Saturday Talking Points: The Bathurst stage is set, so who's the one to beat?
Race day at the 2024 Repco Bathurst 1000 is just around the corner, and Brodie Kostecki has taken the Saturday headlines with a storming run to pole in the Top Ten Shootout.
It was a historic run for the reigning Repco Supercars Champion, as he hunts redemption after finishing second from pole last year with David Russell.
Kostecki stated in the weeks leading up to Bathurst that a Bathurst win would be the best farewell gift to Erebus Motorsport, and he has secured the best possible start for tomorrow with Todd Hazelwood.
There are plenty of other candidates who have emerged from an at times chaotic weekend to stake their claim to be crowned 2024's Kings of the Mountain.
Supercars.com takes a look at some of the key storylines as we set the scene for the 2024 Repco Bathurst 1000.
What does strategy look like?
The pre-race preparations are all but over, and the biggest day in Australian motorsport is upon us. Strategy was a decisive factor in last year's race, with Red Bull Ampol Racing playing a blinder to give Shane van Gisbergen and Richie Stanaway a fairly dominant win last season. Whilst it should be easier to make moves on track this year with the Hard tyre, easy time can and will be won or lost in pit lane. Given the high incident rate we've seen so far this weekend, Safety Car and Full Course Yellow interventions are essentially a guarantee in tomorrow's race. We can expect to see six pit stops tomorrow, although some teams might try a five stop strategy. The modified Safety Car rules could also shake up strategy, with no minimum lap count on Full Course Yellow conditions before the Safety Car is released onto track. That could potentially mean double stacking becomes a risk again - especially for Triple Eight, Grove Racing, and Erebus Motorsport who have two cars in the top 10 on the grid.
How do the primary drivers attack the opening stint?
Much like the Penrite Oil Sandown 500, primary drivers are mandated to start the Bathurst 1000 this year. Whilst Broc Feeney in the post-shootout press conference said that no one would be doing anything silly in the first stint, it will be interesting to see how the primary drivers handle the start of the race. It has become the norm for co-drivers to start the race in recent years, although teams have run primary drivers at the start in an attempt to gain track position early. With the tallest diff ratio of the year used at Bathurst, the cars are notoriously hard to get off the start line at the Bathurst 1000, a risk which is arguably only amplified by having the primary drivers start when they traditionally have watched the start from pit lane. There could be plenty of movers and shakers across the first stint tomorrow.
Kostecki makes history
Allan Moffat, Peter Brock, Kevin Bartlett, Mark Skaife, Garth Tander, and now Brodie Kostecki. Those six drivers are the only drivers in Bathurst history to have claimed back-to-back pole positions, with Tander last achieving the feat in 2008 and 2009. It was a seriously impressive lap from the reigning champion, who put four tenths on the field at the time of his lap, and eventually beating Cam Waters by a tenth of a second. Kostecki's lap was made even more remarkable by the fact he has been battling illness all weekend and a bad vibration on his lap the caused him to suffer from double vision. Kostecki feels like he properly has his mojo back this weekend, and Todd Hazelwood has 500km of Supercars miles at Bathurst under his belt having deputised for Kostecki at the season opener in February. They are shaping as a formidable combination and team, with the sister Erebus Camaro of Jack Le Brocq and Jayden Ojeda starting from sixth.
Stanaway stuns in Shootout
Behind Kostecki, Richie Stanaway was the man of the match in the Top Ten Shootout, climbing from provisional 10th to fourth on the grid tomorrow. Going out first in the shootout, Stanaway threw down a 2m 05.9286s, and for a moment he looked like a chance at scoring a shock pole position. Kostecki was the first driver to join Stanaway in going sub 2:06, as did Cam Waters and Broc Feeney, but Stanaway made enormous ground, and even beat teammate and provisional pole sitter Matt Payne. Stanaway's run across the top of the mountain in particular was extremely impressive for an opening shootout run. Bathurst always seems to bring the best out of the reigning Bathurst winner, and Dale Wood will be desperate for a strong result after Bathurst heartbreak the past two seasons with Brad Jones Racing. This combination could be another one to watch.
The form guide finally emerges
After six hours of practice, 40 minutes of qualifying, and a Top Ten Shootout, the form guide is finally beginning to emerge for the 2024 Repco Bathurst 1000. The top three on the grid are all shaping as strong contenders for victory, led by Brodie Kostecki and Todd Hazelwood, Cam Waters and James Moffat, and Broc Feeney and Jamie Whincup. Kostecki is out for redemption after losing a golden opportunity last year, Waters is looking to break his Bathurst duck, and Feeney is also looking to bounce back from his late gear shifter failure last year. Will Brown and Scott Pye also shouldn't be discounted, even if Pye is bouncing back from a crash on Thursday, ditto Chaz Mostert and Lee Holdsworth. Matt Payne and Garth Tander also shape as a competitive pairing, whilst James Golding and David Russell could also be worth keeping an eye on from 11th on the grid, having charged to the podium from 14th on the grid at Sandown.
