Beyond the Flag
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2016 Bathurst 1000 Results: Davison, Webb Take Shocking Win

By Daniel Hall

Jul 31, 2016; Lexington, OH, USA; A general view of the Firestone logo on a tire during the Honda Indy 200 at Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course. Mandatory Credit: Aaron Doster-USA TODAY Sports
Jul 31, 2016; Lexington, OH, USA; A general view of the Firestone logo on a tire during the Honda Indy 200 at Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course. Mandatory Credit: Aaron Doster-USA TODAY Sports /
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The Bathurst 1000 never ceases to amaze and 2016 produced the closest finish ever – while the car that crossed the line first wasn’t the winner.

Will Davison and Jonathon Webb won this weekend’s Bathurst 1000 in one of the most wild, unpredictable V8 Supercars races of the year.

The Tekno entry did not lead a single lap in The Great Race. A 15-second time penalty for an incident involving Scott McLaughlin and Garth Tander relegated Jamie Whincup to 11th, pushing the Stix Commodore to the front.

Davison had to hold off Whincup’s Red Bull teammate Shane Van Gisbergen in the run to the flag. The Kiwi threw everything at Davison but came up just 0.14 of a second short – the closest margin in Bathurst 1000 history.  Adding to the irony, Van Gisbergen was in Davison’s car last year and came close to winning it for Tekno in 2014.

It is a sweet victory for the Webb family operation, as the Triple Eight customers one-upped Red Bull, coming from 17th on the grid to cross the line second and win the race.

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Davison’s second Great Race victory vaulted him to fourth in the V8 Supercars standings.

Whincup, McLaughlin, Tander in Strife

Before the race kicked off, the No. 88 of Jamie Whincup and Paul Dumbrell seemed to be the car to beat. Their ominous practice and qualifying speed continued into the first half of the race. At one point, second place was over a half-minute behind as the Red Bull Holden bolted off into the distance.

The first safety car helped bring the rest of the field back into it, with fuel strategy becoming key. Whincup put in an incredible stint, setting lap record after lap record to compensate for the lost track position a potential extra stop was looking to cost him. More safety cars relieved his fuel issues, but at the cost of putting him in traffic.

The turning point came on Lap 150, when Whincup made a move on McLaughlin’s Volvo for the net race lead. The No. 88 wiggled under brakes and hit the S60 off track. McLaughlin made a questionable rejoin as Whincup slowed to redress the position. Garth Tander found himself in the middle, going to the outside of the Red Bull Holden. The result was pure chaos, with McLaughlin and Tander slamming the wall.

Race control handed Whincup a 15-second penalty, making a victory impossible. For the third straight year, the driver came up short after being in contention late in the game at Bathurst.

Triple Eight Race Engineering has filed an appeal over the penalty, which they do have some basis with, but it would be shocking to see Supercars overturn the decision.

Differing Fortunes for Ford Teams

While Cameron Water had a great run to come home the highest finishing Ford, it was a day to forget for Chaz Mostert and Mark Winterbottom.

Mostert had multiple throttle cable problems through the race and it eventually forced him into a 19th place finish – a disappointing, but safe return to the race for the 2014 winner who missed last year with an injury.

Winterbottom’s title defense was on its last legs heading into the weekend and he was still in the game as the final stint began. It was not to last as contact at the elbow damaged Frosty’s brakes. The No. 1 Falcon ended in the sand trap at The Chase, and his title hopes appear to be up in smoke.

On the other end, DJR Team Penske had a strong race. Fabian Coulthard and Scott Pye each finished in the top six and both looked like contenders for victory at different stages of the race. Had the safety cars fallen differently, we might be talking about either of them as winners.

Below are the provisional results of the Supercheap Auto Bathurst 1000, pending the result of Triple Eight’s appeal:

  1. Will Davison/Jonathon Webb
  2. Shane Van Gisbergen/Alex Premat
  3. Nick Percat/Cameron McConville
  4. Cameron Waters/Jack Le Brocq
  5. Scott Pye/Tony D’Alberto
  6. Fabian Coulthard/Luke Youlden
  7. Tim Slade/Ash Walsh
  8. Michael Caruso/Dean Fiore
  9. Dale Wood/David Russell
  10. Tim Blanchard/McCauley Jones
  11. Jamie Whincup/Paul Dumbrell
  12. Chris Pither/Richie Stanaway
  13. James Courtney/Jack Perkins
  14. Simona de Silvestro/Renee Gracie
  15. Scott McLaughlin/David Wall
  16. Craig Lowndes/Steven Richards
  17. Shae Davies/Chris van der Drift
  18. David Reynolds/Craig Baird
  19. Chaz Mostert/Steve Owen
  20. Todd Kelly/Matt Campbell
  21. Rick Kelly/Russell Ingall
  22. Garth Tander/Warren Luff
  23. Mark Winterbottom/Dean Canto
  24. Andre Heimgartner/Aaren Russell
  25. James Moffat/James Golding
  26. Jason Bright/Andrew Jones
  27. Lee Holdsworth/Karl Reindler

Next: Charlotte's Closest NASCAR Finishes

The Virgin Australia V8 Supercars Championship continues in two weeks with the Gold Coast 600 from Surfers Paradise.