Bathurst Hour 3: Russell leads wet and wild race
By Thomas Miles
Date posted: 12 October 2025
Weather has sent the 2025 Bathurst 1000 into overdrive with David Russell pulling away after one of the wildest hours ever seen at the mountain.
The third hour of the Great Race had it all from an all-time battle for the lead, crashes, and even drivers drinking beers with the crowd.
PremiAir underdog Russell in James Golding’s #31 Camaro has made the most of the conditions, driving 8s clear of Garth Tander/Matt Payne and Zak Best/Aaron Cameron.
This is the end result of a wild 10-lap period where Brodie Kostecki and Cameron Waters produced a fight for the ages before they dropped back during the unpredictable pit cycle.
To make matters worse for the Monster Mustang, it is now a lap down after Mark Winterbottom found the barriers at Forrest’s Elbow.
The Great Race is alive!
Following Tony D’Alberto’s crash, more pain quickly followed for Ford.
Leading WAU hope Chaz Mostert did not even make the restart as he dropped out of ninth with terminal engine issues.
He pulled over at The Chase and joined the crowd at the Conrod Drive-Thru where a fan offered him a beer to drown his disappointment.
Mostert accepted it in true Kimi Raikkonen style to create an infamous moment.
The stopped Mustang meant the Lap 59 restart lasted one corner, which was just enough for Waters to snare second from Ojeda.
The double Ford blow mixed with the arrival of rain sent the race into overdrive when it resumed on Lap 62 and produced some astonishing racing.
By the end of the second lap, Kostecki being the pioneer speared off at The Chase, but still held the lead,
However, he was in trouble and Waters knew it and went on the attack in stunning style.
The pair were side by side from Murray’s Corner all the way to Sulman Park.,
After contact on pit straight and Waters won the drag race at Griffin’s Bend, Kostecki made the brave and rare move around the outside of The Cutting.
This led to the two leading Mustangs bumping door to door, while sliding under the tree with Waters sneaking ahead in a move for the ages.
The wild lap of battling was enough for Waters and Kostecki to box for wet tyres and a driver change to catch their breath with Murray following them.
Holdsworth stayed out to take the lead before a beached Morris at Murray’s Corner brought out the third Safety Car in 15 laps.
It rubbed salt into the wounds for Morris, who a lap earlier was spun by McLeod in the Cutting.
It was a timely stoppage for Pye, who suffered a flat right front and only just dropped out of the top 10.
Both Winterbottom and Hazelwood dropped out of the top 10 as they made regular visits to the lane to swap drivers and rubber.
Now the co-drivers faced the daunting task of keeping it together on a wet track.
With Holdsworth pitting, Russell got the chance to lead the field at the restart and made the most of it.
The veteran used his experience brilliantly to charge more than 5s from the field in a handful of laps.
Tander settled in second, while Best put BRT into the top three by demoting Moffat.
To make things worse for Tickford, the hopes of its leading Monster Mustang hit a wall.
Walking a tightrope on slicks, Winterbottom was slightly wide at Forrest’s Elbow and could not stop himself from finding the barriers.
The repair of the front guard put the #6 Mustang a lap down.
Russell carried on setting the pace as PremiAir emerged from the chaos in charge.
With one wet and wild hour down, who knows whats next with more than half of the Great Race still remaining.
Bathurst 1000 Hour 3 leaderboard
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