Lochie Dalton wants to give Cooper Murray Bathurst redemption
Super2 Series leader Dalton in Supercars driver market discussions
Dalton impressed against primary drivers at The Bend
The combination of Cooper Murray, Lochie Dalton, and Erebus Motorsport shapes as one of the more intriguing line-ups of this year's Repco Bathurst 1000.
Although they only finished 18th at the AirTouch 500 at The Bend, it was a result that didn't paint the full picture of the speed the team displayed, as they went within minutes of perfectly timing a switch to dry tyres.
Erebus are two-time Bathurst winners in their own right, while Dalton has been the class of the field in the DUNLOP Super2 Series, and has also supplemented that success with wins in GT4 alongside Aaron Cameron.
Add to the mix a burning desire for Murray to atone for a heartbreaking near-miss at Bathurst 12 months ago, after being tagged into a spin by James Golding with five laps to go, and it's a combination that shouldn't be discounted for a second.
Dalton, who will make his second Great Race start after battling his way to 13th in a Tickford wildcard last year, is full of confidence, declaring that Murray will stop at nothing to lay his hands on the Peter Brock Trophy.
"He's one of the most competitive guys I've met, and I also am as well, he's pretty hungry," Dalton told Supercars.com of Murray.
"I think he'd punch anyone in the face that was going to stop him from getting a win. He's just so hungry for a win.
"He's really good for both of us to push each other along, I've known him for a while now, so it's been cool to partner with him.
"All he wants to do is just go fast, there's not much that fazes him other than going fast. Everything else, I don't think he really has much interest in."
With question marks surrounding Erebus' 2027 driver roster, Dalton could place himself in the window for a promotion with another strong performance at Bathurst.
Two young drivers looking to break their way into Supercars full-time could build a healthy rivalry to spur each other to greater heights, but Dalton was quick to play down the notion, maintaining his job is as simple as winning races in any car he sits in.
"It doesn't feel like a rivalry at all, I haven't really thought too much about that side of things," Dalton explained.
"I just focus on myself and focus on each race I have in front of me, and just know as long as I do the best I can in as many races as I can, I'll pop up somewhere."
While Hughes drove away from the field as his fuel load lightened, Dalton also held his own against the likes of Kai Allen, though like every other team in the field, had no answer for a flying Chaz Mostert as the reigning champ tore through the field to victory.
Performing against some of the sport's benchmark drivers gave Dalton a marker of where he's at in his burgeoning career, while also giving the Tasmanian a brief taste of life at the front of the Supercars pack.
However, a scrappy start did leave the 24-year-old fighting with damage amidst wet weather chaos, though he grew into his work as the opening half of the 500km Bathurst precursor wore on.
"My first stint I struggled a little bit. I just didn't feel that comfortable in the car and copped a little bit of damage in the opening laps of the race," Dalton surmised of his performance in South Australia.
"Once we found our feet, the car came to us and was a rocketship, we were able to carve through, and it was cool to get out front with Hughesy. Even battling with Kai, and then Chaz blew past us a little bit, but running at the front was cool, and a great confidence booster heading to Bathurst."
Dalton will be one of eight drivers on double duties at Bathurst, where he will take a 69-point Super2 Series lead over former Tickford teammate Reuben Goodall.
On-track action for both Supercars and Super2 begins on Thursday October 8.
