Doubters fuelling Randle's Bathurst, Finals charge

Thomas Randle has moved halfway across the world to chase his dream. He has overcome cancer. He has been rear-ended in a 38g accident. He knows how to fight battles.

So, when faced with noisy online doubters commenting on his Finals or Bathurst credentials, the Tickford Racing driver prefers to keep it pretty simple.

The reality is, Randle is in the hunt for a Finals spot, but his hopes hinge on the biggest race of the season in Bathurst.

Randle finished fifth overall last season, but after a strong start to the new season, currently sits ninth. Just 81 points ahead of 10th, with 300 on offer in Bathurst, Randle is far from safe.

Naturally, for any driver on The Finals bubble, there has been noise over where they sit in the current state of play.

So, how does Randle take it on?

“People can say what they want, really. I like what Chaz [Mostert] says, no social media hate, but unfortunately, that’s not always the case,” Randle told Supercars.com.

“You’ve got to use that as fuel to be stronger on the track. You have to believe in your team and your crew around you, and they've got to have the belief in you.

“It’s such a confidence sport. You’ve got to just trust your own processes and procedures, and you need to have self-belief and know that you can do it.

"I've been through a lot. I've had some tough challenges in my life. Every race is just another event, but you need to capitalise and maximise every opportunity you get.”

A fourth place finish at the Mountain will lock Randle into The Finals. To Randle, and his rivals, that’s nonsense — you go to Bathurst to win.

Partnered with three-time podium-finisher James Moffat, who has his own redemption tale to tell, Randle is putting his energy into the Great Race, rather than worrying about the numbers needed to get to the Gold Coast.

"I guess you say that every year, don't you, That each year is your best shot?” the 29-year-old said.

"I mean, I can't see why we can't have a strong result, but it's ultra competitive. In terms of The Finals, I'm not really worrying about that, because Bathurst will sort of take care of itself.

“No one goes to Bathurst saying, 'oh, you know, top 10 or top five would be great’. We all go there because we want to win the damn thing. That hasn't changed. I want to win Bathurst.

“And hey, if we win Bathurst, then I'm definitely in The Finals! So, Bathurst will be what it will be, and we just need to do everything we can to get the best result possible.

“We’re not going there to come second. If you're fighting for the win, that's pretty cool. We’ve got to be on our game, and after that, then we can worry about The Finals.

"No matter what happens with the last three rounds, we're still gonna go there to try and win races for our team, our partners, our supporters and members."

Track action at Mount Panorama commences on Thursday October 9.