The race start time of the 2020 Bathurst 1000 will now be 11:00am AEDT on Sunday 18 October, half an hour earlier than initially scheduled.
Rain and thunderstorms are expected on race day, with the Bureau of Meteorology forecasting a “very high (90%) chance of showers, most likely in the morning and afternoon (plus) the chance of a thunderstorm in the morning and afternoon.”
The inclement weather is likely to make for a slower race than expected, with the slippery track having the potential to cause more Safety Car periods or race-stopping red flag periods.
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Although the Bathurst 1000 is the only race on the Supercars schedule not to feature a time-certain finish in its supplementary regulations, the extra half an hour gives a bigger window of time for the race to be completed before darkness.
With sunset expected at 7:17pm AEDT on Sunday, the new start time gives an 8 hour and 17-minute window for the race to be completed.
The most recent Bathurst 1000 to be held under mostly-wet conditions was the 2017 race, which took 7 hours and 11 minutes to complete.
Supercars rules dictate that at least 50 percent of the scheduled distance – in this case, 81 laps – must be completed for a winner to be declared.
If the race is stopped from the 81st lap onwards and can’t be resumed, results will be taken at the end of the last complete lap before the red flags came out.
Prior to the 81st lap, if the race is stopped and can’t be resumed for whatever reason, no result will be declared – although this is a very unlikely scenario given the significance of the race.
The entire Sunday track schedule has altered in response to the change in the main race’s start time.
Here’s the revised track schedule for Sunday (all times AEDT):
8:30am – Supercars Warm Up (20 min)
9:00am – Toyota Gazoo Racing Australia 86 Series (8 laps, or 1 lap after 9:22am)
9:35am – Tin Tops (9 laps, or 1 lap after 9:57am)
11:00am – The 2020 Supercheap Auto Bathurst 1000
The FOX SPORTS broadcast times for Sunday have also changed in response to the updated track schedule.
