Dick Johnson Racing’s dream of a double shot at Bathurst 1000 glory went up in smoke sooner than anyone expected. Sunday turned brutal when Tony D’Alberto biffed their No. 17 Ford Mustang into Forrest’s Elbow, triggering the race’s first yellow flag.
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Sitting mid-pack in 13th, D’Alberto kissed the inside wall on lap 54 before the Mustang got launched like a missile into the concrete. Game over. The wreck was gnarly, leaving the car totaled and track workers scrambling to scoop up the pieces. Just like that, D’Alberto and main man Will Davison got booted from Australia’s biggest motorsport brawl.
Car #17 makes contact with the inside and outside wall at Forrest's Elbow 💥
— Supercars (@supercars) October 12, 2025
The bp pulse Safety Car is out for the first time in the Great Race!#RepcoSC #Supercars #Bathurst1000 pic.twitter.com/c5YqtJwY3W
Rough weekend? You bet. Davison scraped into 14th in qualifying after battling gremlins all through practice. And get this: the team pulled a last-minute chassis swap—something almost unheard of at this level. With Davison whinging about handling woes all season, they yanked a backup car from Mount Panorama’s museum, throwing the garage into a frenzy to prep it in time.
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Did it work? Nope. The No. 17’s early shower left DJR with just one bullet left in the chamber, gutting Ford’s presence when it mattered most.
For D’Alberto, the crash stung after a solid opening co-driver shift. Davison? Another gut-punch in what could’ve been a killer season. Bathurst did what Bathurst does—wreaking havoc—and now DJR’s left picking up the pieces before the Supercars circus rolls on.
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