Taking turns: One hot lap with the Giz
Kiwi Shane van Gisbergen leads the title race heading into this year’s Great Race and takes us around a lap of the Mt Panorama track.
eric. thompson@ nzherald. co. nz The chance of a Kiwi standing on the podium tomorrow afternoon is quite high at Bathurst this year.
There are nine Kiwis in the field for the 56th running of the Bathurst 1000 — Shane van Gisbergen, Scott McLaughlin, Fabian Coulthard, Chris Pither and Andre Heimgartner are regulars while Craig Baird, Steven Richards, Chris van der Drift and Richie Stanaway are all co- drivers.
Baird and Richards have more laps of the Mt Panorama circuit under their belts than most, van der Drift has turned a few laps in various GT cars but never a Supercar and Stanaway is a real rookie on his first visit to the place.
Bathurst is probably not the place to have just your second Supercars race, but Stanaway is by no means daunted. In his first hit out in anger at the Sandown 500 last month, he turned heads with his masterful performance in the wet on slicks and is very keen to take on the mountain.
“It’s been all right so far, but there’s still a lot to learn,” said Stanaway. “I’m trying to do my best despite my lack of [ Supercars] experience. There are no similarities between the Aston and a Supercar.
“They’re really different and it’s a lot more draining mentally having to think around a new car all the time and what it’s doing.
“To be able to race at Bathurst was number one on my bucket list. It’s the one race I’ve always wanted to do.
“The one good thing is that there is a lot of practice here and I’m going to try and get in as many laps as possible. If we can get the car to go fast, we should be okay. Chris and I want the same thing from the car, so no worries there.”
His co- driver, Pither, is more than happy to have the works Aston Martin GT Racing driver sharing the load and knows Stanaway has a pedigree in endurance racing, having competed in the World Endurance Racing series.
“We had a pretty good lead- up to Sandown with Richie having a few test days. I had confidence in him, considering the amount of endurance racing he’s done,” said Pither.
“He’s well- experienced in this type of racing and just has to adapt to this type of car. He came out of the blocks strong at Sandown and it wasn’t that much of a surprise, as I knew he’d do a good job.
“This weekend will be challenging for him as Bathurst has just about everything to throw at you. The track will suit our car so that should make it easier.”
While Stanaway i s new to both Supercars and the track, at least van der Drift has turned a few laps there, in the Bathurst 12- Hour. The talented Kiwi also has a great reputation in Europe and Asia, having won a number of different series championships. Van der Drift and Shae Davies will be looking to improve on their Sandown 500 result when they came home 22nd.
“I’ve been lucky to have had a few laps here so I know which way the track goes, which is a bonus,” said van der Drift.
“The car feels a lot heavier than the Porsche GT cars I’m used to, but it’s really nice to have so much power under your foot to play with.
“Each time I get in the car, I feel more comfortable and, coming to Bathurst, I’m more confident than I was at Sandown. Plus I know what the track looks like, how it behaves and where the corners are.
“I watched the Bathurst 1000 the whole time I was growing up and to finally get the chance to race here is pretty cool.”
Co- driverDavies wasn’t too worried when he heard the news he’d be sharing the car with van der Drift, as he was well aware that the Kiwi had been racing at the highest levels in Europe and Asia. “It was out of my hands [ co- driver decision] but I’m really pleased it was Chris,” he said.
Four- time winner Jamie Whincup has claimed provisional pole. Holden’s Whincup failed to break his own lap record yesterday but still topped qualifying for the Supercars, clocking t wo minutes, 05.04 seconds.
He held out a fast- finishing Kiwi Scott McLaughlin, of Volvo, while Holden’s Tim Slade was third fastest ahead of today’s top- 10 shootout.
Kiwis Fabian Coulthard and Van Gisbergen grabbed fifth and sixth positions. “Probably the most important corner at Bathurst is Turn One. It sets you up for the first big run up the mountain. It’s an easy corner on paper, but is probably worth the most time [ for a fast lap].
“Turn Two is a crazy uphill corner that’s tough to get right. You then head into the Cutting, which i s a double left with the first part being blind and then hard into the second A combined total of 10 Bathurst 1000 wins, along with being the defending champions, mean they have a pretty good idea how to get the job done. Lowndes is in contention for the championship so will be keen to grab the 300 points to set himself up for the run into the season end. They have more experience than you can poke a stick at, so if the mechanical gremlins stay away they’ll be contenders. These two have been racing together for four seasons. Whincup’s pedigree kink. You’ll probably touch the wall about five times if you get it right and lose the odd wing mirror rubbing against the fence, which is cool.
“After that we have the Fujistu Man as we call it ( under a big sign) and there’s a bump right in the middle that upsets the car, so you have to get it just right. You exit hard up against the wall, banging the wing mirror.
“The next tough part is what we call the Grate and i s probably the craziest corner on the track, in my opinion. You come down the hill and, at the bottom, the car compresses so much the steering binds up and the power steering just can’t cope with the load. You get in there and have to set the steering and hope you get it is undeniable but a few tactical decisions on his behalf have meant the duo hasn’t featured of late at Bathurst. The big plus is Dumbrell is still active racing in the Development Series and is very much race fit. Whincup sits second in the championship and is keen to make a better fist of the Enduro Cup than last year. The defending Supercars champion may be 340 points off the title lead ( fifth overall) heading into Bathurst, but a win worth 300 points could make all the difference. The former winner has a new sponsor and new right. That’s where Scotty Pye’s steering broke last year.
“McPhillamy Park is the next one and i s where all the fans are. You come over the top and all four wheels are off the ground and you have to make sure the car’s pointed in the right direction. It’s an awesome section.
“You then go across Skyline and you start the race down the hill with a tight, drop away right- hander. Every time you take a bit of a gulp, as it’s so steep, but it’s still pretty cool winding your way down the hill.
“You’re now coming up to Forrest’s Elbow, which you have to get right to get a good drive early on to Conrod [ Straight]. co- driver this year. Dean Canto is new to Winterbottom but not to the team. He partnered David Reynolds in the past and is a solid, reliable driver not prone to making mistakes, so the pair could be the quiet achievers in the pack. The flying Kiwi leads the championship and has the most wins ( five) in the series. As each race weekend goes by, Van Gisbergen is getting the consistency to match his undoubted pace. The choice of Premat may seem odd to some, but the Frenchman has been part of the category for a while now and likes the
“It’s a straight run now where we’re getting up to 300km/ h before you get to the Chase where you have to brake really hard for the 90 degree left- hander. Pretty big stopping power here where you need about 100kg of pressure on the brake pedal [ equivalent to a 100kg single leg press]. Doing that all day i s pretty hard on the leg and the car.
“The last corner again looks simple on paper but it’s really hard to get right because it’s so bumpy.
“There are so many corners where you can’t see the apex or the exit so you’ve just got to trust your track knowledge. And that’s why so many people struggle in the first few years here.” way the car is set up for the Kiwi. A fighting second place at the Sandown 500 proved Premat is on the pace. These two could just be the pair who may come out on top if there is any weather drama. The former V8 Ute champion Pither finished fourth in the Development Series in 2014 and claimed pole at Queensland Raceway in July. Stanaway, on the other hand, is a Supercars rookie but he made the V8 fraternity sit up and pay attention after an amazing drive in the wet on slicks at the Sandown 500. He has a world- class reputation in endurance racing so will go well.