Max Geoghegan Wins Bathurst Round With Victory In First Two Races

October 21, 2024

2024 Repco Bathurst 1000, Event 10 of the Repco Supercars Championship, Mount Panorama, Bathurst, New South Wales, Australia. 11 Oct, 2024.

The 2024 TOYOTA GAZOO Racing Australia (TGRA) GR CUP season is set for a thrilling finale at the Gold Coast later this month after an exciting round of racing as one of the premier support categories for Australia’s most iconic motorsport event, the Bathurst 1000.

New South Welshman Max Geoghegan took top honours at Mount Panorama, only missing out on an event clean sweep with a second-place finish in the third and final race of the weekend.

Queenslander Bradi Owen also put on a strong showing, reclaiming top place on the overall season points table after previous leader Matthew Hillyer suffered from mechanical issues and a crash in the third race.

In a sign of things to come, Geoghegan was dialled in from the first race, finishing nearly a second clear of second-placed Hayden Hume over six laps, with Victorian James Lodge rounding out the podium after Ben Gomersall was hit with a five-position penalty.

The win marked the first victory in a TGRA GR CUP race for Geoghegan and was promptly followed by another victory in race 2 ahead of Lodge and Owen, with only four tenths of a second separating Geoghegan and Lodge in a tight tussle for first place.

What was a near-victory for Lodge in race 2 materialised into reality for the last race on Sunday, with a strong performance including fastest lap seeing him take out his first GR CUP win of the season, with Geoghegan and fellow NSW driver Lachlan Gibbons battling it out for second and third place respectively.

TGRA Scholarship Series evaluation day winner Royce Lyne was given his first taste of GR CUP racing at Bathurst, and the 17-year-old held his own with placings between 14^th and 21^st from the 35-strong field of drivers.

TCR Australia Series driver Ryan Casha featured as a guest driver for the event, and performed strongly with 7^th place finish in race 2 and 3.

With only one round to go in the five-race GR CUP season, the 2024 title is up for grabs with Bradi Owen now leading the championship with an even 1000 points, while Geoghegan’s strong weekend performance saw him rise to second and only 26 points behind on 974 points.

James Lodge rose to third on 874 points, while Matthew Hillyer’s inability to add to his tally over the weekend saw him slide from first to fourth on 842 points.

The final race of the 2024 GR CUP season will take place at the Gold Coast 500 from October 25 to 27.

Race 1 results:

1. Max Geoghegan
2. Hayden Hume
3. James Lodge

Race 2 results:

1. Max Geoghegan
2. James Lodge
3. Bradi Owen

Race 3 results:

1. James Lodge
2. Max Geoghegan
3. Lachlan Gibbons

Event results:

1. Max Geoghegan
2. James Lodge
3. Hayden Hume

2024 TOYOTA GAZOO Racing Australia GR CUP leaderboard: