The 2007 Supercheap Auto Bathurst 1000 was an endurance race for
V8 Supercars
The Supercars Championship is a touring car racing category in Australia, running as an International Series under Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile (FIA) regulations, governing the sport.
Supercars events take place in all Australian ...
, held on 7 October 2007 at the
Mount Panorama Circuit
Mount Panorama Circuit is a motor racing track located in Bathurst, New South Wales, Australia. It is situated on Mount Panorama (Wahluu) and is best known as the home of the Bathurst 1000 motor race held each October, and the Bathurst 12 Hour ...
near
Bathurst in
New South Wales
)
, nickname =
, image_map = New South Wales in Australia.svg
, map_caption = Location of New South Wales in AustraliaCoordinates:
, subdivision_type = Country
, subdivision_name = Australia
, established_title = Before federation
, es ...
,
Australia
Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a Sovereign state, sovereign country comprising the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous List of islands of Australia, sma ...
. It was the tenth round of the
2007 V8 Supercar Championship Series
The 2007 V8 Supercar season featured the ninth V8 Supercar Championship Series which began on 1 March and concluded on 2 December. This championship consisted of 14 rounds covering all states and the Northern Territory of Australia as well as ro ...
.
The race was the eleventh running of the
Australian 1000
The Bathurst 1000 (formally known as the Repco Bathurst 1000) is a touring car race held annually on the Mount Panorama Circuit in Bathurst, New South Wales, Australia. It is currently run as part of the Supercars Championship, the most re ...
, first held in 1997 following an organisational split that occurred with the
Bathurst 1000
The Bathurst 1000 (formally known as the Repco Bathurst 1000) is a touring car race held annually on the Mount Panorama Circuit in Bathurst, New South Wales, Australia. It is currently run as part of the Supercars Championship, the most recen ...
in that year. It was the 50th race in the combined history of the Bathurst 1000 and the Australian 1000.
Entry list
31 cars were entered in the race – 15 Holden Commodores and 16 Ford Falcons. Four drivers would make their Bathurst 500/1000 debuts -
Jay Verdnik
A jay is a member of a number of species of medium-sized, usually colorful and noisy, passerine birds in the Crow family, Corvidae. The evolutionary relationships between the jays and the magpies are rather complex. For example, the Eurasian ...
,
Andrew Thompson,
Shane van Gisbergen
Shane Robert van Gisbergen (born 9 May 1989) is a New Zealand racing driver in the Supercars Championship racing in the Number 97 Holden ZB Commodore car for Triple Eight Race Engineering. With three Supercars Championship wins (2016, 2021, 202 ...
and
David Reynolds. Van Gisbergen would become the third youngest starter in the races' history at 17 years, 4 months and 28 days old.
A series of drivers would also make their last entries in 2007 -
Simon Wills
Simon Wills (born 3 October 1976 in Auckland, New Zealand) is a former racing driver who currently runs a graphic design business.
Racing career Formula cars
Wills finished runner up in the 1995 New Zealand Formula Ford Championship. He had ...
,
Damien White
Damien is a given name and less frequently a surname.
The name is a variation of Damian which comes from the Greek ''Damianos''. This form originates from the Greek derived from the Greek word δαμάζω (damazō), "(I) conquer, master, overcom ...
,
Christian Murchison
Christian Murchison (born 1 November 1980) is a racing driver from Singapore.
Biography
In 2003, Murchison finished 10th in the Eurocup Formula Renault V6 Championship. In 2000 and 2001, he was the runner-up in the Australian Formula Holden ...
,
Cameron McLean
Cameron McLean (born 14 December 1967) is an Australian former racing driver.
Career
McLean began racing at age 14 in karts. He came to prominence when he won the 1995 Australian Sports Sedan Championship in a BMW M3. McLean won the 1997 ...
and
John Bowe, whilst it would also be the last starts for
Paul Weel
Paul may refer to:
*Paul (given name), a given name (includes a list of people with that name)
*Paul (surname), a list of people
People
Christianity
*Paul the Apostle (AD c.5–c.64/65), also known as Saul of Tarsus or Saint Paul, early Chris ...
and
Paul Radisich
Paul Radisich (born 9 October 1962, in Auckland) is a retired New Zealand racing driver and businessman of Croat origin. He has competed in saloon cars for many years — both European-style tourers and the V8 Supercars of Australia and New ...
- despite both entering the 2008 race. The aforementioned Verdnik would make his only start in 2007.
Practice
Free practice was held over three sessions on Thursday, 4 October and Friday, 5 October 2007.
Qualifying
Qualifying was held in two stages on Friday, 5 October 2007. The opening part of the session decided grid positions 21 to 31, with the twenty fastest cars progressing to the second leg of qualifying which decided grid positions 11 to 20. The fastest ten cars progress through to the traditional Top Ten Shootout, held the following day to decide grid positions 1 to 10. During the first leg of qualifying,
Damien White
Damien is a given name and less frequently a surname.
The name is a variation of Damian which comes from the Greek ''Damianos''. This form originates from the Greek derived from the Greek word δαμάζω (damazō), "(I) conquer, master, overcom ...
crashed the
Team BOC #14
Falcon
Falcons () are birds of prey in the genus ''Falco'', which includes about 40 species. Falcons are widely distributed on all continents of the world except Antarctica, though closely related raptors did occur there in the Eocene.
Adult falcons ...
, sustaining a concussion and sufficient damage to the car to put White and co-driver
Christian Murchison
Christian Murchison (born 1 November 1980) is a racing driver from Singapore.
Biography
In 2003, Murchison finished 10th in the Eurocup Formula Renault V6 Championship. In 2000 and 2001, he was the runner-up in the Australian Formula Holden ...
out of the race.
After qualifying three cars, the #22
Holden Racing Team
Walkinshaw Andretti United is an Australian motor racing team based in the Melbourne suburb of Clayton. The team currently fields two Holden ZB Commodores in the Supercars Championship for Nick Percat and Chaz Mostert, along with a Porsche 91 ...
Commodore
Commodore may refer to:
Ranks
* Commodore (rank), a naval rank
** Commodore (Royal Navy), in the United Kingdom
** Commodore (United States)
** Commodore (Canada)
** Commodore (Finland)
** Commodore (Germany) or ''Kommodore''
* Air commodore, a ...
of
Glenn Seton
Glenn Seton (born 5 May 1965) is an Australian racing driver. He won the Australian Touring Car Championship in 1993 and 1997 while driving for his own team. Although he never won the Bathurst 1000 like his father Barry did in 1965, Glenn star ...
and
Nathan Pretty
Nathan Pretty (born 7 July 1973) is an Australian racecar driver.
Career
He first rose to prominence racing AUSCAR Superspeedway sedans (a Holden Commodore), becoming rookie of the year in his initial season in 1994. His family based race tea ...
, the #20
Supercheap Auto Racing Commodore of
Paul Dumbrell
Paul Dumbrell (born 1 September 1982) is an Australian business executive and retired racing driver.
Racing history
Junior career
Son of former racing driver Garry Dumbrell, Paul Dumbrell started racing in karts in 1996 and by the end of 1997 D ...
and
Paul Weel
Paul may refer to:
*Paul (given name), a given name (includes a list of people with that name)
*Paul (surname), a list of people
People
Christianity
*Paul the Apostle (AD c.5–c.64/65), also known as Saul of Tarsus or Saint Paul, early Chris ...
and the #55
Autobarn Racing Commodore of
Steve Owen and
Tony D'Alberto
Antonio 'Tony' D'Alberto (born 9 December 1985) is an Australian professional racing driver. He currently drives the No.11 Ford Mustang GT for Dick Johnson Racing as a co-driver in the Bathurst 1000.
Racing career
Formula Ford
D'Alberto began ...
were excluded from qualifying after changing engines twice when under the regulations only one engine change is allowed without penalty. Additionally,
Alex Davison
Alexander Davison (born 3 November 1979) is an Australian racing driver. He won the 2004 Australian Carrera Cup Championship. As part of the Davison motorsport family, he is the older brother of Will Davison, grandson of Lex Davison and cousin ...
missed a direction to have his car weighed on the scales at the end of the second leg qualifying which saw the
Dick Johnson Racing
Dick Johnson Racing (formerly DJR Team Penske), is Australia's oldest motor racing team competing in the Supercars Championship. The team currently fields the #11 and #17 Ford Mustang GTs for Anton de Pasquale and Will Davison respective ...
Falcon excluded from the second leg of qualifying, relegating them to 20th grid position, which later became 19th after the exclusion of the Seton/Pretty Commodore.
Top 10 Shootout
The Top Ten Shootout was held on Saturday, 6 October 2007.
Paul Radisich
Paul Radisich (born 9 October 1962, in Auckland) is a retired New Zealand racing driver and businessman of Croat origin. He has competed in saloon cars for many years — both European-style tourers and the V8 Supercars of Australia and New ...
set the first time as the tenth qualifier at 2:08.4909.
Lee Holdsworth
Lee Holdsworth (born 2 February 1983) is a semi-retired Australian racing driver. He won the 2021 Bathurst 1000 alongside Chaz Mostert and finished his full-time career after the 2022 season, after nearly two decades of racing. He plans to retur ...
undercut that time by three-tenths of a second with third car
Steven Johnson improving the benchmark to 2:08.0782.
Greg Murphy
Gregory Murphy (born 23 August 1972) is a New Zealand professional racing driver, best known as a four-time winner of the Bathurst 1000. Greg Murphy joined Jeremy Clarkson and James May presenting Top Gear Live, when it had its first internati ...
,
Russell Ingall
Russell Ingall (born 24 February 1964 in London, England) is a former full-time Australian V8 Supercar driver. He won his V8 Supercars title in 2005, and finished second in 1998, 1999, 2001 and 2004. Ingall has also won the Bathurst 1000, i ...
,
James Courtney
James Anthony Courtney (born 29 June 1980) is an Australian racing driver competing in the Supercars Championship, Repco Supercars Championship. He currently drives the No. 5 Ford Mustang (sixth generation), Ford Mustang GT for Tickford Racing. ...
and
Craig Lowndes
Craig Andrew Lowndes (born 21 June 1974) is an Australian racing driver in the Repco Supercars Championship competing in the Holden ZB Commodore for Triple Eight Race Engineering. He is also a TV commentator.
Lowndes is a three-time V8 Supe ...
all failed to improve on Johnson's time, with Ingall spinning off track at Murray's Corner.
Garth Tander
Garth Tander (born 31 March 1977) is a multiple-championship winning Australian motor racing driver competing in the Virgin Australia Supercars Championship's Enduro Cup, co-driving the No. 97 Holden ZB Commodore for Triple Eight Race Engineer ...
took almost eight-tenths off Johnson with Mark Skaife nudging a further tenth. Last car out,
Mark Winterbottom
Mark "Frosty" Winterbottom (born 20 May 1981) is an Australian professional racing driver. He currently competes in the Repco Supercars Championship, driving the No. 18 Holden ZB Commodore for Team 18. His career highlights include winning the ...
drove a smooth clean lap and took pole position over Skaife by 0.1067 seconds.
Race
The race was held on Sunday, 7 October 2007. For the first time since 1978, the race did not start at 10am. Channel Seven, who were the new broadcasters of the race, chose to start the race at 10:30am to maximise the chance of a prime-time finish.
The time would change again in 2019, when it was moved to 11:30am for a similar reason.
The race had not even started before it had its first retirement.
Cameron McConville
Cameron 'Conkers' McConville (born 22 January 1974) is an Australian racing driver and motorsport celebrity. While retired from full-time competition, McConville still races occasionally and is an in-demand endurance event co-driver. McConville ...
's car had an engine failure heading up Mountain Straight and he retired at Griffins Bend. The race was started, which after the field had passed McConville's car, the race director deemed the car was in an unsafe position and the safety car was deployed. The race resumed on Lap 4 and was without incident until Lap 52 when
Andrew Jones's car caught fire at Forrests Elbow. He was able to drive the car safely to the gravel trap in The Chase and then marshals were able to extinguish the fire. The drivers resumed racing on Lap 53. Another safety car period did not occur until lap 91 when
Marcus Marshall
Marcus Marshall (born 25 November 1978) is a former Champ Car driver from Australia.
Biography
He began racing in British Formula Three, where he was generally a running outside the top ten, but took a hard-fought win in a wet race. He contes ...
crashed the second
Jack Daniel's Racing car. On Lap 102,
Jack Perkins's car caught fire inside the car in the other
Jack Daniel's Racing car. Perkins was able to drive the car into the pit lane and the fire was extinguished by the
Britek Motorsport
Britek Motorsport was an Australian Supercars Championship, Supercars motor racing team owned by Bathurst 1000 winning driver Jason Bright. Established in 2005, the team originally ran as an independent team, however since 2010, its only remaini ...
crew. On Lap 118,
Dean Canto
Dean Justin Canto (born 24 September 1980) is a multiple-championship winning Australian motor racing driver. Best noted as a Supercars driver, Canto was the inaugural winner of the second-tier V8 Supercar development series in 2000, and the fir ...
slid wide and crashed at Reid Park causing another safety car period.
Earlier the #1
Toll HSV Dealer Team
The HSV Dealer Team, previously known as the K-Mart Racing Team, was an Australian V8 Supercar team. The team ceased operations at the end of 2008, with Walkinshaw Racing and Kelly Racing being formed by owners and staff of the former team. The ...
car was retired with persistent brake fluid problems. At the time, this would have serious implications on the championship standings. Three laps later, the sister
Toll HSV Dealer Team
The HSV Dealer Team, previously known as the K-Mart Racing Team, was an Australian V8 Supercar team. The team ceased operations at the end of 2008, with Walkinshaw Racing and Kelly Racing being formed by owners and staff of the former team. The ...
car retired with the same problem as the #1 car. Lap 134 saw the retirement of the #26 IRWIN Racing
Britek Motorsport
Britek Motorsport was an Australian Supercars Championship, Supercars motor racing team owned by Bathurst 1000 winning driver Jason Bright. Established in 2005, the team originally ran as an independent team, however since 2010, its only remaini ...
,
Alan Gurr
Alan Gurr (born 3 February 1982) is an Australian retired V8 Supercars driver. Gurr was a young karting star both on a national and international level who graduated through the Junior ranks to V8 Supercars with immediate results winning on debu ...
was at the wheel, crashed upon the restart. A lap later,
Mark Noske
Mark Noske (born 25 July 1975) is a former Australian racing car driver. He has scored round wins in various Australian championships including the Australian Drivers' Championship, the Australian Formula Ford Championship and the Australian Na ...
retired with problems.
The final hour
The race was considered to be an uneventful one until lap 142, when rain started to fall at different parts of the circuit, including Skyline, The Cutting and parts of Conrod Straight.
Paul Morris spun the #67
Team Sirromet Wines into the wall at The Cutting, causing the safety car to be deployed. On Lap 148, rain was falling lightly on top of the mountain and five cars all fell victim to the wet conditions.
Jason Bright
Jason Bright (born 7 March 1973) is a retired Australian racing driver who competed in the Virgin Australia Supercars Championship. He drove the No. 56 Ford FG X Falcon for Britek Motorsport, a satellite team of Prodrive Racing Australia, be ...
,
Russell Ingall
Russell Ingall (born 24 February 1964 in London, England) is a former full-time Australian V8 Supercar driver. He won his V8 Supercars title in 2005, and finished second in 1998, 1999, 2001 and 2004. Ingall has also won the Bathurst 1000, i ...
,
Mark Skaife
Mark Skaife (born 3 April 1967) is a retired Australian motor racing driver. Skaife is a five-time champion of the V8 Supercar Championship Series, including its predecessor, the Australian Touring Car Championship, as well as a six-time Bath ...
and
Shane van Gisbergen
Shane Robert van Gisbergen (born 9 May 1989) is a New Zealand racing driver in the Supercars Championship racing in the Number 97 Holden ZB Commodore car for Triple Eight Race Engineering. With three Supercars Championship wins (2016, 2021, 202 ...
all crashed just before McPhillamy Park Corner, Van Gisbergen hitting the rear of Ingall's slowing car, causing the
Team Kiwi Racing
Team Kiwi Racing is a racing team that previously competed in the Australian V8 Supercar series, the Australian Carrera Cup Series, The New Zealand 2.0ltr Touring Car Championship, The NZV8 Championship and BMW Championship Series. The team has s ...
Falcon to pit. Ingall made it back to the pits, but Skaife and Bright ended up in the gravel trap. Just after the restart,
Shane van Gisbergen
Shane Robert van Gisbergen (born 9 May 1989) is a New Zealand racing driver in the Supercars Championship racing in the Number 97 Holden ZB Commodore car for Triple Eight Race Engineering. With three Supercars Championship wins (2016, 2021, 202 ...
spun at Murray's Corner. With only two laps remaining Race Control decided against deploying the safety car; instead telling crews to warn drivers.
Thirteen laps to go, Winterbottom continued to maintain the large lead that his teammate Richards built up throughout the race despite choosing to not change to wet tyres on the rain drenched track, until he ran off at The Chase, nearly rolling the car in the gravel trap, which relinquished his lead to Lowndes, with Johnson, Murphy and Courtney all passing him as a consequence. The incident damaged Winterbottom's steering, costing him a chance to podium as a result. The moment is considered to be one of the most iconic moments of Bathurst, with critics calling the incident "one of the biggest chokes in Bathurst history".
In the final laps,
Craig Lowndes
Craig Andrew Lowndes (born 21 June 1974) is an Australian racing driver in the Repco Supercars Championship competing in the Holden ZB Commodore for Triple Eight Race Engineering. He is also a TV commentator.
Lowndes is a three-time V8 Supe ...
,
Steven Johnson,
Greg Murphy
Gregory Murphy (born 23 August 1972) is a New Zealand professional racing driver, best known as a four-time winner of the Bathurst 1000. Greg Murphy joined Jeremy Clarkson and James May presenting Top Gear Live, when it had its first internati ...
and
James Courtney
James Anthony Courtney (born 29 June 1980) is an Australian racing driver competing in the Supercars Championship, Repco Supercars Championship. He currently drives the No. 5 Ford Mustang (sixth generation), Ford Mustang GT for Tickford Racing. ...
were fighting for the win. Johnson passed Lowndes and held the lead. Courtney passed Murphy for third and Simonsen (5th) attempted an outside pass up Mountain Straight, but did not pull it off. One lap later, Lowndes passed Johnson at Hell Corner, pushing them both slightly wide, allowing Courtney to get past Johnson for second. They stayed that way right up until the chequered flag. Lowndes had won his third Bathurst 1000, Whincup had won his second and Ford had won their second consecutive win.
Greg Murphy
Gregory Murphy (born 23 August 1972) is a New Zealand professional racing driver, best known as a four-time winner of the Bathurst 1000. Greg Murphy joined Jeremy Clarkson and James May presenting Top Gear Live, when it had its first internati ...
was the best placed Holden, coming in fourth, after being passed by Courtney on Lap 148. It was also the first time that Ford swept the podium at Bathurst since 1988.
The final hour was considered to be one of the best finishes in Bathurst 1000 history until 2014, when the race win was determined by a last lap pass.
Results
Qualifying
Top ten shootout
Starting grid
The following table represents the final starting grid for the race on Sunday:
The #14 suffered a terminal crash in qualifying leaving the grid at 30 entries.
Race results
Statistics
* Pole position - #6 Mark Winterbottom - 2:07.0908
* Fastest lap - #888 Jamie Whincup - 2:08.4651 (new lap record)
* Average Race Speed - 154 km/h
[
* 7 Safety Car periods for a total of 13 Laps][
]
References
External links
Supercheap 1000 website
Official Race Results and Timing
Images at momentstosavour.com
{{Bathurst 1000 races
Supercheap Auto Bathurst 1000
Motorsport in Bathurst, New South Wales