Rain disrupts Bathurst 1000 practice as Mount Panorama bites back
The Bathurst 1000 title contenders began their campaign with a weather-affected first practice at Mount Panorama, where heavy rain and a slick surface created challenges for even the sport’s most seasoned drivers. With forecasts predicting rain for Sunday’s 161-lap race, teams used Thursday’s session to test car setups and gauge how the famous circuit responds in wet conditions.
Triple Eight sets the pace amid wet conditions
Defending champions and the season’s latest major title pursuers, the Triple Eight squad, showed competitive speed despite the rain. Co-driver Scott Pye, sharing the number-one car with Will Brown, topped the co-drivers’ session on Thursday with a lap of 2 minutes 6.839 seconds. Several teams chose to leave their machinery in the garage as rain hammered the track, but the Red Bull Ampol Racing crew found a rhythm once they hit the damp surface.
Why rain changes Bathurst dynamics
Pye explained that Mount Panorama becomes treacherous the moment moisture appears, particularly on slick tyres. “When it rains on the slick tyre, even just a little drizzle — I don’t know if it’s tar covering the cracks, but it just is like ice immediately,” he noted. The veteran driver said he was cautious so as not to repeat a bruising Thursday he describes as a painful learning moment from last year, when a crash briefly tarnished his confidence and his ego.
Other drivers take cautious routes as the day unfolds
Chaz Mostert, a two-time Bathurst 1000 winner, was among those who encountered trouble in the wet and wild conditions, with co-drivers Cam McLeod and Harry Jones also enduring incidents as the session progressed. The crashes underscored how unforgiving Mount Panorama can be when rain makes the track slick and unpredictable.
Looking ahead to Friday and the rest of race week
Despite the wet start, teams anticipate dry conditions for Friday’s two practice sessions, which will set the tone for qualifying at 4:10pm (AEDT). Pye remained confident in the car’s pace, despite the challenges of the opening session. “It may be wet later in the weekend, but we decided the car and the package we got seemed really quite competitive,” he said. “For sure, we rolled out of the way, it was fast immediately. This place bites hard, especially with the conditions they were [on Thursday]. But in the race, obviously, you don’t have the luxury of bailing out.”
Team strategies and the bigger picture for Bathurst
As teams plan for the rolling weather forecast, the focus remains on balancing speed with risk management. The opening practice served as a reminder that Mount Panorama rewards precision as much as pace. With the event drawing closer, the mix of experienced campaigners and rising stars will be keen to convert early speed into a strong qualifying position and, ultimately, a podium finish when the sun returns or rain returns with a vengeance.
