Mostert and Holdsworth win Bathurst 1000

By Phil Branagan | December 5, 2021 9:15 AM ET

In a race that featured plenty of drama, after 625 hard-fought miles the fastest drivers, in the fastest car, won the Repco Bathurst 1000.

After Chaz Mostert qualified on pole position, co-driver Lee Holdsworth started the WAU/Appliances Online Holden Commodore and took less than a lap to seize the lead and drive away from the pack. In spite of making an extra pit stop when a rear tire delaminated with Mostert at the wheel, the duo re-established their lead and held on through a series of late-race safety car restarts to claim the win.

It was the second victory for Mostert (who won in 2014, in a Ford) and first for Holdsworth, who was making his 18th start in the race. It was also the first for Michael Andretti and Zak Brown, who joined Ryan Walkinshaw in the WAU team’s ownership group four years ago.

The WAU team celebrate its winning moment.

Walkinshaw last won the race as a team owner 10 years ago., and this was the first time the race had been won from pole position since 2009.

“I have never had as good a race car,” said Mostert.

Exclaimed Holdsworth; “What a day, what a week. This one has been such a long time coming. I never thought I would have the Peter Brock trophy, I can’t believe my name is going to be on it.”

But the win was not without its dramas. Mostert faced three tricky restarts in the final stint of the race. All with Shane van Gisbergen right behind him. Every time, Mostert built a lead; every time, a safety car negated it.

Tap and go!

We are green again at The Mountain! #Bathurst1000 #RepcoSC pic.twitter.com/cj2qRS5pam

— Supercars (@supercars) December 5, 2021

Then it was van Gisbergen’s turn to experience a tire problem, forcing him to pit with seven laps to go. At race’s end, the 2021 Supercars champion and co-driver Garth Tander were classified 18th.

For the season year straight Cam Waters took second in his Tickford/Monster Energy Ford Mustang, co-driving with James Moffat. It was a strong comeback; at the start of the race Moffat dropped from third to ninth, and thereafter the pair had to play catch-up in a car not quite fast enough to challenge the leaders.

Two years, two second places for Cam Waters…

“Second two years in a row,” said Waters. “We wanted to win but we just didn’t have anything for the Walkinshaw guys.”

Third was a great result for Brodie Kostecki/David Russell, the Erebus Motorsport pairing combining steady driving from veteran Russell with Kostecki’s aggression, which saw him twice graze the wall while gaining positions in the most unlikely places on the track.

Some of the fancied pairings had their problems. Retiring seven-time champion Jamie Whincup and co-driver Craig Lowndes never quite had the balance they needed in the second Red Bull/Ampol Holden and had to settle for fourth.

Close behind was the second WAU Holden, with outgoing full-time driver Bryce Fullwood joined by veteran Warren Luff. The part-time racer and full-time movie stunt driver came within 5s of continuing a streak of finishing on the podium seven times in nine years.

Driving with Porsche racer Dale Wood, Nick Percat was a solid sixth in his last drive in the Brad Jones Racing Holden, before he moves to join Mostert at WAU next season.

James Courtney overcame going a lap down when co-driver Thomas Randle went off early in the race to finish seventh, ahead of Todd Hazelwood/Dean Fiore (BJR Holden), Tim Slade/Tim Blanchard (Blanchard Racing Ford) and Alex Davison/Will Davison (DJR/Shell Ford).

Davison’s teammate Anton De Pasquale looked threatening, he and co-driver Tony D’Alberto running with the leaders for most of the race. But “ADP” crawled to a halt with a suspected driveline failure and failed to finish.

It was an unusual race, in that one of the safety car periods was triggered by an echidna (a native Australian animal, like a small anteater) strolling across the track as cars approached at 140mph.

Local law enforcement have noticed @LeeHoldsworth's pace and deployed a spike strip #Bathurst1000 #RepcoSC #TheJokesWriteThemselves pic.twitter.com/fZ7IPEREeP

— Supercars (@supercars) December 5, 2021