BATHURST 2017
THE TEAM THAT COULD
by Paul Marinelli
The Supercheap Auto Bathurst 1000 is truly one drivers took to the track right from the start in the
of the world’s greatest motor races and the 2017 rain. There were many outstanding performances
edition certainly lived up to its reputation. in conditions that were far from ideal on a circuit
It was a wet race for the vast majority of the that bites hard even for the slightest of errors.
56th running of the six and a half hour Supercar Of all the co-drivers, we saw commanding
battle, adding to the excitement of what is always performances by superb standout youngsters
an incredibly demanding motor race both on the such as Garry Jacobson and Ritchie Stanaway.
cars and their drivers. Their storming drives through the field were
Of course it takes two drivers to complete the accompanied by impressive performances from
gruelling 161 laps of the majestic 6.2 kilometre Todd Hazelwood and Jack LeBrocq among others.
Mount Panorama Circuit, so each driver is paired These guys were every bit a match for the strong
with a non-regular or former Supercars driver, and reliable veteran Bathurst co-drivers Luke
hailing from the Super2 Series (Supercars’ driver Youlden (who powered on to win it) Warren Luff,
development category) or from other local and Steve Owen, Dean Canto and several others.
international motor racing disciplines. But it is all about who is in front at the end of
The ‘Great Race’ as it is commonly referred to, is the almost seven hour motor race and this year
the one day in October when pretty much every it went to a small but impressive team; the
sports fan in the country is watching, particularly only Supercars team owned by a female, Betty
during the always furiously exciting last hour. This Klimenko: Erebus Motorsport. They won it with
closing period of the race is always an outstanding a driver who had been unceremoniously let go
spectacle of skill and courage, particularly given by major team Prodrive Racing Australia just two
the damp and dangerous conditions that the field years before and with a co-driver who had been
encountered this year. axed by each team he has raced with at Bathurst
Bathurst in 2017 drew a new line in the sand with
over the past 17 years.
the standards of driving quality, particularly by the Their victory was not a ‘Bradbury’ result by any
vastly inexperienced co-drivers. The co-driver means. The rest of the field didn’t fall over and
has the crucially important job to circulate at a this was no easy run for them. David Reynolds
constantly fast pace and bring the car back to the and Luke Youlden (on his 18th great race attempt)
main driver in one piece. This job is to assist the won the race on pure pace, skill and strategy,
regular series driver in accumulating the double racing within the top five for the majority of the
championship points on offer at Bathurst, along race and leading it home strongly at the end of
with the other two major Supercar endurance the 161 laps. Along the journey, the drivers coped
races, the Sandown 500 and the Gold Coast 600. with the worst weather conditions seen at Mount
This year however, the tables were turned when
the younger, hungrier and incredibly fearless co-
12 CAPRICORN IGNITION HOLIDAY EDITION
Panorama for several years.
It was truly a story of the team that could at