‘Six or eight could win’: Bathurst 1000 set to decide Supercars championship

It’s the most iconic race on the Australian motorsport calendar, and this year it could well and truly decide the Supercars championship.

It’s the most famous motorsport race on the Australian calendar so it’s only fitting the 2024 Supercars championship is set to be decided at the Bathurst 1000.

Red Bull’s Will Brown holds a handy 189-point lead in the championship standings over rival Chaz Mostert, with both drivers vying for their maiden Supercars title.

Brown won the Sandown 500 and will be looking for another haul of 300 championship points by winning the ultimate endurance race at Bathurst.

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Mostert is a two-time Bathurst winner and enters the great race as one of the favourites to win at Mount Panorama with veteran co-driver Lee Holdsworth.

If he does, Mostert will ensure the championship battle goes down to the wire at the Gold Coast 500 and the Adelaide 500.

This year’s Bathurst 1000, to be held next weekend on October 10-13, will mark the first time since 2006 that three-time winner Shane van Gisbergen won’t be racing in Bathurst.

Jack Perkins, who will be driving with 2010 Supercars champion James Courtney, said Bathurst is a gruelling test over “a thousand kilometres, 161 laps, six hours”.

“It takes its toll but you’ve got a co-driver to share the duties with,” said Perkins.

“You want to stay out of trouble and be there at the end because if you’re not, it’s a short day.”

Richie Stanaway won last year’s race as van Gisbergen’s co-driver and is driving this year with Dale Wood.

“Having already got one (Bathurst victory) under the belt, I can just attack the race and see how we go without that stress,” said Stanaway.

Supercars drivers Richie Stanaway, Garth Tander, James Courtney and Jack Perkins are ready for the Bathurst 1000. Photo: Max Mason-Hubers

Six-time Bathurst winner Mark Skaife said the appeal of Bathurst is that one of several driver pairings can come out on top, given the race always delivers some chaos.

“It’s finals time isn’t it. AFL, NRL, Bathurst,” said Skaife. “It’s the biggest race of the year. It’s a stop the nation day in Australian sport.

“It’s a very, very open contest and it’s going to be a ripper.

“One thousand kilometres, it’s the ultimate of thinking on your feet. It’s a sprint race at the end so you’ve got to be fast enough. You’ve got to make the least amount of mistakes.

“It’s biggest race in this part of the world. If you make the least mistakes, you’ll be there in contention.

“To be honest I reckon there’s six or eight combinations that could win it. Mostert and Holdsworth probably shape up as the favourites for me.

“I know the Red Bull cars will be very strong. A couple of outlier cars like James Golding, who did a great job with Dave Russell at Sandown.

“There’s plenty of cars in contention. I mean, Craig Lowndes might be a fairytale with he and Cooper Murray.

“At the end of the day it’s going to be a cracking race.”

Will Brown and Chaz Mostert are battling it out for the Supercars championship. (Photo by Daniel Kalisz/Getty Images)

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Bathurst 1000 driver pairings for 2024

1) Brodie Kostecki/Todd Hazelwood/Erebus Motorsport/Chevrolet Camaro

2) Ryan Wood/Fabian Coulthard/Walkinshaw/Andretti United/Ford Mustang

3) Aaron Love/Aaron Cameron/Blanchard Racing Team/Ford Mustang

4) Cameron Hill/Cameron Crick/Matt Stone Racing/Chevrolet Camaro

6) Cam Waters/James Moffat/Tickford Racing/Ford Mustang

7) James Courtney/Jack Perkins/Blanchard/Racing Team/Ford Mustang

8) Andre Heimgartner/Declan Fraser/Brad Jones Racing/Chevrolet Camaro

9) Jack Le Brocq/Jayden Ojeda/Erebus Motorsport/Chevrolet Camaro

10) Nick Percat/Dylan O’Keeffe/Matt Stone Racing/Chevrolet Camaro

11) Anton De Pasquale/Tony D’Alberto/Dick Johnson Racing/Ford Mustang

12) Jaxon Evans/Dean Fiore/Brad Jones Racing/Chevrolet Camaro

14) Bryce Fullwood/Jaylyn Robotham/Brad Jones Racing/Chevrolet Camaro

17) Will Davison/Kai Allen/Dick Johnson Racing/Ford Mustang

18) Mark Winterbottom/Michael Caruso/Team 18/Chevrolet Camaro

19) Matt Payne/Garth Tander/Grove Racing/Ford Mustang

20) David Reynolds/Warren Luff/Team 18/Chevrolet Camaro

23) Tim Slade/Cameron McLeod/PremiAir Racing/Chevrolet Camaro

25) Chaz Mostert/Lee Holdsworth/Walkinshaw Andretti United/Ford Mustang

26) Richie Stanaway/Dale Wood/Grove Racing/Ford Mustang

31) James Golding/David Russell/PremiAir Racing/Chevrolet Camaro

55) Thomas Randle/Tyler Everingham/Tickford Racing/Ford Mustang

87) Will Brown/Scott Pye/Triple Eight Race Engineering/Chevrolet Camaro

88) Broc Feeney/Jamie Whincup/Triple Eight Race Engineering/Chevrolet Camaro

96) Macauley Jones/Jordan Boys/Brad Jones Racing/Chevrolet Camaro

118) Matt Chahda/Brad Vaughan/Matt Chahda Motorsport/Chevrolet Camaro

888) Cooper Murray/Craig Lowndes/Triple Eight Race Engineering/Chevrolet Camaro

Originally published as ‘Six or eight could win’: Bathurst 1000 set to decide Supercars championship