Things got ugly behind the scenes amid the need for negotiations, per formalised processes, and ultimately the change recommended by engine specialist Craig Hasted was not implemented, leading to a Dick Johnson Racing protest<\/a> followed by a scathing statement<\/a>.<\/p>\n As it turned out, rain came to the Blue Oval\u2019s rescue on race day, with Matt Payne<\/a> and Garth Tander<\/a> prevailing in an all-time thriller.<\/p>\n Either way, there\u2019s plenty of time now to get things sorted before the 2026 Repco Bathurst 1000 across October 8-11, including the opportunity to write into rules any need for one-off tweaks at the Mountain to avoid a repeat of last month\u2019s saga.<\/p>\n \u201cThe championship is going through lots of change,\u201d David Cauchi said recently.<\/p>\n \u201cWe\u2019ve got a new manufacturer coming in, we\u2019ve got a change of homologation team on the Ford side, so I really hope that we can sort it all out and I\u2019m sure we can, because we absolutely don\u2019t want all that stuff going on before the biggest race of the year.<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s disappointing three years in that we were still talking about it, for sure.<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s something that I know James Warburton is very aware of and is working to sort out with the rest of the technical team at Supercars so that we can just get to Bathurst and let Bathurst be what it is, which is one of the greatest motor races in the world.\u201d<\/p>\n![](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/ACD18F25BWW_PitBoard_1024x1024.jpg\"\/)
<\/a><\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/bathurst-1000-friday-hi-res-261-of-317-1024x576.jpg\")
Pic: Mark Walker<\/p>\n