V8 Sleuth

FANS will have the chance to meet two-time Bathurst 1000 winner John Bowe at a signing session next week. Bowe will be at The Oxford Hotel in Bathurst on Wednesday October 7 from 12-2:30pm AEDT to sign copies of his autobiography Driven. The 352-page hardcover book features brutal honesty from the former Dick Johnson Racing stalwart as he recaps the highs and lows from throughout his journey. Register on the V8 Sleuth mailing list for regular updates.

WHAT started out as an experiment is now gathering some real momentum for former Supercars mechanic Justin Pownell. Pownell spent a decade working in Supercars across six teams: Kelly Racing, Erebus Motorsport, Dick Johnson Racing, Tekno Autosports, Matt Stone Racing, and what is now Walkinshaw TWG Racing. Then he went out on his own, in a move that led to the eventual establishment of his JP Sports team.

HE was a Supercars grand finalist last year, holds third in the 2026 championship, placed second at The Bend 500, and drives for the top team in the pitlane – yet, Kai Allen still does not rate among the favourites for the Repco Bathurst 1000. And that’s something he is totally okay with. The standout combinations being spoken about for next week’s Great Race are Matt Payne/Will Davison, Broc Feeney/Nick Percat, and Brodie Kostecki/Todd Hazelwood.

DRIVERS in the Repco Bathurst 1000 are this year needing to pass an online test before taking to the track. The mandatory measure is among safety recommendations that have been adopted by Motorsport Australia specific to Mount Panorama. There have already been a couple of jarring crashes at the iconic circuit in 2026, including one in the 12 Hour that left Ralf Aron with a broken back, and a controversial incident under yellow flags at the 6 Hour involving Grant Denyer and Richard Barram.

TIM Blanchard has taken fans on a virtual tour of his team’s new workshop as it nears completion. The Blanchard Racing Team will move from its current premises at Box Hill into a section of the all-new CoolDrive Auto Parts headquarters in Boronia. Blanchard revealed it will be quite the upgrade for the Ford squad, with three times the space, and confirmed things are on-track for the relocation to occur during the coming off-season. Register on the V8 Sleuth mailing list for regular updates.

THE Seven Network has unveiled a six-pronged team for its free-to-air coverage of the 2026 Repco Bathurst 1000. Leading the charge will be Mel McLaughlin, Matt White and Mark Beretta, supported by Molly Taylor, Emma Freedman and V8 Sleuth’s own Aaron Noonan. They will complement the Kayo Sports regulars, with Richard Craill, Garth Tander and Greg Murphy in the commentary box and Chad Neylon, Mark Larkham and Riana Crehan reporting from pitlane.

THE Supercars silly season is gaining traction with the biggest race of the year, the Repco Bathurst 1000, just around the corner. It was always destined to be a relatively quiet year on the driver market front, unless something unexpected caused a chain reaction. The prospect of Matt Payne cutting short his Grove Racing contract had potential to do just that, but those odds have significantly cooled. There are however still a few seats in the spotlight, especially in the General Motors camp.

IT’S the biggest show of the season – The Undercut is back, previewing the 2026 Repco Bathurst 1000, with the V8 Sleuth Aaron Noonan joined in the studio by two of the stars of the big day – Jack Perkins and James Moffat. Is there a favourite for the Bathurst 1000? Who is a podium dark horse combination? Can Kostecki beat Brock and Moffat’s record? Will parity be a distraction? Then the team look at who will make the finals, plus a walk down Bathurst’s memory lane.

TICKFORD Racing will unfurl another classic Castrol retro look for Thomas Randle at Sandown, with a fan vote proving decisive on this year’s choice of livery. Presented with seven options, thousands of people had their say via the V8 Sleuth website – and the resounding winner was the 2007 design ran in period by Steven Richards. It was in those colours that Richards claimed his first race win for Ford Performance Racing, on the Gold Coast.

IT’S the biggest show of the season – The Undercut is back, previewing the 2026 Repco Bathurst 1000, with the V8 Sleuth Aaron Noonan joined in the studio by two of the stars of the big day – Jack Perkins and James Moffat. Is there a favourite for the Bathurst 1000? Who is a podium dark horse combination? Can Kostecki beat Brock and Moffat’s record? Will parity be a distraction? Then the team look at who will make the finals, plus a walk down Bathurst’s memory lane.