The Bathurst 1000 celebrated its 60th running in 2023. The 161-lap endurance race around the 6.2km Mount Panorama circuit in southeastern Australia is the jewel of the Supercars championship, in much the same way that the Indianapolis 500 is the highlight of IndyCar. Winning the ‘1000’, as it is known, is as prestigious to many competitors as winning the championship itself.
So, what makes winning the 1000 so special? How do the teams prepare? Could a genius strategy give any team a chance to win? We joined Matt Stone Racing to uncover what happens within the team during the 1000 and gleaned insight into the challenges that make the effort worthwhile.
Mount Panorama Circuit draws the attention of the world, thanks to the annual Bathurst 12 Hour GT race in February, as well as the Bathurst 1000 in October. It attracts the best drivers from all over the world to tempt their fate between the walls ‘across the top’, ‘over Skyline, ‘down the hill’ and ‘through the Chase’. Any small driving error at any of these sections is punished, often with a hefty crash.
Consequently, leading an endurance race at Mount Panorama for any number of laps is no guarantee of a win. Traffic, fatigue and pride can all lure drivers into lapses of awareness, and a brush with the walls that line the entirety of the circuit can be the result.
True life drama
With such high risk, motorsport becomes one of life’s true sources of drama, and the Repco Supercars Championship is the most exciting 28-episode racing show on TV.
Many viewers see the track action as the whole story, but the true fans, and those involved, know the plot is interwoven with multiple challenges faced by the team technicians by the demanding pit regulations, the diverse strategy options offered by the sporting regulations, parity adjustments mid-season, unexpected early announcements of driver team changes for the next campaign and, of course, the behind-the-scenes story of the Ford vs Chevrolet battle.
Indeed, the intention of the Gen 3 Supercar for 2023 was to deliver greater parity between the cars and make the race results more a factor of driver skill and daring, rather than the competitive advantage of any particular car or team.
Whilst the 2023 season did offer high drama through a range of penalties, close race finishes and diverse pole winners, that didn’t stop the teams from lobbying for upgrades on the eve of this year’s 1000 to grab any advantage for the big event. Being the first 1000 for the Gen 3 Supercar also opened the opportunity to a greater number of teams hopeful of sneaking a win through luck, strategy or sheer pace.
An increased factor for strategy for both Sandown and Bathurst this year was the decision by the regulatory body to use tyre compounds one step softer than the previous years
One key to winning the Bathurst 1000 is an experienced and willing driver pairing. The Bathurst 1000 is only open to professional drivers, so usually every driver on the grid
