Bathurst 2018: Live updates from Mount Panorama

Craig Lowndes is looking to end his full-time career with a seventh Bathurst title.
Craig Lowndes is looking to end his full-time career with a seventh Bathurst title. Photo credit: Photosport

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Wrap: Scott McLaughlin has closed the gap in the Championship to 19-points behind Shane Van Gisbergen. What a result for Holden and Craig Lowndes - behind only Brock as the legend of Australian motorsport. As for Steven Richards he gets a fifth Bathurst victory as a co-driver, just two behind the seven-wins his father acheived. Thank you so much for joining me throughout the day - there were a lot of you so I appreciate your company.

Race finish: Craig Lowndes crosses the line and that's it! Seven time Bathurst champion - magnificent effort from Lowndes and Steven Richards who wins for the fifth time. Scott Pye and Waren Luff home in second with Scott McLaughlin and Alex Premat rounding out the podium for the Kiwis best Bathurst result.

Final lap: Crowd going nuts as Lowndes enters his final lap of the race - wouldn't find a more popular winner among the fans as the 'Lowndsey' chant rings out at the top. Awesome!

Lap 160/161: Top 10 - Lowndes, Pye, McLaughlin, Mostert, Van Gisbergen, Tander, Percat, Golding, Coulthard and Whincup.

Lap 159/161: Kiwi update - McLaughlin (3rd), Van Gisbergen/Bamber (5th), Pither (6th), Coulthard (9th), Heimgartner (17th) and Stanaway 23rd.

Lap 158/161: Jamie Whincup up to 11th now - great job given they were close to two-laps down at the 40-lap mark after losing a wheel on pit straight.

Lap 157/161: Lowndes' lead back out to eight seconds. What a storybook finish for Lowndes in his final Bathurst as a main driver. Awesome for him and awesome for Holden fans.

Lap 154/161: Great effort from Pye and Luff in second spot. Started 18th but a great strategy and decent car speed has got them at the top end of the field. Third last year and looks like they will go one better this time around.

Lap 153/161: Closing stages now. Pye is seven seconds behind Lowndes with a five second gap back to McLaughlin.

Lap 150/161: Top Ten - Lowndes, Pye, McLaughlin, Mostert, Van Gisbergen, Tander, Percat, Golding, Coulthard and Rick Kelly. Heimgartner is 17th while Richie Stanaway is six laps down at the tail of the field.

Lap 149/161: Van Gisbergen has really struggled to make an impact since Bamber stepped out of the car  - that car just hasn't worked for him in this triple stint.

Lap 148/161: So Lowndes on track now for a seventh Bathurst title - just two behind the great Peter Brock and a few more years left as a co-driver. Teammate Steven Richards on track for a fifth Bathurst win and a third since 2013.

Lap 146/161: Reynolds in the pits again - he has submitted to the pain and Luke Youlden will finish the race for the No.9 car. Reynolds is gutted with his head in his hands knowing a Bathurst 1000 just slipped from his grasp.

Lap 145/161: McLaughlin doesn't seem to have the pace to get passed Pye who has extended his gap to the Kiwi to almost five-seconds.

Lap 143/161: Top Ten - Lowndes, Pye, McLaughlin, Mostert, Van Gisbergen, Tander, Reynolds, Percat, Golding and Coulthard.

Lap 142/161: McLaughlin couldn't quite jump Pye in the pits. Oh no! Reynolds is getting a drive thru penalty. The wheels were rotating during his stop - that will jump McLaughlin up to third - a second behind Pye - 12-seconds behind Lowndes.

Lap 141/161: Lowndes holds onto the lead as Reynolds rejoins three-seconds behind. No saftey car as De Pasquale gets the car back but his race is done.

Lap 140/161: Anton De Pasquale has hit the wall at the top of the Mountain - could be a saftey car although he gets the car going and will try and coast the car back. Reynolds pits from second and will stay in the car.

Lap 140/161: Lowndes pits from the lead - Reynolds stays out. McLaughlin is 13 seconds off the lead in fourth and should jump Scott Pye after they both stop.

Lap 139/161: Coulthard, Tander and De Pasquale all pit for the final time.

Lap 138/161: Reynolds has recovered somewhat in terms of the gap to Lowndes. He isn't commiting to the team on staying in the car at the stop.

Lap 137/161: Reynolds wants to continue to the next stop. He has lost about three-seconds on Lowndes. He has asked for some salt pills in the stop. This is just nuts given how well he has driven today.

Lap 135/161: Lowndes takes the lead at Griffen's Bend and is gapping Reynolds! The Erabus driver is reporting he has 'the worst cramp I have ever felt' in his breaking foot. Looks like he might be coming in the pits for a driver change. Crazy! Luke Youlden is suiting up just in case he has to get back in the car.

Lap 133/161: Lowndes has closed the gap to a car length on Reynolds. A couple scorching laps from the soon-to-be-retired full-time driver and it's on now. Not sure if Reynolds made a little mistake but he's got Lowndes very much in his mirrors.

Lap 132/161: We are five laps away from the final pit window - if you can get to lap 138 then you can get home on that load of fuel. Reynolds still holding all the cards.

Lap 131/161: Reynolds holding that gap at around 1.4 seconds back to Lowndes. Everyone else praying for a saftey car as we head into the final phase of the race.

Lap 128/161: Top Ten - Reynolds, Lowndes, Pye, McLaughlin, Mostert, Van Gisbergen, Tander, Coulthard, Golding and Percat. Richie Stanaway is back out there but four laps down. Jamie Whincup is up to 15th a long way behind the leaders.

Lap 126/161: McLaughlin is still chasing down Pye - about 14 seconds off the lead of the race. On corrected order he is in third spot given his great fuel economy, but will need a saftey car to have any hope of winning the race.

Lap 124/161: Reynolds has dominated this race - superb effort from the pole sitter and if he can avoid any drama I think he's got this covered - even if a saftey car comes he has shown the car speed to earn a gap when needed.

Lap 123/161: Reynolds has a two-second lead over Lowndes at the front. McLaughlin is reeling in Pye in third spot.

Lap 121/161: Top Ten: Reynolds, Lowndes, Pye, McLaughlin, Mostert, Van Gisbergen, Tander, Coulthard, Golding and Percat. McLaughlin jumped two spots in that window, while SVG dropped a spot.

Lap 120/161: Richie Stanaway looks done for the day as his Ford parks in the Tickford garage.

Lap 119/161: Reynolds pits from the lead as does McLaughlin from second. No dramas for Erabus as Reynolds heads out with a decent gap over Lowndes.

Lap 118/161: Lowndes and Van Gisbergen pit. Reynolds still trucking around.

Lap 117/161: Mostert in from third for his second last stop.

Lap 116/161: Coulthard pits from seventh spot but gets jumped by Garth Tander who stopped at the same time.

Lap 115/161: Van Gisbergen currently 13-seconds behind Reynolds in fifth, McLaughlin another two-seconds back in sixth spot.

Lap 114/161: Reynolds leads by three-seconds over Craig Lowndes. Car No.888 in fuel save mode, holding a decent gap back to Mostert in third spot.

Lap 113/161: About four laps away from the next pit window - McLaughlin has got past his teammate who was holding him up a tad.

Lap 110/161: Still very light showers falling - nothing serious. Reynolds out to almost two-seconds at the head of the pack. Specualtion in the commentary box that Coulthard and McLaughlin are in fuel save mode to get a gain later in the day.

Lap 108/161: Top Ten - Reynolds, Lowndes, Mostert, Pye, Van Gisbergen, Coulthard, McLaughlin, Tander, Golding and Rick Kelly. 18 seconds seperates 1st to 10th.

Lap 107/161: Pye runs wide at the first corner and losses a spot to Mostert and now has Van Gisbergen, Coulthard and McLaughlin all over him.

Lap 106/161: Another shower is hitting the track. More drama to come.

Lap 103/161: Lowndes stalking Reynolds up front - the two of them are charging off in the distance as Reynolds just breaks the race lap record. They are five seconds ahead of Pye back in third.

Lap 102/161: No changes in the top ten since the restart. Of not to all Jamie Whincup fans - he is 51 seconds behind the race leader - so still an outside chance if we get a couple more saftey cars.

Lap 99/161: Reynolds and Lowndes have gapped the pack. Three seconds up the road from Pye, Mostert, Coulthard, McLaughlin and Tander.

Lap 98/161: Kiwi update: Van Gisbergen/Bamber (5th), Coulthard (6th), McLaughlin (7th), Pither (8th), Stanaway (15th) and Heimgartner 17th.

Lap 97/161: Back underway - good retstart from Reynolds who leads Lowndes, Pye, Mostert and Van Gisbergen.

Lap 96/161: Under caution - Top Ten: Reynolds, Lowndes, Pye, Mostert, Van Gisbergen, Coulthard, McLaughlin, Tander, Golding and Kelly. Whincup is amazingly back on the lead lap at the very back of the pack.

Lap 95/161: Youlden comes in and Reynolds will take over for the rest of the race. Richards in for as driver change as Lowndes hops in the car. 

Lap 94/161: SAFTEY CAR: Moffat and Luff in for stops. Hazlewood is off at the final corner in the sand. Everyone will pit now and most of the teams have completed their minimum number of laps for co-drivers.

Lap 93/161: D'Alberto pits from second and hands over to Coulthard who can drive to the end from this point.

Lap 92/161: Top Ten - Youlden, D'Alberto, Luff, Richards, Moffat, Bamber, Premat, Muscat, Pither and Jacobson.

Lap 90/161: Youlden doing a superb job up front - leads by four seconds from car No.12.

Lap 88/161: Premat and Bamber get past Muscat - then Bamber gets past Premat - this is a hell of a drive from the two-time Le Mans winner. Bamber showing his is one of the best enduro drivers on the planet.

Lap 86/161: Top Ten: Youlden, D'Alberto, Luff, Moffat, Richards, Muscat, Premat, Bamber, Brown and Pither. Other Kiwis: Heimgartner is 15th and Stanaway is 17th.

Lap 85/161: Premat gets past Pither and so does Bamber who is up to position nine - Premat escapes with a bad sportsmanship flag, meaning another action like that and that car will cop a penalty.

Lap 84/161: Premat could cop a penalty for his re-entry - it was very dangerous and he almost cleaned up three cars. Could be disaster for McLaughlin. Bamber up to 10th - carving through the field.

Lap 83/161: Bamber up to 11th - Youlden's lead out to almost two-seconds at the front.

Lap 82/161: Premat off the track at The Chase trying to pass Muscat and almost cleans up a couple cars on his re-entry. Survives unscathed and hasn't lost a spot - but has lost a bit of ground on the cars ahead.

Lap 81/161: Bamber making ground in the mid-pack. Up to 12th from 14th in just two laps.  Youlden has a one second lead over D'Alberto at the front.

Lap 79/161: Back underway - good restart from Youlden - he has a decent break on D'Alberto in car No.18. Rain has gone away again - could be one of those days.

Lap 78/161: Top Ten - Youlden/Reynolds, D'alberto/Coulthard, Luff/Pye, Moffat/Mostert, Richards/Lowndes, Muscat/Golding, Pither/Tander, Premat/McLaughlin, Brown/De Pasquale and Percat/Jones. Van Gisbergen has dropped to 14th after that pit stop issue. Whincup still a lap down.

Lap 77/161: All the teams having issues with the break disc changes - McLaughlin suffered earlier and now Earl Bamber held up as his team struggled - the only positive that we are under a caution.

Lap 76/161: SAFTEY CAR: Debris on the track so Reynolds will lose the big margain he made....good news for McLaughlin and Lowndes who should now recover their lost ground from earlier - also Whincup could end back on the lead lap here - will let you know as everyome dives in for stops.

Lap 76/161: McLauglin and Tander pit. Driver change for both. Pither gets out in front of car No.17.

Lap 75/161: Lowndes on the charge - has recovered brilliantly from Steve Richards' off just before the last round of stops. Up from 14th to seventh - has just got by James Golding. Moffat, McLaughlin, Tander, Lowndes and Golding all in a pack from fourth to eighth.

Lap 73/161: Reynolds has extended his lead up front to almost 10 seconds - that's the largest margin from 1st-2nd all day. McLaughlin up to fifth as he gets passed James Golding.

Lap 72/161: Top Ten - Reynolds, Van Gisbergen, Luff, Moffat, Golding, McLaughlin, Tander, Lowndes, Winterbottom and De Pasquale. Rain is getting heavy now but still not wet enough to change from slick tyres.

Lap 70/161: McLaughlin off at The Chase. He was all over James Moffat who was making it easy for the Kiwi - huge lock-up and he is on the grass - recovers well but those tyres will surely be shot for the rest of the stint. Umbrellas up in the crowd - both top and bottom of the Mountain.

Lap 68/161: Coulthard will pit from first handing the lead of the race to Reynolds - The Kiwi is out of sync with the rest of the pack - that should all balance itself out later in the day.

Lap 65/161: Kiwis update:  Coulthard (1st), Van Gisbergen/Bamber (3rd), McLaughlin (7th), Pither (9th), Heimgartner (14th), Stanaway (16th).

Lap 64/161: Dumbrell pits, Whincup hops in - they are two laps down after the tyre issue 20-odd laps ago.

Lap 62/161: McLaughlin very quick at the moment - again the rain has gone for now. Scotty just did his best lap of the race as he closes in quickly on the trio of Luff, Golding and Moffat.

Lap 61/161: McLaughlin lost 14 seconds with the break pad troubles so has lost a ton of track position - he just passed Percat for seventh.

Lap 60/161: Running order - Coulthard, Reynolds, Van Gisbergen, Luff, Golding, Moffat, Percat, McLaughlin, Tander and Winterbottom. Lowndes and McLaughlin the big losers from that last round of stops due to seperate issues.

Lap 59/161: The rain setting in a bit at the bottom of The Mountain - most of the front runners have stopped and made driver changes - McLaughlin had an issue in the stop - they changed the break pads - but had a problem with the instiallation  so lost a ton of time - McLaughlin is back in the car but down the order somewhat.

Lap 58/161: The rain is back folks and it's at an awful time with the next round of pit stops due. Steven Richards off the track and back on - lost it just ahead of pit lane but managed to save it - will lose time. Not wet enough for wet tyres yet - will update the running order once this madness calms down in pit lane.

Lap 56/161: Mostert pits from third - James Moffat hops in the car for his second stint.

Lap 56/161: Kiwis update: McLaughlin (1st), Van Gisbergen/Bamber (5th), Pither (8th), Stanaway (11th), Heimgartner (12th), Coulthard (17th), but he is on a different strategy to the rest of the front runners.

Lap 55/161: Rain has dissapeared which is good news for the lead car - they struggled in the wet during the week.

Lap 53/161: Premat extending the lead in car No.17. Almost two-seonds ahead of Youlden and Mostert.

Lap 52/161: Rain isn't heavy by any means at the moment but the forcast is for it to get heavier.

Lap 51/161: Raining on Conrod Straight - things are about to get interesting.

Lap 50/161: Rain just holding off at the moment. Premat leads Youlden, Mostert, Richards and Bamber - four seconds seperating the top five.

Lap 49/161: Coulthard pits from sixth place.

Lap 48/161: Quick update on cars that are out of the running. Car No.1 (Whincup/Dumbrell), Car No.6 (Waters and Russell) and Car No.25 (Courtney and Perkins). Waters is back out there, 14 lapos down after an incident with Mostert. Whincup is two-laps down after his right-front tyre came off and Courtney is in the garage after his Holden's engine gave out.

Lap 47/161: Premat already gapping Youlden. One second lead as the No.9 looks to hold off Mostert in third.

Lap 46/161: Premat takes the lead at Hell Corner - he almost lost it at The Chase but held on superbly to get past Youlden a few seconds later. The rain is coming folks.

Lap 45/161: Bathurst may throw another little spanner into the works. The rain is coming accroding to the weather ninja's.

Lap 45/161: Three-seconds seperate the top six. Premat doing a great job holding off Mostert while still pressuring Youlden for the lead. Earl Bamber and Fabian Coulthard right in the mix too.

Lap 44/161: Six car battle pack for the lead. Youlden, Premat, Mostert, Richards, Bamber and Coulthard.

Lap 43/161: Sounds like the saftey clip on the wheel nut came off - remarkable that the wheel didn't come off earlier. Just a crazy moment that only this race can throw up every year.

Lap 42/161: Just trying to get my breath back after that. A genuine race contender is all-but done in the race as he makes his way into the pit - looking like this will cost Whincup and Dumbrell two-and-a-half laps.

Lap 40/161: Trouble for Dumbrell in car No.1!! The right front has parted ways with the car just past the pit - that's them done for the day - it's a long way back on three wheels. Huge moment - he didn't hit anyone - the wheel just came off! Crazy.

Lap 39/161: Coulthard the fastest car out there at the moment - currently seventh behind Bamber. Premat looking racey in the No.17 Falcon - stalking Dumbrell and Youlden.

Lap 38/161: Dean Fiore off at Murray's Corner and hits the wall in Michael Caruso's No.23 Nissan - he re-joins but reports back to the team that the car is 'rooted'.

Lap 37/161: Back underway - Premat makes a move on Dumbrell but can't get past. Status quo but I would suspect Chaz Mostert is gonna makes his way through the co-drivers up front - also Fabian Coulthard placed nicely just inside the top ten.

Lap 36/161: Under yellow - here is the new Top Ten after the stops. Youlden, Dumbrell, Premat, Richards, Mostert, Bamber, Pither, Coulthard, Macauley Jones and Canto.

Lap 35/161: SAFTEY CAR: Jack Perkins in James Courtney's Holden has come to a stop on Mountain Straight and is out of the race - it's chaos in pitlane as everyone comes in for a stop - will update the running order of the field when it all clears up - Earl Bamber is being double-stacked so he will lose a few spots.

Lap 34/161: Mistake by Scott Pye in car No.2. Off at The Chase - re-joins but losses a spot to Steve Owen.

Lap 32/161: Kiwi car update: Van Gisbergen/Bamber (3rd), McLaughlin (4th), Pither (7th), Coulthard (11th), Heimgartner (15th), Stanaway (21st).

Lap 31/161: Dumbrell is stalking Youlden at the front, Bamber just behind in third and Alex Premat is six seconds behind the Kiwi.

Lap 29/161: Alex Premat (No.17) is running down the top three - second fastest on track at the moment.

Lap 27/161: Youlden makes a mistake and now has Bamber and Dumbrell right on him - Bamber doing a superb job for Shane Van Gisbergen. Dumbrell gets past Bamber as Earl tried to go round the outside of Youlden at Griffen's Bend.

Lap 25/161: Top Ten: Youlden/Reynolds, Bamber/Van Gisbergen, Dumbrell/Whincup, Premat/McLaughlin, Richards/Lowndes, Mostert/Moffat, Pither/Tander, Perkins/Courtney,Muscat/Goulding and Jones/Percat.

Lap 24/161: No penalty for Mostert which is surprising.

Lap 24/161: Earl Bamber is running down Luke Youlden at the front - gap down to under three-seconds.

Lap 23/161: So Russell's issues where caused by a collision with teammate Chaz Mostert. Mostert came flying down the inside at the elbow, made contact with Russell and put him in the wall! Cam Waters furious - calling Mostert 'stupid'.

Lap 22/161: Big trouble for Tickford Racing - Cam Waters looks done for the day as his teammate David Russell has a broken right front wheel - camera cut to the car in the sand at The Chase - he managed somehow to get out but that's them done as contenders.

Lap 22/161: Tander pits from third - Kiwi Chris Pither takes over.

Lap 21/161: Van Gisbergen pits from second - Earl Bamber will hop in for his first Bathurst.

Lap 20/161: Whincup, McLaughlin, Lowndes, Courtney and Heimgartner all pit and hand over to their co-drivers. Reynolds out to a five-second lead at the front.

Lap 19/161: Drama for car No.99 with Will Brown at the wheel - his passenger door is flinging open and he has copped a black flag. Brutal bad luck.

Lap 18/161: Lowndes gets past Tander at The Chase but runs wide on exit and Tander back to sixth. McLaughlin just recorded his fasted lap of the race - Van Gisbergen currently has the fastest lap with a high 2:06.

Lap 17/161: De Pasquale pits from fourth - young Will Brown jumps into the car for his first Bathurst 1000. 

Lap 16/161: McLaughlin has gapped Tander by almost a second showing that he was being held up a bit.

Lap 15/161: James Goulding pits from 11th - co-driver Richard Muscat is in. McLaughlin has got passed Tander who made a mistake at Murray's corner and almost ended up in the wall. Lowndes all over Tander now with Courtney coming up quickly. 

Lap 14/161: Battle brewing between Tander, McLaughlin and Lowndes for fifth - the Kiwi struggling a bit with straight line speed - he is all over Tander at the top of the Mountain but Tander has the edge on Conrod.

Lap 12/161: Top Ten: Reynolds, Van Gisbergen, Whincup, De Pasquale, Tander, McLaughlin, Lowndes, Courtney, Percat and Waters.

Lap 11/161: Van Gisbergen has closed the gap a bit - Reynolds leads by 3.5 seconds.

Lap 11/161: Craig Lowndes and James Courtney dicing for seventh - Lowndes wins as he finally gets past JC at the final corner.

Lap 9/161: Ash Walsh in Tim Slade's No.14 BJR Holden has had a couple of off's in the opening 10 laps. Currently running last.

Lap 9/161: Biggest two movers early doors are Tander who is up five spots and Winterbottom who has climbed four but he is back in the pack.

Lap 7/161: Reynolds looks fast - his lead over Van Gisbergen out to almost four seconds.

Lap 6/161: Kiwi update: Van Gisbergen (2nd), Pither (5th), McLaughlin (6th), Coulthard (15th), Stannaway (16th), Heimgartner (17th).

Lap 5/161: Reynolds, Van Gisbergen, Whincup, De Pasquale and Tander.

Lap 4/161: A huge moment for De Pasquale at The Chase - big lock up and he's off onto the grass - he re-joins damage free but loses a spot to Van Gisbergen.

Lap 1/161: Reynolds and De Pasquale have gapped it at the front followed by Van Gisbergen, Whincup, Tander and McLaughlin.

Race Start: Drama free start - Whincup has slipped to fourth with the twp Erabus Holden's 1st and 2nd.

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1.10pm: Cars are on their final warmup lap. Time to sit back. relax and enjoy The Great Race with me.

1.05pm: Not too far away now - the fantastic television team just going through the last minute interview on the grid. Looks like all the main drivers are going to start.

12.58pm: Jamie Whincup and David Reynolds have both confirmed they will start the race - looks like Scott McLaughlin will start in the No.17 Falcon.

12.50pm: Cars are out on the grid - no dramas on the warmup lap. Teams are being a bit coy on who will start the race with main drivers and co-drivers suited up among the heavy hitters.

12.40pm: Hello everyone - Race start is scheduled for 1.10pm (NZT) - lovely conditions at the Mount today although there is a 40 percent chance of rainfall towards the end of the race.

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Welcome to live commentary of the 2018 Bathurst 1000 from Mount Panorama in country New South Wales.

Seven Kiwis, plus Steven Richards who we will claim if he wins, will attack the Mountain, all holding out hopes of victory.

Shane Van Gisbergen leads the charge, partnered by one of the best endurance drivers in the world in Earl Bamber.

Scott McLaughlin will start in fifth in the DJR-Penske Falcoln, one spot behind his championship rival.

Chris Pither will partner Garth Tander in the Gary Rogers Motorsport Holden - they will start in tenth. Andre Heomgartner starts from 13th - he is my dark horse today if he can get a bit of luck. 

Fabian Coulthard is down in 16th - he really struggled to make any impact in qualifying but always goes well around Bathurst while Richie Stanaway - who was fastest in the wet on Friday, will start 17th.

Top Ten Shootut results:

David Reynolds 2:04.059
Jamie Whincup 2:04.068
Anton de Pasquale 2:04.308
Shane van Gisbergen 2.04.538
Scott McLaughlin 2:04.549
Cameron Waters 2.04.751
Nick Percat 2:04.767
James Courtney 2:05.003
Craig Lowndes 2:05.083
Garth Tander 2:05.171

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