PODCAST: Popular TV reporter backs Blue Oval for 1000

Veteran commentator and former Supercars driver Mark Larkham has boldly declared that Ford will win this weekend’s Bathurst 1000, confident that the latest round of technical tweaks has finally brought the Mustang into genuine contention.

In his annual pre-race analysis with Jax Tyres & Auto Race for the Championship’s Mark Fogarty, Larkham said the aerodynamic and gearbox changes introduced ahead of The Bend 500 would pay dividends and make a decisive difference on Mount Panorama.

“The Mustang’s going to be competitive up there,” he said.

“By moving the rear wing back and down and cutting the gear-shift recovery time, they’ve found real gains – it’s science. Over 161 laps that adds up.”

He believes the combination of reduced drag, faster shift recovery and lower tyre degradation in Bathurst’s cooler conditions will allow Ford teams to finally challenge Chevrolet’s dominance.

“I reckon Ford will win,” Larkham declared.

He even named the driver pairing he thinks is most likely to be celebrating with the Peter Brock Trophy on Sunday afternoon. It’s all in this week’s episode of Jax Tyres & Auto Race for the Championship podcast.

However, he also believes that many teams have the potential to win the Great Race.

Larkham said the parity debate that has dominated the Gen3 era had narrowed to almost nothing.

“We’ve made this game so close that it puts microscopic things under the magnifying glass,” he said.

“The engineers and drivers have been under huge pressure to extract every bit of performance, and Bathurst will be the ultimate test.”

He said the return of traditional safety-car rules, reduced fuel capacity and extended co-driver stints would make this year’s race more unpredictable than ever.

“Teams will need to have their co-driver done and dusted early because it’ll be game on from lap 100,” he said.

“The pace this year, especially on the soft tyre, will be red-hot.”

Despite the technical battles and political tension surrounding parity, Larkham said the sport has never been closer or more competitive.

“These days you can’t win by laps – it comes down to seconds and sometimes tenths,” he said.

“Everyone’s got the machinery; now it’s up to the humans.”