Build a Bridge!

"Build a bridge and get over it – this is Bathurst."

That was the uncompromising advice delivered by Garth Tander to Jason Bright after their take-no-prisoners battle in last Sunday’s Supercheap Auto Bathurst 1000. 

Bright was seething about the passing move the Holden Racing Team driver made in the Caltex Chase with just four laps to go that despatched him back to fifth and allowed the Craig Lowndes/Warren Luff Red Bull Racing Commodore to pass them both to snatch the final step on the podium. 

It was the culmination of an epic battle that had raged between the three cars for much of the final sprint to the chequered flag, Bright defending on older tyres against his two fellow Holden drivers. 

It was also the second time this year Bright and Tander have indulged in a no holds barred battle.

All this took place just seconds behind an equally intense fight for the lead that eventually went to the Mark Winterbottom/Steve Richards FPR Pepsi Max Falcon ahead of the Red Bull Commodore of Jamie Whincup and Paul Dumbrell.

The BOC Racing driver was incensed enough for the team to fire in a complaint to the race stewards, but the pass was given the green light, something that didn’t please Bright either.

Bright had words with Tander directly after the race and then the acrimony rolled over into a series of jibes with HRT team owner Ryan Walkinshaw on Twitter.

“It was going to take a lunge to get us and that is what happened,” Bright told v8supercars.com.au. “Garth couldn’t make the corner and he pushed me off with him and it cost him a position to Lowndes. 

“That’s what stewards are meant to act on because what they tell us at every drivers briefing is that we are meant to leave racing room. 

“I had a great battle with Craig Lowndes both those last stints. We went side by side through several corners and didn’t touch, he left me enough room, I left him enough room.” 

Bright pointed out a few laps before the controversial clash that Tander had tried to outbrake him into the Chase and the two cars had raced side-by-side without touching all the way to the exit of Murray’s Corner. 

“That made for great television apparently, and then he just drove me off the road.”

Tander clearly didn’t see the pass the same way. 

“It was inside 10 laps to go and he was slow. He was holding us up, he knew he was vulnerable. He was blocking down into Forrest’s Elbow every lap, which you are not allowed to do. 

“If you are going to bend the rules one way, be expecting to race hard. He teared up at me straight after the race … build a bridge mate, it’s Bathurst.”

Tander’s fourth place in the 1000 vaulted him from ninth to seventh in the V8 Supercars Championship, while Bright’s fifth place finish with Andrew Jones means he is sixth.

Tander qualified only 11th for the race and he and Nick Percat battled to make forward progress for some time. But the conditions suited the #2 Commodore later in the race and he charged forward, setting the fastest lap in the final stint. 

“The track changed a little in the middle of the day when the cloud came over and that helped us. The car also improved as more rubber was laid down on the track,” Tander said. “We weren’t good enough at the start of the race … so to be honest when I popped out from the last stop and the lead of the race was just there I was massively surprised.

“I am not disappointed that we are not on the podium, it would have been nice to be on the podium but you can’t say we didn’t give it a shake.”

Third fastest qualifier Bright’s run was affected early – as a number of others cars were – by Luff’s slow pace behind the first ‘kangaroo’ safety car. He was the first of the leading contenders to refuel and re-tyre for the final stint and was right in contention for the win for some laps.

“I thought we were in with a shot,” he said. “But because we stopped earlier we had a couple of laps older tyres than those guys and they just didn’t last, which was a bit of shame.”