Waters, Reynolds' secret 12 Hour weapon
Cam Waters’ second Bathurst 12 Hour start, and first alongside David Reynolds, will come with an advantage.
Waters and Reynolds will share an Audi with Tony Bates for this weekend’s LIQUI MOLY Bathurst 12 Hour.
The car will be engineered by Waters’ regular Tickford Racing engineer Sam Potter.
Potter has skippered Waters’ efforts for the balance of the Ford driver’s career.
Waters will make his second 12 Hour start and first since 2018, when he finished seventh overall.
It marks a key creature comfort for Waters, who will have a familiar voice in his ear calling the shots.
"My Tickford Supercars engineer, Sam Potter, is going to be our race engineer for the weekend," Waters said.
"I’ll have the familiarity of working with someone I already have a good relationship with.
"Pottsy and I are both looking forward to working together in a different environment and optimising the performance of the Audi.”
Reynolds has a chequered history with the 12 Hour; from six starts, he has recorded three DNFs.
The new Pro-Am rules ensures the amateur racers will play a more prominent role in the race.
That excites Reynolds, who is keen to see veteran Bates flourish.
"All the bronze or unseeded drivers have to spend at least three hours in the car, and at least one of those hours needs to be in the second half of the race," Reynolds said.
"This means the Am drivers will make a genuine contribution to the outcome of the race in the later stages. Fortunately, Batesy is one of the best Am drivers around, so we’re strong in that department.
"I’ve been getting excited for the 12 Hour for ages. The race starts earlier this year, so we’ll be racing in the dark for longer which is awesome.
"I always enjoy teaming up with Tony, but Cam and I are good mates as well and even though we’ve been in the same Supercars team before, this will be the first time we’ve actually shared a car.”
Bates, who will make his fourth 12 Hour start, is confidence he can record his best result yet.
"With the driver combination I’ve put together, I feel this year is my best chance of achieving a really strong outright result," Bates said.
"Everyone knows how good David is in a Supercar, but he’s had lots of GT experience and he did a great job in the Audi at Phillip Island.
"Cameron is a fast, talented driver who has been on the podium at the Bathurst 1000 the last couple of years, so he’s coming into the event with great form on the Mountain.
"With this year’s rules requiring all teams to have at least one amateur driver, there’s no reason we can’t contend for an outright podium or even the win if everything goes our way on race day.”
Cars will first hit the track on Friday. Tickets for the LIQUI MOLY Bathurst 12 Hour are on sale now.
