Super2 rookie's Bathurst heroics amid illness nightmare
Max Vidau battled severe food poisoning in Bathurst
Vidau finished second, sixth in two Dunlop Series races
Podium helps Vidau keep outside chance at Super2 title
Few drivers were up against it at Mount Panorama last week quite like Max Vidau, who fought off a brutal bout of food poisoning to claim a podium.
A severe case of food poisoning threatened to cast a pall over Vidau’s weekend, but the Anderson Motorsport driver pulled performance out of the fire to claim another round trophy.
Fighting illness, Vidau spent most of Friday in the on-site medical centre, hooked up to intravenous drips and resting. But when it came to crunch time, he somehow mustered enough energy to finish second.
On Saturday, Vidau raced from eighth to sixth, which was enough to seal third for the round behind Tickford Autosport drivers Rylan Gray and Brad Vaughan.
It was a second overall podium for Vidau after Perth, with the Anderson Ford pilot claiming eight top 10s in 10 starts this season.
“Hard fought weekend on and off the track, very happy to have come away with some more silverware,” said Vidau, who is top rookie in the standings.
“Physically it was a bit of a task on Saturday. I think I could run my body on adrenaline alone on Friday, but I just became more burnt out as the weekend went on.
"I haven’t really eaten a whole lot since Thursday, I tried to steal some sleep where I could between sessions but just looking forward to some well-earned recovery time now."
Crucially, Vidau’s efforts came on a weekend erstwhile points leader Kai Allen had a shocker, with the top four covered by 150 points heading to the final round in Adelaide.
Zach Bates now leads Aaron Cameron by 39 points, with Allen 42 down in third. Then, there’s Vidau, who at 150 points down, is a outside chance. For now, Vidau will focus on recovery, and should the leaders falter in Adelaide, he wants to be there when it counts.
“On the track the boys are always racing super hard in Super2 so there was no reprieve there,” he added.
"Just tried to play it smart and continue earning those good results on our off days, which is keeping us in good stead points wise.
“We’ll be in front of the home crowd in Adelaide, I’ll be giving it everything to put on a show for the boys. If we can get up front and there’s a bit of chaos behind us, who knows what could happen."
The 2024 Dunlop Series will conclude at the VAILO Adelaide 500 on November 14-17. Tickets are on sale now.
