Top five fiery Bathurst moments
A white-knuckle ride for 1000 kilometres around Mount Panorama, travelling at speeds near 300km/hr, is a recipe for massive accidents and emotional V8 Supercar drivers.
In the wake of Marcos Ambrose, who had one of the most heated encounters at Bathurst, announcing his return to the category ahead of this year's Supercheap Auto Bathurst 1000, take a look back at five of the most fiery V8 Supercar moments on the mountain.
1. Besnard's fiery crash
After completing a pit stop on lap 113 of the 1000 kilometre haul in 2011, David Besnard left pit lane with new brake pads and a full tank of fuel in the Jim Beam DJR Falcon he shared with Steven Johnson.
On the approach to Griffins Bend at the end of Mountain Straight, the #17 Ford hit the tyre bundle while travelling at speeds over 250km/h.
The impact spread fuel over the race track, which ignited as cars passed the crash site. The fire made its way to Besnard's car, seeing the Falcon light up in flames.
2. Winterbottom's car barbecued
Electrical issues had hindered Mark Winterbottom and co-driver Steve Richards earlier in the race in 2009 - and then, after noticing smoke in the cabin, Winterbottom pulled the CASTROL Falcon into pit lane, which was followed by a ball of fire.
The rear of the Ford Performance Racing car had erupted into flames, ignited by fuel after the line had been ruptured by a loose battery.
With the fire intensifying, turning the car into an inferno, Winterbottom was forced to stop in the middle of pit lane to escape the car and allow pit crews to extinguish the flames, which threatened the $500,000 car's survival.
Winterbottom was sitting third - on track for his first Supercheap Auto Bathurst 1000 podium - at the time of the blaze.
3. Murphy's five-minute time-out
A miscommunication during a routine pit stop for the Kmart crew in 2002 saw Greg Murphy exit his pit box while the team was still fuelling his Holden Commodore.
Fuel spilt everywhere, which was immediately doused with foam to avoid the pit bay from erupting into an inferno.
As a consequence for the dangerous mistake, Murphy was dealt with a five minute time penalty - forcing the Kiwi to stall his Bathurst assault and bring the #51 car into his pit while the race continued.
Murphy responded by getting out of his car, retreating to his garage and erupting into fits of rage and locking himself in the toilet.
4.Richards scolds the crowd
Jim Richards and Mark Skaife were controversially awarded the Bathurst 1000 in 1992 after a wet Mount Panorama forced the race to be red flagged.
Richards and Skaife's Nissan skyline had dominated the race all day, but aquaplaned off the circuit at Forrest's Elbow before the red flag came out, while Dick Johnson crossed the line unscathed after running second during the race.
Following red-flag standard practice, the race results were decided per the last completed lap, which saw Richards and Skaife in first place.
The decision was met with anger by loyal Holden and Ford fans, who booed the Bathurst winners as they took the podium. Richards found the reception "disgraceful", announcing the crowd as a "pack of arseholes" on the podium.
5. Murphy and Ambrose clash
After the Supercheap Auto Bathurst 1000 resumed for its final few laps after a safety car restart in 2005, Greg Murphy and Marcos Ambrose collided on the approach into the Cutting.
The crash ensued a pile up, blocking the track out of Griffins Bend.
As cars started to escape the wreckage and continue on with the race, both Murphy and Ambrose emerged from their race cars for a heated confrontation between the two, involving a lot of finger pointing and violent shouting.
See Mount Panorama fire up from October 9-12 at the iconic Supercheap Auto Bathurst 1000 -click here for more information and to book your tickets.
