Buy a ticket to the final hour: The importance of 161

When the clock strikes 12:15pm local time on December 5, Australian motorsport stands still.

For everyone, except the drivers, who in recent years have conducted the Repco Bathurst 1000 like a six-hour sprint.

In eight of the last 11 Great Races, the car that led the most laps on the day failed to win the race.

In the 11 races before that, it flips to seven instances where the car that led the most laps win the race.

A car has led 80 or more laps - half a race distance - in 11 of the last 22 races. On seven occasions, the car went on to win the race.

Look away, Jamie Whincup fans; Whincup’s car has led the most laps in five of the last 10 Bathurst 1000s, but he only converted to victory once.

That year, 2012, remains the retiring driver’s most recent of his four Bathurst victories.

Whincup and Paul Dumbrell led 133 laps in 2016 from pole position. It remains the most laps led by a car since Bathurst became a championship event in 1999.

Critically, Whincup crossed the line first, but he was penalised over an earlier incident with Scott McLaughlin and Garth Tander.

Expect the Safety Car to play a role next weekend

Will Davison claimed victory despite not leading a lap all day. He scored victory in what remains the closest ever competitive finish.

Two years later, David Reynolds and Luke Youlden led 112 laps from pole position, only for late race cramps for Reynolds to gift victory to Craig Lowndes and Steven Richards.

In the five other instances that a car led 100 or more laps since 1999, it went on to win the race.

Just six times since 1999 has a winning car led for less than a quarter of the race.

They are: Davison/Jonathon Webb in 2016 (zero laps), Chaz Mostert/Paul Morris in 2014 (one lap), Tander/Jason Bargwanna in 2000 (17), Lowndes/Richards in 2018 (26), Mark Skaife/Jim Richards in 2002 (34) and Lowndes/Richards in 2015 (34).

There were two Safety Car deployments after lap 150 last year

Therein lies the importance of lap 161; seven of the last 12 Great Races have featured a Safety Car period in the final 10 laps of the race.

Which driver combination will emerge best-placed of all when it matters most?

The 2021 Repco Supercars Championship and Dunlop Series seasons will conclude at the Repco Bathurst 1000.

Foxtel’s coverage will start on Wednesday 1st December at 8:25 am AEDT on channel 503 and Kayo.

The Seven Network will provide live free to air coverage of the event. Tickets for the event and camping are on sale now.