The second safety car has emerged but it seems it will be hard to stop V8 Supercars series leader Jamie Whincup claiming a fifth Bathurst 1000 crown at Mount Panorama.

At the halfway mark of Sunday’s 161-lap race, Whincup and co-driver Paul Dumbrell were well placed to defend their title as the field jostled for positions after the yellow flag was raised when Holden’s Greg Murphy crashed out.

Murphy – co-driver for Holden gun James Courtney – slammed sideways into the wall on lap 86 near Reid Park, the same spot where Ford youngster Chaz Mostert committed the same mistake in a horror crash in Friday practice.

They are out, joining Nissan duo Todd Kelly and David Russell in the pits.

Kelly’s Nissan – piloted by co-driver Russell – came off second best with a kangaroo on lap 20, ending their race before it could really begin.

Asked what happened, a distraught Russell said: “Skippy jumped out in front”.

When the field returned to the track after the second safety car, Ford ace Mark Winterbottom’s co-driver Steven Richards led with Dumbrell fifth.

But every car ahead of the Whincup-Dumbrell entry had had one pit stop less than them and were expected to be reeled in by the pace-setting Holden.

Every car must take seven mandatory pit stops during the race to cater for newcomers Nissan and Mercedes’ fuel economy issues.

Whincup’s Holden teammate – five time champion Craig Lowndes – was third in his 20th Bathurst and 500th career race start.

Whincup’s gamble to hand Dumbrell the wheel for the crucial race start paid off when his co-driver launched off the line, at one stage enjoying a 15-second lead.

But that was lost when Kelly’s Nissan came off second best with Bathurst’s local fauna, prompting the opening safety car.

A nightmare week for Dick Johnson Racing’s Mostert somehow worsened when his Ford was hit with an early drive-through penalty for a pit lane infringement.

They were already behind the eight ball after Friday’s practice crash ensured they limped into the race at the back of the grid.