Wet Bathurst 1000 weekend, heavy rain clearing Sunday
The weather forecast for the Bathurst 1000 at the iconic Mount Panorama circuit on the weekend is not good.
Saturday in particular looks extremely concerning, with some of the heaviest rain for the weekend likely to strike right around the time of the Top Ten Shootout at 5:05 pm, when the battle for key grid positions takes place.
*insert caption here that isn’t about bathurst’s weather* 😉🌧ï¸#RedBullAmpol #Bathurst1000 pic.twitter.com/77NkFw96Ai
— Red Bull Ampol Racing (@redbullampol) October 7, 2022
Weatherzone meteorologist Jess Miskelly says that a trough line will move over the NSW Central Tablelands around 5 pm. That means the potential for very heavy rain and possible storms, on a day when 20 to 40 mm in total is likely.
By Sunday, showers around Bathurst will be isolated and much lighter than previous day, which is great news for the actual race, which starts at 11:15 am and generally runs through till around 6 pm, when the chequered flag is waved after 161 laps of the 6.213 km circuit.
"There will be some light and intermittent showers around on Sunday but no one will be pelted," Miskelly added.
Image: Bathurst is located just southeast of Orange on this rainfall accumulation map.
Of course, the Bathurst 1000 is not just about drivers and safety on the track, but about fans. Thousands of people camp around the track, and the SES has warned that some campgrounds will likely be flooded.
- Bathurst has already had a wet week, with the heaviest 24-hour total being 23.2 mm to 9 am Thursday.
- As we write this story, a further 8.2 mm has fallen to 3:30 pm, as another rainband passes across the region from west to east.
The Bathurst 1000 is being overshadowed by the rain onslaught that is threatening the entire region.
— 7NEWS Central West (@7NEWSCentWest) October 6, 2022
Fans are being urged to follow the rules as conditions will worsen. pic.twitter.com/OdAigoavqF
The rain appears set to clear this evening, although it has seemingly already taken a toll, with latest reports saying there have been 11 crashes in qualifying today due to the wet conditions.
As stated, Saturday will be very wet again so please take it easy if you're on the roads – and to some extent at least, that includes all you Supercar drivers out there!
We should also mention that Sunday will be much cooler in Bathurst, with a likely top around just 14°C in town and perhaps a degree or so cooler at the top of Mt Panorama.