Kiwi trio lined up for Toyota 86 Bathurst adventure
Three up and coming Kiwi racers will give Bathurst their best shot this weekend in one of the most competitive fields of the big weekend at Mount Panorama.
Toyota 86 Championship racers Peter Vodanovich and Jaden Ransley will be looking to build on their performances so far in this year’s Australian championship, where Ransley has even taken a race win in a field of cars that regularly tops 30 runners.
Vodanovich has been under the wing of former Bathurst winner Paul Morris in recent months and will be looking to convert that knowledge and his undoubted speed into solid results over the weekend. Looking ahead to the action, he said: "My racing career started by playing Bathurst on a simulator and it’s so cool to be racing at such an iconic track this weekend.
"The team and I have put in a lot of work to prepare myself mentally and physically working with Anton De Pasquale, SVG, Paul Morris and doing some enduros back in NZ too. I’m in good hands with the Paul Morris Academy so hoping to take home some good points and silverware.”
Ransley - meanwhile - will be aiming to get back on the top step of the podium. “I’m insanely excited to be racing here at Bathurst this weekend,” he said. “We’ve done a few test days back at home in preparation for this weekend and I’m feeling great. The goal is to stay around the pointy end of the field like we were at Phillip Island!”
For Andrew Jackson, who confirmed his deal to run in one of the Australian TOYOTA GAZOO Racing 86s only last week, it's much more about the experience of being part of one of the biggest weekends in Australasian motorsport each year.
"It's obviously going to be quite a challenge, as I have never been to Bathurst and like many have only seen it on television," he explained. “It’s the experience that I am excited about, an awesome opportunity to race on the biggest stage in Australasian motorsport. We will be trying to learn as much as we can from the team over there and translate as much as possible to our own NZ series starting in November."
Qualifying takes place today with Race One on Saturday morning, Race Two on Saturday afternoon and the final encounter on the Sunday morning of the big race.
