Garth Tander opens up on Bathurst retirement "mic drop"
Supercars champion announced retirement after winning 2025 Bathurst
Tander "was very, very close to doing it in the press conference after the race"
Garth Tander has revealed he was “very close” to announcing his Supercars retirement in the minutes after his 2025 Bathurst triumph.
Tander announced his retirement in the weeks after claiming his sixth Great Race victory, in what was an all-time classic.
The 2007 Supercars champion headed to the Mountain believing it could be his final start. Tander was determined to go out on his own terms, a far cry from how his full-time career ended.
Tander was moved on by Garry Rogers Motorsport ahead of the 2019 season. As fate would have it, he was picked up by Triple Eight as a co-driver, and added two more Bathurst wins before joining Grove Racing.
"I went to last year's Bathurst with the view that it might be my last race,” Tander said at Wednesday’s Bathurst launch.
“If we didn't win, I would've been racing this year. It's that simple.
"Because when you get the opportunity to have success at Bathurst, and for me, have the ability to make the call on my driving career and be able to do it myself.
“When I finished my 21 years of full-time driving, it wasn't my decision. The decision was made for me, and that didn't sit well. So having the opportunity to finish at the highest of highs at Mount Panorama, that was, after the fact, an easy decision to make.
"But I went to the race last year with the view that this may be my last race. So I enjoyed every aspect of it, the autograph sessions, the sponsor appearances, every session on track. I had my kids there with me, my partner with me.
“I just enjoyed every single moment as though it could be the last. And then when we were fortunate enough to have success, I thought, 'Yeah, that's a pretty easy decision’.”
Fulfilled by victory, Tander nearly announced his retirement in the post-race press conference. However, he wanted Payne and his team to “enjoy the moment," having later said he hadn't fully made his mind up in Bathurst.
“It was a mic drop. I was very, very close to doing it in the press conference after the race on the Sunday night,” Tander continued.
“But I wanted the team to enjoy the moment that was the race. But it was an easy decision to make there, and I’m still very, very happy with it.”
For the first time since 1997, Tander won’t be on the grid — but for the very first time, Tander will call the race, joining Richard Craill and Greg Murphy in the commentary box.
"I can't wait. I honestly cannot wait,” Tander said of calling the 2026 race.
"I've never done TV at Bathurst. So I'm really looking forward to that. I know how kind and how cruel the race can be.
“In 2006, the very first race after Peter's passing, Mark Skaife and I were on the front row of the grid, unbackable favorites. The thing was an absolute rocket ship.
"It was the fastest car that I'd ever had at Bathurst to that point, and we didn't even get a hundred metres into the race and it was over and done with. The clutch fried and our race was over.
"But the Mountain chose Peter Brock's protege, Craig Lowndes, to win that race. So I can't wait to find out what this year's story's gonna be.
"I can't wait to help tell that story with the rest of the broadcast crew, and I can't wait to share with the people watching at home.”
Tander will be back in the booth for the AirTouch 500 at The Bend from September 11-13.
