Australia’s greatest motor race is finally here with the Bathurst 1000 to get underway on Sunday.

While it is all sunshine in Bathurst at the moment, rain is expected later in the day and could lead to some strategic decisions from the teams competing in Sunday’s big race.

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ULTIMATE GUIDE: Full schedule, how to watch and who the favourites are for great race

START TIME: What time does the Bathurst 1000 actually start?

WEATHER FORECAST: When is rain expected at Bathurst?

The Bureau of Meteorology is forecasting a 95 per cent chance of rain, with showers most likely to come during the afternoon and early evening along with strong winds. Up to five millimetres is expected.

“Picture perfect Bathurst. You’d sit here and think, ‘Wow, we’re in for a dry race. It’s going to be beautiful’. Wait for the chaos to unfold later this afternoon,” Fox Motorsport presenter Jess Yates said on the broadcast.

Supercars legend Mark Skaife tipped that the wet weather could see teams play “games” with who will be starting the race, although he expected “a lot of co-drivers” will be at the wheel to begin the great race.

“What it does is it really puts some background thinking into how you use your co-driver, because if you think it’s going to be heavy rain this afternoon you want your main drivers in,” Skaife said.

“So it might change some of the teams’ policy as to who starts and I reckon you’re going to have some games on the grid. You’re going to have some blokes come up to the car on the starting grid, both of them will be suited up.

“Who jumps aboard, whether it is the co-driver or the lead driver, who knows yet? But I think what you’ll find is a lot of co-drivers will start.”

Kostecki Claims Brilliant Bathurst Pole | 03:11

Monster Energy’s Cam Waters and Mark Winterbottom will start alongside the DJR entry on the front row, with fellow Mustangs Chaz Mostert/Fabian Coulthard and Ryan Wood/Jayden Odeja on the second row.

That means it’s a Ford lockout of the first two rows for the first time at Bathurst since 1990.

The Great Race starts at 11.45am AEDT.

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STARTING GRID

Kostecki/Hazelwood

Waters/Winterbottom

Mostert/Coulthard

Wood/Odeja

Feeney/Whincup

Murray/Stewart

Randle/Moffat

Hill/McLeod

de Pasquale/Jones

Percat/Slade

Jones/Boys

Brown/Pye

Golding/Russell

Davison/D’Alberto

Reynolds/Holdsworth

Lowndes/Bates

LeBrocq/Hughes

Payne/Tander

Heimgartner/Fraser

Cameron/Best

Allen/Wood

Courtney/Perkins

Stanaway/Morris

Evans/Smith

Fullwood/Vaughan

Crick/Seton

Gray/Dalton

SUNDAY’S TRACK SCHEDULE (AEDT)

7.40am – GR Supra Test laps

7.55am – SuperUte Series Race 4

8.30am – Supercars warm-up (20mins)

9am – GR Cup Race 3

9.35am – Porsche Carrera Cup Race 3

11.45am – Bathurst 1000 race begins

*EARLIER*

Supercars’ parity issue has reared its head on the biggest day of the year with Dick Johnson Racing declaring a “lack of fairness” between the Ford and GM engines.

On Saturday night the team declared in a statement the Chevrolet Camaro had an extra 10 horsepower compared to the Mustang at top speed on higher-altitude tracks and it proved there was not true parity.

It comes despite DJR entry and reigning champions Brodie Kostecki and Todd Hazelwood starting from pole position – Kostecki’s historic third-straight in remarkable scenes.

No driver has ever managed that feat since the Top 10 Shootout format was introduced, and Kostecki has now moved into fourth for all-time Bathurst pole winners behind only motorsport greats Peter Brock, Mark Skaife and Allan Moffat.

‘Just pooped my pants!’ Crazy near miss | 00:59

DJR Statement

“Parity is the foundation of the Supercars Championship. Without it, there is no competition.

“For two years, Ford teams have demanded engine testing at Bathurst barometric pressures. For two years, Supercars delayed. Then, before the 2025 Repco Bathurst 1000, they finally conducted the testing – at their own facility, with their own equipment, under their own methodology.

“And the results are irrefutable.

“Despite making the same power at sea-level, at 92kPa barometric pressure (Bathurst conditions) the GM engine produces up to an additional 10 horsepower over the Ford engine above 5,900 rpm, where the engine operates for 94% of a lap of Mount Panorama at full throttle. This data explains why the Mustang is slower than the Camaro in a straight line at Bathurst – double the deficit at sea-level circuits.

“Supercars’ Director of Powertrains at their facility, developed a technical solution to correct this proven disparity: a 1mm larger restrictor and revised engine calibration.

“Supercars have failed to implement it on the basis that GM declined to agree to it.

“James Warburton said his job is to ensure “anyone in any brand in any team can walk through the gates at any race track and actually win the race”.

“Supercars chose consultation with GM over correction. They chose politics over parity. They confirmed the problem exists. They know how to fix it. They chose not to.

“We asked the Stewards whether Supercars’ failure to implement the fix breached the category’s parity obligations and the FIA International Sporting Code (ISC) obligation of fairness, under their supreme authority to settle any matter which may arise during an event, also under the ISC. After considerable deliberation, whilst not offering an opinion as to the merits of the protest, the Stewards determined that they lacked the necessary jurisdiction to apply the remedy sought.

“We accept their decision, we move on.

“To our fans: You’ve watched this unfold for two years. You’ve seen the numbers from the speed trap on Conrod Straight. You’ve heard the promises. Now you know the facts. Supercars’ own testing has validated that there is no parity at Bathurst.

“We will race hard on Sunday. We always do. But winning will require us to be more extraordinary than ever, as we will do so knowing we’re racing with one hand tied behind our back.

“We know the cost of speaking out. But the integrity of this sport depends on someone being willing to say publicly what Supercars have said themselves in their own report.

“We didn’t come to Bathurst to make excuses. We came to win. Supercars can silence the fix. They can’t silence the facts.

“We have been extraordinary today; we will be even more extraordinary tomorrow.”