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Bathurst supports ready to take on the Mountain

By Thomas Miles

Date posted: 10 October 2024

In addition to the stars fighting for the Great Race, there are many other drivers and cars to watch out for at Bathurst in 2024.

DUNLOP SERIES

THE DUNLOP Series is back at the Mountain for a second taste of Bathurst, but things have evolved greatly since the season opener.

The 2024 season kicked off at Mount Panorama and it was all about reigning champion Kai Allen, who asserted his dominance with back to back wins.

Whilst Allen still enjoys a solid lead in the championship standings, his hope of taking a record-breaking crown is not so simple anymore.

As the #1 could not maximise qualifying, Zach Bates took a pair of podiums to jump to second in the standings and cut the deficit to 126 points.

Another Ford star full of confidence is Brad Vaughan boosted by a maiden win, while Jobe Stewart came within a whisker of a breakthrough round in at Sandown and Image Racing hopes to unlock the pace it showed at the Bathurst opener with Jarrod Hughes also impressing.

Neither Cooper Murray or Cameron McLeod will feature this weekend with the pair prioritising Supercars.

Eggleston Motorsport has called up veteran and 2016 Bathurst 1000 winner Jonathon Webb in Murray’s absence.

In Super3 Cody Burcher hopes to inch closer to the crown enjoying a 126-point lead over Thomas Maxwell, while they will be joined by TCR winner Bailey Sweeny in an Image Racing VF.

The usual two 45-minute race format should produce plenty of talking points.

PORSCHE CARRERA CUP

Harri Jones has been close to unbeatable. Image: Peter Norton

THE 2024 Porsche Carrera Cup season has been about one driver, Harri Jones, who has reasserted his dominance on the championship.

Jones and Porsche Centre Melbourne have been a dominant force, with Sandown being an impressive fourth round win of 2024.

As a result the 2022 champion enjoys effectively a full round’s worth of points’ lead in the standings over Jackson Walls.

This dominance is down to a crushing seven-race winning streak for Jones, but Walls was able to bring it to an end last time out.

Other challengers are Dylan O’Keeffe, who has only missed the top five twice in the last 12 races.

David Russell and Marcos Flack are the only other drivers to appear in victory lane so far.

After getting his Carrera Cup debut out of the way Zak Best will be looking to build for EMA Motorsport having finished 13th at Sandown.

Adrian Flack enjoys a massive 301-point lead in Pro Am having won 13 of the 15 races so far in the class.

However, things should be a lot more competitive after a tighter Sandown round where Matt Belford snatched race 2.

Last year Jones was the only local to keep up with fast Brit Harry King and will be determined to go one better in the three-race weekend.

TGRA GR CUP

Matt Hillyer leads a pack of Toyotas at SMP. Image: Peter Norton

TWO DRIVERS have dominated the TOYOTA GAZOO Racing Australia GR Cup so far and it is up to the other young chargers to stop them.

Bradi Owen made a big impression by sweeping the season opener at Townsville for TekworkX Motorsport.

But since then it has all been one way traffic with Matt Hillyer pushing Walkinshaw Andretti United to back to back clean sweeps.

The run of dominance started at Sydney Motorsport Park under lights before reaching further heights at Sandown where drivers had to contend with wild and woolly conditions.

Thanks to a run of six straight wins, Hillyer enjoys a 64-point lead over Owen, who has done enough to be the next best.

Whilst the top two have been dominant, the likes of Max Geoghegan, Brock Stinson and Ben Gomersall have shown enough pace to complete the top five in the championship.

There will be a big field of Toyota 86s looking to make an impression across three sprints.

V8 SUPERUTE SERIES

Adam Marjoram has brought the fight to Aaron Borg. Image: Peter Norton

IT HAS been a slow start to the V8 SuperUte Series, but things are about to fire up with a busy second half of the season.

After three rounds spaced out across eight months, the final three rounds will be squeezed into just five weeks.

So far the Team Motion Racing teammates of Aaron Borg and Adam Marjoram have been the class of the field and they are wrestling for the lead of the championship.

Despite Borg being the one with the #1 on the door, it is Marjoram who holds the advantage.

He gained big ground on Borg in the last round at Darwin to enjoy a 24-point lead.

Cameron Crick is third in the standings as the only other driver with more than 600 points, but it remains to be seen if he will race given his Supercars commitments.

Crick and Ryal Harris are the only non Team Motion Racing drivers to appear in victory lane.

Four races are up for grabs in the V8 SuperUte Series.

HERITAGE TOURING CARS

Some iconic cars are coming back to Bathurst for the Heritage Touring Cars. Image: Craig King

IN A treat for the fans, Heritage Touring Cars will bring some famous cars and colours back to the Mountain in a blast from the past.

A capacity 55-car field will span iconic eras including Group C, Group A, Group 3A five-litre V8s, and two-litre Super Tourers from the 1970s-1990s.

Headlining the entry list is four-time Bathurst 1000 winner Greg Murphy, who will be racing around the mountain two decades after his last Great Race success.

In 2024 he will steer a 1991 Bathurst 1000 VN Commodore raced by Bob Pearson and Bruce Stewart’s which will carry his special #51.

He will not be the only Great Race winner in the field with John Bowe behind the wheel of an ex Allan Grice STP Commodore.

Another Supercars identity in Peter Xiberras will also be on the grid in a 1985 VK Commodore.

A wide away of Toranas, Falcons, Mustangs, Sierras and more can be anticipated.

2024 BATHURST 1000 SCHEDULE (AEDT)

Thursday, October 10

Time Category Session

7.30-7.50 V8 SuperUtes Practice

8.00-8.20 Heritage Touring Cars Practice

8.30-8.50 TGRA GR Cup Practice 1

9.00-9.50 Porsche Carrera Cup Practice

10.05-10.45 Dunlop Series Practice 1

10.55-11.15 V8 SuperUtes Qualifying

11.25-11.45 Heritage Touring Cars Qualifying

12.45-13.05 TGRA GR Cup Practice 2

13.20-14.20 Supercars Practice 1 (All drivers)

14.45-15.25 Dunlop Series Practice 2

15.40-16.10 Carrera Cup Qualifying

16.20-16.40 Heritage Touring Cars Race 1

16.55-17.55 Supercars Practice 2 (Co drivers)

Friday, October 11

Time Category Session

7.25-7.50 Supercars Testing

8.00-8.20 TGRA GR Cup Qualifying

8.30-8.50 Heritage Touring Cars Race 2

9.00-9.20 V8 SuperUtes Race 1

9.30-9.50 Dunlop Series Qualifying

10.05-11.05 Supercars Practice 3 (All drivers)

11.15-11.35 Heritage Touring Cars Race 3

12.35 TGRA GR Cup Race 1 

13.05-14.05 Supercars Practice 4 (All drivers)

14.20-15.00 Carrera Cup Race 1

15.15-16.00 Dunlop Series Race 1

16.50-16.55 Supercars Qualifying

Saturday, October 12

8.35-8.50 V8 SuperUtes Race 2

9.15-9.35 Dunlop Series Qualifying

10.05-11.05 Supercars Practice 5 (Co drivers)

11.20-11.40 Heritage Touring Cars Race 4

13.05-14.05 Supercars Practice 6 (All drivers)

14.20-14.40 V8 SuperUtes Race 3

14.50 TGRA GR Cup Race 2

15.20-15.45 Carrera Cup Race 2

16.00-16.45 Dunlop Series Race 2

17.05 Supercars Top 10 Shootout

Sunday, October 13

7.40-8.00 V8 SuperUtes Race 4

8.15-8.35 Supercars Warm Up

8.45 TGRA GR Cup Race 3

9.15-9.45 Carrera Cup Race 3

11.30 Supercars Race 20 (161 laps)

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