The Battle For 2021 Bathurst (With Poll)

[Backagain]

There have been a ridiculous number of steering rack problems this year, especially on the Commodores. Team 18 had failures of brand new 888 racks before and again on Sunday despite the new vents supposedly fitted to reduce rack temperatures. Are all the racks for the Commodores supplied by 888 ?

[justracing]

Originally Posted by 275 GTB-4

I hope questions will be asked about the build quality of the tyre stocks provided to competitors :-(

Similar problems to those experienced in the BTCC over the last few years with running too much camber.
Those steering rack failures are alarming, I was really looking forward to seeing Scotty Pye in the big race as he's shown a lot of good form lately.
Entertaining race, well after the first half anyway, that late battle with Mostert and Gisbergen was enthralling.

[Tourer]

Originally Posted by Alan52

There were tyre issues in nearly every category with a range of tyre suppliers having issues.Whether the answer is change of tyre specs or more control of pressures and camber or a combination of both.What role did the kerbs and track surface play?
Answers need to be sorted before next October.

Bathurst asks a great deal of any tyre - the long straights and loads across the top of the mountain combined mean that managing tyres is really critical. Teams probably just got too close to the edge and will have been reminded of the perils of doing that by their experience this time.

There were only 2 tyre issues in the 1000K from memory - it seems both from either debris or attacking the kerbs too hard - neither of which are tyre problems per se.

[275 GTB-4]

Originally Posted by Tourer

Bathurst asks a great deal of any tyre - the long straights and loads across the top of the mountain combined mean that managing tyres is really critical. Teams probably just got too close to the edge and will have been reminded of the perils of doing that by their experience this time.

There were only 2 tyre issues in the 1000K from memory - it seems both from either debris or attacking the kerbs too hard - neither of which are tyre problems per se.

Burt! Playing the Devils Advocate...there have been countless thousands of kilometer's run in recent years where I don't recall delamination generally being an issue...only the normal punctures, flat spotting, premature wear etc etc

[275 GTB-4]

Originally Posted by justracing

Similar problems to those experienced in the BTCC over the last few years with running too much camber.
Those steering rack failures are alarming, I was really looking forward to seeing Scotty Pye in the big race as he's shown a lot of good form lately.
Entertaining race, well after the first half anyway, that late battle with Mostert and Gisbergen was enthralling.

I find this Steering Rack issue unbelievable in a sport were money is almost unlimited and excellent engineers abound...Shirley! they can come up with a bullet proof rack even it was carved out of a solid block of metal!

[Average Punter]

Originally Posted by Tourer

Bathurst asks a great deal of any tyre - the long straights and loads across the top of the mountain combined mean that managing tyres is really critical. Teams probably just got too close to the edge and will have been reminded of the perils of doing that by their experience this time.

There were only 2 tyre issues in the 1000K from memory - it seems both from either debris or attacking the kerbs too hard - neither of which are tyre problems per se.

Was it SBR who had tyres going all over the place one year? Ambrose in a Pirtek AU perhaps?
Surely it's a geometry set-up thing and isn't always something teams can blame Dunlop for...

[Tourer]

Originally Posted by Average Punter

Was it SBR who had tyres going all over the place one year? Ambrose in a Pirtek AU perhaps?
Surely it's a geometry set-up thing and isn't always something teams can blame Dunlop for...

Yeah AP - definitely SBR at one stage & there was another team or two from memory.

Agree totally re blaming Dunlop or not - what the teams do with setup can clearly have a big impact on tyres and you’ve got to work with what you’ve got.

[Tourer]

Originally Posted by 275 GTB-4

Burt! Playing the Devils Advocate...there have been countless thousands of kilometer's run in recent years where I don't recall delamination generally being an issue...only the normal punctures, flat spotting, premature wear etc etc

True - continued this year it would seem - Mr Deborre said on the teev that it was clearly a debris or similar issue with car 25 - delam came after the external damage.

Don’t know if anyone was quite so definitive on car 888’s problem but the teev commentators were quick to point out that it looked similar to car 25’s tyre.

So total of two (what appear to be) externally damaged tyres over the course of god knows how many tyres used across the race meeting - not three bad really.

[sizzle]

Given the speed the 25 and the 888 were being driven at ALL day if it was a setup issue then there would have been a shed load more problems. The fact there wasn't probably says they were more than likely debris.

[Kingair]

Before the tyre issue, did Chaz have a 40 second lead over the next car or was I imagining that?

[GTRMagic]

Originally Posted by sizzle

Given the speed the 25 and the 888 were being driven at ALL day if it was a setup issue then there would have been a shed load more problems. The fact there wasn't probably says they were more than likely debris.

Wasnt that Mr Ingall's comment thru the day... that in '16 he could push the Nissan for maybe 10 laps, then had to protect it...

#25 and #888 when they were on.. we absolutely completely on... almost all of the day....!

[GTRMagic]

Originally Posted by Kingair

Before the tyre issue, did Chaz have a 40 second lead over the next car or was I imagining that?

Yes he did... it was almost a full stop ahead..

[Kingair]

Thanks GTR.

That’s bloody nearly a 1/3rd of lap, or .4 of a second a lap until the tyre failed!

[FIRE]

Not the most exciting edition still enjoyed the race.
Deserved victory for Mosterd/Holdworth.
At the end I hoped SVG could make life hard for Mostert but then he got the tire problem.

[Denosaur]

Was great viewing watching Chaz and Lee carve the field working their way up front again. Well done gents!!

[Mixer]

There you go:

https://www.speedcafe.com/2021/12/08...-for-covid-19/

Sent from my SM-G975F using Tapatalk

[bathurst77]

Originally Posted by GTRMagic

Wasnt that Mr Ingall's comment thru the day... that in '16 he could push the Nissan for maybe 10 laps, then had to protect it...

#25 and #888 when they were on.. we absolutely completely on... almost all of the day....!

Isnt that part of the whole contest, how fast you can make your car, how highly tuned the components, how much you can push everything til it just makes it.

Didnt Collin Chapman say a car should win the race and, as it crossed the finishing line, it should collapse in a heap of bits. If it didn't do that, it was built too strongly.

[Average Punter]

Trawling through the laptimes on Natsoft, there are some amazing numbers that Chaz put in the books after the lap 145 safety car.

http://racing.natsoft.com.au/6430981...5.83u/Times?70

On laps 148-151 Chaz reeled off a run of four consecutive laps in the low 2:05s that would end up being in the top 6 fastest laps of the day. By anyone.

Infact of the 10 fastest laps of the day, I reckon Chaz nailed 9 of them

[TWRv12]

Originally Posted by Average Punter

Trawling through the laptimes on Natsoft, there are some amazing numbers that Chaz put in the books after the lap 145 safety car.

http://racing.natsoft.com.au/6430981...5.83u/Times?70

On laps 148-151 Chaz reeled off a run of four consecutive laps in the low 2:05s that would end up being in the top 6 fastest laps of the day. By anyone.

Infact of the 10 fastest laps of the day, I reckon Chaz nailed 9 of them

Got 404 on that link.


This is a link to the Bathurst 1000 2021 page:

http://racing.natsoft.com.au/results...0130623.SPIR#3

edit: doesn't let you link? Select 2021 and Bathurst 1000

[2 litre Touring Car Star]

Lee Holdsworth is a winner at Bathurst. Wow.

He picked off two milestones this year. First non-reverse grid national level win. First win at Bahturst.

[Sandgroper]

Originally Posted by 2 litre Touring Car Star

Lee Holdsworth is a winner at Bathurst. Wow.

He picked off two milestones this year. First non-reverse grid national level win. First win at Bahturst.

Drove like an Absolute JET

[2 litre Touring Car Star]

Originally Posted by Sandgroper

Drove like an Absolute JET

You know what?

I have to acknowledge that.

He more than pulled his weight.

[banksie]

Originally Posted by 2 litre Touring Car Star

Lee Holdsworth is a winner at Bathurst. Wow.

He picked off two milestones this year. First non-reverse grid national level win. First win at Bahturst.

It was Holdsworth's 4th Supercar race win, none have been from reverse grid races.

[E.B]

Originally Posted by Sandgroper

Drove like an Absolute JET

What are the odds on Holdsworth to fill the the ex Heimgartner seat at GR?
Reading between the lines on comments Grove has made he / they seem to be having second thoughts on Matt Payne going straight to the main game. From what Steven Grove said I think his eyes were opened at Bathurst by the quality of some of the co drivers.... he has said he will be talking to some of the co-drivers, as well as to Baird re Payne, and then to decide whether to send off dispensation request forms.

Coincidentally, same day Holdsworth then confirmed he would gladly forgo his WAU co-driver role to get a full time V8SC gig.....

So maybe Payne to S2 for a year and Holdsworth to GR?

Probably more for the Silly Season thread but seeing as his name was mentioned here......
Grove reviewing Paynes 2022 SC plans

[Kingair]

If I was Holdsworth, I’d be staying as Chaz’s codriver for next year.

Grove Racing will be mid pack runners next year at the very best.