Last Hurrah For Holden....

Supercars, AGP.

    Early morning fog shrouds The Mountain. The appetising aroma of bacon and eggs from early rising campers' BBQ's cuts through the clean crisp air. That's right. It's the beginning of October and that only means one thing. Supercars' premier event, the Bathurst 1000 at iconic Mt Panorama is the sole focus. 
    Supercars only true endurance race for the season gives little credence to current form guides. There's the uncertain ingredient of co-drivers, the demanding track itself and the unpredictable weather. 161 laps of intrigue. What drama and surprises will The Mountain reveal in 2022? Can anyone reign in championship heavy hitter Shane Van Gisbergen? Will Chaz Mostert achieve back to back victories? What of returning Kiwi legend and four time winner Greg Murphy who's come out of retirement and competing as a wildcard entry? Or evergreen Craig Lowndes who's also entered as a wildcard? Can he add to his already impressive seven victories in his 300th start?
    One glaring element that would not be lost on almost all fans. This is the last true Holden vs Ford battle for Bathurst glory. As you are no doubt aware, parent company General Motors have ceased production of Holdens some time ago and this is the last campaign at Bathurst for the renown brand in Supercars. In fact, next season's Gen 3 Supercars are doing demonstration runs at Mt Panorama. GM have replaced Holden with the Chevrolet Camaro, and Ford have a new Mustang. Both purpose built and aggressive looking, but will Supercars' new race cars be seamlessly adopted by the fans? There will be punters that embrace the next generation of Supercar and renew the rivalry. Conversely there will be punters that lament a long standing traditional rivalry that's involuntarily run its course.
    There is however this weekend's Bathurst 1000 to contend first with bragging rights on offer that potentially could take on extra significance. If a Holden team win, they will go in the history books as the last Holden team to win at Mt Panorama. Oh, and that fog we mentioned, might just be rain clouds the way the weather is shaping up. Bring it on....

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