WALKINSHAW Andretti United didn’t get the late Safety Car it was counting on, but team principal Bruce Stewart has exuded pride at their resilient Bathurst 1000 campaign.
The lead-up to WAU’s first Great Race as a Ford squad was filled with parity arguments, as the Blue Oval pushed in vain to have aero upgrades approved pre-event.
WAU never really troubled leading contenders Triple Eight and Erebus Motorsport but did manage to bank a solid points haul with Chaz Mostert/Lee Holdsworth fourth and Nick Percat/Fabian Coulthard 14th.
“After a difficult start to the weekend I’m very proud of our team and drivers, because we put together a strong Sunday,” said Stewart.
“Sometimes the racing gods just don’t deliver the Safety Cars when you need them but, beyond everything, this is a team sport and I think our team showed a lot of spirit and ticker.”
Indeed, it was the longest green flag run to the finish of a Bathurst 1000 since 1991.
Mostert declared he would have happily taken fourth at the start of race day and praised his crew for an “absolutely faultless” performance.
Percat added: “We were hoping for a Safety Car in the final stint which could have helped us have a little bit…
“A big thanks to the team, obviously we changed every single nut and bolt across the two cars to get a good result and some speed in the race.”
Next up is the Gold Coast 500, which represents the penultimate round of the 2023 season.
Ford will almost certainly take upgrades into the Surfers Paradise street race, after Bathurst marked the fifth trigger race in the past eight to necessitate a formal parity review.
Either way, WAU has traditionally been strong at street circuits and this year has been no different, with Mostert driving his Gen3 Mustang to podiums at Newcastle and Townsville.
“I’m looking forward to seeing what we can do on the Gold Coast,” said Stewart.
