First day a bit of a dampener
The cars spent three hours going around the famous Mount Panorama track yesterday, but Fabian Coulthard admitted it won’t count for much.
Rain fell throughout the day, but Sunday’s 1000km race is expected to take place in dry conditions, so there are only so many adjustments that can be make to the cars in preparation for vastly different conditions. Several drivers barely did any laps.
‘‘The important thing is to bring the car back in one piece,’’ Coulthard said.
‘‘It’s not likely to be like this for the rest of the weekend, there may be a few showers [on Friday], but definitely on Saturday and Sunday it’s going to be fine and good weather.
‘‘Obviously, we get a good feel for the car in these conditions, but it’s not going to mean a great deal.
‘‘I’m not unhappy with the car,’’ he added. ‘‘We had a procedure to go through, we stuck to the plan and didn’t really search for a lap time, so for us to be sixth [in the first practice session] is not a bad start.’’
Coulthard and his DJR Team Penske team-mate, Scott McLaughlin, are in new territory at this year’s Bathurst, being in the first garage along pit lane.
It’s the place where Triple Eight Race Engineering had been camped for the previous seven years and Coulthard said they’ve had to get used to their new environment.
‘‘It’s a longer walk from the carpark, but I’m happy to take the negatives with the positives,’’ Coulthard said.
‘‘It’s pretty awesome and it shows that our team did a fantastic job last year.
‘‘We were the team champions, so you get rewarded by being the first garage. But we need to make the most of it, it’s still a bit new for us to be up here, but it is a cool feeling.’’
This will be Coulthard’s 15th Bathurst 1000. Last year he made it onto the podium for the first time, finishing third with Tony D’Alberto, his co-driver again this year.
‘‘I love Bathurst,’’ he said. ‘‘It’s an unbelievable track and every time we drive from Sydney to Bathurst, no matter who’s in the car, the first thing we do is go for a lap in the rental car. ‘‘It’s great to see all the fans were here so early. We get here on a Tuesday and they’re here already.
‘‘When we do the track walk there are a lot of fans around wanting autographs and photos, so there’s a real carnival atmosphere and it’s pretty special.’’
Coulthard has to be considered among the leading contenders for this year’s race, although so much can happen over six hours of racing.
‘‘It’s a long day and I don’t think you have to be the fastest car to win this race; you don’t necessarily have to start at the front either,’’ he said.
‘‘It’s a long day, strategy comes into play, you need to have a good, predictable car that can get the job done throughout the duration of the 1000km.
‘‘You need a bit of luck, I always say the mountain chooses you. Everyone thinks they’re in with a chance when they wake up on Sunday morning, but the mountain will pay respect to someone.’’
A common comment about the Bathurst 1000 is that most the race is just about buying a ticket to the last hour of it, so drivers should keep their car out of trouble for the first five hours, rather than focus on their position.
‘‘I feel like that’s true,’’ Coulthard said.
‘‘It’s a 1000km sprint race, but to get rewarded you need to be in the hunt in the last hour and to get the points you need to be there on the last lap. So you need to stay on the lead lap, but the last lap of 161 laps is when they pay out the points.’’
‘‘I’m not unhappy with the car.’’ Fabian Coulthard