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Tander retired from co-driving in the weeks after his sixth success at Mount Panorama, 25 years after his first triumph in 2000. Speaking at the launch of this year’s Bathurst 1000, the Supercars champion said that had he not won the 2025 edition, he would have kept racing. “I went to last year’s Bathurst with the view that it might be my last race,” said Tander. “If we didn’t win, I would have been racing this year. It’s that simple.” Tander was cruelly denied a farewell from full-time driver when Garry Rogers Motorsport elected to field James Golding and Richie Stanaway in 2019. Tander duly joined Triple Eight and won the Bathurst 1000 twice as a co-driver with Shane van Gisbergen before joining Grove Racing in 2023 – first with David Reynolds and then Payne. In the hour after the 2025 Bathurst 1000, Tander said he came close to a mic-drop moment in the press conference after the race, but elected to announce his decision weeks later. “When I finished my 21 years of full-time driving, it wasn’t my decision. The decision was made for me, and that didn’t sit well,” said Tander. “So having the opportunity to finish on a high at the highest of highs at Mount Panorama, that was after the fact an easy decision to make. “But I went to the race last year with a view that this may be my last race, so I enjoyed every aspect of it – the autograph sessions, the sponsor appearances, every session on track. “I had my kids there with me, my partner with me, and just enjoyed every single moment as though it could be the last. “And then, when we were fortunate enough to have success, I’m like, yeah, that’s pretty easy. It was a mic drop. “I was very, very close to doing it in the press conference after the race on the Sunday night, but I wanted to the team to enjoy the moment that was the race. “It was an easy decision to make there and I’m still very, very happy with it.” Tander has started the Bathurst 1000 every year since his debut in 1998. At this year’s Great Race, he will switch the cockpit for the commentary box. Tander will be heavily relied on with Craig Lowndes, Mark Winterbottom and James Courtney all doing driving duties. The line-up will be bolstered by Greg Murphy, however. “I can’t wait. I honestly cannot wait,” said Tander. “The first time in my broadcasting career, I’ve been fortunate enough to be part of the Supercars broadcasting crew for the last five or six years, but I’ve always been racing at the same time. “I’ve never done TV at Bathurst. So I’m really looking forward to that. “I know how kind and how cruel the race can be and heard Matt (Payne) talking about how the Mountain often chooses the winner. “You don’t know what stage of the week that you will get chosen. We’ll get to commemorate the passing of Peter Brock this year, 20 years since he passed. “In 2006, the very first race after Peter’s passing, Mark Skaife and I were on the front row of the grid, unbackable favourites. The thing was an absolute rocket ship. “It was the fastest car that I’d ever had at Bathurst at that point, and we didn’t even get 100 metres into the race and it was over and done. The clutch fried and our race was over – but the Mountain chose Peter Brock’s protege in Craig Lowndes to win that race. “I can’t wait to find out what this year’s story is going to be, I can’t wait to help tell that story with the rest of the broadcast crew, and I can’t wait to share with the people watching at home how they’re doing it, why they’re doing it, when they’re doing it, and why it’s important that they’re doing it right now. “Having the experience of just jumped out of the car last year and now bringing that into broadcast, I think I can add a bit of value there with the rest of the crew and I can’t wait. “Thursday Practice 1 might be a little bit nervous for me because usually I’m driving out of pit lane. I haven’t missed driving a race car this year, but I may do at Bathurst.” The Bathurst 1000 takes place on October 8-11 at Mount Panorama.