win could see him become Mustang's new main man.
“I think our car is okay and Will Davison (co-driver) is comfortable in the car as-well, Waters said.
“I think we are in a good spot and hopefully it is as fast in the race as it was over one lap.”
Attempting to become a legitimate shoot-out champion after having last year’s winning time stripped because of an illegal engine, McLaughlin could not match Water’s stunning speed.
ROUND OF APPLAUSE FOR @cameron_waters! ðŸ‘
— Supercars (@supercars) October 17, 2020
He has recorded an incredible 2:03.559s and moves to P1! #Bathurst1000 #VASC pic.twitter.com/c53HxWCldu
His time of 2.04.00 was good enough to finish second in front of Mostert.
“We made a pretty big change in the car,” McLaughlin said.
“And I just enjoyed that it was plenty of fun. We will get after it tomorrow.”
Out to end his Mount Panorama drought, Jamie Whincup’s Bathurst bad luck continued when an off cost him a front-row spot.
“That’s disappointing,” Whincup said.
“I gave it everything I had but just out broke myself at the chase. Who knows what tomorrow will bring but we will give it our best.”
Nick Percat finished in fourth after opening the shoot-out with a blitzing 2.04.27.
“That is the quickest I have been around here,” Percat said.
“That was pretty cool. I didn’t know our hard to go so I just went as hard as I could.”
Mosert survived a minor moment on the top of the mountain to record the third fastest time.
“That is what the top ten is all about,” Mostert said.
“It might not have been too neat but jeez that was fun.”
RESULTS
- Cameron Waters
- Scott McLaughlin
- Chaz Mostert
- Nick Percat
- Shane van Gisbergen
- Lee Holdsworth
- Anton De Pasquale
- Fabian Coulthard
- James Courtney
- Jamie Whincup
Bathurst 1000 Starting Grid - Positions 11-25
11.Bryce Fullwood/Kurt Kostecki
12.Scott Pye/Dean Fiore
13.David Reynolds/Will Brown
14.Andre Heimgartner/Dylan O'Keeffe
15.Jack Le Brocq/James Moffat
16.Todd Hazlewood/Jordon Boys
17.Macauley Jones/Tim Blanchard
18.Mark Winterbottom/James Golding
19.Rick Kelly/Dale Wood
20.Alex Davison/ Jono Webb
21.Gary Jacobson/David Russell
22.Jack Smith/Jack Perkins
23.Chris Pither/Steve Owen
24.Tyler Everngham/Jayden Ojeda
25.Jake Kostecki/Zane Goddard
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