Title clincher? Who can play spoiler? Big Super2 Bathurst questions
The Dunlop Super2 Series will hit the track for the first time in two months on Thursday morning at Mount Panorama.
The penultimate round shapes as a pivotal one in this season's title race, with Tickford's Rylan Gray holding a comfortable 117-point advantage heading into the final four races of the season.
However, with 600 points up for grabs, and two of the most unforgiving circuits in Bathurst and Adelaide rounding out the campaign, everything is still up in the air.
Bathurst proved to be the decisive round in last year's title fight, with a nightmare weekend for Kai Allen allowing both Zach Bates and Aaron Cameron to overhaul him, and paving the way for their epic Adelaide title showdown.
Whether that happens this year remains to be seen, as Gray aims to fend off his three Tickford teammates and leading rookie Jackson Walls.
Supercars.com looks ahead at what could be a decisive weekend in the 2025 Dunlop Super2 Series at the Repco Bathurst 1000.
Firstly, what happened last time out?
The Tickford juggernaut slowed at the last round in Ipswich, but by no means was it brought to a complete halt. Series leader Rylan Gray claimed his second win for the season in Race 1 on Saturday, but faced a nervous wait for official confirmation following an investigation for an alleged Safety Car restart breach. The race was marred by a heavy crash for Mason Kelly and Jarrod Hughes on Lap 2, which saw Hughes dislocate his shoulder and taken to hospital for precautionary checks. Gray's speed wouldn't carry into Sunday, with Triple Eight rookie Jackson Walls fending off a spirited early charge from Nash Morris to claim his first career race and round wins.
How will stars of tomorrow fare in a Bathurst Shootout?
After a successful debut in Round 2 at Tasmania, the Boost Mobile Top Five Shootout returns on the sport's biggest stage. The single car run-off will be held on Friday morning immediately following a 20-minute all-in Boost Mobile Qualifying session, with the top five all set to get Mount Panorama all to themselves. You can bet that there will be plenty of pressure - self-induced or otherwise - to tick off what would undoubtedly be a bucket list item in contesting a Bathurst Shootout. It could also prove invaluable experience for the likes of Gray, Dalton, and Zach Bates, who could all feature in Saturday's Supercars Top Ten Shootout if their wildcard entries can jag a stunning qualifying result on Friday.
Will the Tickford train roll on?
The sight of four Tickford-prepared Mustangs all running the head of the Super2 field has almost become something of a defining image of the 2025 Super2 campaign. Rylan Gray, Nash Morris, Lochie Dalton, and Reuben Goodall have had a stranglehold on the top four in standings since Townsville in July, although the competition is closing in. Gray returns to the scene of his first career round win last year, despite finishing third in both races. Bathurst could represent a big opportunity for Goodall to claw back ground after a tough round in Ipswich, as the only Tickford driver not contesting double duties over the weekend.
Was Walls' Ipswich breakthrough the first of many?
In the lead-up to Ipswich, the Triple Eight rookie stated that if he could qualify in the top three, he would win a race. Sure enough, he did just that, and in dominant style with a lights-to-flag win from pole. Now is the time for the Sydneysider to carry the momentum into the end of the season and beyond, at two circuits where he has plenty of Carrera Cup miles. Triple Eight haven't won at Bathurst since Broc Feeney won the opening race at the 2021 Bathurst 1000 season finale, the same weekend he wrapped up the title. Walls has made no secret of his desire to be fighting at the front of the field, and although leading the rookie standings is a box ticked, it's not the ultimate goal for the 22-year-old.
What of last year's Bathurst standouts?
There is no doubt that Jobe Stewart will have had Bathurst circled since his breakout performance last year. A thumping 12.8s victory in the opening race of the weekend was comfortably the largest winning margin of the season, and remains the long-term Erebus junior's only win in Super2. He's confident of another strong weekend despite only sitting 11th in points, and his confidence will no doubt have been boosted by a starring Supercars debut at The Bend.
Brad Vaughan also claimed the biggest pole margin of the year on Friday last year, more than six tenths quicker than Stewart in second. He was back to pole-winning ways last time out in Ipswich, but was bested by Gray off the line to trail home in second. Bathurst is the scene of Brad Jones Racing's last taste of Super2 glory, when Macauley Jones claimed victory in the non-championship 250km race in 2017.
