Russell: Erebus more prepared than ever for Bathurst
Supercars
27 Sep
Erebus completes strong pre-Bathurst test at Winton
Series leader had saved test day up its sleeve for Bathurst
Erebus won the 2017 Great Race with David Reynolds and Luke Youlden
David Russell says Erebus Motorsport is more prepared for the Repco Bathurst 1000 than ever after a strong pre-Great Race test at Winton.
Both Coca-Cola Racing Camaros completed a seamless pre-Bathurst test day at Winton Motor Raceway on Tuesday.
The Melbourne team strategically saved a test day to ensure the best possible lead-in to the Great Race, with all four drivers getting ample seat time and pit stop practice.
Russell and Jack Perkins, who will race with Brodie Kostecki and Jack Perkins respectively, completed the bulk of the day’s running.
Russell's statement marks an ominous warning for Erebus' rivals, given the team won the 2017 Great Race and dominated the 2018 event before untimely late-race cramps for David Reynolds.
“It was great to get more seat time before Bathurst,” said Russell, who finished third with Kostecki in the Penrite Oil Sandown 500.
“We were able to do long race runs before focusing on pit stops, and it was good to tick a lot of boxes and refine things.
“We have had such a good lead up and are better prepared for Bathurst than we have ever been.
“After having strong results at Bathurst previously, plus with the team’s performance this year, our eyes are firmly focused on one thing, which is winning the race.”
The Kostecki/Russell combination has delivered a Bathurst podium (2021) and Sandown podium (2023) already, with the duo fourth in last year’s Great Race.
This year’s race is more important than ever for the team, which leads both championships. Kostecki is 155 points clear, with Erebus 95 points ahead of rivals Triple Eight Race Engineering.
“It was nice to have a day like yesterday where we can focus on the little details leading up to Bathurst,” Kostecki said.
“Bathurst is important on its own but also to the championship being a 300-point race. We must approach it the same as every other race, minimise mistakes and be there at the end.”
Brown added: “It was really good to hone in on a few things before next week.
“This test isn’t something we have done in the past so it’s really good to have been able to allocate a day just to focus on Bathurst.
“We are working on minimising any mistakes and giving ourselves the best chance at a good result.”
It’s also a big weekend for Perkins, who will complete double duty with his Dunlop Series commitments. Perkins is racing an Erebus-run Super2 Holden, complete with tribute livery paying homage to father Larry.
"It was great to be back with the team ahead of Bathurst. It was nice to get some more laps in these Gen3 cars with the soft tyre and Bathurst set-ups,” said Perkins , who finished third in 2019 with James Courtney and Walkinshaw Andretti United.
"The team has done a great job with pit stops and Bathurst specific preparation, so we are looking forward to getting up there to the Mountain next week."
