Lawson eyes 'bucket list' Bathurst after Supercar laps
Supercars
21 Mar
Liam Lawson took hero James Courtney for a ride
Lawson drove Blanchard Racing Team Gen3 Ford
Rising Kiwi star keen on future Bathurst start
Rising star Liam Lawson has taken hero James Courtney for a ride in a Supercar at Albert Park, and is keen to one day make a “bucket list” Bathurst start.
The 22-year-old Kiwi, who is reserve driver for Red Bull’s Formula 1 team, got behind the wheel of Blanchard Racing Team Ford on Thursday.
Lawson took passengers for a ride in the Gen3 Mustang on Thursday morning, before taking Courtney for laps in the afternoon.
For Lawson, the experience carried added weight, given 2010 Supercars champion Courtney was his motorsport hero growing up.
"I definitely pushed a lot harder with James than I did with anybody else," Lawson said.
"I felt quite a lot of pressure when he got in next to me, because when I was a kid he was my hero, when I started go kart racing. So, it was a pretty cool experience."
Lawson, who lapped Red Bull RB7 at Mount Panorama last year, cited the Bathurst 1000 as a "bucket list" race.
"Yeah, like a co-driver thing would be amazing to do if I could jump in one day. That's definitely the dream," he said.
"Obviously every driver has their bucket list races that they want to do, and Bathurst has been something that I've grown up watching. So, I would love to do it.”
BRT is one of several teams with co-drive vacancies, and when asked if he could make an appearance in 2024, Lawson said: "Right now I'm not really racing… hey, anything's possible."
Courtney was impressed by the young driver’s skills, joking he could jump in and compete in Thursday’s Supercars race.
"Yeah, he could jump in and do the race this afternoon if he wants to,” Courtney told Supercars.com.
“He knows what he's doing. It’s got pedals, a steering wheel, it's all the same sort of principles. Just the car's just a bit heavier."
For Courtney, riding shotgun was a strange experience, but he managed to get even more understanding about the Gen3 car after being passenger for a change.
"Now I know why people get out and they’re so excited,” Courtney said.
"The last time I went in a passenger was with Russell Ingall and we just about had a punch up afterwards, that was like 2005, 2006.
"I suppose you get a newfound respect for the cars because you're sitting on the wrong side. But no, it was awesome. He did a cracking job. It was a good bit of fun."
