Ford's Chaz Mostert has triumphed at the Bathurst 1000, holding off a short-of-fuel Jamie Whincup to claim his first title in the Great Race.

Sorry, this video has expired Chaz Mostert wins maiden Bathurst 1000 title

Mostert came out on top in a chaotic race which saw a one-hour stoppage to repair a damaged section of the Mount Panorama circuit on Sunday.

Remarkably, Mostert only led from the final lap after he and co-driver Paul Morris started last on the grid.

No driver had previously won at Bathurst from further back than 19th - bettering the feats of Peter Brock, David Parsons and Peter McLeod.

Nissan's James Moffat finished second, ahead of third-placed Holden driver Nick Percat.

Mostert's maiden Bathurst triumph came in just his second start in the endurance classic, and co-driver Morris' 22nd.

"The last five laps all I could think of was 'cough, you bastard, cough!"' Mostert said on tailgating Whincup in the ultimate lap.

"I had to have a crack, and we pulled it off.

Bathurst 1000 top 10 Chaz Mostert (Ford)

Chaz Mostert (Ford) James Moffat (Nissan)

James Moffat (Nissan) Nick Percat (Holden)

Nick Percat (Holden) Will Davison (Mercedes)

Will Davison (Mercedes) Jamie Whincup (Holden)

Jamie Whincup (Holden) Mark Winterbottom (Ford)

Mark Winterbottom (Ford) Todd Kelly (Nissan)

Todd Kelly (Nissan) Rick Kelly (Nissan)

Rick Kelly (Nissan) Fabian Coulthard (Holden)

Fabian Coulthard (Holden) Craig Lowndes (Holden)

"From 26th to first, it's unbelievable. Everything went our way."

There was more drama in store as New Zealand's Shane van Gisbergen, who led for the majority of the race, was tragically denied a first Bathurst title when his car failed to start after a late pitstop.

It allowed Jamie Whincup - who had done remarkably well himself to get into the lead from 23rd on the grid - and Mark Winterbottom to speed away, only for Winterbottom to spin out soon after.

The race became a shoot-out between Whincup and Mostert, with Whincup desperately trying to manage his fuel with an increasingly quick Mostert breathing down his neck.

Ultimately, Mostert's extra fuel gave him the late burst he needed as Whincup looked to coast down the hill in the final lap.

Mostert found the gap he needed, speeding away from Whincup with half a lap to go to take out the title.

Whincup, who ultimately finished fifth, watched on as Moffat and Percat beat him to a podium finish.

"The lights went out and I dropped, while everyone else sort of stopped for a while," Whincup said on his desperate finish.

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"I thought I'll grab a few spots and just try to work my way through those first couple of laps and stayed out of trouble which is great."

On his climb up the standings on a frenetic day, Whincup was modest about his phenomenal race.

"It looked a bit better than it was. I was up against a lot of co-drivers," he said.

"I had to make up some spots after my dismal performance in qualifying.

"We are in the entertainment industry, hopefully it was entertaining for the crowds.

"I did what I could today and it didn't pay off, but we're hoping next time it will."

Van Gisbergen denied as front-runners crank up the speed

Agony in the pits ... Shane van Gisbergen led for the majority of the race, but saw his car die on him during a late pitstop. ( Getty Images: Robert Cianflone )

The race was red-flagged with 100 laps to go after a patch of tarmac at turn two broke up heavily, causing a number of accidents.

After the race was resumed, two more safety cars were called in before the midway point of the 161-lap contest, before it was called out again after 127 laps.

Jamie Whincup did well to take the lead having come from 23rd on the grid, but his lack of fuel ultimately cost him. ( Getty Images: Daniel Kalisz )

The 146th lap saw van Gisbergen complete a 2:07.69 lap, only for Lowndes, hot on his heels, to clock 2:07.68 one second later for a new best time of the race.

The front three of van Gisbergen, Lowndes and Mostert were effectively driving qualifying times in a mad sprint for the finish in an effort to put a gap on Winterbottom in fifth.

Winterbottom, 11 seconds behind the leader, was looking to conserve fuel and bank on the transit time of 34 seconds in an effort to sneak in front late on.

But more drama ensued on the 151st lap when van Gisbergen pulled in for a late fuel top-up, only for his car to give up on him in the pitlane, cruelly ending his race.

Bathurst 1000 previous winners 2013: Mark Winterbottom (Ford)

Mark Winterbottom (Ford) 2012: Jamie Whincup (Holden)

Jamie Whincup (Holden) 2011: Garth Tander (Holden)

Garth Tander (Holden) 2010: Craig Lowndes (Holden)

Craig Lowndes (Holden) 2009: Will Davison (Holden)

Will Davison (Holden) 2008: Craig Lowndes (Ford)

Craig Lowndes (Ford) 2007: Craig Lowndes (Ford)

Craig Lowndes (Ford) 2006: Craig Lowndes (Ford)

Craig Lowndes (Ford) 2005: Mark Skaife (Holden)

Mark Skaife (Holden) 2004: Greg Murphy (Holden)

It allowed Whincup and Winterbottom to speed away with Lowndes in third, only for Whincup to fly off the road on a corner as Winterbottom inherited the lead.

Russell Ingall's earlier collision with the wall meant another safety car was called with nine laps to go, allowing the front pack to bunch up ahead of the race's climax.

Whincup pounced after the restart, overtaking Winterbottom over the course of two corners before Lowndes made contact with Winterbottom's rear, sending the Ford driver into a spin as he dropped down to ninth.

The incident would see Lowndes penalised as he ultimately finished the race in 10th spot.

But the fuel issue still lingered as Whincup looked to hold off the menacing Mostert, who looked to force Whincup into using as much fuel as possible with four laps to go.

With three laps remaining, Whincup had a three-second gap on Mostert as his team radioed him to conserve his "marginal" fuel levels.

Whincup only seemed to respond on the penultimate lap to the radio calls begging him to slow down. With one-and-a-half laps to go, Whincup's team informed him he had only one lap's worth of fuel.

It proved costly as Mostert, with extra power and reserves, sped through the gap to triumphantly confirm his first title on the mountain.