Ex-Formula 1 engineer Riccardo Corte to make Bathurst debut
Corte has engineer Kai Allen to third in points heading to Bathurst
Allen in box seat for Ryco Enduro Cup after Bend 500 podium
Mount Panorama will be a long way from Monza for Italian-born Riccardo Corte, with Kai Allen forecasting a culture shock for his Penrite Ford engineer.
Formerly a performance engineer with the Ferrari Formula 1 team, most recently working with Lewis Hamilton, Corte has taken to Supercars like a duck to water alongside Allen.
The Allen/Corte combination has delivered two wins and eight podiums, including a breakout enduro podium for Allen, Corte and veteran co-driver Tim Slade at the AirTouch 500 at The Bend.
The sights and sounds of Mount Panorama are tipped to kick Corte into another gear, with Allen eager to see his engineer's reaction to the world famous venue, and its unique fans.
"He's a bit low-key about it at the moment," Allen laughed to Supercars.com.
"He's sorta like, 'Yeah, Bathurst', and I'm like, 'Mate, wait till you see the track'.
"He knows how important it is. All over the world, you know how cool Bathurst is. But I'm excited to see him rock up to the track for the first time.
"On track walk I think he's gonna be blown away. I don't think he's gonna take too much attention to the detail. He's just gonna be blown away with the undulation change and how steep it is.
"I think it's gonna be pretty funny. There'll be a lot going on for him, trying to figure out, but he's pretty focused. He's hungry to have a crack."
The #26 Penrite Ford's Bend performance was an eye-opener, with Slade gapping the field to the tune of nearly 20 seconds in the opening stint.
Allen didn't have enough to challenge the winning Chaz Mostert Toyota on the run home — something the #26 crew has been working to unpack heading to Bathurst.
Given the unknowns of the Toyota over 1000 kilometres, Allen could be in the box seat to win the Ryco Enduro Cup and, with it, have a shot improving his Finals seeding for the Gold Coast.
"As a team we probably could've done a better job at The Bend to fight with Chaz, and he knows that, so he's pretty hungry. Bit of redemption on his side," Allen said.
"There's a lot to learn in the enduros, coming from what he does. There's a lot to take on, so credit to him. He did an outstanding job, but he believes as Car 26, we've got a bit to work on.
"We've been putting a lot of hours in to make sure we've got the best car possible so we can execute a good race and go and have some fun."
