ONE word summed up Simona De Silvestro’s return to the Supercars Championship at the 2023 Repco Bathurst 1000.
Frustrating.
The Swiss’ first Supercars race in almost four years came as part of a Dick Johnson Racing wildcard, shared with rookie Kai Allen.
Allen, 18, qualified the car 25th on the 28-car grid, before De Silvestro was installed aboard the Shell Ford for race start.
De Silvestro was running 15th amid the first pitstop cycle on lap 23 when she was turned around in a clash with Dean Fiore’s Camaro at The Chase, which was deemed a racing incident.
There was another tangle in De Silvestro’s second spell aboard the car, this time spun by Tyler Everingham, who was penalised for his move.
The #98 Mustang was a lap down when De Silvestro handed it back to Allen for the run home, and he took the chequered flag in 20th.
“It’s kind of weird because I remember racing here and getting penalties every time I would get close to somebody and turning them around!” she said as the race continued.
“A bit frustrating to be honest, because I think we had really good pace and stuff like that and got turned around twice.
“It’s annoying but, anyway, let’s see what Kai can do now. It could’ve been better but a bit frustrating for, sure.”
De Silvestro, though, noted that she had enjoyed her return to Australia, having raced in Supercars full-time from 2017-19.
“The atmosphere is amazing, the fans have welcomed me back and I’ve really enjoyed racing the car as well, it’s really fun,” she said.
“I love Bathurst, if you get to do a few laps it’s always really cool. Hopefully I can get back again next year.”
This year marked the former IndyCar driver’s sixth Bathurst 1000 start, having also competed in the 2015 and ’16 races as a wildcard.
