‘Reject’ Reynolds leads the little guys
co-driver Alex Premat. Having gone into the race as polesitters, favourites and, in Mclaughlin’s case, the points leader, it all came to nought when Premat was left stranded at The Cutting on lap 76 with an engine problem.
It could have been bad news from a championship perspective, but thankfully two of his main rivals had problems too. Jamie Whincup was primed to take a big points lead out of the race, and he and Triple Eight Holden co-driver Paul Dumbrell were even in the hunt for victory until they were sidelined by their own engine problem on lap 119, with 42 to go.
Chaz Mostert also looked set to haul himself right into the title equation, only to be caught up in a crazy restart shunt with 17 laps remaining, which meant the best he could manage was 10th.
It was that restart that effectively decided the race. It was the exact point where there was a clear dry line and everyone was scrambling to make it to the end on fuel, having danced with a window that lasts roughly 22 laps.
There were still a number of contenders, including Shane van Gisbergen, whose Triple Holden had the track position, and Mostert and Cam Waters, whose Prodrive Fords both had plenty of speed. Perennial Bathurst menace Garth Tander was right in the mix too with the lead GRM Holden, as was Reynolds, sitting right in the lead pack with enough fuel to make it to the end.
When the race went green with 17 laps to go, everything changed. A sprinkling of rain on the front straight saw van Gisbergen and Tander slide off before they’d even made the restart line. That then turned into an even bigger crash at Turn 1, which took the Prodrive pair of Mostert and Waters out of the equation.
Reynolds saw his opportunity and grabbed it with both hands. He quickly cleared HSV Racing’s Scott Pye, and went for broke.
Having been in the hunt all day, Reynolds had the speed to win right when it mattered. And after one last restart with six laps to go, he drove away from the field to claim a wellearned Bathurst 1000 win.
It was a classic finish, and a monumental moment for the team and both drivers given the past couple of years. After all,
Reynolds arrived at Erebus at the end of
2015, having been ousted by title-winning team Prodrive Racing. At that very time the team itself was undergoing huge downsizing after abandoning its ill-fated Mercedes programme. And Youlden only joined them this year, after being given the
‘thanks but no thanks’ from DJR Team
Penske after last year’s enduros.
“Right place, right time, let me tell you,” said Youlden, finally a winner on his 18th attempt at Bathurst. “A little team of what… do we call it a team of rejects or something? All working together, and it has been mega.”