In the end, a six-hour Bathurst 1000 marathon came down to a final-lap sprint.
But it proved worth the wait, with Supercars series leader Scott McLaughlin holding off Holden’s Shane van Gisbergen on Sunday to claim his first Great Race in a Mount Panorama nail biter.
Just one of 161 laps remained by the time the classic enduro re-started after the eighth and final safety car left the track, setting the stage for a typically tense thriller on the mountain.
After an absorbing duel, Ford’s McLaughlin earned Dick Johnson Racing’s first Bathurst title in 25 years and American great Roger Penske’s first by sneaking home 0.68 of a second ahead of fellow Kiwi van Gisbergen.
Holden veteran James Courtney was third.
“I just threw it in over the top and hoped that I had a bit of a gap going down Conrod (Straight) and, thankfully, she held on and we got the ‘w’,” said an emotional McLaughlin, whose co-driver was Alex Premat.
“You always believe you can (win the Bathurst 1000), but it’s Bathurst.
“I’ve had plenty of bad ones where I’ve gone off the track, hit the wall.
“I’m stoked. We got it done. I don’t care now, I’m a Bathurst winner!”
McLaughlin extended his series lead over nearest rival van Gisbergen to 622 points after claiming his first Bathurst in seven attempts.
McLaughlin’s stirring victory marked the first time in 10 years a pole sitter had emerged as King of the Mountain.
But DJR Team Penske’s co-owner Dick Johnson had to wait much longer for success.
The victory marked DJR’s first Bathurst triumph since he claimed the crown in 1994.
“Because I am a lot older, things feel a lot different, I can tell you, but it doesn’t feel any different when you win something,” Johnson beamed.
American great Penske – who is DJR Team Penske’s majority shareholder and also owns NASCAR and IndyCar teams – ranked the victory as one of his best.
“I think the race is right at the top,” he said.
“The only race we (Team Penske) haven’t won is Le Mans but to stand with these guys was pretty special.”
McLaughlin made his move after trailing Holden star Jamie Whincup – who finished fourth – late in the race.
But four-time Bathurst winner Whincup surrendered an 11.5-second advantage when he pitted for fuel and McLaughlin opted to stay on track, reclaiming the lead after a safety car was called with 11 laps left.
Leading Ford drivers Cam Waters and Chaz Mostert – looming in third and fourth respectively – appeared threats but came into contact, ploughing into the gravel together on lap 124 to prompt a safety car and end their title quests.
Mostert recovered to break the race lap record in the dying moments, clocking two minutes, 04.76 seconds.
A total of 201,975 people flocked to Mount Panorama over four days.
