1st - 2nd - 3rd - FORD!

With about 25 laps to go in yesterdays Bathurst 1000 I was thinking "This has been an uneventful, almost boring race."

Apart from it looking like a Ford victory, the first 135 laps really hadn't provided much to write about... sure seeing the Number 1 Rick Kelly/Garth Tander car struggle all day with brake issues was nice - the trip across the sand at 300km/h would have been a hairy one for Rick earlier in the race. Seeing the pace of the #6 FPR and #888 Vodaphone Falcons was heart warming, but nothing had really happened to make the race memorable.


Then it rained....

The small shower of rain suddenly changed the whole outcome of the race - within an instant Jason Bright went from needing an extra pitstop, to having a good change at an outright win, then only to slip on the wet track, hit the wall and end his race. A small clip of the wall by Mark Winterbottom meant the #6 FPR Falcon ended up with a flat tyre and took a hair raising ride across the sand at the bottom of Conrods Straight, leaving the pole sitter to struggle to a 10th finishing position.

Rain also took Russel Ingal and Mark Skaife out (two of the most experienced drivers in the field) when they slid at Regents Park and hit the wall - almost in tandem.

That left Craig Lowndes, Steven Johnson, James Courtney and Greg Murphy fighting hard for the last 15 or so laps of the race, all still on slick (dry weather) tyres on a damp and slippery track. The skill levels of these guys to fight each other for position without slipping into a wall or each other was exceptional. Steven Johnson's move of Lowndes at the end of Pit Straight to take the lead was fantastic! Unfortunately he slid a touch wide the next lap and both Lowndes and Courtney were able to pass him.

Those last laps were nerve racking - you had no idea if the next corner would be where they slid off, ran into each other or made a successful pass... 3 Fords up front with a Holden trailing close behind ready to spoil the show if any of the Ford drivers made a mistake.


In the end it was the second closest finish in Bathurst History (last year was the closest), but 2007 will be the most competitive finish, with 4 cars able to take the lead anytime on the last lap, and 10 cars on the lead lap at the end of the race.

Lowndes and Whincup made it back-to-back wins, which is just awesome. I've said before I'm becoming a big Jamie Whincup fan, and I've always been a Lowndes fan so I'm pretty happy they won. However, I wouldn't have minded if James Courtney/David Besnard had won, and would have been pretty impressed if the win had gone to Steven Johnson/Will Davison.


Having an all Ford podium is excellent - a proud day for Ford fans!



P.S - Some awesome photography from http://www.v8supercars.com.au/


P.P.S - Adding this youtube video - a news report with a great round up of the race. Footage of the Kelly off, Winterbottoms trip across the sand and the amazing pass Johnson put of Lowndes.