0.29 Seconds: The Rookie, the Veteran, and the Finish That Denied Skaife
October 9, 2011. Mount Panorama. The Supercheap Auto Bathurst 1000. Two stories collided on the final lap.
Garth Tander, the 2007 champion, already a two-time Bathurst winner, carrying the weight of a Holden Racing Team in mourning. Founder Tom Walkinshaw had died the previous December, and a season of upheaval had tested the famous squad to its core.
Nick Percat. A rookie. A Formula Ford champion with barely a handful of main-game starts, drafted in as co-driver and dismissed by plenty of paddock observers as not ready for the Mountain. Tander never doubted him.
Starting ninth on the grid, with no Bathurst-winning combination having ever won from there, the #2 Toll HRT Commodore methodically worked forward. Percat's only error in a near-flawless debut was a light brush of the wall at Griffin's Bend.
Then came the ending. Craig Lowndes, five-time winner, hunted Tander down over the closing laps. Two Commodores, two teams, one mountain. Lowndes threw everything at the HRT car through the final sweeps of the 6.2-kilometre circuit, and fell 0.29 seconds short.
The scoreboard tells the rest: Tander's third Bathurst crown. HRT's seventh, and its 200th race win as a team, a tribute to the late Tom Walkinshaw. The podium? An all-Holden sweep, with Greg Murphy and Allan Simonsen's Pepsi Max Crew Commodore in third, Murphy having started the day from pole. And Percat? The first rookie to win the Great Race at his first attempt since Jacky Ickx in 1977, and the first South Australian-born winner in the race's history.
For Mark Skaife, Lowndes' co-driver that day, it was a hard-fought farewell. His final Bathurst 1000, decided by just three-tenths of a second.
Legendary? The crowd knew it before the chequered flag fell.
Printed in Australia on premium fabric, this officially licensed Holden tribute tee features the Toll HRT VE Commodore livery of the 2011 winner. Add your name or personal number plate to make your car clothing uniquely yours.
Why serious fans choose STOMPSHOP:
- Official Licensed Graphics: Genuine Holden / HRT merchandise
- Race-Accurate Design: Faithful to the 2011 Toll HRT VE Commodore livery
- Made in Australia: Premium prints supporting local manufacturing
- Premium Fabric: High-quality textile with a superior hand-feel and long-lasting vibrancy
- Personalisation Ready: Add your name or custom number plate to your tee or hoodie
Perfect for HRT faithful, Tander fans, and anyone who knows rookies aren't supposed to win Bathurst. Until one does. Order your 2011 Bathurst Winner Holden VE Commodore t-shirt / hoodie today.
|
TEES 100% cotton • 180gsm shoulder to shoulder tape • better comfort and durability minimised shrinkage • pre-shrunk fabric |
|
HOODIES 80% cotton • 20% polyester anti-pill fleece • 290 GSM unisex • pullover hood • kangaroo pocket pre-shrunk • minimised shrinkage |
SWEAT SHOP FREE • ECO FRIENDLY • PROUDLY PRINTED IN MELBOURNE AUSTRALIA
Your shirt will leave our Melbourne based location in 5-7 business days with Australia Post signature required on delivery.
All Artwork by James Bailey Stomp Impressions © 2026
2011 Bathurst Winner | Holden VE Commodore | Garth Tander / Nick Percat Mens T-Shirt [Size: S] Personalised:No [MULTICOLOUR]
0.29 Seconds: The Rookie, the Veteran, and the Finish That Denied Skaife
October 9, 2011. Mount Panorama. The Supercheap Auto Bathurst 1000. Two stories collided on the final lap.
Garth Tander, the 2007 champion, already a two-time Bathurst winner, carrying the weight of a Holden Racing Team in mourning. Founder Tom Walkinshaw had died the previous December, and a season of upheaval had tested the famous squad to its core.
Nick Percat. A rookie. A Formula Ford champion with barely a handful of main-game starts, drafted in as co-driver and dismissed by plenty of paddock observers as not ready for the Mountain. Tander never doubted him.
Starting ninth on the grid, with no Bathurst-winning combination having ever won from there, the #2 Toll HRT Commodore methodically worked forward. Percat's only error in a near-flawless debut was a light brush of the wall at Griffin's Bend.
Then came the ending. Craig Lowndes, five-time winner, hunted Tander down over the closing laps. Two Commodores, two teams, one mountain. Lowndes threw everything at the HRT car through the final sweeps of the 6.2-kilometre circuit, and fell 0.29 seconds short.
The scoreboard tells the rest: Tander's third Bathurst crown. HRT's seventh, and its 200th race win as a team, a tribute to the late Tom Walkinshaw. The podium? An all-Holden sweep, with Greg Murphy and Allan Simonsen's Pepsi Max Crew Commodore in third, Murphy having started the day from pole. And Percat? The first rookie to win the Great Race at his first attempt since Jacky Ickx in 1977, and the first South Australian-born winner in the race's history.
For Mark Skaife, Lowndes' co-driver that day, it was a hard-fought farewell. His final Bathurst 1000, decided by just three-tenths of a second.
Legendary? The crowd knew it before the chequered flag fell.
Printed in Australia on premium fabric, this officially licensed Holden tribute tee features the Toll HRT VE Commodore livery of the 2011 winner. Add your name or personal number plate to make your car clothing uniquely yours.
Why serious fans choose STOMPSHOP:
- Official Licensed Graphics: Genuine Holden / HRT merchandise
- Race-Accurate Design: Faithful to the 2011 Toll HRT VE Commodore livery
- Made in Australia: Premium prints supporting local manufacturing
- Premium Fabric: High-quality textile with a superior hand-feel and long-lasting vibrancy
- Personalisation Ready: Add your name or custom number plate to your tee or hoodie
Perfect for HRT faithful, Tander fans, and anyone who knows rookies aren't supposed to win Bathurst. Until one does. Order your 2011 Bathurst Winner Holden VE Commodore t-shirt / hoodie today.
|
TEES 100% cotton • 180gsm shoulder to shoulder tape • better comfort and durability minimised shrinkage • pre-shrunk fabric |
|
HOODIES 80% cotton • 20% polyester anti-pill fleece • 290 GSM unisex • pullover hood • kangaroo pocket pre-shrunk • minimised shrinkage |
SWEAT SHOP FREE • ECO FRIENDLY • PROUDLY PRINTED IN MELBOURNE AUSTRALIA
Your shirt will leave our Melbourne based location in 5-7 business days with Australia Post signature required on delivery.
All Artwork by James Bailey Stomp Impressions © 2026

