Bathurst 1000 2022: Rain, wild weather makes conditions tough at Mount Panorama
A leading contender has emerged for the Bathurst 1000 title after a treacherous practice day which featured several crashes and spin outs.
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Tickford Racing star Cam Waters’ bid to shatter his Bathurst bridesmaid tag gathered pace after he defied treacherous conditions at Mount Panorama to claim provisional pole for this weekend’s Bathurst 1000.
In a wet and wild qualifying session after a rain bomb exploded over the track on Friday, the Ford ace stepped up his bid to claim a breakthrough Bathurst crown after setting the fastest qualifying time (2:23.61) on a slippery track to book his ticket to Saturday’s top-10 shootout.
Waters has finished runner-up at Bathurst the past two years and has already shown his qualifying strength at the mountain after claiming pole position for the race in 2020.
The 28-year-old, who sits second in the Supercars championship, topped the qualifying session ahead of 2021 Bathurst 1000 winners Lee Holdsworth (Grove Racing) and Chaz Mostert, who won last year’s crown for Walkinshaw Andretti United.
Triple Eight’s series leader Shane van Gisbergen finished fourth in qualifying but could face a post-race investigation for an incident with Macauley Jones at the top of the mountain at the end of the session, which resulted in the Brad Jones Racing driver ending up in the wall.
Erebus Motorsport wildcard Richie Stanaway, driving with retired V8 star and four-time Bathurst winner Greg Murphy, surprised to finish fifth in qualifying and book his shootout berth.
Waters said he was relieved to secure his place in the top 10 in the challenging conditions.
“We just wanted to make sure we’re in the top 10,” Waters said.
“Obviously we weren’t too bad in the dry earlier today but with the rain we really didn’t know what we were going to have but the guys did a pretty good job between practice and qualifying and the car was really nice to drive.
“There were a fair few rivers on the track and on the exit there was a massive puddle, there was quite a lot of grip actually, a lot more than I thought there was going to be, so I had to keep changing my lines.
“The conditions weren’t actually as bad as I thought they’d be. Over the top of the mountain, it was quite nice.
“The whole weekend has been pretty mentally draining to be honest. In conditions like this, it’s really been pretty tricky.”
Triple Eight’s No. 88 car was among those to miss the top 10 after the squad made the call to put team boss Jamie Whincup in the car for the session instead of rookie Broc Feeney, who the seven-time champion is co-driving for.
Whincup, who had said on Thursday Feeney would qualify the car, finished 14th.
Dick Johnson Racing’s Anton De Pasquale also missed out, finishing 11th, while seven-time Bathurst winner and Triple Eight wildcard Craig Lowndes was 16th.
After a downpour caused havoc in the earlier practice session on Friday afternoon, which was red-flagged three times, the rain eased for the start of qualifying but the drivers were still met with dangerous slippery conditions.
There is more rain predicted on Saturday when the top-10 shootout will be held to determine pole position for the great race.
DAVISON STAKES HIS BATHURST CLAIM
Rebecca Williams
Will Davison’s bid for a third Bathurst 1000 crown gathered more pace when the Dick Johnson Racing star topped practice on Friday morning as series leader Shane van Gisbergen battled more gremlins.
In the famous Ford team’s 1000th race, Davison put down the fastest lap for the second time this week as the drivers warmed up for Friday afternoon qualifying at Mount Panorama.
Davison recorded the top time ahead of Tickford Racing’s Cameron Waters, striving to reach the top step after finishing runner-up the past two years, and Erebus Motorsport’s Brodie Kostecki.
After van Gisbergen was lucky to escape serious damage to his Commodore after a hairy moment in opening practice on Thursday, it was again a chaotic session for the defending Supercars champion.
Van Gisbergen had one of his laps ruined early in the session after locking it up entering the final turn, delivering the colourful message to his team “as soon as I turned it in, it’s just f****** Christmas trees”.
He found more trouble later in the session when he ran off at the track again after suffering another front locking issue.
“I’m sick of this thing, man, why does it keep locking the front?,” van Gisbergen again lamented to his team.
Van Gisbergen’s troubles came after his co-driver Garth Tander set a strong pace to top the co-driver only session on Thursday afternoon.
But Ford rival Davison was happy with the start his team had made to their Bathurst campaign.
“That’s two sessions now that we’re at the top and we don’t look into that too much because we know there’s lots going on,” Davison said.
“But clearly we are trending in the right direction. We are trying some stuff here because we weren’t good enough here last year.”
Waters said it was a relief to get some dry-weather running in before the predicted wet weather rolled in this weekend.
“If we rolled that car out and it rained all practice and then we went into the race, we would have been up shit creek,” Waters said.
“So it’s good to get a bit of dry-running, one where you are and find your feet and then a bit of rain and we’ll see what the car’s like in the rain because that will also be the key on Sunday if it also rains, you need it fast in that and the dry.
“We’re happy now.”
Blanchard Racing’s Tim Slade and defending Bathurst 1000 champion Chaz Mostert rounded out the top five for Friday’s morning practice.
There is one more practice session for all drivers on Friday before qualifying later in the day, which will establish the drivers Saturday’s top-10 shootout.
FEENEY PLOTTING BATHURST 1000 ASSAULT WITH CHILDHOOD HERO
Broc Feeney used to deck himself out in Triple Eight merchandise as a kid because of Jamie Whincup.
Now, the 19-year-old Supercars rookie is plotting a Bathurst 1000 assault alongside his childhood racing hero this weekend at Mount Panorama.
In the ultimate master and apprentice tale, seven-time series champion Whincup-turned Triple Eight team boss will make his return behind the wheel following his retirement from full-time driving at the end of last year to partner first-year Supercars racer Feeney.
But it’s Whincup who will be playing the support role as Feeney’s co-driver.
Feeney said it was a dream to be able to drive alongside Whincup, a four-time Bathurst champion, considered the Supercars GOAT.
“It’s pretty incredible to think that I actually get to drive with Jamie,” Feeney said.
“I remember going to the Gold Coast (race) back in the day and buying the Red Bull Racing Australia merch.
“I have supported Jamie for a long time. Growing up, he was the guy that was dominating so it’s quite easy to go for the guy that’s winning.
“I remember going and buying the merch because of Jamie and going to watch him on the Gold Coast. It’s crazy to think how times have changed.
“There is no co-driver in this duo, I don’t think. We have got two main drivers and for sure I think I have got the best co-driver on the grid.”
Now at home with the headphones on in the garage calling the shots, Whincup said his role this weekend was to support Broc as a co-driver rather than to mentor him.
“I feel like I’ve got to make sure that I am there as the co-driver,” Whincup said.
“I am not there as his manager, I am not there as someone that has won a few races – like I’m the established guy and he’s the rookie – I’m there as Broc’s co-driver and his teammate.
“And I will be doing everything I possibly can to get us in the best position so he can bring the car home strong.”
This weekend will be Feeney’s third start in the Bathurst 1000 after co-driving for James Courtney in 2020 and teaming up with Russell Ingall in a Triple Eight wildcard last year.
In his first season in Supercars, Feeney sits sixth in the Supercars championship with two podiums in a season Whincup said had “shown some spark”.
Whincup was bullish about the pair’s chances.
“I don’t commit to anything unless we can do the job,” Whincup said.
“I’ll let the bookies work out where we rate with the odds … but I don’t lack any confidence.
“We’ll put our heads down. We’ll have the equipment to do the job, let’s put it that way, it’s just going to be up to the 88 crew to put their best foot forward and work together with the 97 crew and try to get both cars right there at the end of the race.”
Whincup closed the chapter on his full-time racing career at the end of last year, finishing fourth with long-time teammate Craig Lowndes in his last Bathurst as a lead driver.
Initially, Whincup did not miss being behind the wheel this year as he launched himself into his new role as managing director and team principal for Triple Eight.
But, more recently, he has been itching to race again.
“To be honest, the first six months I did not miss driving at all,” Whincup said.
“After 18 years being full-time it was actually quite nice to have a little bit of a break from it and to be focusing on other things in life.
“But the last few months I have been keen to get back behind the wheel and do some racing.
“I’m going to the biggest race of the year and doing the only thing I’ve known how to do since I was seven years old and that’s to go racing.”
‘P***ED’ CHAMP’S BATHURST WARNING SHOT AFTER GREAT ESCAPE
Four-time Bathurst champion Garth Tander has fired a warning to Triple Eight’s rivals that the team will have the car to beat at Bathurst after dominating co-driver practice following an earlier scare for lead driver Shane van Gisbergen.
After runaway series leader van Gisbergen was left “pretty pissed” with himself when he was lucky to escape serious damage to his car following a hairy moment in opening practice, Tander recovered to set the pace in the co-driver only session at Mount Panorama.
Van Gisbergen, the defending Supercars champion, lost the rear, slid and shaved the wall at Sulman Park earlier in the day but was fortunate to avoid a heavier impact.
But it was a smooth session for teammate Tander in the afternoon’s co-driver only session as he set the fastest time ahead of Brodie Kostecki’s co-driver David Russell and Triple Eight team boss Jamie Whincup.
Tander and Russell’s times were both faster than Will Davison’s set in the opening practice.
After retiring from full-time driving at the end of last year, Whincup made his return behind the wheel as Triple Eight young gun Broc Feeney’s co-driver.
Jordan Boys (Macauley Jones) and Matt Campbell (David Reynolds) rounded out the top five for the co-driver session.
Fabian Coultard, defending Bathurst 1000 champion Chaz Mostert’s co-driver, was eighth fastest after Mostert was ninth in first practice.
Retired Holden hero Greg Murphy, making his Mount Panorama return in an Erebus Motorsport wildcard eight years after his last Bathurst start, was 22nd, but was a second faster than the time he set in his famous ‘Lap of the Gods’ in 2003.
Tander said there was still plenty more improvement in the car.
“I had no preconceived idea of what lap-time we would do,” Tander said.
“The car felt really nice and there’s so much more in it, so (I’m) really happy.
“I feel really comfortable in the car, particularly across the top, so I’m really happy with the start … we have got a pretty good base car.”
Van Gisbergen nursed his car back to the pits in opening practice after his incident and avoided major damage, but was annoyed with his mistake.
“I just wanted to have a clean session one, so I am pretty pissed at myself for doing that,” van Gisbergen said earlier.
“It was pretty dicey with the mixed conditions. I didn’t feel like I was pushing too hard and then I missed the glory runs at the end of P1.
“My car felt good and then obviously Garth changed a few things and then we were fast for that session, too.
“It’s a good start, but it’s only Thursday.”
After Feeney finished seventh in the opening session, Whincup said there was still some work to do to get the No. 88 car up to speed.
“It was an up and down session for us and I don’t think we were as quick as the other car,” Whincup said.
“I think there is a bit of learning there for us to get the (No.) 88 car a bit quicker.
“I’m experiencing co-driver life where everything is not perfect, but that’s the way it goes.”
A four-time Bathurst 1000 winner, Murphy was “pumped” to get back behind the wheel of a Supercar at Mount Panorama.
“I’m actually pretty pumped, that’s the fastest I have ever been around here,” Murphy said.
“A lot of these guys have been telling me about how these cars are here and how it’s changed …. but the cars are phenomenal and it’s just adjusting the brain to do things a little bit different.
“That was a lot of fun, I had a ball out there.”
After soaking rain in Bathurst over the previous 24 hours, the drivers were met with drying conditions for the first of two practice sessions on Thursday.
Two-time Bathurst 1000 winner Davison topped the opening all-driver session ahead of PremiAir Racing’s James Golding and Brad Jones Racing’s Andre Heimgartner.
Davison said his time had been a “good start” but his bid to better his time at the end had been interrupted by the early finish to the session after a red flag ended the session with three minutes to run when Jake Kostecki ran off the track.
“It’s a good time for what we were able to achieve then, but we didn’t get a full crack at the end,” Davison said.
Waters’ bid to shake off his bridesmaid tag and reach the top step of the podium at Mount Panorama did not start well after he ran off the track mid-way through the opening practice session, triggering a red flag, and had to get towed out of the sand trap.
Dick Johnson Racing’s Anton De Pasquale also found trouble when he lost control of his car and spun at Forrest’s Elbow but was also lucky to avoid the barriers.
Returning to lead driver duties in a Triple Eight wildcard, Craig Lowndes was 19th in the opening practice session.
There are another two all-driver practice sessions on Friday ahead of qualifying, which will establish the drivers for Saturday’s top-10 shootout.
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