Snapshot

The Supercheap Auto Bathurst 1000 is the biggest event on the V8 Supercars calendar and the Holden Racing Team have plenty to report in the lead up to the ‘Great Race’.

The biggest and most disappointing news from the team is that James Courtney has withdrawn from the event after doctors advised he would risk further damage to his injuries which were sustained at Sydney Motorsport Park.

On a positive note Russell Ingall will again step in as co-driver with Jack Perkins. This weekend marks the 20 year anniversary of the Russell Ingall/Larry Perkins Bathurst win of 1990. Perhaps history can be repeated with the family names again coming together as a team this year.

The Holden Racing Team is also rocking two very cool Star Wars liveries on the #2 and #22 Commodores to celebrate the release of the new movie, The Force Awakens, in December. Garth Tander and Warren Luff will represent the ‘dark side’ while Jack and Russell will represent the resistance.

With six different drivers taking pole position in the last six years, the mountain is anyone’s. The prize is the much desired Peter Brock Trophy – and HRT are one of only three teams that have won it since its inception in 2006.

Constructed in 1938 as scenic tourist drive, the Bathurst circuit is now famous in motorsport and has even hosted the Australian grand prix.

Words of Wisdom

Garth Tander, #2 Holden Commodore VF:
“I’m looking forward to Bathurst particularly after coming 4th at Sandown with a car that was probably as fast as anyone in the last third of the race. Bathurst is a long race and as we saw last year anything can happen. Car #2 wasn’t a player at all on Sunday so we are looking forward to getting back there and getting amongst it.”

“Bathurst is an interesting race because there is a lot of talk in the week leading up to it, there’s a lot of trash talk, a lot of media, a lot of people stating expectations but in reality that is all nothing until the last hour of the race.”

“So if we can have a fast car and a comfortable car, the right strategy and good track position that’s what it takes to win at Bathurst. You are playing high speed chess in the first 800kms of the race but when you get to the end that’s where it really counts.”

“The track is unique because it is up and down the side of a mountain and there are a lot of blind corners. There are also a lot of sections where you have to string sectors together so the run across the top from Reid Park to Skyline, then from Skyline down to Forrest elbow are two very different types of flow and two very different types of car behaviour."

“Bathurst is unique because of its off-camber nature and the nature of the car moving around so much across the top of the mountain with the rise and fall. Then you have the traditional two heavy corners at the bottom. You need a car that can deal with all those situations."

“You never have a perfect car for Bathurst, you either set it up for a comfortable fast run across the top and deal with what you have down the bottom, or you set the car up with good drive traction onto Conrod and up mountain straight so that you can’t be passed in either of those two sections, then hold on for the ride across the top.”

Warren Luff, #2 Holden Commodore VF:
“Every year I get incredible excited to go to Bathurst, it’s that time of year that is the AFL and NRL grand final are played, and this year being the 25 years of the Holden Racing Team combined with Star Wars on the car there is so much going into this race. For Garth and I there was obviously that disappointment of last year where I had that big crash in Saturday morning practice so we were both gutted not only for the team but for all the fans of the team."

"We’ll be going back this even more hungry and determined than ever, and to deliver a HRT win come Sunday afternoon it would be a massive afternoon and a fantastic thing to be a part of. To win at Bathurst it’s a day long marathon, there is so much that goes into it. For all the teams it’s the biggest race of the year in terms of personnel. The fans absolutely love the race."

"It’s a real team effort and I think what make Bathurst so unique is that it’s not a circuit and I think what makes it so special is that we can’t go and drive on any day, you can only race there a couple of time a year. I feel very lucky to be taking a place on the grid."

Jack Perkins, #22 Holden Commodore VF:
“We are all shattered for James, obviously he is the main driver in #22 and we were all gunning for him to be back in the car but unfortunately that’s not the case. Russell very much proved he was up to speed at Sandown, we finished inside the top 10 and we were a top 10 car all weekend.”

“Our expectations, our goals and our ambitions haven’t changed for the weekend. Everyone in the team is still committed to trying to win the race and Russell is pretty fired up to do that too. I qualified in the top 10 shootout last year and that is our first goal, then we work towards the race on Sunday.”

“I remember my first Bathurst quite clearly, which was back in 2006, and to think I’m going there for my tenth one is unbelievable, and to be going there with HRT in their 25th year is pretty cool. It’s just going to be an awesome experience and we’ve just launched our Start Wars liveries which adds a bit more excitement to the whole thing.”

“This is the second year of a brand new track surface here at Bathurst so that means a lot of the data from over the years is irrelevant and we also have a new drop gear so there are some unknowns there. Principally we want a car that’s nice to drive on Sunday. This might sound a bit silly but you don’t want to be wrestling the car for 161-laps because that means the margin for error is too small.”

“If we can get a car that’s comfortable over the top of the mountain through the high speed stuff and good balance at low speed then it will give Russell and I good confidence to truck along nicely on Sunday. The best strategy is always to have a fast car and the rest will take care of itself. The first focus is qualifying and you want to get yourself a nice starting position and then once that’s done we can really focus on the race.

Russell Ingall, #22 Holden Commodore VF:
“It’s good to have James here at the track this weekend, I think it would be harder for him to watch the race at home like he did for Sandown. I think it is the best of a bad situation that he can still be involved. I know I will be leaning on him a bit this weekend as far as driving goes and to get that final bit of speed out of the car.”

“It’s always good to do Bathurst and it’s a bit unfortunate on how the drive came about I’ve known James for a lot of years and I think if we came out with a bit of a decent result that would put a smile on his face. I think he could do with that at the moment.”

“Any time you get a chance to drive at Bathurst, especially with a class team like the Holden Racing Team, you look forward to it. When you come here with a genuine opportunity of getting a result it’s exciting. As we saw last year anything can happen.”

“I think we surprised a lot of people at Sandown and probably a few people question marked whether I should be in the car or was the right choice, but in the end I think we proved a lot of critics wrong. I know Jack really well, I trust Jack and at Sandown we just got on with it.”

“Then low and behold we weren’t outside the top 10 all weekend really if it wasn’t for the unfortunate qualifying result. It was a top 5 car. I think we’ve learnt a lot since then and I think the car will be more competitive here.”