Rain upends the Bathurst 1000 at halfway
Mount Panorama turned into a chessboard of wet weather and split-second decisions as the 2025 Repco Bathurst 1000 reached the halfway mark. The James Golding/David Russell Camaro suddenly found itself at the front in a race that has been defined by waves of rain, cautious strategy, and dramatic late-acceleration bursts. The track’s damp surface and unpredictable gusts of wind helped scramble the pack, shifting the order more than a conventional stint in the dry ever would.
Shock leaders and a rollercoaster second quarter
As the track conditions deteriorated, key contenders shed pace and fell by the wayside, while others clung to survival with a mix of bold passes and careful tyre management. The Feeney/Whincup Camaro briefly seized control in the pit cycle, with Feeney sprinting away from Hazelwood as the second stint began. However, Brown launched a counterattack, cutting into Hazelwood’s margin and setting up a Triple Eight 1-2 on lap 41. Behind them, Wood executed a bold move into The Cutting to demote Stewart and launch his own charge.
Pit drama and explicit changes in the lead
By lap 46, Brown’s pace had undone some of the earlier advantage, and with the pit window shaking out, the order shifted again. A separate stop for Randle, who carried a previously incurred five-second penalty, reshuffled the top ten. The driver swaps continued as Kostecki moved into the lead for a moment on lap 50, only for Whincup to reassert the advantage. The race then took another dramatic turn as a safety-car period began with Coulthard nursing an engine issue and Mostert bringing the field to a halt on lap 49-55.
The rain arrives in force and the duel to the front
When the green flag returned after the second safety-car restart, slick tyres on a drenched Mount Panorama created a unique risk-reward scenario. Kostecki attacked the restart, but Waters seized the moment to pounce and grab the lead as Kostecki fell back in traffic. This sparked a sequence that will live long in memory—a gripping duel between Waters and Kostecki as they swapped the lead in a high-stakes contest that showcased the drivers’ mastery of the wet conditions.
Wheel-to-wheel echoes through Reid Park
The duel intensified through The Chase and The Cutting, with Waters squeezing ahead at the Pit Straight only to see Kostecki respond with a sensational outside pass into The Cutting. The clash continued through Reid Park, where Kostecki flashed wheelspin as he held the lead under pressure. Meanwhile, Pye’s Camaro suffered a misfortune when a front-left tyre failed on his in-lap, amplifying the tension in the closing phases of the second quarter.
Safety cars, bold gambles, and late-day drama
The afternoon delivered a late surge of safety-car periods as incidents mounted around the tricky layout. Nash Morris endured a rough spell, with an early spin involving Cameron McLeod and a subsequent incident that beached the PremiAir Camaro at Murray’s Corner. Tickford rolled the dice on a bold strategy, swapping slicks onto the #6 car as Waters briefly handed the wheel to Winterbottom to chase the pace. The gamble carried risk, and while the car rejoined the fray, it drifted off the lead lap as the pace quickened and the weather refused to relent.
Outlook as the field charges toward the second half
With the halfway mark passed, the 2025 Bathurst 1000 remains wide open. The rain has redefined the approach to strategy, pit stops, and on-track overtakes, turning the Mountain into a proving ground for durability and timing. As teams prepare for the second half, the question is not only who can extract performance from the damp surface but who can keep their nerve amid the high-stakes exchanges that only Bathurst can deliver.
