History will be made and new 2026 Kings of the Mountain will be crowned today at the Repco Bathurst 1000 at Mount Panorama.
Canberra rookie Zach Bates starts from pole after a stunning Saturday Top Ten Shootout sets the stage for Australia’s biggest motorsport showdown.
The motor race that stops the nation will roar to life today, with the 2026 Repco Bathurst 1000 getting underway at 11:30am AEDT at the legendary Mount Panorama circuit.
Bates and co-driver Aaron Seton’s Bendix Chevrolet Camaro, will lead the field as the chase begins for the Peter Brock Trophy.
Starting alongside them on the front row will be 2024 Bathurst champions Brodie Kostecki and Todd Hazelwood, behind the wheel of the iconic No. 17 Shell V-Power Racing Team Ford Mustang.
Today’s Great Race also sees a number of protagonists buried down the order on the starting grid.
Perennial front runners Broc Feeney and Cam Waters qualified 12th and 14th respectively, while two-time Bathurst 1000 winner Chaz Mostert starts from 16th as the Toyota GR Supra makes its long-awaited Great Race debut.
Defending Bathurst champion Matt Payne will also be firmly in contention, starting 10th in the Penrite Ford Mustang alongside experienced co-driver and two-time Bathurst winner Will Davison.
But as generations of racing fans know, the Mountain chooses its champion.
From unpredictable weather and mechanical heartbreak to dramatic final-lap battles, Mount Panorama has a habit of turning favourites into spectators and outsiders into legends.
With 1000 kilometres of racing ahead, nobody can be ruled out.
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