(Motorsport-Total.com) – The debut of the Chevrolet Camaro in the Gen3 era of the Australian supercar series has proven to be a lucky one for GM. The car dominates the series and keeps the Ford Mustang at bay. It was also the biggest race under the Bathurst 1000. It was the second long-distance race of the 2023 season, after the Sandown 500, and was again led by Chevrolet driven by Shane van Gisbergen and Richie Stanaway. .
Shane van Gisbergen and Richie Stanaway won at Bathurst
Van Gisbergen will end his Supercar career with a win at Bathurst at the end of the year as the New Zealander withdraws from the series after the 2023 final and moves to the trackhouse in the US NASCAR series. In the Triple-Eight Chevrolet, the 34-year-old won the endurance race at Mount Panorama to start a heated title battle with second-placed Erebus driver Brady Kostecki alongside Michael Caruso.
Camaro with starting number 97 took the lead on lap 27 after the team brought the vehicle into the pits for service due to a caution period. Van Gisbergen and Stanaway edged out the sister Chevrolet in Brock Feeney and Jamie Whincup’s Triple Eight. Both then controlled the action at the front.
A second Triple Eight Chevrolet retired during the race with gearbox problems, but without any help, van Gisbergen and Stanaway took a dominant win at Bathurst. 20 seconds separated the starting No. 97 from Kostecki’s Erebus Chevrolet and second-place finisher David Russell. With four races to go in the season, Kostecki is clear at the top of the overall standings with a 131-point lead over van Gisbergen.
It was the third win at Bathurst for van Gisbergen, who returns to the series as a full-time driver with Crowe in the 2024 season, and the first for Stanaway. It was Chevrolet’s first win at Mount Panorama and Triple Eight’s tenth, meaning the team led by Supercar legend Whincup leads the all-time best list.
Due to Feeney’s technical issues, Erebus Chevrolet’s Will Brown, who finished eighth, moved ahead of his brand colleague to third in the overall standings. With 600 points still to be awarded in four races, the title fight is very close and could still throw up a few surprises among the dominant Chevrolet drivers.
Ford didn’t see any country against Chevrolet in the first Gen 3 year of supercars, which is why there was a lot of criticism from the blue oval camp about the vehicles’ equality. The Camaro has a 5.7-liter V8 engine, while the Ford uses a 5.4-liter V8. The engines are tuned to produce around 600 horsepower, so should be similarly responsive.
Added to this are various aerodynamics that can make a difference between cars. But those responsible for supercars have decided to make massive changes to the cars so far. Despite the criticism, the Bathurst Ford managed to achieve a narrow victory as Anton Di Pasquale and Tony D’Alberto completed the top three in the Dick Johnson Ford to claim the bronze medal. Chaz Mostert and Lee Holdsworth (Walkinshaw-Andretti-Ford) and David Reynolds and Garth Tander (Grove-Ford) completed the top five.
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