[V8SC08R10] SuperCheap Auto Bathurst 1000!!!! (merged)

[GTRMagic]

Its coming... and soon...

There is (always?) much hype around this round of the series... with so many combinations trying to psyche their opposition (and themselves?) into thinking they are unbeatable.

For me, there are probably 7 cars with the pace/strategy package that have a genuine shot at a top 5 result.

#1 Skaife/Tander
#4 Courtney/Besnard
#6 Winterbottom/Richards
#15 Kelly/Radisich
#25 Bright/Macrow
#39 Morris/Ingall
#888 Whincup/Lowndes

There are plenty of other good pairings that are likely to be top 10 contenders... but the speed will be hot... the cars will be fast... there will be wrecks and incidents.. making it as much a lottery as any other year.

Sentimental favourite would be #2 Seton/Baird... but in reality, the #6 car will be hard to beat on pace....

No pioneering, and Richo should be lining up win #3, while Frosty should be extending a championship lead...

Maybe

[rustyinsthoz]

There are only 3 combination's that can win. Skaife/Tander, Richards/Winterbottom or Lowndes/Whincup. The rest are just making up the numbers. My pick this year is Richards/Winterbottom. Its all about outright speed these days thanks to the regularity of the safety car.

[aussieracer]

what about the djr cars??

[ASH_03]

If You Ask Me I think that the number 17 DJR Car is in with a chance but my top 5 would be as follows

1st - 888 Lowndes, Whincup
2nd - 6 Winterbottom, Richards
3rd - 17 Johnson, W Davison
4th - 1 Skaife, Tander
5th - 15 Kelly, Radisich

Roughie - 9 Van Giserbergen, Webb

[peckstar]

i find it hard to believe that car 17 is not on the list of gTR's possibles. care to explain your thinking GTR. it was just one of three cars to genuinelly lead (outside of out of sequence pit strategy)the great race last year. it has effectively won two rounds this year

[GTRMagic]

Originally Posted by peckstar

i find it hard to believe that car 17 is not on the list of gTR's possibles. care to explain your thinking GTR. it was just one of three cars to genuinelly lead (outside of out of sequence pit strategy)the great race last year. it has effectively won two rounds this year

Is my list the only one around?

I do not think the DJR threat is as strong as it was last season. Other teams have toys that have better outright pace, and despite the success of the #18 car in sprint rounds, that is no guarantee of Bathurst form.

Happy to be proven wrong.. but hey its my own personal choice not to include them in my own reckoning...

If Frosty's car has the pace of '07... and the lead HRT car comes on song... the field will not see which way these 2 went....

[Rombles1]

Originally Posted by rustyinsthoz

There are only 3 combination's that can win. Skaife/Tander, Richards/Winterbottom or Lowndes/Whincup. The rest are just making up the numbers. ....

While I agree that those are the combinations most likely to win it, there is no way that they are the only ones that can. There are so many things that can go wrong over 1000km around Bathurst that a victory for one of these three is far from a certainty.

[peckstar]

Originally Posted by GTRMagic

Is my list the only one around?

I do not think the DJR threat is as strong as it was last season. Other teams have toys that have better outright pace, and despite the success of the #18 car in sprint rounds, that is no guarantee of Bathurst form.

Happy to be proven wrong.. but hey its my own personal choice not to include them in my own reckoning...

If Frosty's car has the pace of '07... and the lead HRT car comes on song... the field will not see which way these 2 went....

well yes it is the only list that included a top 5 and didnt include DJR but included Britek, was wondering on the logic behind it, think your opinion is wrong though and they will put it on pole, but thats my opinion

[panel damage]

my vote djr 17

[Driver TBA]

A Holden whitewash! After Holden get their post Phillip Island parity adjustment.

I want 17, but I think 888

[jim beam]

Originally Posted by ASH_03

If You Ask Me I think that the number 17 DJR Car is in with a chance but my top 5 would be as follows

1st - 888 Lowndes, Whincup
2nd - 6 Winterbottom, Richards
3rd - 17 Johnson, W Davison
4th - 1 Skaife, Tander
5th - 15 Kelly, Radisich

Roughie - 9 Van Giserbergen, Webb

Van Gisbergen will be the sleeper. Speed is not the only issue here boy's and girl's. WHO can last the entire 1000ks is also a big factor. all good to be fast but sucks if it only lasts 999 ks. Gis will quietly sneak up on everyone and take the lead in the last 1/2 an hour and hang on to win from Lowndes second and Tander third. The other sleeper will be Murph. Slow as a wet week during the season but always manages to somehow be up there during the endurance weekends.

[Muznik]

Like most i think Tander/Skaife, Lowndes/Whincup or Frost/Richo would be favourites.

For a smokey podium...Ingall/Morris.

[TSR]

Originally Posted by Muznik

For a smokey podium...Ingall/Morris.

I think that these two are the biggest smokey in the race from both sides.

But at present the #6 Frosty & Richo seem to be the ones, but to early wait till after PI.

[billy bigtime]

SKAIFE! You guys are on drugs.

[Wood-duck]

It would be very hard to go past the #6, #1 and #888 cars I have to agree with the majority here... You would think that one of these 3 would survive the undoubted chaos, weather and controversy to take the win.

Outside of the "Big 3", Courtney/Besnard and Johnson/Davison appear to be the one's most likely. I am going to go out on a limb here and say that Tander/Skaife is the only Holden in realistic contention for a win at Bathurst -a win by any other Holden I would consider an upset. The only problem with Ingall's chances is that he is paired with Morris (who traditionally has shockers at Bathurst)...otherwise he would be a big show.

The HSV cars simply haven't been good enough to outrun the 'Big 3', ditto Holdsworth/Caruso.

My "smokey" is car #111.... Fabulous Fabian and the forgotten Davo. This car is a current spec 888 car, and has been quick on occasions during the year. Alex has been very good at bathurst the last few years and with Fabian make a definate podium chance. I also like the #18 car.

[Denosaur]

It's going to be a fight between FPR, HRT and T8. The only thing that will sort them out will be reliability and who doesn't stuff it in a wall or sand trap.

I'm picking GRM as a dark horse on the Holden and DJR on the Ford side.

One interesting pairing is that of Canto and Youlden, one to watch there.

[ford71]

1..... Craig and Jamie, for 3 in a row at the Mountain.

2..... Frosty and Richo

3..... Courtney and Besnard


Skaife will ruin Tanders race and Championship.
JNR and Will are in with a shot of a podium finish but would love to be proven wrong when i say Car17 wont win.
Ingall will enter the enduros with an albatross round his neck, good luck but I really don't think so.

[Reload]

Originally Posted by ford71

1..... Craig and Jamie, for 3 in a row at the Mountain.

2..... Frosty and Richo

3..... Courtney and Besnard


Skaife will ruin Tanders race and Championship.
JNR and Will are in with a shot of a podium finish but would love to be proven wrong when i say Car17 wont win.
Ingall will enter the enduros with an albatross round his neck, good luck but I really don't think so.

Well, what an extremely unbiased combination of picks and comments there
F..d 71.

[Placebo]

Originally Posted by Denosaur

One interesting pairing is that of Canto and Youlden, one to watch there.

I agree. Everyone says #6 will be a fast car - therefore I would expect Canto/Youlden to do well in #5 - they'd be my roughie for a podium

[panel damage]

Originally Posted by panel damage

my vote djr 17

Now the actuall pairings/car numbers for this team are out make that

DJR 18

[Wrighty05]

Originally Posted by panel damage

Now the actuall pairings/car numbers for this team are out make that

DJR 18

Weird not to see a Johnson in the 17! Although the 18 was the one that went OS wasn't it?

Anyway, apart from the obvious agree about the Canto/Youlden car. Might sneak a shootout spot too.

Murph and Richards are 2 solid peddlers around the mountain too and they were only a bees whatsit off a podium last year.

[bluesport]

For me there is a big ??? over the #1 car with Skaife on board. The bloke has been failing repeatedly to come up to his own standards and has come under increasing scrutiny and negative comment. As a result he seems to over drive the car, trying to compensate. He is under pressure and not coping with it IMO......but we will simply have to wait and see.

[GTRMagic]

Originally Posted by bluesport

For me there is a big ??? over the #1 car with Skaife on board. The bloke has been failing repeatedly to come up to his own standards and has come under increasing scrutiny and negative comment. As a result he seems to over drive the car, trying to compensate. He is under pressure and not coping with it IMO......but we will simply have to wait and see.

The larger question might be how he handles being the #2 in the car... you would think that Mr Tander, in his chassis and with his engineering crew around the car, would play the lead role for setup, qualifying, race start... arguably rendering Mr Skaife to "lunchtime shift" operator....

Of course Mr Skaife will confirm settings, and make suggestions for change and all those things, but wont carry the car on his back... that's Mr Tander's role...

Changing of the guard I hear you say?

[ford71]

Originally Posted by lowgto

Well, what an extremely unbiased combination of picks and comments there
F..d 71.

Well it is based on true gut feeling as well as last years result.
Besides, I wished Ingall luck!

[Denosaur]

Originally Posted by GTRMagic

The larger question might be how he handles being the #2 in the car... you would think that Mr Tander, in his chassis and with his engineering crew around the car, would play the lead role for setup, qualifying, race start... arguably rendering Mr Skaife to "lunchtime shift" operator....

Of course Mr Skaife will confirm settings, and make suggestions for change and all those things, but wont carry the car on his back... that's Mr Tander's role...

Changing of the guard I hear you say?

Changing of the guard?? Yeah right!! Remember those TV ad's back when the VT Commodore was released and Skaife going on about how he's a "control freak"?? I think that should answer all your questions. They'll have to prize his dead hands from the wheel before they put anyone else in his place. That would be ultimate Holden marketing dream right there.

I very much doubt Holden would let there "so called front man" be reduced to lunch time operator. He'll start the race, GT will the slot in for the middle run and hopefully keep it off the wall unlike last year when MS put it off. Should everything go to plan, MS will then slot in for the last run and bring it across the line for Holden and HRT.

As much as some Holden supporters would like HRT to bring home the 1000km bacon, I'd rather see another Holden team do it. If they can't do it, then I'd settle for Craig and Jamie, two former Holden drivers.