THEY weren’t first across the line, but Thomas Randle and the Kavich brothers have converted pole position into victory at the 2026 Hi-Tec Oils Bathurst 6 Hour.

There was plenty of attrition over the course of the Easter enduro including two particularly spectacular incidents.

Aaron Seton suffered an apparent brake failure that pitched his Mustang through the sandtrap past the braking point at the Chase and into the barriers, violently flipping the #30 onto its side.

Then with little more than two hours remaining, there was even more mayhem as Grant Denyer (#101 Ford Mustang) and Richard Barram (#84 Volkswagen Scirocco) collided on the run out of Griffins Bend while battling for 23rd.

Both cars consequently speared left into the concrete wall, with Barram glancing the already stricken Mazda 3 of Matt Kiss.

Barram (ankle) was transported to Orange Hospital and Denyer (shoulder) to Bathurst Hospital.

Supersub Cameron Hill (#1 BMW) pitted from the lead with approximately an hour to go, leaving a pair of Class A2 cars out front: Cameron McLeod (#6 Ford Mustang) from Josh Muggleton (#64 Chevrolet Camaro).

Randle passed Muggleton before the Safety Car came out for the #86 BMW M3 which had lost a wheel, and hit the lead when McLeod pitted.

Hill and McLeod soon pitted again on strategic grounds, copping a slight loss of track position in order to set up late-race charges.

The order when the race restarted with 29 minutes to go was Randle, Muggleton, Oscar Targett (#60 BMW M4), Tim Slade (#54 Ford Mustang) and Tyler Mecklem (#9 Ford Mustang), with McLeod seventh and Hill 10th.

There were yet another two restarts to come, following interventions caused by Glen Ebert (#71 BMW M240) and Cem Yucel (#222 Volkswagen Golf).

The latter restart occurred with two laps remaining, by which time it was Randle from Hill, Muggleton, McLeod and Slade.

Hill, however, was out of victory contention after being handed a 15-second time penalty for a pitstop breach.

The Brad Jones Racing driver pressed on to pass Randle on the penultimate lap, while McLeod hounded Muggleton into a last-gasp mistake. That saw a change for the class win, but both still made the outright podium.

Hill was demoted to fifth behind Slade, with the path clearing for Randle plus Ben and Michael Kavich to soak in victory.

“Awesome to get the result,” said Randle.

“It feels a bit bittersweet because we crossed the line second but I think they had a 15-second penalty… I have just got to thank Ben and Michael Kavich. They have been doing this race since the beginning, 10 years.

“GWR, it’s their first outright win, so happy Easter to the team and to Thryv and to Breast Cancer Trials.”

Mecklem and Hadrian Morrall were outright sixth ahead of the next class winners, A1 pair Alex Holzl and Oliver Loiacono.

Other class winners were Karlie Buccini/Courtney Prince/Tabitha Ambrose (B1), Richard Shinkfield/Andrew Milford/Chris Holdt (B2), James and Trevor Keene (C), Andrew McMaster/Michael Hazelton/Richard Buttrose (D), and Calvin Gardiner/Ruben Dan/Ashton Sieders (E).