Top 20 moments of 2014, #9: The rookie bests the legend at Bathurst
When you cannot predict who is going to win a race that is 1,000 km long with only one lap remaining.
Photo by: Supercars
The 2014 edition of the Bathurst 1000 will go down in history as one of the wildest yet, but that's to be expected after the captivating duels we've seen the past few years. Chaz Mostert and Paul Morris shocked everyone by stealing the win in another epic fight between bitter rivals, Holden and Ford. The upset was even more shocking when you look at who he beat ... Newly crowned six-time V8 Supercar champion Jamie Whincup.
Mostert/Morris led just one lap the entire race after starting dead last. It was a result you couldn't script, an upset no one foresaw. With ten laps remaining, it seemed to be Shane Van Gisbergen's day before stalling in the pit lane. The Kiwi was crushed.
On the ensuing restart, it was a battle between old foes at the front. Mark Winterbottom tried to hold off Jamie Whincup, who would eventually muscle his way by with a handful of laps left in the race. Before he could respond, Winterbottom found himself in a 360 spin, courtesy of Whincup's teammate, Craig Lowndes. Lowndes faced a pass-through penalty for the controversial contact.
Save fuel, or to not save fuel
FPR's only hope of victory rested in the hands of the young gun, Chaz Mostert. Despite his best efforts, he couldn't keep pace with the Holden Commodore. However, the Red Bull team was trying to communicate with Whincup and tell him to save fuel, but all they got was radio silence. Their calls on the radio grew louder as they became very concerned. They almost started begging for Whincup to back off, but by the time he gave them a response, it was too late.
His three second lead evaporated in moments and he suddenly found himself thrown into the pit and playing defense on the final lap. He blocked every which way possible, holding his ground as the Ford clawed at his rear bumper. With just a couple corners remaining though, the Holden coughed and Mostert whisked by. Whincup would drop to fifth.
The Nissan of James Moffat and Taz Douglas, which crashed twice, somehow sneaked into second place with a car that looked like it shouldn't even have been running. That's the Bathurst 1000 for you ... It continuously proves itself as one of the greatest shows of drama and intensity in the motorsports world.
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