The heavy wet causes chaos at the Bathurst 1000 as drivers battle for grip – but the rain wasn’t to blame as series leader Shane van Gisbergen slammed into the back end of Macauley Jones’ Holden as he launched his car into a nasty barrier crash.
Wild weather continues to lash the mountain as experts tip the wettest Bathurst on record. causing slippery conditions that have left drivers across all categories stuck.
In qualifying alone today, former V8 Supercars champion Jamie Whincup and Dunlop Super2 Series driver Kurt Kostecki slid into the barriers.
But Kiwi champion van Gisbergen cannot blame the rain after putting Jones into a wall late yesterday, resulting in a three-place grid penalty.
He ran a hot lap late in the day when he hit the slower-moving Jones at Turn 13 at the Mount Panorama circuit, with the New Zealand driver plugging into a gap that wasn’t there.
Macauley Jones in the No. 96 Commodore crashes into the barrier at Turn 13 after a ‘careless’ push from series leader Shane van Gisbergen
Jones’ car required extensive repairs as the force of the barrier collision tore parts of the rear left side of his v8 while bending the axle. His team, Brad Jones Racing, worked until 2.30am to keep their Bathurst weekend hopes alive.
Team owner and father of Macauley, Brad, questioned the judgment of 2021 champion Van Gisbergen.
“Here you can win the race from last place … it’s just disappointing,” Jones Snr said.
“Even in the dry, you can’t get two cars through that part of the track. So I think, Shane, I’m a little unsure of what he was thinking. Obviously he was committed and he was trying to pass.
Maybe it was just a bit of blood rush on his part, I’m not sure. Look, the penalty is the penalty, it’s done so much damage to the car, but we’ll fix it and get it going again by tomorrow.’
Race cars spin off the end of the Conrod Straight, with rain wreaking havoc all over the Mount Panorama track
Van Gisbergen said the incident was “a shame” but was confused as to why Jones did not let him pass.
“I’m confused because he went really wide on the first lap and lost almost a second to his lap before,” he shared. A wide world of sports.
‘And then at the top he seemed to let me go so I committed down the hill.
‘Then he came back to the line and I couldn’t stop and I crashed into him.’
‘The contact is my fault. But what led to that… his lap was broken on the first lap.
‘He’s seen a car catch him … he doesn’t have to pull me out of the way because he was like still on the lap.
‘But I thought that the moment he filled the first lap and then he pulled away to let me go.
‘I feel sorry for his guys that they have to fix the car.’
The penalty takes effect for the Top Ten shootout on Saturday and means last year’s 14-time winner cannot start higher than fourth.
Van Gisbergen celebrates after winning race two of the Townsville 500 during the 2022 Supercars Championship season
The John Lord/Ray Molloy Mini crashed during the 1974 Bathurst 1000, considered to be the fifth wettest race ever.
The 2016 champion could slump to 13th position for Sunday’s 161-lap race, making his climb up the rankings difficult given the downpour.
The Kiwi was not the only driver to receive a penalty for his perceived careless driving, with Jake Kostecki fined for a red flag breach.
The 22-year-old Perth driver was fined $10,000, with $5,000 suspended, for going 220km/h on the Conrod Straight.
Four-time Bathurst legend Jamie Whincup was also a victim of the wet conditions when he crashed into the tire barrier in turn one after losing control during qualifying.
This year’s ‘Great Race’ is set to be one of the wettest on record, with up to 35 millimeters of rain forecast on Sunday.
The 2000 Bathurst race is considered the wettest to date, with 21 millimeters of rain producing 13 safety car calls – a track record.