The Bathurst 1000 is underway with Aaron Seton holding on to the lead after his co-driver Zach Bates secured pole position for the team – the first time a rookie has done so since 2001.
With 26 drivers starting the 161 scheduled laps of the Mount Panorama circuit, the Seton/Bates car holds the earliest of advantages in the race for the Peter Brock trophy.
Bates had already claimed the provisional pole position and shocked spectators when he completed the fastest lap of the circuit in the current generation of car by becoming the first driver to break the two-minute and four-second barrier during Friday’s main qualifying session.
He backed up that performance in Saturday’s Top-10 shoot-out, upsetting Brodie Kostecki who was attempting to become the first driver to start four successive Bathurst 1000s from pole position. Instead, the 22-year-old Bates turned his provisional pole into the real thing.
He is the first rookie since 2001 Marcos Ambrose to start in the prized spot, and just the third ever to do so.
Shell V-Power Racing Kostecki’s co-driver Todd Hazelwood had also maintained the second spot as the race entered the 10th lap around the circuit, with a 0.591 split behind Seton.
Returning winner Matt Payne began the race in 10th position after finishing last in the Top 10 Shootout, while defending Supercars Champion, Chaz Mostert, started from 16th.
A tribute to Brock, the nine-time Bathurst winner who died 20 years ago, took place before the race with a rendition of John Williamson’s True Blue.
The anniversary year has attracted more spectators than usual to the mountain; many waited more than a week in their campsites at the summit of the mountain to watch the gen3 supercars flash past them.
When the race started at 11:30am, the temperature on Mount Panorama was a warm 25 degrees with clear skies.
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