A decade is a long time in motor racing but, in the land of Supercars, it’s maybe a little bit difficult to acknowledge that the 2014 Bathurst 1000 did not happen just yesterday. Even for an event known for its great finishes, the 2014 edition was possibly the greatest. At a minute less than eight hours in length, it was certainly the longest, due to an unprecedented number of crashes, 10 safety car appearances and a 63-minute red flag period to repair a damaged racetrack.

Think of the unlikeliest of final laps storyboards you may have seen in Formula 1 history. Jenson Button winning from dead last in Montreal in 2011? Not even close. Riccardo Patrese spinning away a maiden world championship grand prix win and then reclaiming it in Monaco in 1982? Humbug.

What we saw a decade ago was the two cars that started last and second-last on the grid fighting tooth and nail for the win, with just two of the 1000 kilometres remaining – one of the teams begging, then cajoling, its star driver, after coming from a lap down, to ease off and save fuel. Right behind him, having driven from last not once but twice after the car was crashed by a co-driver twice his age, was a 22-year-old rising star, asking his team when the car in front was going to run dry. And the car that eventually did come second – which itself was crashed twice – took the flag looking more like race tape than automobile.

Times change but many of the players have not. Jamie Whincup was the man at the point of that race 10 years ago; he will be back this year, with the same Triple Eight team of which he is now a co-owner. The man who snatched the win away from him, Chaz Mostert, will be there too, now in a Walkinshaw Andretti United Ford Mustang. Second on that day, way back when, was James Moffat, then in a Nissan but now a Tickford Ford co-driver. Third place a decade ago went to Walkinshaw driver Nick Percat, who will race this time around for Matt Stone Racing.

For all those changes, and even if 2023 race winner Shane van Gisbergen has moved on to NASCAR, the name of the game remains the same: beat Triple Eight and you will likely be in the hunt for a win.

That was exactly the case at Sandown last month when the team’s Chevrolet Camaros dominated the 500km race, Will Brown and new co-driver Scott Pye edging out Broc Feeney and Whincup for a 1-2 finish. To rub salt into the wounds of the opposition, T8’s wildcard entry, piloted by the now 50-year-old Craig Lowndes and rising star Cooper Murray, finished fifth.

Mostert led home to a stunning victory at Bathurst a decade ago

Photo by: Daniel Kalisz / Motorsport Images

Mistakes will be crucial. Some of the fancied runners – Mostert, both Erebus Motorsport and Dick Johnson Racing entries – took themselves out of contention for the win at Sandown with self-inflicted mistakes or mechanical dramas, while the previously unfancied PremiAir pair of James Golding/David Russell took third place. Youth is all well and good but, sometimes, there is no substitute for a safe pair of hands.

There will be other curveballs. This will be the second Bathurst 1000 for the Gen3 Chevrolets and Fords, introduced at the start of last season. But at Bathurst a year ago the cars raced on the softer of Dunlop’s control tyres, which led to a build-up of marbles from mid-race and a one-line race track. This time the cars will be on Dunlop’s sturdier control rubber, but there will be another variable – a new, softer wet tyre – so if it rains, the teams will be driving into the unknown.

Most teams will have to take into account new driving combinations; of the 26 cars entered only seven will feature the same pair of drivers as a year ago

Likewise, there is a new Virtual Safety Car regulation to deal with. Even though it has featured widely in other forms of the sport, the VSC for Supercars was introduced only at Sandown, and it took some of the teams time to adjust their race strategies; how will they cope on the longest track on the calendar?

And then most teams will have to take into account new driving combinations; of the 26 cars entered only seven will feature the same pair of drivers as a year ago. Those are just the known unknowns, rather than the unknown unknowns, which Mount Panorama always seems to throw up.

Perhaps we will give the last word to the co-driver who took third place in 2014. Asked if he had ever seen a race like that one, he replied: “I’ve never even heard of a race like that one!” That driver was Oliver Gavin who, in his long career, had seen just about everything there is to see in motor racing. Bathurst can be like that – roll on this weekend’s 2024 edition.

With no van Gisbergen on the grid, who will strike gold at this year’s Bathurst 1000?

Photo by: Edge Photographics

After winning the opening stage by staying out, Tyler Reddick restarted deep in the field for Stage 2. When Austin Dillon spun in the tight Turn 7 just ahead, Reddick was entering the corner too hot and started to slide out of control. Reddick was slowed by slamming doors with his car owner and fellow Toyota driver Denny Hamlin, an act that lifted the No. 45 23XI Racing Toyota completely off the ground and bending a toelink.

“Yeah, I thought I was gonna flip,” said Reddick post-race. “I think I was behind the No. 19 [Martin Truex Jr.] just trying to work the move to the inside. I got clear of him —  I saw the No. 3 [Dillon] spun and everybody was on the binders coming to a stop. Of course, me and my boss [Hamlin] get together. Felt like I was gonna do a front flip — this thing was absolutely destroyed. Just real hats off to everybody on this Monster Energy Camry. This thing couldn’t go four seconds of what the pace was. And we just kept working on it and we made it a lot better for Stage 3.”

The team managed to keep the car on the lead lap while fixing the damage to the rear of the car, replacing the right-rear toelink. He missed out on Stage 2 points, putting him in an uncomfortable position for the final half of the race.

It looked like he would be chasing aftter Chase Elliott for the final transfer spot, but he eventually got out of reach as the Hendrick Motorsports climbed up through the field. When Austin Dillon lost a wheel late in the race, it set up the final restart with 26 laps to go.

The final charge

Reddick’s crew chief Bill Scott made the aggressive call to give up track position and pit for fresh tires, restarting the race in 26th place, 14 points behind Joey Logano. The problem for Logano is that he was already running inside the top-five, so there wasn’t much else he could do pad his margin with one position equalling one point.

To make matters worse, road course aces A.J. Allmendinger and Shane van Gisbergen ran Logano down with fresh tires and pushed him to the backend of the top-ten.

Meanwhile, Reddick was flying. He nearly spun out with 20 laps to go, instead turning Daniel Hemric as the two cars collided in the same corner where Reddick crashed earlier. This time, Reddick escaped mostly unscathed. He continued his charge without hesitation. On Lap 100 of 109, he finally passed none other than his boss — Hamlin — this time without running into the side of him, finally moving above the cut-line with only nine laps to spare.

Tyler Reddick, 23XI Racing, DraftKings Toyota Camry

Photo by: Nigel Kinrade / NKP / Motorsport Images

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At the checkered flag, Reddick had driven from 26th to 11th on track while Logano fell back to eighth. By just four points, the driver of the No. 45 moved onward to the penultimate round while the two-time Cup champion was eliminated.

“It’s tough but you just got to stay calm, stay focused,” said Reddick. “In those moments, it’s so easy to lose track of what you can control. Either way, I was going to drive the car as fast as I could. It just worked out for us. This thing was able to get back up through the field and get us to the good side of the NASCAR cut-line.”

23XI Racing co-owner Michael Jordan, as well as Hamlin were right there to congratulate Reddick on his strong charge to the flag and surviving yet another week of playoffs eliminations.

TEMPLEGATE tackles Monday’s racing looking for winners.

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SPACE NINJA (4.20 Musselburgh, nap)

He improved when winning over course and distance last time, hitting the front a way out and fighting off the challengers. A 3lb rise looks fair for this progressive son of Kodiac. He is versatile when it comes to ground and there’s more to come.

THANKUAPPRECIATE (3.12 Windsor, nb)

Enjoyed the soft ground when going close at Chester last month. He was just a neck away at the line and this race looks no tougher. Trainer Declan Carroll is in good form and he’ll go close again.

SOUTH PARADE (2.50 Musselburgh, treble)

Rarely runs a bad race and was less than a length away at Chester last time. She was forced wide – which is never ideal on the Roodee – and should be too good on this drop in grade.

DESPERATE DAN (4.50 Windsor, Lucky 15)

Had five lengths in hand scoring in the mud at Nottingham last week and is hard to fault.

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