Oliver Gavin is set for a second attack on the Bathurst 12 Hours with the experienced Englishman aiming for podium success at the challenging Australian circuit.
Gavin, a long-term Corvette Racing factory driver, first took on ‘The Mountain’ in the 2014 Bathurst 12 Hours, prior to engaging in a successful campaign in the V8 Supercars Pirtek Endurance Cup, which culminated with a sensational podium finish in the Supercheap Autos Bathurst 1000.
The 2014 race saw the British racer and his Rotek Racing team set the Class B pole position and lead the race outright, before mechanical maladies resulted in an early retirement, leaving Gavin with some unfinished business.
The four-time 24 Hours of Le Mans winner from Northamptonshire, England has a huge bank of experience in endurance racing to call upon and, wth the proven Audi R8 LMS Ultra underneath him and Rod Salmon and Nathan Antunes as teammates, Gavin’s expectations are high.
“I am really looking forward to returning to Mount Panorama after the disappointment of retiring from a potentially race-winning position last year,” he said. “I honestly feel there’s some unfinished business. Despite that, I had so much fun ‘down under’ in 2014 and I’m with a team that’s very well prepared and has the ability to deliver a competitive package with the Audi R8 LMS Ultra.”
While he has the car and the team-mates, the Northampton man knows that the challenges of Bathurst will make it a demanding race.
“The Mount Panorama circuit has a unique and intoxicating blend of long, high-speed straights and technically demanding corners on the mountain section, which require a very precise hand,” he said. “It’s such a unique and amazing track and circuit knowledge is extremely vital if you are to achieve a big result.”
“It’s difficult to know for sure where you’re going to be in the pecking order, but with two successful Australian GT racers in Rod (Salmon) and Nathan (Antunes) alongside me, I reckon we have all the ingredients to be a factor in the race.”
