Brodie Kostecki and Todd Hazelwood have claimed a terrific Bathurst 1000 victory, completing a remarkable comeback for Erebus Motorsport who began the season marred in scandal.
Kostecki held firm in a final-stint duel with Broc Feeney to claim victory, with Feeney and Jamie Whincup finishing second and Will Brown/Scott Pye rounding out the podium.
It is the first Bathurst 1000 win for both Kostecki and Hazelwood, making them the 65th and 66th different winners of the great race.
Following a record 131 laps of uninterrupted racing, Matt Payne triggered the first safety car of the race when he shunted into the concrete on the outside of turn three.
The resulting safety car precipitated a 27-lap sprint to finish the race, with Kostecki holding on under severe pressure from Feeney.
The Bathurst 1000 win for Erebus Motorsport came after Kostecki sat out the opening rounds of the season amid a stoush with team owners.
Hazelwood replaced the defending Supercars champion for the first six races of the season, a stint in the car that paid dividends on Sunday around Mount Panorama.
"This guy here (Hazelwood) here did a stellar job the whole week," Kostecki said in pit lane.
"I knew we had a faster car.
"I just can't believe it. I'm in awe."
With just one safety car, this year's edition of the Bathurst 1000 was the fastest in history. It was the first race to be completed in less than six hours.
Pole sitter Kostecki got a decent getaway, but it was Feeney in the Triple Eight Race Engineering number 88 who flew off the grid from third.
Kostecki and Feeney were side-by-side up Mountain Straight before the pole sitter was able to get his nose in front and take the lead.
Kostecki was able to maintain that lead through his first stint in the car, which lasted 27 laps.
Feeney lost second place to last year's winner Richie Stanaway, but the Triple Eight Race Engineering driver took the place back a few laps later.
The race unfolds
Kostecki and Feeney were able to get a gap to the rest of the field, and the cars remained first and second when co-drivers Todd Hazelwood (number one) and Jamie Whincup (number 88) jumped into the race at the start of lap 28.
Further back, another Triple Eight Race Engineering entry, number 888 of Craig Lowndes and Cooper Murray, made consistent progress over the first quarter of the lap.
The duo had made up 12 places over the opening 41 laps to move into sixth and threaten a podium finish.
With most teams putting co-drivers in the car, the race settled into a nice rhythm.
Murray and Jayden Ojeda (number nine, Erebus Motorsport) were stars for their teams.
Ojeda had climbed up to fourth and Murray was up to fifth after 54 laps, one-third distance.
Hazlewood was able to hold off Whincup and maintain a 5 second lead over the stint, before both followed each other into the pits on lap 57.
Whincup stayed in the driver's, while Kostecki jumped back in his car for the third stint of the race.
The defending Supercars champion put the foot down and stretched the gap at the front to 16 seconds, setting up a strong platform for Erebus.
Both cars came in at the end of lap 85, with Hazlewood jumping into the Erebus while number 88's main driver, Broc Feeney, got into the driver's seat to try and wrestle back the margin.
A thrilling finale
Meanwhile, the race went by at break-neck speed as no safety cares were called. The previous record for the latest maiden safety car was 92 laps, but once the race completed over 100 laps of clean racing, it appeared the race might be completed entirely under green-flag conditions.
Meanwhile, Lowndes in number 888 fell down the grid, hindered by a couple of mistakes including overshooting the final corner just after 90 laps.
The other Triple Eight Race Engineering entrant, number 87, had plotted its way into third with Will Brown and Scott Pye behind the wheel.
Kostecki saw his lead gradually eroded by a superb stint from Broc Feeney, aided by some backmarker traffic as much as the inspired 88 car, capitalising on a minor balance change at the front of the car.
However, the race finally exploded into drama with the deployment of the race's first safety car 131 laps into the race.
Matt Payne crashed into the concrete on top of the mountain, setting up a sprint race to conclude the day's racing in the most dramatic of fashions.
With the cars backed up, Kostecki's gap was the smallest it had been since the opening laps, with 27 flat-out laps to go.
Both drivers exchanged fastest laps in a blistering assault on the Mount Panorama circuit as the great race went right down to the wire.
Neither driver gave an inch and were millimetre perfect lap after lap.
But Kostecki was good enough to hold off Feeney, who could not have done any more to claim the win.
It was the second Bathurst 1000 win for the Erebus Motorsport team, which conquered the mountain in 2017.
Post-race reactions
"I can't believe it," Kostecki said after getting out the car.
"This guy here [Hazelwood] here did a stellar job the whole week.
"I knew we had a faster car.
"I just can't believe it. I'm in awe."
Hazelwood was equally ecstatic.
"Unbelievable," he said.
"I think I'm hallucinating.
"I've just crossed my fingers are purple.
"Bush, he's an absolute legend. To do this together with him. We have been mates since day one. We've got an absolutely rocket ship of a car.
"It's been a tough year, but when you win Bathurst it makes up for it."
Feeney, despite finishing second, was gracious in defeat.
"I'm pretty knackered," he told Channel 7.
"These guys next to me absolutely killed it today. They were faultless, absolutely killed it today.
"Congrats to them and their whole team, a fantastic day.
"I drove my heart out, I didn't leave anything on the table. I had no tyres left at the end.
"I can't thank the team enough. We will be back, get up on the top step."
The win capped off a remarkable turnaround for Kostecki, who was forced to sit out the first six races of the season following a dispute with Erebus Motorsport.
His victory serves as a testament to his determination and resilience in the face of adversity.
The Bathurst 1000 is undoubtedly one of the most prestigious and demanding races in the world, and Kostecki's triumph is a highlight of his career.
It is a victory that will be remembered for years to come, and it is a victory that will inspire many others to chase their dreams.
The win also marks a significant achievement for Hazelwood, who was able to secure a victory after a season that saw him replace Kostecki in the Erebus Motorsport lineup.
His partnership with Kostecki was a driving force behind their success, and it is a partnership that will be remembered for years to come.
The Bathurst 1000 is a race that is full of twists and turns, and this year's edition was no different. But in the end, it was Kostecki and Hazelwood who emerged victorious, proving that they are two of the best drivers in the world.
With the win, Kostecki and Hazelwood have cemented their place in the history books and have shown that they are a force to be reckoned with in the world of Supercars.
