RCAP's Guide for the 2026 Bathurst 1000
by Luke Flanagan
The 2026 edition of the Bathurst 1000 takes place this weekend with the 66th running of The Great Race on Sunday October 11th. It is without doubt the most anticipated race in the Repco Supercars Championship and this year is no different, especially after the 2025 edition served up one of the all-time great races. Last year's race was won by Penrite Racing's Matt Payne and his co-driver Garth Tander after an incredible battle with Cooper Murray and James Goulding in the rain.
Expectations are high after such an exciting race last year, but Mount Panorama rarely underwhelms. This is what we think you should know before you watch what will surely be another brilliant edition of The Great Race.
The Venue
Mount Panorama is one of the most iconic circuits in the world. 6.2km (3.86 miles) long, 174 meters (570 feet) of elevation change and 23 iconic corners; a perfect formula for great racing and danger around every turn.
Each corner has its own history and catalog of iconic moments. Turn 1, known as Hell Corner, and Mountain Straight has seen plenty of first lap chaos over the years. The most iconic part of the track is of course, the mountain. The cars climb and then descend Mount Panorama through some incredibly fast and difficult corners, running no more than a few inches from the walls.
The lap comes to a climax as the cars power down the Conrod Straight, reaching over 290km/h (180mph) before arriving at The Chase, a very fast right-hander followed by a left-right chicane. This section, which was added to the track in 1987, has caught out many drivers attempting a pass over the years. Seeing cars fly through the gravel after carrying way too much speed into the chicane is a common sight.
Championship Consequences
The Bathurst 1000 is the second and final round of the Enduro Cup, made up of the two endurance races in the Supercars season. The first was the AirTouch 500 at The Bend and was won by Chaz Mostert and co-driver Fabian Coulthard for Walkinshaw Andretti United. A win or 2nd place will seal the Enduro Cup for them. After a 2nd place finish at The Bend, Penrite Racing's Kai Allen and Tim Slade are within striking distance. A win at Bathurst would see them go ahead of Mostert and Coulthard if they finish off the podium. The same can be said of Mostert's teammate Ryan Wood and his co-driver Jaxon Evans, who could jump to the top if the other contenders have poor finishes. Strong finishes at The Bend obviously puts these three cars in contention, but it's not impossible that form goes completely out the window at Bathurst and there's a surprise winner.
There are also two spots in The Finals still undecided. Bahturst is the final regular season race before The Finals start at the Gold Coast, with eight drivers having already locked themselves in. Ryan Wood should safely make it through unless he has a disastrous race and those chasing a spot finish near the front. That means there are five drivers all competing for what will probably be one Finals place, those being Jack Le Brocq, Andre Heimgartner, Thomas Randle, Jayden Ojeda and James Goulding. There is a curveball as the Enduro Cup winners also qualify for The Finals, and if the winners come from outside the top 10 in points, then 10th place will be eliminated from The Finals.
The Wildcards
In 2026, there are four wildcard entries that compete at select events including Bathurst. After 20 years with Triple Eight Engineering, 7-time winner Craig Lowndes left the team following the end of their wildcard program when they switched from Chevrolet to Ford this year. The most successful driver on the grid will drive a wildcard for Team 18 with Bayley Hall.
Garry Rogers Motorsport returns to Bathurst this year for the first time since 2020. The team competed in the series from 1996 to 2020 and return to the Great Race this year as a wildcard with James Moffat and Nathan Herne. The team will run a retro livery inspired by their Bathurst win in 2000.
Drivers to Look Out For
Penrite Racing have been the class of the field this season, so last year's winner Matt Payne and teammate Kai Allen should both be in with a chance of the win if they can stay out of trouble. The reigning champion Chaz Mostert will also be a heavy favourite. Himself and co-driver Fabian Coulthard proved to be a strong pairing at The Bend and Mostert knows what it takes to win Bathurst, having won in 2014 and 2021. Despite their poor season so far, you can never completely rule out the two Red Bull Ampol drivers Broc Feeney and Will Brown. It would be the perfect time for the most successful team in the history of this race to get back on form just before The Finals.
The 2024 winner Brodie Kostecki is also a strong choice, he's been on pole position for the last three consecutive years and has seven race wins so far this season for Dick Johnson Racing. Tickford Racing's Cam Waters is another contender, he's taken two pole positions at Bathurst but is yet to take first in the race after 15 attempts.
There are a number of veterans in the field this year. Most notably, of course, is Craig Lowndes, who could move to just one win behind the legendary Peter Brock should he win for an eighth time. 2026 will be Lowndes's 33rd Bathurst, moving him clear of Brock for the 2nd most starts and two behind record holder Jim Richards. Matt Payne's co-driver Will Davison will compete at the mountain for the 23rd time this year and has two wins under his belt already. 2010 Supercars champion James Courtney will make his 21st Bathurst start as David Reynolds's co-driver for Team 18. The one-time Jaguar F1 prospect retired as a full time Supercars driver at the end of last season and is still in search of his first Bathurst win. 2013 Bathurst winner Mark Winterbottom is making his 24th start at the mountain. The 2015 Supercars champion is co-driving with Cam Waters for the second time.
The Ongoing Parity Dispute
There is a lot of uncertainty going into this weekend whether Supercars's parity rules are working as intended. The parity is meant to ensure that the Toyota Supra, Chevrolet Camaro and Ford Mustang are equal in engine and aerodynamic performance, similar to BoP in the World Endurance Championship. Since the introduction of the Gen3 Supercar in 2023, the parity has been on ongoing point of contention which reignited with the arrival of the Toyota Supra for 2026. The parity is an important factor at Bahturst due to its high altitude which affects engine performance. For Bathurst this year, a change to the Ford engine has been approved which should help them in the high altitude. This comes after the Ford cars were around 10 horsepower down on the Camaros in last year's race. This change could end up giving the Ford cars an advantage rather than equalising the field, so don't be surprised if the Fords are the fastest cars on Mountain and Conrod straights.
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