Garth Tander unmoved on 2016 redress controversy, 10 years on
Tander, Scott McLaughlin taken out of contention amid Jamie Whincup battle
Whincup penalised, reclassified 11th after taking the chequered flag first
Even after a decade, Garth Tander remains unmoved on his stance on the drama that struck the 2016 Great Race.
The 2026 edition of the Bathurst 1000 also marks the 10th anniversary of the wild scenes which enveloped the closing laps of the 2016 race, with three cars wiped out in dramatic scenes.
The 2016 race, now available to watch on Supercars' official YouTube channel, was headlined by an incident involving Tander, Jamie Whincup and Scott McLaughlin, all three missing out on the win after fighting for the effective lead.
With 10 laps to go, a move from Whincup at The Chase sent McLaughlin off the road. McLaughlin rejoined at pace, and Whincup baulked, attempting to redress. Tander had nowhere to go, and collided with McLaughlin.
The Tander and McLaughlin cars were taken out of contention, while a penalty dumped Whincup — who crossed the line first — down to 11th, promoting Will Davison to victory.
Tander was scathing of Whincup on the broadcast, saying his then arch-rival started it. 10 years on, nothing has changed for the now six-time Bathurst winner.
“It does seem like yesterday,” Tander told Supercars.com.
“Nothing's changed for me, in my perspective. It is 10 years ago and everyone sort of moves on.
"But at the time I said Jamie started it, and nothing's changed there because it was sort of a half-arsed move on Scott, that pushed Scott into the grass.”
Tander admitted all three drivers were determined to get in front, hence the desperation. However, the 58-time race winner remained firm that the vision offers everlasting proof as to how the drama started.
"We had the redress, which was a thing back then,” Tander, who will call his first Bathurst 1000 this year, said.
“When you redress, it's almost an admission of guilt, isn't it? You’re saying, 'Oh, shit, maybe though I didn't do that correctly’, so then you'll want to fix it.
“So, Jamie redressed it when we should be full throttle pulling fourth gear over 200km/h, and he jumped on the brake pedal. That's what caused me to skittle to get around him. And then Scott was coming back on at warp factor five from the grass, as you would.
“It’s the end of the race, you want to keep your track position, and he probably rejoined a little bit aggressively. Three into one didn't go, and two of us didn't keep going, and that was Scott and I.
“Nothing's really changed. Like, the circumstance, you play the tape, and the replay will still look the same as it did when it happened live.”
For the first time since 1997, neither Tander or Whincup will be on the Bathurst grid. Both retired, drivers are now in different capacities, Tander spearheading the broadcast, and Whincup managing Triple Eight.
However, the racer's edge remains for both, even after all this time.
"Jamie and I still joke about it today,” Tander laughed.
"I know that he thinks he's 100% in the right, and I think he's 100% the catalyst. That's the beauty of sport, isn't it?"
Track action at Mount Panorama commences on Thursday October 8. Tickets are on sale now.
