It appears that this years Bathurst 1000 will be a cold and rainy affair as an intense weather system begins to work its way inland, flood warnings now issued in several areas of New South Wales.
Despite the conditions, however, Supercars CEO Shane Howard has shared a release this evening recognising The Great Race will go ahead as planned for the time being.
“The Repco Bathurst 1000, one of Australia’s premier outdoor sporting events will be proceeding as planned this weekend,” he said.
“In light of the weather forecast over the coming days, patrons are encouraged to plan accordingly.
“Sessions will begin for all categories on track on Thursday and run through until Sunday’s great race.
“Off track entertainment at the top and bottom of the mountain will also proceed as planned.
“We will act accordingly to ensure the safety of patrons and competitors at all times,” the statement concluded.
The system will also bring about cold temperatures throughout the weekend, the overnight low come Sunday morning seeing a forecast of a chilly six degrees, only improving to nine come the 11.30am local race start time, according to Australian forecasters WeatherTech.
As it has in the past, organisers have changed the start time to reflect weather patterns forecast through the day. This includes in 2020 when looming thunderstorms changed the start time from 11.30am to 11am.
Whilst on average 161 laps of Mount Panorama takes competitors just over six hours, previous editions have extended well beyond that, including the 2014 race which was a marathon 7hrs 58min.
This year may see a similar, longer race time, slower lap times and increased safety car interventions due to incidents in the conditions the likely culprits.
Bathurst will begin at 1pm New Zealand time on Sunday, Velocity News will provide updates should that change.
