Surreal lead in has Cameron Hill primed and ready for Bathurst

In a week where Truck Assist Racing driver Cameron Hill took part in the Peter Brock Trophy Tour, rode in a helicopter and launched a commemorative coin to celebrate the 60th anniversary of the Bathurst 1000, the Canberran is now focused on his second campaign in The Great Race.

Following an impressive debut appearance last year partnering the experienced Chris Pither in a PremiAir Racing Holden ZB Commodore, Hill is excited to make a return after a possible top 10 result went awry due to a power steering problem late in his maiden event.

Now with nine rounds of the Repco Supercars Championship behind him including his first endurance race as a primary driver, Hill is prepared and ready to take on the 1000 for a second time.

Sandown demonstrated the Truck Assist Racing Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 he will share alongside Jaylyn Robotham will be a top 10 contender and Hill with the experience of 12 months prior will be eager to follow through on the potential displayed in 2022.

Much like a majority of drivers on the grid, Hill holds a strong affinity with the Bathurst 1000 due to its close proximity to Canberra as he highlighted the 1995 and 1997 editions won by Larry Perkins and Russell Ingall as an early memory. One, which turned him into a fan of the six-time Bathurst winner.

Just as the plan was for Sandown, execution and mistake minimisation will be of high priority at the Mountain.

Action begins at Bathurst on Thursday with the first of six practice sessions to be held across the weekend beginning at 1:20pm AEDT, with qualifying occurring at 4:15pm AEDT Friday, the traditional Top 10 Shootout at 5:05pm AEDT Saturday and the 1000 beginning at 11:15pm AEDT Sunday.

QUOTES

Cameron Hill
#35 Truck Assist Racing, Chevrolet Camaro ZL1

“It’s been surreal,” said Hill.

“It’s Australia’s biggest motor race and there is a lot of hype surrounding it, so it was very cool to engage with the fans of our sport. We had great turnouts at both the Canberra and Wollongong legs of the Peter Brock Trophy Tour. I remember being a race fan myself, so for Supercars to be engaging with our supporters is really cool.

“The fact I’ve been able to do all this cool stuff last weekend like the helicopter ride with the Navy, getting a tour of the base and launching a special coin at the mint, it hasn’t been normal!

“You don’t really know what you’re in for until you’re doing it. For me to have my Supercars debut to also be at Bathurst it was a very special moment. I was very proud and there was a bit of emotion while I was standing on the grid before the start of the race. The national anthem gets played, but then you’re into it, going flat chat for the next six hours.

“It was so cool to be a part of, but when I was driving on track I didn’t feel out of place. I felt like I was doing the job and had good pace compared to the cars around me, but I had this moment where I realised this is what we all work for.

“I just went in with zero expectation and to learn as much as I could. I felt like I popped out the other side, having ticked the box and not having done myself any harm either.

“We were on the fringe of the top 10 last year and that would have been a great result for us, it was a shame to have the power steering problem. Now, having done a lot more Supercars racing and a positive outing at Sandown in terms of our speed puts us in a good frame of mind for Bathurst.

“Bathurst is a race that rewards the execution, it rewards minimising mistakes, it rewards being there all day. That was the main reason why Chris (Pither) and I were in such a good position last year, we had a clean day with a lot of other cars looking very second hand, but we were good.

“That’ll be the goal for us.

“I’ve really enjoyed working with Jaylyn, he has a similar mentality to me. It’s all about making sure we don’t drop the ball anywhere and hopefully we can say at the end of the weekend we executed by minimising mistakes.

“Obviously for an aspiring race driver I think Bathurst is probably the first race I remember watching with my dad and having them all taped on VHS.

“The first one I remember watching was the 1997 race when Larry Perkins and Russell Ingall won. From then on, I was a huge Larry Perkins fan and I just assumed he won all the time because that’s how it is when you’re a kid.

“I grew up watching the race, I have fond memories going there and getting to sit in race cars as a kid, so it’s obviously a massive part of our sport.

“I’ve got a lot of family coming up to Bathurst, which is so awesome that I get to share the moment with them again. There will be a few of my sponsors as well, it will be a busy week and there is obviously going to be just as much happening off track as there will be on it, but I’m looking forward to it.

“I am surrounded by a great team not just at Matt Stone Racing, but my own support circles, so I'm more than confident we can navigate through a big weekend.”