VOLUME 7 FEATURE
Words by Sam West
Photography by Bernard Winter
5 MIN READ
It’s been a hard-fought year in the TGRA 86 Series. Toyota’s foray into tin top racing is a chance for up-and-coming drivers to challenge themselves against experienced champions. Locked Engine Control Units and limited tyre changes level the playing field on the country’s top tracks.
But everyone knows Bathurst is the big one. Lachlan Gibbons – who’d been dominant in Sydney and Townsville – came into the final round with a handy 112-point lead. The young Zach Bates was staring him down in the rear-view for second. He’s good in the wet and told me earlier this year he relishes any chance he can get to do laps on Mount Panorama.
As they lined up in the rain for Race 1 of the final round, $50,000 worth of prize money was still very much in contention.
Zach Bates tries to cut loose from the pack.
Friday
We arrived just in time for the monsoonal drama. By then the downpour had turned the car park into a bog. Ponchos and driza-bones were slapping around ankles. Deck chairs were sodden buckets, and the 86s were fighting through the deluge.
After rushing through the gates and finding a spot near Pit Straight, we watched as Jobe Stewart fought off pole-sitter Ryan Casher for the lead only to lose it at The Chase, slide deep into the runoff and force out the safety car.
After the safety car, Ryan Wood overtook Stewart but soon the slippery conditions at the Chase claimed him too. Lachlan Gibbons lost traction behind and hurtled through Murray’s corner, somehow managing to sand-bash his way to the other side, while Wood spun out like a cyclone alongside him. An instant, the chaos had much of the pack scrambling to stay on track. But Zach Bates hung on, stayed cool and clung to the tarmac for the win.
With the 86s drying off and mending wounds in the paddock, it was time for Bernie and I to find some shelter. As we lined up for a feed, we witnessed perseverance on display in all directions. A band belted out ‘Sweet Home Alabama’ to the crowds sheltering behind the grandstands. A man with an ambitious lunch bundle dropped his burger in a puddle. But he managed to scoop it up before the whole thing got soggy. Onlookers applauded as he hoisted his umbrella high and trudged onward through the rain – a half-sodden burger in hand and a full grin on his face.
Sam (pictured in green) getting in and amongst it.
Saturday
When Bathurst rolls around, your loyal TOYOTA GAZOO Racing correspondent does what the GAZOO RACING CLUB does. So – when a select few members got the chance to ride shotgun for a passenger hot lap around Bathurst with Harry or Lewis Bates – I was at the pits before breakfast, with my insurance form signed and ready.
Harry was my driver. He arrived in an Azure Blue Supra – one of the first in the country to arrive kitted out with the new manual transmission. I quizzed him about the gearbox as we launched off and sped round the first bend (“pretty amazing” was his review). I’d read it’s a well-weighted clutch. And it was a remarkably smooth thrill ride as Harry put the in-line 6 speed manual cylinder transmission through its paces up Mountain Straight.
The slick road flashed with morning glare as we worked around The Cutting. And as we headed over the Skyline stretch I took a moment to admire the green, gently rolling expanse of the Central Tablelands – stretching out into the horizon. Then we were shooting down through Forest Elbow and onto Conrad Straight.
We reached a top speed of around 250km/h while Harry chatted casually about his World Rally Championship debut in New Zealand. Then it was over. And I was back out into the pits, beaming, slightly dazed and ready for the day.
Not even torrential downpour can spoil the fun.
The rain was back as we bussed it up the mountain, curious about the scene up there. We hopped off the bus and squished through the mud looking for a dry place for Bernie to switch lenses, when a sparkie from Ballarat named Hodgy welcomed us to his gazebo. He and his mates offered respite from the rain and a cold drink. They told us they’d been staking out the same spot for twenty years. “I love hanging and meeting people up here,” said Hodgy. “Everyone switches off and has a good time.”
He brought out a tattered old umbrella covered in old notes and signatures. The umbrella’s a kind of shrine to all the good people and good yarns that had passed through the campsite over the years. Both Bernie and I had the honour of signing it. Then we were on our way.
Later that afternoon, the rains got biblical again just in time for the next TGRA 86 race. This time we had the good sense to head over to the TOYOTA GAZOO Racing trailer. It had been kitted out as a grandstand for the Toyota faithful with flatscreens, shelter and perfect view of Hell Corner. Which lived up to its reputation for James Holdsworth and Luke Vanna, who clashed on Lap 1 and hit the wall.
By Lap 4 the rain was somehow even heavier and the river at The Chase caused more mayhem. Alex Hadden and Bradi Owen spun out wildly, with Bradi’s car ending up wedged against Owen’s, nested in the sand on its side.
Once the green flag was down again there was a dogfight between Bates and Ryan Gilroy at The Cutting. But again Bates kept his focus, and edged away on the outside to take another win.
Bates had Gilroy hot on his tail.
Sunday
The skies finally cleared on Bathurst’s day of days. Bernie and I headed up the mountain again in the morning, closer to the sun, for the final race of the TGRA 86 Series. Zach’s two wins had put him in the running to take the lead and potentially the championship. But Gibbons still had the points. A decent finish would seal the series for him.
With the track and crowd finally drying out, the energy was building. We staked a spot up on Skyline to see Bates fly past and down into the esses, after he’d edged out Gilroy for the lead.
Zach Bates and his 86 catch a rare glimpse of sunshine.
Zach stayed in first and Gilroy held second just ahead of Gibbons. But by Lap 4 Gibbons, showing the tenacity he’d displayed all series, risked it all to make his move on Gilroy. They made contact across the crest of Mountain Straight and, after a wobble, Gibbons steadied himself – securing his championship glory.
Later, the young racers from the TGRA 86 Series gathered at the TOYOTA GAZOO Racing trailer, for a prime spot to watch the Supercars take on the mountain. Racing legend Neal Bates was there too. This time the umbrellas were providing shade not shelter. Toyota had anchored itself well. Let’s hope they make like Hodgy and keep the hospitality up, for decades to come.
Bathurst 1000 over and out.
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