When chasing predictions from our experts, there was a common theme: this is a hard race to pick.
The 2026 Repco Bathurst 1000 is tipped to be as wide open as it gets. Add the new Toyota into the mix, and you also get plenty of unknowns.
Supercars.com tapped several figures in pit lane for their predictions. Do you agree?
Who gets pole position?
James Pavey, Supercars.com News Editor: I’m backing Brodie Kostecki for an historic fourth straight. How he extracts speed when it matters is as good as I’ve seen.
Zac Dowdell, Supercars.com Journalist: Cam Waters has come into some serious Shootout form of late: first, first, fifth, first, second, seventh, and third in his last seven Shootouts. It feels as though we’re due another epic Cam Waters Bathurst Shootout run.
Garth Tander, six-time Bathurst winner: Cam Waters, because he's bloody good at Shootouts at Bathurst. He's very fast.
Greg Murphy, four-time Bathurst winner: Brodie Kostecki.
Scott Sinclair, title-winning engineer and Supercars data analyst: Cam Waters has started from the first two rows in the last seven Bathursts. I’m not expecting him to get provisional pole, but he delivers on Shootout Saturday.
Richard Craill, Supercars commentator: There's nothing better than being present when Bathurst history is made, so my hard-earned would be going on Brodie Kostecki getting a four-peat. Notably, it would break a tie for all-time consecutive Great Race poles with a couple of legends — Brock and Moffat. It'd be an apt year to do it, too, 20 years on from the King's passing and within a year of saying goodbye to the Ford legend.
Jess Yates, Fox Sports: Brodie Kostecki.
Chad Neylon, Supercars pit reporter: Anton De Pasquale, he is a Shootout master.
Riana Crehan, Supercars pit reporter: Cam Waters.
Who wins the race?
James Pavey: Triple Eight doesn’t stay down for long. Broc Feeney/Nick Percat is quite the combo. If Feeney puts the #88 Ford on the first two rows, Percat has a golden chance to stretch his legs early.
Zac Dowdell: 1000 kilometres is a lot of time to work with if you’ve got a fast race car. Will Brown and Scott Pye were one of the best at The Bend, but hampered by penalties. A clean run at Bathurst, and they’ll be hard to stop.
Garth Tander: That’s tough. I think Broc Feeney and Nick Percat. They were fast, it wasn't their fault at The Bend, they just kept getting crashed into.
Greg Murphy: Ryan Wood and Jaxon Evans.
Scott Sinclair: Matt Payne and Will Davison. The #19 Ford’s pace at The Bend was hidden — they were spun at the first corner, but they were back to fifth before first stops, and had dramas after that. Over the course of the season, Payne has proven to be making fewer mistakes than his rivals.
Richard Craill: Seriously? You're asking this? Hardest question of 2026. Pick one of about 12 combinations, I think, but if you're forcing me to pick one I'm going to go a little left field just to create some discussion: How about Ryan Wood and Jaxon Evans? It'd be an all-Kiwi party that'd make the Wahs winning seem trivial. Chur.
Jess Yates: Cam Waters and Mark Winterbottom.
Chad Neylon: Broc Feeney and Nick Percat. It’s so wide open this year!
Riana Crehan: Broc Feeney and Nick Percat, but it must be said, Bathurst is the most unpredictable race to choose a winner. There are probably 10 combinations in the field that can easily be considered winning contenders.
Who is the dark horse?
James Pavey: The Andre Heimgartner/Bryce Fullwood combo impressed me at The Bend. Take the penalty out, and they were racing for a top five.
Zac Dowdell: With nothing to lose and everything to gain, James Golding/Richie Stanaway are a tantalising prospect. It's an all-out attack to get Golding back into the Finals, and could make fascinating viewing, provided BRT brings the best of their speed.
Garth Tander: Kai Allen and Tim Slade.
Greg Murphy: Cooper Murray and Lochie Dalton.
Scott Sinclair: Jayden Ojeda and David Russell. There is the question of where the Camaros will slot in, but these guys had a good run at The Bend. Ojeda was strong with Ryan Wood last year before their dramas. Russell has five straight finishes in the top six, Ojeda’s race pace has been strong. His qualifying hasn't been great, but that doesn’t mean much in a long race.
Richard Craill: Jayden Ojeda and David Russell. The Juice will be super-fast. D-Russ is super reliable and of late has scored Bathurst podiums for fun. PremiAir have been good on the big hill before. If they're in the fight in the last hour, point 'the Juice' in the direction of the chequered flag and know they'll be a shot.
Jess Yates: Ryan Wood and Jaxon Evans.
Chad Neylon: Jayden Ojeda and David Russell.
Riana Crehan: David Reynolds and James Courtney. Bathurst is a race of survival. Survive the week of build-up. Survive every session. Survive every stint. Every pit stop, every restart. And if you can do that you have the chance to win. You need a fast car no doubt, but you also need to survive.
The views in this article do not necessarily express the opinions of Supercars, teams or drivers.
