The 2021 Supercars season draws to a close at Sunday’s Bathurst 1000!

It isn’t in its traditional October timeslot and Shane Van Gisbergen has already won the Driver’s Championship, but evidently nothing at all can stop Australia’s most iconic motorsport event from going ahead, and thousands of punters will pile onto the world-famous Mount Panorama this weekend.

There are a couple of obvious selections prominent in Bathurst 1000 betting, but this race is anything but a ‘sure thing’, and I’ve returned my complete tips, including value picks below.

Shane Van Gisbergen/Garth Tander ($4)

It makes complete sense that the newly crowned Supercars champion occupies the top line of Bathurst 1000 betting, least of all when his co-driver is Garth Tander.

Van Gisbergen’s season has been nothing short of outstanding, and while is probably wasn’t the way that he foresaw winning his second championship, last week’s final race in Sydney being abandoned saw him take an unassailable lead.

While would usually mean that he could afford to let his hair down and this result would mean nothing, it’s Bathurst, and that alone is drive enough for anyone to continue pressing. Adding to that is the fact that Van Gisbergen won Bathurst alongside Tander last year, and they have a crown to defend.

The 888 car is red-hot and barring any incidents, I wouldn’t be surprised to see them on top of the podium again.

Jamie Whincup/Craig Lowndes ($4.50)

Seven-time Supercars champion Jamie Whincup will hang up the helmet as a full-time driver following the 2021 Bathurst 1000, and he and Craig Lowndes are undoubtedly the popular pick for neutrals this year.

This is two of the sport’s biggest legends teaming up, probably for the last time ever competitively, and they will be eager to wind back the clock to mid-to-late noughties; a period of time which saw them conquer the mountain on three-consecutive occasions together.

Combined, they have amassed an incredible eleven Bathurst victories and that makes them quite clearly the winningest team on the mountain in 2021.

I will certainly be having something on for the story and the nostalgia alone, but also because they are a serious chance of winning.

Anton de Pasquale/Tony D’Alberto ($6)

Anton de Pasquale arrives at Mount Panorama sixth in the Driver’s Championship, and his pairing with Supercars ‘old hand’ Tony D’Alberto is a promising one.

De Pasquale has undoubtedly found career-best form in 2021, claiming an impressive 11 pole positions and six race wins throughout the season, and he is a fitting occupant of the top lines of Bathurst 1000 betting alone.

Throw in D’Alberto, who is now in his sixth season of co-driving for DJR, and who has been sniffing around the category for the best part of two decades, and we have a formidable partnership who do look to represent some value in the market.

Will Brown/Jack Perkins ($21)

One pairing who I find intriguing in Bathurst 1000 betting is that of Erebus’ Will Brown and co-driver Jack Perkins.

He’s one of the more exciting young prospects of the current Supercars field, and Brown broke his maiden during the recent run of races at Sydney Motorsport Park, and he is clearly full of confidence ahead of the season’s final event.

The Perkins name is synonymous with chequered flags in Australia, and I’m eager to see what Jack can do, stepping back into the car from his usual spot on the broadcast team at Bathurst this year.

The $21 about this team to win is obviously very lucrative, but I am loving the $2.20 on offer for a Top 6 finish.

Tim Slade/Tim Blanchard ($31)

C’mon, feel the noise for my value pick in 2021 Bathurst 1000 betting, Tim Slade and Tim Blanchard.

36-year-old Slade has been plying his trade in Australia’s premier category since 2007, and managed his best result on the mountain last year; a credible fifth alongside Scott McLaughlin for DJR Team Penske.

This season, he has been driving full time for his co-driver’s team, Tim Blanchard Racing, and arrives at the mountain twelfth in the Driver’s Championship; one of his better seasons on record.

I find it very hard to look past teams with bulk experience at Bathurst – it truly is the biggest stage in Australian motorsport, the biggest test, and these blokes are the ones who tend to rise to the occasion when the pressure goes on.

$3.50 for a Top 6 finish looks to be the real value!