Waters suffers Bathurst 1000 blow as rain causes chaos
Joanna Guelas |
Cam Waters will need a miracle at Mount Panorama to win his first Bathurst 1000 after a crash by co-driver Mark Winterbottom in the rain.
Tickford star Waters had traded blows for the lead with pole-sitter Brodie Kostecki in an enthralling wet-weather duel in Sunday’s 161-lap race before handing over the No.6 car to co-driver Winterbottom on lap 66.
Battling the rain on slick tyres, Winterbottom then veered into the tyre wall at Forrest’s Elbow on lap 71.
The 2013 Bathurst 1000 winner was able to drive the Ford Mustang back to pit lane, but the damage was done.
Winterbottom dropped a lap behind the pack, with a battery-powered saw needed to hack parts of the car’s right-hand side off as Waters watched on from the garage.
The Tickford pair were 23rd with less than 80 laps remaining.
PremiAir Nulon Racing’s David Russell – co-driving for James Golding – is the race leader after the rain forced teams into a change in pit strategy.
Kostecki and co-driver Todd Hazelwood, in the No.38 car, are out for back-to-back wins at the mountain after taking the title last year with Erebus Motorsport.
The now-Dick Johnson Racing pair were sitting in eighth.
Hazelwood started the race for Kostecki and lost the front-running when series leader Broc Feeney jumped him using the undercut on lap 26.
A crash by co-driver Tony D’Alberto in DJR teammate Will Davison’s car momentarily restored Kostecki to the top spot.
D’Alberto caused the first safety car on Sunday after ricocheting off the inside corner wall at Forrest’s Elbow and slamming into the opposing concrete barrier on lap 55.
Walkinshaw Andretti United star Chaz Mostert was next to suffer heartache, with his Ford Mustang suffering an engine failure on lap 59.
Mostert, who won the great race in 2014 and 2021, jumped out of the car and wasted no time in cracking open a beer with spectators on the sidelines.
“Chaz is on the mountain having a beer with the fans, so he’s probably the happiest he’s been all weekend,” team owner Ryan Walkinshaw said.
“I’m not sure we’ll be able to get him back”.
Nick Percat and co-driver Tim Slade, in the No.10 Matt Stone Racing car, were also out of contention after losing a cylinder.
Feeney and co-driver Jamie Whincup were in 14th after D’Alberto’s crash, while Triple Eight teammate Brown and co-driver Pye were 10th.
There was plenty of contact early, with Bathurst legends Garth Tander and Craig Lowndes winding back the clock after a close call down pit straight.
Tander – in the No.100 Grove Racing car – had tried to overtake Russell, but was not aware Lowndes was on the inside and almost went into the wall.
“We got away with that one, because it was Craig and he was smart about it,” said Tander, who is co-driving with Matt Payne.
Lowndes, starting in his 32nd Bathurst 1000, is in the No.888 car with Zach Bates.
The seven-time Bathurst 1000 winner was 19th, with Tander fourth.
AAP
