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‘Ten or more combinations’ in contention for Bathurst 1000 glory
Savannah Lendich Jonkers • October 7th, 2026 4:22 pm
Matt Payne and Garth Tander celebrate after winning the 2025 Bathurst 1000 | Photo: Dan Himbrechts/AAP
Supercars broadcaster Riana Crehan believes the vast amount of competitive driver combinations and the demands of a 1000-kilometre race make this year’s Bathurst champions difficult to predict.
This weekend’s most anticipated motorsport event in Australasia will see 26 primary and co-driver combinations contest 161 laps at Mount Panorama, with only three full-time drivers on the grid having previously won the prestigious race.
“There's probably 10 or more combinations that could easily win Sunday afternoon,” she told Sport Nation Afternoons on Wednesday.
Crehan said the experience of the co-drivers, especially those who retired from racing full-time at the end of 2025, will make the race a survival of the fittest.
“I think more than ever this year the field spread is so good, there's a lot of really good co-drivers, there are a lot of fast cars, so it's going to be very difficult to win and you're really going to need everything to be going your way on Sunday.”
Matt Payne on winning Bathurst from 18th | Sport Nation Afternoons
Car reliability remains a concern across all manufacturers, particularly for the new-to-the-grid Toyota Supras, which have delivered inconsistent performances so far in 2026.
“We've had some reliability issues with the Toyotas, with the Fords, so there's still a bit of a question mark on those cars, but there's also question marks on everything, everything has to last for a thousand kilometres.
“And it doesn't take much, you hit a curb the wrong way or clip a wall just very lightly and your day could be well and truly over so quickly.”
Toyota drivers including the all kiwi-pairing of Ryan Wood and Jaxon Evans, along with Chaz Mostert and Fabian Coulthard, are among the combinations to watch, especially after Wood and Mostert both led laps in the 2025 race before succumbing to car failure.
“They got through The Bend (lead up to Bathurst), but it was a very different race to what we're going to see on Sunday.”
Ryan Wood in victory lane with his Toyota Supra | Photo: Kerry Marshall/Photosport
She stressed that surviving every stage of the weekend would be crucial for any team hoping to challenge for victory.
“You really have to survive, not just the race, you need to survive practice, you need to survive qualifying, you need to survive the race start, you need to survive warm up on Sunday morning, you need to get through every restart with a safety car. You have to survive every part of the race and then you've got a chance to fight for a race win in that last stint.”
Crehan also noted the challenge facing Matt Payne as he looks to win Bathurst for a second consecutive time.
“It's hard to win Bathurst once, so to go back-to-back is pretty special. It's going to take a lot to take out victory on Sunday.”
Listen to the full interview below:
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