A WET and wild Repco Bathurst 1000 is on the cards.
The Bureau of Meteorology is continuing to predict considerable rain in the Bathurst region for the remainder of the event with heavy falls in particular expected on Saturday, heightening the challenge ahead of drivers tackling Mount Panorama.
The BOM’s latest forecast, issued at 5:15am AEDT Friday, warned of a very high (near 100 percent) chance of rain, most likely during the afternoon and early evening, with a chance of a thunderstorm.
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The BOM continues to forecast the worst conditions of the weekend for Saturday, predicting potential rain of 35-45mm with heavy falls likely and a thunderstorm possible.
The forecast for race day is brighter with only 15-20mm expected on Sunday before the rain eases the day after ‘The Great Race’.
Up to 25mm was forecast for Wednesday, with rain falling steadily throughout the day to set the tone on the eve of track action beginning.
Thursday had been tipped to be the clearest day with only 6-10mm expected, a prediction that came to pass with most of the day’s running taking place on a largely dry track.
Last year’s Bathurst 1000 race was an all-dry affair, while the 2020 edition only had a mid-race sprinkle despite dire forecasts that triggered a change of start time.
The 2022 class of primary drivers have had their fair share of wet weather running to be ready for the task, with rain-affected races at Sydney Motorsport Park in March and Tailem Bend in July.
Seven drivers are making their Bathurst 1000 debut this weekend: Jaxon Evans, Matt Payne, Cameron Hill, Aaron Seton, Matt Chahda, Jaylyn Robotham and Declan Fraser.
