Australian motorsport takes centre stage this weekend as the focus turns to regional New South Wales for this year’s running of the Bathurst 1000.

The marquee event of the Supercars season will be held on Sunday, with cars hitting the track at Mount Panorama on Thursday. 

When is the Bathurst 1000?

The Bathurst 1000 will be held this Sunday, October 13. 

What time does the Bathurst 1000 start?

The lights will go out at 11:30am AEDT.

Here are the start times in each of Australia’s five time zones:

• 11:30am AEDT: ACT, NSW, Tasmania, Victoria
• 11am ACDT: South Australia
• 10:30am AEST: Queensland
• 10am ACST: Northern Territory
• 8:30am AWST: Western Australia

Cars will be on track from Thursday, as drivers get accustomed to the mammoth challenge that awaits them.

When is the top 10 shootout?

Qualifying for the Bathurst 1000 begins on Friday, October 11, at 4:15pm AEDT.

Those who qualify 11th and lower will start Sunday’s race from those grid slots.

The fastest 10 will take part in the shootout on Saturday which will decide how the top 10 line up, and importantly, who is on pole.

Each team gets one lap in the shootout, so there is no room for error and no second chances.

The shootout on Saturday will commence at 5:05pm AEDT.

Who are the drivers and teams in the Bathurst 1000

How long is the Bathurst 1000?

As the name suggests, the Bathurst 1000 is a race contested over 1,000 kilometres — technically it is 1,000.239km.

The Bathurst circuit is 6.231km in length and as the teams race around the mountain for 161 laps. 

From start to finish the race usually lasts between 6 and 7 hours — depending on how many safety cars are required. 

Last year’s race was won in 6 hours and 7 minutes. 

In 2022, the winning duo took an extra 34 minutes to complete the 161 laps.

Which drivers won the Bathurst 1000 in 2023?

The team of Triple Eight Race Engineering claimed their 10th win on the mountain when the New Zealand pairing of Shane van Gisbergen and Richie Stanaway claimed victory.

It was the third time van Gisbergen conquered the mountain while Stanaway stood on the top step for the first time. 

Van Gisbergen moved to the United States at the end of the 2023 season where he is currently racing full-time in NASCAR’s second-tier championship, and part-time in the main NASCAR cup series.

Pole sitters Brodie Kostecki, the 2023 Supercars champion, and co-driver David Russell came second.

The podium was rounded-out by Anton De Pasquale and Tony D’Alberto.

Where can I watch the race?

The Bathurst 1000 will be broadcast by free-to-air station Channel Seven as well as its 7plus app.

Foxtel also has broadcast rights to the weekend, which will be shown on channel 506, and will be streamed on Kayo.

ABC Sport will be live blogging the race.

Who is leading the Supercars championship?

After 19 races of the 2024 Supercars season, Will Brown of Triple Eight Race Engineering leads the drivers’ championship.

The Queenslander has amassed 4 wins this season and sits on top of the standings with 2,280 points.

Chaz Mostert is second, 189 points adrift, the highest-placed driver of a Ford Mustang.

The other Triple Eight Race Engineering driver, Broc Feeney, is third in the standings — 222 points off his teammate Brown.

Feeney has the most wins of any driver this season with five.

Not every race in the Supercars series is worth the same number of points. 

The maximum amount of points a driver can earn in a weekend is 300.

Because the Bathurst 1000 is the only race this weekend, the winner will get the full 300 points for the win.

The following round at Surfers Paradise on the Gold Coast has two races, meaning there is 150 points on offer to the winner of each race.

1. Will Brown, Triple Eight Race Engineering (87) — 2,280
2. Chaz Mostert, Walkinshaw Andretti United (25) — 2,091
3. Broc Feeney, Triple Eight Race Engineering (88) — 2,058
4. Cam Waters, Tickford Racing (6) — 1,834
5. Matthew Payne, Grove Racing (19) — 1,659