STORY: WILL DALE
IMAGE: AN1 MEDIA (DIRK KLYNSMITH)
THE full driver and car lineup for the 2019 Bathurst 1000 is now complete just a week out from opening practice at Mount Panorama.
TEKNO chief and 2016 co-winner Jonathon Webb has confirmed he will once again partner Jack Le Brocq in the team's Holden Commodore, locking in the final combination for the opening round of Supercars' Enduro Cup.
This year's Bathurst field is comprised by 26 cars, one more than last year. In addition to the 24 regular full-time entries, two Wildcard entries have joined the grid: one for Kostecki Brothers Racing, the other for Walkinshaw Andretti United.
Ford's Mustang returns to the Mount Panorama enduro for the first time since 1986 with a fleet of six entries, headlined by the #17 DJR Team Penske car of current Supercars Championship leader Scott McLaughlin and co-driver Alexandre Premat.
Holden once again has the lion's share of the grid with 18 ZB Commodores lining up for an event at which it took pole and the race victory last year, while four Nissan Altimas round out the field.
Six rookies are among the 52 drivers entered for this year's race, headlined by IndyCar stars Alexander Rossi and James Hinchcliffe; the remainder of the field have a combined 463 Bathurst 1000 starts between them.
Only 12 of the driving combinations of last year's race have remained together for 2019, while two winning combinations from the past have been reunited: 2013 winners Mark Winterbottom and Steven Richards, and 2006-2007-2008 winners Jamie Whincup and Craig Lowndes.
The quartet are among 12 previous winners of the race in this year's field, with 2017 winners David Reynolds and Luke Youlden the only other pairing of former champions.
This year's pursuit of the Peter Brock Trophy gets underway on Thursday 10 October with the opening practice sessions at Mount Panorama.
Key:
(W) past winner
(R) rookie
No. |
Driver |
Team |
Car |
---|---|---|---|
2 |
Scott Pye |
Walkinshaw Andretti United |
Holden Commodore ZB |
3 |
Garry Jacobson |
Kelly Racing |
Nissan Altima |
5 |
Lee Holdsworth |
Tickford Racing |
Ford Mustang GT |
6 |
Cameron Waters |
Tickford Racing |
Ford Mustang GT |
7 |
Andre Heimgartner |
Kelly Racing |
Nissan Altima |
8 |
Nick Percat (W) |
Brad Jones Racing |
Holden Commodore ZB |
9 |
David Reynolds (W) |
Erebus Motorsport |
Holden Commodore ZB |
12 |
Fabian Coulthard |
DJR Team Penske |
Ford Mustang GT |
14 |
Tim Slade |
Brad Jones Racing |
Holden Commodore ZB |
15 |
Rick Kelly (W) |
Kelly Racing |
Nissan Altima |
17 |
Scott McLaughlin |
DJR Team Penske |
Ford Mustang GT |
18 |
Mark Winterbottom (W) |
Team 18 |
Holden Commodore ZB |
19 |
Jack Le Brocq |
TEKNO Autosports |
Holden Commodore ZB |
21 |
Macauley Jones |
Tim Blanchard Racing |
Holden Commodore ZB |
22 |
James Courtney |
Walkinshaw Andretti United |
Holden Commodore ZB |
23 |
Will Davison (W) |
23Red Racing |
Ford Mustang GT |
27 |
Alexander Rossi (R) |
Walkinshaw Andretti United |
Holden Commodore ZB |
33 |
Richie Stanaway |
Garry Rogers Motorsport |
Holden Commodore ZB |
34 |
James Golding |
Garry Rogers Motorsport |
Holden Commodore ZB |
35 |
Todd Hazelwood |
Matt Stone Racing |
Holden Commodore ZB |
55 |
Chaz Mostert (W) |
Tickford Racing |
Ford Mustang GT |
56 |
Brodie Kostecki (R) |
Kostecki Brothers Racing |
Holden Commodore ZB |
78 |
Simona De Silvestro |
Kelly Racing |
Nissan Altima |
97 |
Shane van Gisbergen |
Triple Eight Race Engineering |
Holden Commodore ZB |
99 |
Anton De Pasquale |
Erebus Motorsport |
Holden Commodore ZB |
888 |
Jamie Whincup (W) |
Triple Eight Race Engineering |
Holden Commodore ZB |