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October 10th 2005
Motorsport - Bathurst

Bathurst Break-Down

Bathurst is renowned as one of the toughest motor races in the world, but Sunday's event can only be described as carnage fest as just about every car had at least one incident.

The race was won by Mark Skaife and Todd Kelly (Holden), with Jason Richards and Jamie Whincup (Holden) in second and Steve Ellery and Adam Macrow (Ford) finishing third at the Super Cheap Auto Bathurst 1000.

The race started strongly for Ford as pole sitter Craig Lowndes (Team Betta Electrical) led Marcos Ambrose (Pirtek Racing) from the green light.

In the middle of the field Garth Tander set-off a multi-car accident that ruined the chances of Brad Jones (Team BOC) and Greg Ritter (Ford Credit / FPR Ford Performance Racing). This all occurred on the first lap.

It was just the beginning of the dramas. On lap #18 Lowndes ran wide and clipped a wall, breaking the Watt's Linkage in the rear suspension. Lowndes lost four laps while repairs took place.

After he returned to the track he was involved in one of the scariest incidents Bathurst has ever seen. Paul Dumbrell ran wide and smacked the wall. It dislodged his left front wheel, which bounced across the track and into the path of Lowndes. It struck the middle of the windscreen. If not for the rollbar that sits just behind the glass, the result could have been far worse than a simple smashed windscreen.

Lowndes returned to the pits where the team removed the damaged screen and the rear window and sent Yvan Muller back out to race. The #888 Falcon finished the race in 15th position.

The race settled down after that point with Warren Luff taking over from Ambrose who kept the car in the top five.

Behind, the Westpoint Falcon of Steven Johnson and Will Davision struck dramas when Davison hit the wall on lap #76.

With Luff handing the car back over to Ambrose on lap #99 officials took the Stone Brothers Racing team to task on their drivers not wearing fire proof balaclavas. Ambrose was give a drive-through penalty for Luff's infringement before Ambrose was forced to the pits and remove his helmet during a pit stop to fit one to himself.

The same call was made on team-mate Russell Ingall (Caltex Racing) who also pitted to hand the car over to Luke Youlden while he retrieved his balaclava.

It was during this period that Westpoint Racing's Dean Canto struck the car of Andrew Jones and damaged the steering on the #18 Falcon. Along with Glenn Seton they were able to recover to ninth place.

As these dramas were unfolding the likes of Jason Bargwanna (Orrcon Steel Racing) and Matthew White (Fujitsu Racing) pounced. Bargwanna was in line for a top five finish before a driveline failure halted the car on lap #120. They would rejoin, but be eliminated later in a massive accident.

For White and co-driver Steve Owen it was an engine drama that ended their chances on lap #137.

On lap #141 a safety car bunched the field and appeared to play in the hands of Ambrose. Despite his drive through penalty and balaclava dramas, he re-started in fifth place.

As the field took the green flag on lap #144 he passed Greg Murphy at Griffin's Bend. On the run up to the Cutting Murphy made contact with the rear panel of Ambrose sending both cars off in the wall at high-speed. The result was a ten-car accident that eliminated Ambrose, Murphy and Jason Bargwanna on the spot. Others had to make pit stops to repair damage.

The incident incised Ambrose who confronted Murphy on the track. The heated verbal exchange was captured on television as well as replays that showed the ferocity of the accident. Stewards later ruled that there was insufficient evidence to place blame on either driver.

“Murphy made a mistake coming out of turn two I had the momentum on him. He had a chance to avoid the accident and did not” said Ambrose.

Ingall had to make two pit stops to repair damage as well as change brake rotors. The decision to give him the extra braking performance paid off as he took fourth in the race.

“I managed to pull up before the accident on lap 144 and then got tagged right at the end. You have to wonder where some of these guys are looking” said Ingall.

The V8 Supercars next go racing on the streets of the Gold Coast over the weekend of October 20-23.

Bathurst – Top-10 Results

Championship – Top-10