Brodie Kostecki and Todd Hazelwood recovered from a precarious battle with Team 18’s Chevrolet Camaro to win the 2025 Supercars Bathurst 1000.
Late‑Race Turnout at Mount Panorama
The race, run at record pace for 156 of its 161 laps, stayed green until Chaz Mostert clipped a wall at Forrests Elbow. A safety car was deployed five laps from the finish, tightening the field and giving Kostecki, Hazelwood and pole‑sitter Zach Bates an unprecedented lead‑to‑caution opportunity.
Critical Pit Stops and Brake Failures
Team 18’s #17 Mustang had almost no chance after the crew changed brakes twice during the penultimate stop. When a rotor failed to mount, the car lost more than 25 seconds, allowing De Pasquale/Lee Holdsworth to build a virtual lead. Unable to defend the pole position, De Pasquale’s fuel load was trimmed at the last stop; the short‑run strategy backfired as the car slowed on the final climb up the Mountain Straight, surrendering the lead and eventually retiring.
Other Key Moments
Matt Stone Racing’s Aaron Seton and Zach Bates had dominated the early stints, but the safety‑car error by Team 18 cleared the path for the minnow team to remain in contention. Meanwhile, Will Brown and Scott Pye turned a speed deficit into a second-place finish by exploiting the team’s pit‑strategy twist. A mis‑managed punt by Grove Racing led to a pit‑lane drive‑through for Matt Payne, yet he still secured a solid fifth place and extended his championship lead.
The Impact of Tyres and Brakes
Throughout the event, teams struggled with blistered, delaminating rear tyres as track temperatures exceeded 37 °C. The Dunlop compounds, tested only in cooler, rainy conditions in the previous season, proved unreliable in the sudden heat. Brake reliability was similarly hampered by inconsistent Ferodo pad batches, with some crews reporting that brake life dropped below the 60‑lap mark. Gulf Racing’s Breton Grove illustrated the dilemma on TV, lamenting that “our brakes can’t last a race.”
Podium and Championship Picture
Seton and Bates’ third place, secured before the final caution, was a surprise given their early setbacks. Jack Le Brocq and Harri Jones finished fourth, almost catching the leaders. The finishing order sealed the title race for the Supercars Finals series, pushing the competition into the Gold Coast event on 23‑25 October.
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