Sunday will be an emotional day on the Mountain.
The 56th running of the Bathurst 1000 at Mount Panorama circuit marks the 10th anniversary of Holden legend and nine-time race winner Peter Brock’s death. Brock died in 2006 after a crash at the Targa West rally.
It also comes two days after the closure of Ford’s factories in Victoria, possibly marking the end of the Falcon era.
The underdogs won the day in the AFL and NRL grand finals it is now up to Ford to make it a trifecta in this year’s Bathurst 1000.
The great race has always been about Holden v Ford. As it stands Holden have won Bathurst a record 30 times compared to Ford’s 19 wins.
Holden dominates the 27 car field with the VF Commodores filling more than half the grid with 14. Ford will have six entries, Nissan five and Volvo two.
It is not surprising then that Holden fill the top three spots in betting.
Defending champions Craig Lowndes and Steve Richards, in the Triple 8 Commodore are the $4.33 favourites. If the Team Vortex duo gets the chequered flag Lowndes will claim his seventh King Of The Mountain title and move to second with Jim Richards, in all-time wins.
Red Bull Racing’s Jamie Whincup and co-driver Paul Dumbrell, who won the race in 2012, are second pick on $4.50, with the other Red Bull Commodore driven by Shane Van Gisbergen and Alexander Premat $5.00.
A win for Ford could come through Chaz Mostert and Steve Owen. Mostert won here in 2014.
Mostert spectacularly wiped out during qualifying last year, breaking his leg in the smash, which occurred at Forest’s Elbow. He returned to Bathurst earlier this year and buried his demons, winning a six-hour Enduro race in a BMW.
Mostert and his Prodrive Racing co-driver Owen are $9.00 to win the great race. However, the speed of their Falcon is tipped to triumph in qualifying where they head betting at $4.00, equal with Whincup and Dumbrell.
Falcon ace Mark Winterbottom chases his second Bathurst triumph. Dean Canto will partner Winterbottom in the FG X Ford and the number one Bottle-O Ford is rated a $10 chance.
Apart from the 26 championship entries, the Harvey Norman Supergirls Simona de Silvestro and Renee Gracie return for a second shot at lifting the Peter Brock Trophy. The girls, who drive a Nissan, are $501 outsiders.
View all the latest Bathurst 1000 odds and other markets including:
- Will the Winner do a Shoey? – Yes ($1.80) v No ($1.91)
- Winning Margin – 0 to 2.999 seconds ($1.57) vs. 3 seconds or more ($2.10)
- Winning Car – Holden ($1.45) vs. Ford ($3.20)