It was the moment that cost rookie Cooper Murray the lead in the Bathurst 1000 with just five laps to go.

And depending on what garage you sit in, the contact from James Golding on 24-year-old Murray will remain a big talking point from Sunday’s wet and wild race.

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With visibility low and the rain pouring down, Golding tried to dash up the inside of Murray at turn 2 off the back of a seventh safety car restart.

But the PremiAir Camaro made contact with Murray’s right rear, turning the Erebus rookie around.

“That is going to be frowned upon, almost certainly by race control,” Neil Crompton said at the time.

“This changes this motor race dramatically.

“We knew that this was brewing.”

Golding given 5 SECOND PENALTY! | 00:39

Murray and Golding had been battling for the lead in the lead up, but repeat safety cars in the wet continued to hamper both their efforts to break away.

And it ended in heartbreak for Murray, who missed the podium as a result of that moment – by just 0.6 seconds in the end.

Speaking to supercars.com.au after the race, Murray said he felt “the move was never on”.

“Jimmy was never going to make that corner. Unfortunately I was a bystander in that,” he said.

“I also don’t think five seconds was good enough of a penalty for the outcome.

“I wouldn’t wish this pain on my worst enemy, that’s for sure.”

Crompton said it was clear there was going to be two sides to the contact debate.

“(Golding) tries to fire up the inside … makes light contact. I think Murray was starting to tighten that line down,” Crompton explained.

“There’s going to be wildly different views about what’s right and what’s wrong here.

“Gets him in the right rear – did he tag him or did the gap diminish? Depends on which team you’re barracking for as to what your viewpoint is going to be.

“These are tough calls. It’s a great save.”

As for Golding’s view on the penalty, when interviewed by speedcafe.com he had not had a chance to look at the broadcast view of the incident.

“I need to have a look at the replay. I thought the move was on, I had to have a go at it, I’m unsure what it looks like from TV but the contact was just enough to turn Cooper,” said Golding.

“[In] wet conditions, it doesn’t take much. [It was] touch and go, I’ll have to have a look.”

The moment that cost Cooper Murray the lead with five laps to go.Source: FOX SPORTSAnd the end result as Cooper Murray was turned around.Source: FOX SPORTS

Golding ended up copping a five-second time penalty for that contact.

So despite making his way past Matt Payne for the lead in the penultimate lap and crossing the line first, Golding eventually finished in third once the penalty was applied.

Golding told speedcafe.com after the race that it was “a little bit of an empty feeling”.

“I was happy, [but it was] an empty feeling. I honestly enjoyed that race, it was the best race I’ve ever done, to be a part of,” Golding said.

“It was just phenomenal. When you’ve got a good car to compete for a win [in] any race is awesome, but at the biggest race in Australia, it was just unreal.”

It was also disappointment for Murray’s Erebus team who had been looking to secure back-to-back Bathurst crowns.

After their success with Brodie Kostecki and Todd Hazelwood in 2024, team owner Betty Klimenko said it would take a “miracle” for Erebus to come away winners once more.

But that miracle almost came to fruition as Murray, and Stewart, battled treacherous conditions to stay out of the carnage and lead at multiple stages in the race.

All until that moment with Golding after more than six hours of racing.