Prime Minister Scott Morrison accused of Bathurst 1000 stunt

Scott Morrison was in the thick of the action at the Bathurst 1000 but he has been accused of hijacking the iconic race for his own benefit.

Prime Minister Scott Morrison has made the most of an appearance at the Bathurst 1000, leading some to accuse him of committing a political stunt.

The most famous race in Australian motorsport got underway on Sunday and the Prime Minister was in the thick of the action, touring pit lane and even posing for photos in one of the Supercars in the garage.

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Morrison presented retiring seven-time Supercars champion Jamie Whincup with his Hall of Fame trophy.

He didn’t miss the chance to herald Australia’s vaccination rates as Mount Panorama welcomed back a capacity crowd after only 4000 fans could attend last year’s race due to the pandemic.

“I want to thank all Australians,” he said.

“We’re well over 80 per cent, we’ll be above 90 per cent double vaxxed around the country very shortly and the fact that Australians did that means everybody can be at Bathurst for the best race in Australia.”

The PM as everywhere at Bathurst. (Photo by Brendon Thorne/Getty Images)

But the PM’s Bathurst roadshow didn’t stop there. He hopped in a Ford Mustang with five-time Bathurst 1000 champion Mark Skaife for a flying lap around the mountain.

Morrison, who had been a passenger with Skaife at a previous race, was hanging on for dear life as the Supercars legend put the pedal to the floor, flying around the circuit reaching a top speed of 230km/h.

“I think my fingernails you can see from last time,” Morrison said as he buckled in for the ride.

“Thankfully, we’re in a different car this time. It’s a real thrill to be driving along here with you, a legend of the sport.”

Skaife was doing his best to rattle his high-profile passenger.

“This up here is ScoMo and Skaifey territory, the top of the hill!” he exclaimed.

“And what about this ride down here PM. This is skyline. You can’t see a thing and you arrive at 220km/h, down the hill.

“What a cool piece of road. We love this place. People talk about it around the world.

“We’re doing 230km/h with the Prime Minister!”

Morrison looked understandably nervous and let out several cries of “Whoa!” as they rocketed around the track.

But he made sure to talk up the great race with some racing puns.

“It’s one of Australia’s great institutions and great historical races and one of if not the best course in the world,” he said.

“It’s absolutely magnificent. The fact that there’ll be people beaming in from all over the world and what they’re going to see is Australia open — we’re double-vaxxed, people are back, they’re in their trailers, they’re together again.

Scott Morrison did a flying lap at Bathurst with Mark Skaife. Picture: Tim Hunter.

“It’s just showing where we’re heading — looking out the front windscreen not in the rear view mirror.”

Morrison was so excited he dropped one of his classic lines: “How good’s Bathurst!”

“It’s the second time out there with Skaifey and I really enjoyed it. It’s great to be here. It’s great to have the crowds back at Bathurst.”

But not everyone was impressed by the Prime Minister’s appearance at the Bathurst 1000, with many observers accusing him of using the iconic race as a political stunt.

“Shameless from the #Bathurst1000 to allow their event to be hijacked and turned into a cheap votes grab,” sports editor Simon Brunsdon tweeted.

Scomo really cashing in on Bathurst. #vasc congrats @jamiewhincup on a great career! @supercarspic.twitter.com/tjUof3kQWv

— techAU (@techAU) December 5, 2021

Journalist Oliver Caffrey added: “Less than a year ago Scott Morrison said: ‘I think a bit more focus on cricket, and a bit less focus on politics would be my message to Cricket Australia.’ Today he inducts Supercars legend Jamie Whincup into the hall of fame at the #Bathurst1000”.