Team TRTPower Rankings: Bathurst 6 Hour
How on earth does Mount Panorama do it time and time and time and time again?
The 2024 edition of the Hi-Tec Oils Bathurst 6 Hour will go down in the books as yet another cracking good Bathurst enduro.
And, of course, the only way to break down the good, the bad and the ugly from such an occasion is our very own Power Rankings. Enjoy.
ABOUT THE RANKINGS: The TRT Power Rankings are compiled by your nominations from social media and edited by the TRT editorial team. They’re designed to give a balanced, as fair as possible critical overview of those things that excelled and those things that struggled, at each event. It’s (mostly) a democracy, and what you nominate generates the order, so have your say next event via our social media channels, @theracetorque on Facebook, Twitter and Insta. Look for the call out each evening and get commenting!
HOT
1. Ojeda/Miedecke/Hodges
The first-ever team to defend a 6 Hour crown, and they did it in style.
George Miedecke was a new recruit for the team, and he absolutely held up his end of the bargain in the opening two hours, Simon Hodges did the job required of him in the middle portions, while Jayden Ojeda smashed home a winner when others faltered late. Ticking off all of their compulsory pit stops before the halfway point of the race proved to be a great strategic call.
Surely, Ojeda now has to be on some decent shopping lists – he doesn’t have a whole lot left to prove.
2. THAT Finish
It always bloody well happens like this at Bathurst. On the final lap, nothing split the top three in a grandstand finish as they threaded the needle through lapped traffic. This is why you love motorsport.
3. The Happy Bathurst
It’s accessible, and it’s chilled out, the vibe and atmosphere is unique to the Easter classic. Bathurst is a difficult place to attend, but with a four-day weekend, it simply works. The number of campsites filled behind the pit lane is a testament to the popularity of this accessible event.
4. 318 Entries
Outside of the Phillip Island Classic, there are precious few race events in Australia that can draw an entry of this magnitude. It’s the one Bathurst event open to everyone, and one that is proving to be incredibly popular. The event absolutely didn’t miss anything with some of the larger national supports staying at home, such as the GT World Challenge, who will line up at the Bathurst International alongside TCR, Trans Am, Production Cars, Sports Sedans, GT4, and Radicals, which is a tasty line up in its own right.
5. Randle/Kavich/Kavich
In the frame throughout, Thomas was only 1.2sec from claiming the ultimate prize at the chequered flag. Handy campaign for a great cause yet again.
6. Davison/Leahey/Lynton
A massive qualifying lap from Davison gave the team pole, and they probably deserved a win if it wasn’t for the M3 going fluffy a couple of times on upchanges late in the race down Conrod straight. These guys keep on keeping on, but were ultimately one of many hard luck stories in the final run down.
7. A VW Golf R in Fourth Outright!
Honestly, if you had Yucel and Salteri coming home fourth outright prior to Easter Sunday, we would accuse you of time travel. Fourth outright, on the lead lap, a giant-killing effort the likes of which we haven’t seen in a very long time.
8. Seton/Gomersall/Gomersall
A Seton first at Bathurst is something you love to see. Fifth outright for the first of the A2 Mustangs home, this crew were dynamite on Saturday and mega on Sunday, and were genuinely in the front running mix. A big result, and some sugar for the V8 competitors who have battled against the might of BMW for so long.
9. Buccini/Prince/Palermo
The all-girl team were first in B1 and tenth outright in a BMW 135i, which is an incredibly commendable effort.
10. Ojeda Vs Crick, Ojeda Vs Davison
With two hours to go, it was absolutely on like Donkey Kong… then again with half an hour to go. Pros going hard at it, as if a real-life sheep station were on the line.
FURTHER HOTS
X Class BMWs Being Driven Hard
The top-tier Beemers might not necessarily be everyone’s cup of tea, but you have to admire the skill of the pro-grade drivers wringing their necks when on the limit. Low 2min20sec laps are bloody quick without big aero aids; the vision of the wheel work through the Chase when on a flyer was just awesome.
Qualifying
Two big storylines emerged: firstly, Will Davison’s pole in a time of 2:22.2531 was an event qualifying record, while secondly, the Mustang Vs Camaro battle absolutely teed off in earnest. Great theatre.
Supports
When they were up and racing, the action, in many instances, was just brilliant. It’s fantastic to see
@codymckay_motorsports What is better than screaming v8s up the mountain? No really we want to know?! 👇🏽
♬ original sound – codymckaymotorsports
Old School Camry
A classic Production Car from the 1990s with genuine Bathurst 1000 pedigree still getting amongst it – you love to see it.
More Motorsport on FTA TV
As it transpires, there is an awful lot of motorsport televised for free these days – and it’s very hard to complain after the last few weeks…
TV Things
Garry O’Brien at Bathurst. That is all.
Also, it was great to the Bargwannas, Brian Van De Wakker and Aaron Noonan on board for the weekend, it was a great companion to a couple of lazy afternoons at home.
WHAT
We’re still waiting on the boffins at the crash lab to tell us how he didn’t roll over…
You can’t park there…
When you book in your wedding for the 30th of March, but it happens to be Bathurst Saturday, however, you find a solution that works for everyone…
NOT
1. Ryder Quinn Crash
Class leader in A2 with two massive impacts at Reid Park. Gut-wrenching stuff after a brilliant run.Glad to see him walk away.
2. Subaru Failure
With 24 minutes left, the fifth-place Subaru WRX failed on top of The Mountain, bringing out the safety car before trickling down the race track, trailed by a plume of smoke. A giant-killing performance up to that point.
3. The Other Mustang Crash
At the race’s 1 hour 35 minutes mark, Tyler Mecklem’s Mustang tagged the wall before the Grate. With the tyre departing, the car proceeded to make heavy contact with the wall, instigating the fourth safety car of the day. It was a tough end for the car which was running second outright at the time.
4. Chevy Fueling Drama
With an hour and 15 minutes to go, the A2 leading Chev Camaro pitted for fuel, but sadly, the rig failed to work. Repeated attempts in the pits cruelled the team’s magnificent run to that point.
5. Colin Osborne’s Swansong
A 35-year career behind the wheel for Colin Osborne came to naught when Zach Bates found the fence at the Dipper in practice. An incredibly sad way to go out.
6. Sherrins Bunkered
10min into the race, the brothers found themselves bogged at McPhillamy Park, bringing out the first safety car following a coming together with the Mustang of Rylan Gray, from which no further action was taken. Tough start for a crew that is forever in the conversation.
7. Other 6 Hour Niggles and Dramas
8. Crick 15sec Penalty
With two hours to go, Crick has adjudged to have overtaken under safety, a point vigorously argued by the CHE outfit. The car subsequently went into limp-home mode in the last hour and was sadly a non-factor in the final conversation.
9. Smollen Punctures
At the restart from the second safety car 55min into the race, contact with a slower class car saw one of the race favourite BMWs pick up a puncture, with a long slow drive back to the pits that was repeated later.
10. Supports Cut Short
While it was the prime time to shine for the multiple state-level supports on the program, a combination of big fields and huge enthusiasm say many of the time-certain races cut short with thanks to safety cars or a red flag or two. For instance, on Saturday, of the 13 races, eight were interrupted – we’ve called out some below, because there were some shockers. Even on Sunday morning, four of the five classes lost laps. Hat tip, though, to the Australia Pulsar Racing Association, who registered three clean races on Saturday, a major achievement for a category with some genuinely competitive racing.
OTHER NOTS
HQs, just like the HQs from the olden days
It was stacks on the mill, creating a significant delay in the Saturday proceedings…
Excel Biffo
Started with 62 cars, finished with less.
6 Hour Qualifying
Multiple crews failed to make it past the scrutineering shed at the end of qualifying. Fortunately, Sunday was a longer day…
Formula Fords
They were absolutely brilliant until they were not…
Excel Qualifying
After a maximum of four laps were logged and with times all over the shop, the grid for the opener reverted to practice time.
Bathurst City Red Tops Closed
With no camping on top of The Mountain, the canteen at McPhillamy Park remained shut, much to the sadness of punters who dreamed of an awesome bacon and egg roll for breaky.
Easter 2025 Easter Sunday next year is on the 20th of April, meaning it is over a year until the next time we get to do this again. Gutted.
SOCIALS
It’s the Pulsars that really tick the box
Correct
They picked the flattest part of our steepest mountain to practice on…
Oh boy… please drink responsibly
Good question
Busy
Ever Ever
MEME
Garry O’Brien, expressed in meme form
The Drone absolutely packed it in…
