ZANE Goddard is back for another shot at Bathurst, but this time it’s in an all-new environment.
The Mountain has not been kind to the likeable 24-year-old in the past.
His first three Great Race starts ended in non-finishes, the last of which in 2022 was due to an infamous multi-car crash.
A golden opportunity for redemption last year, sharing a Triple Eight wildcard with Craig Lowndes, led to just 24th place after gearshift tower gremlins afflicted their #888 Camaro early in the piece.
Goddard last month made the surprise decision to step away from professional motorsport, although he did hint at occasional cameos in the SuperMini Challenge.
That’s exactly what has led him back to Bathurst this Easter weekend.
Competing in the category’s Cooper Class (as opposed to the outright Unlimited Class), Goddard led the way in Practice 1 this morning by more than a second.
He was second in Practice 2 and seventh in qualifying – albeit easily first in class.
Lapping in 2m39.5735s, it’s more than half a minute off the 2m05.8511s he set in Bathurst 1000 qualifying at Mount Panorama last October.
“I did a round last year at Lakeside, in a Supercheap (SuperMini Challenge) car, which was honestly one of the most fun race meetings I’ve done in years,” he told V8 Sleuth in February.
“I actually had a ball doing that… I’m not saying I’ve lost the passion – I still love racing – but it’s just sort of getting back to basics.”
The first of three SuperMini races this weekend on the Bathurst 6 Hour undercard is scheduled to start tomorrow at 12:00pm AEDT.
