Bathurst 1000 top-ten shootout cancelled amid ‘extreme’ weather

Supercars fans attending their first year back in full capacity around Mount Panorama have braved torrential rain and flooding only to have the Bathurst 1000 top-10 shootout cancelled.

Saturday’s shootout which Cam Waters was set to lead was canned by officials due to extreme weather and unsafe driving conditions.

“Race Control has advised that the Supercars Top 10 Shootout has been cancelled due to extreme weather, leaving the track in an unsafe condition for competition,” a Motorsport Australia statement said.

Supercars CEO Shane Howard told a press conference: “Obviously, extraordinary conditions, the amount of water that was dumped on the circuit at the time. It was a lot of channelling, a lot of watercourses being channelled down onto the race track itself.”

Those conditions extended to the fans who have bravely sat through torrential rain trackside, witnessing Bathurst without crowd limitations for the first time since the pandemic began.

Tens of thousands descended on the New South Wales central west this year and the 7000 sold-out campsite ticket holders have endured stop-and-start rain, cold October weather and now the cancellation of final qualifying.

Mud and rivers can be found all around the grounds as water streams down the mountain to the main gates.

Non-camping fans without four wheel drives were told to catch public transport to the grounds on Saturday after the general access parking saw cars bogged deep in mud.

“Parking is at your own risk,” Supercars said.

Following what was described by drivers and officials as a “disappointing” cancellation of the shootout for the first time in history, reigning champion Chaz Mostert was astounded how fans just keep turning up rain, hail or shine.

“Our fans in our sport are the best in the country,” he said.

“The dedication they show here all week long into the weekend, cheering their favourite drivers on, their teams, sharing plenty of bevvies with their next door neighbours in their campsite in those conditions.

“We are very lucky to have the fans that we have in this sport. We’re sorry we didn’t get be able to do the top 10 today. It hurts us on the inside too.

“But we want to make sure all the cars, all your teams, all the drivers on the grid tomorrow, putting on the actual race.”

Mostert will start third on the grid behind Lee Holdsworth and pole-sitter Cam Waters.

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