Expert Analysis: The shock numbers behind stars' Bathurst blunders
This is an exclusive post-event Supercars.com column by championship-winning Race Engineer Scott Sinclair. Sinclair will preview and debrief each round of the 2025 Repco Supercars Championship from his own perspective.
What. A. RACE!
We were due a Bathurst classic, and this year’s exceeded all expectations. Maybe Mother Nature and the Mount Panorama circuit are on social media; rather than deal with the backlash of another 'boring' race, they teamed up to create an all-time classic.
The ever-changing track conditions throughout the day were the secret sauce, making it an enthralling battle. Those conditions meant no single car was fast all day. When a car wasn't quick, we saw a steady stream of mistakes, ultimately whittling the contenders down to the final four at the chequered flag.
Where was the winning car all weekend?
The winning Penrite Racing car of Matt Payne and Garth Tander was hardly spotted in the lead-up to the race. Their average finish position across the six practice sessions was 12th, and they qualified a lowly 18th.
But here’s the key: they made very few mistakes during the race. That, combined with their strong pace in the variety of conditions, saw them steadily climb as other contenders fell.
Payne once again proved he is the category’s best when fast, consistent laps are required under pressure. He currently ranks #1 for lap consistency this season, and his ability to manage the treacherous conditions — whether under attack or moving through the pack — was clearly on display at Bathurst.
Who created the chaos?
My big takeaway from the race was how good the driving standards were in such tricky, constantly changing conditions. Of the 3744 race laps completed across the 27 cars, there were only 32 mistakes made that cost positions, were penalised, or resulted in a crash.
Interestingly, the main drivers, not the co-drivers, were responsible for the vast majority of these incidents. They accounted for 71% of the seven crashes, 86% of the seven driving infringements, and 78% of the 18 off-track excursions. Yes, they did more laps and were generally pushing harder, but I wouldn’t have predicted 78% of the total mistakes would be attributed to them pre-race.
With very limited testing and the new 2025 spec Dunlop tyre to get used to, this year's co-driver cohort deserves massive applause — not just for their speed, but for their ability to stay out of trouble. This trend held true at both The Bend and Bathurst.
The clock: a silent threat
The 3.5-hour maximum continuous driving time became a silent threat for a few teams, most notably James Golding, who featured heavily in the end-of-race drama. He came within 10 minutes of the limit. One more Safety Car, and the team would’ve been forced to pit to put David Russell back in, eliminating them from contention.
While it didn’t eventuate, the fact that Golding got in his car around 3:20pm and didn't get out until the chequered flag at 6:42pm highlights how good his drive was.
The one thing this Bathurst lacked? An encore!
At the end of any great concert, the performers return to bow, allowing the audience to thank them for the show. It would have been a fitting finish for the drivers and teams to line up after such an extraordinary race. The teams were near-faultless in the pit lane, and the drivers delivered a stunning spectacle. No doubt, had the audience had the chance, a chant of “One more lap!” would have erupted. Fortunately, there’s no need for an encore — we get the next show in just 10 days' time on the Gold Coast...
Scott Sinclair is one of the most respected voices in pit lane, famously engineering James Courtney to the 2010 championship with Dick Johnson Racing. Sinclair also spent stints at the Holden Racing Team and Kelly Racing, spent time on the Supercars Commission, and recently joined Supercars as a data analyst.
The 2025 Repco Supercars Finals Series commences at the Boost Mobile Gold Coast 500 on October 24-26. Tickets are on sale now. International viewers can watch the action on SuperView.
