THE enduros are upon us and there’s no shortage of contenders for arguably the two biggest races of the year.
Beyond the usual suspects, V8 Sleuth picks out five particular pairings who could be dark horses for Sandown and/or Bathurst.
Scott Pye/Warren Luff
Pye has a point to prove.
Dropped by Team 18 for next year in favour of David Reynolds, Pye’s last likely opportunity for a 2024 full-time seat has now passed by, with Matt Stone Racing instead signing Nick Percat.
Pye tends to thrive in race trim more so than qualifying, and he’s got 161 laps to move forward at each of Sandown and Bathurst.
What’s more is he has been reunited with enduro king Warren Luff.
Pye/Luff were runners-up in the Great Race in both 2017 and 2018. Luff is also a two-time Sandown 500 winner (with Craig Lowndes in 2012 and Garth Tander in 2016).
James Courtney/Zak Best
If parity is even – a big ‘if’ right now – this shapes to be a seriously competitive combination.
Courtney is still super quick on his day, as evidenced at Perth where he made it 18 years in a row with a Supercars Championship podium. Courtney had also finished second in Race 2 at Albert Park, only to cop a post-race penalty.
And in Best, he’s got a fast co-driver, who is leading the Super2 standings and is hungry to show why he deserves a main game shot at last.
Tim Slade/Jonathon Webb
PremiAir Racing is still chasing its first podium; might a clean run in the enduros be just the ticket?
Slade and Webb are an experienced pairing with a Triple Eight Camaro beneath them, and at a team that has recently bolstered its ranks with the addition of team manager Stephen Robertson and engineer Simon Hodge.
Reinvigorated by the chance to be a driver only, Webb should not be underestimated. He has two Sandown 500 podiums to his name, to go with his Bathurst 1000 victory (plus wins at Gold Coast and Homebush).
Webb was sixth in Practice 2 while Slade was third in final practice this morning.
Nick Percat/Fabian Coulthard
Like Pye, Percat has runs on the board when it comes to the endurance season.
It’s well documented how the Percat/Walkinshaw Andretti United reunion has fallen short of expectations, but the 35-year-old is entering Sandown with form after a strong run at The Bend.
Even better, he has a proven hand as his co-driver in Fabian Coulthard, who was on the Bathurst 1000 podium just last year.
Jack Le Brocq/Jayden Ojeda
Le Brocq has been one of the form drivers of 2023, with Matt Stone Racing firing on all cylinders in the Gen3 era.
By his side, Jayden Ojeda has already tasted success at Mount Panorama this year, winning the Bathurst 6 Hour.
Both featured in the top five during Friday practice at Sandown in a good start to their enduro campaign.
V8 Sleuth’s coverage of the 2023 Penrite Oil Sandown 500 is proudly presented by Biante – Fuel your passion with winning model cars. Visit Biante here to check out their range of model cars in a range of scales from 1:64 to 1:10.
