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I can't confidently back Skaife to win. It may be a good pairing but HRT is not the force it has been in previous years.

Today is known as "Chaos Day" behind the scenes at Bathurst.
A few years ago I talked my way into a job in the communications centre beside the pits, and under the control tower. This meant arriving at Bathurst on the tuesday, and witnessing the events leading up to the end of "The Great Race."
About now there will be tv technicians screaming in frustration about cabling problems, catering managers will be going ballistic about broken down trucks,
team managers will be fretting about delayed transporters, event managers bemoaning missing staff, the Marshall Director will be desperately trying to contact awol flaggies, the moblile phone service will be suffering meltdown again, security people will be rounding up the perennial fence jumpers, the queues of service vehicles at the gates will be starting to stretch back to town, competitors and crews in the other classes will be going to the wrong parts of the paddock and creating the usual mayhem, the promotions and pit girls will be throwing tantrums about anything they can. Yes, its aptly named.

cmlean wrote:I can't confidently back Skaife to win. It may be a good pairing but HRT is not the force it has been in previous years.

If you do like a bet, a good odds, not so long shot, imho, COULD be Jim Richards/James Courtney in the second HRT car. Jim is starting for, I think, his 32nd straight time and James has a rather impressive CV.
I.E.
World Junior Kart title at 15 years of age.
World FA Kart title at 17,
British FF champion in 2000
Runner-up British F3 with 5 wins.
F3 Champion of Japan 2003.
He can drive a bit, and Jim knows how to get a win on The Mountain.

My picks

Ambrose/Luff
C Lowndes/Y Muller
Skaife/Todd Kelly
Jim Richards/James Courtney
Greg Ritter/Jason Bright
R Ingall/Luke Youlden
S Richards/P Dumbrell
R.Kelly/Garth Tander
S Johnson/Will Davison
Greg Murphy/P Wheel

Well done JV, picks in with time to spare.

As twilight descends on Chaos Day, let me draw an image for you.
You are up on Skyline, the last of the sun's rays slanting over your shoulder. Your gaze takes in the paddock and pits way below, and further, past Bathurst town and on to the Dividing Range in the east.
Smoke from the campers' barbeques wafts and wends up Mountain and Conrod straights carrying the beautiful scent of gumtree, accompanied by the aroma of various meals, as the evening settles in.
You see the lights of a mini- city spring into being along the bottom of the track, and in the pits and paddock, as quiet settles on the Mountain.
It is accompanied by an aura of hushed expectancy.
You think back to prior years, and know, with a thrill of anticipation that one of the first sounds you will hear from your swag in the morning, will be the stuttering coughing bark of a V8 Supercar, settling to that beautiful deep throb at idle and baritone roar at full throttle.
One more night, and then The Mountain will come to full life once more.

Picks for Bathurst

Murphy / wheel
Jones / Bowe
Lowndes / Muller
Ambrose / Luff
Richards / Dumbrell
Richards / Courtney
Skaife / Kelly
Johnson /Davison
Kelly / Tander
Ingall / Youlden

The Mountain opened for V8 Supercar business today, and promptly lived up to its reputation.
The two hour practice session was cut short by fifteen minutes, after the being red flagged.
The reasons.
Dale Brede caught the wall exiting Forrest Elbow onto Conrod Straight.
Russel Ingalll did the same thing at the same place.
Paul Radisich clipped the curb exiting Hell Corner and spun into the wall.

Drivers reported that the track had excellent grip.
Craig Lowndes did his fastest everlap of Mt Panorama.
The new high differential permitted for this race meant the cars were ever so slightly slower on the long haul up Mountain Straight but were faster down conrod. More importantly, they were not bouncing off the rev limiter for 800 metres per lap.

THE FIRST PRACTICE TIMES WERE ;

Lowndes/Muller 2:08:1715
Skaife/kelly
Ambrose/Luff
Murphy/Weel
S.Richards/Dumbrell
Jim Richards/Courtney

then into the 9s came
Barghwanna/Winterbottom
Johnson/Davison
Tander/R Kelly
Seton/Canto
and Jason Bright in the FPR Cat car was 11th fastest.


Once again The Mountain has demanded respect.

1 C Lowndes/Y Muller
2 Greg Murphy/P Wheel
3 Jim Richards/James Courtney
4 Skaife/Todd Kelly
5 Ambrose/Luff
6 John Bowe/Brad Jones
7 R Ingall/Luke Youlden
8 G Seton/D Canto
9 P Morris/Paul Radisich
10 McConville/Adrew Jones

My picks
MURPHY
SKAIFE
TANDER
JUM RICHARDS
LOWNDES
AMBROSE
TANDER
INGALL
BOWE0
JOHNSON


Across the line 1000kms later
hmmm

Murphy
Tander
Ingall

M Skaife/T Kelly
C Lowdnes/Y Muller
M Ambrose/W Luff
G Murphy/P Weel
C McConville/A Jones
S Richards/P Dumbrell
J Richards/T Kelly
R Kelly/G Tander
S Ellery/A Macrow
J Bargwanna/M Winterbottom

Channel 10 will be broadcasting from Bathurst at the following times:

Friday 1pm to 4pm
Saturday Noon to 5pm
Sunday 7am to 4:30pm
aust east. standard times.

The Japanese GP will be broadcast immediately after.

Drivers say that Glen Seton's long standing record speed of 302kmh down Conrod straight will be broken this year.
300kmh plus thru the kink in a sedan=awesome. And takes some pulling up for the Chase.

Across the line,

Lowndsy
Murph
ambrose

Steven Richards in the castrol perkins commodore has just exceeded 300kmh on conrod straight.