Half of the winning combination in last year’s Hi-Tec Oils Bathurst 6 Hour will assume an off-track role for 2023.
Matt Stone Racing Supercars driver Cameron Hill will swap his helmet for a crew chief for a leading team in the popular Easter weekend race event.
Hill paired with 2022 Porsche Michelin Sprint Challenge winner Tom Sargent to take a miraculous last-to-first victory in a BMW M2 Competition.
After Sargent’s opening stints set-up a thrilling run to the flag for Hill, who made a brave pass for the lead entering The Esses on Tim Slade to secure CHE Racing Team’s first outright victory in the event.
With Tom Sargent competing in Carrera Cup North America, Hill has elected not to defend the victory this year and will instead act as crew chief for good friends Cameron Crick and Dean Campbell in his attack on the A1 Class.
Hill was pitted next to the D.A Campbell Transport Mitsubishi Lancer Evo X at last year’s event and through Crick, struck up a relationship with car owner Dean Campbell.
The Evo X was a consistent frontrunner in the Australian Production Cars last season with Campbell and Crick sharing the driving, so the pairing will enter the Hi-Tec Oils Bathurst 6 Hour as one of the class favourites.
This won’t be the first time Hill has acted as crew chief for the race. The 26-year-old guided Lachlan Mineeff and Tom Sargent to Class D victory in 2021 driving a CHE Racing Team-run Toyota 86.
The 2023 Hi-Tec Oils Bathurst 6 Hour will again be held during the Easter long weekend on April 7-9.
QUOTES
Cameron Hill,
Crew Chief, D.A. Transport Mitsubishi Lancer Evo X
“Although I won’t be racing in the event this year, it’s exciting to link up with Dean and Cameron.” said Hill.
“When I last handled the strategy and engineering, our team got the Class D win in 2021 when Lachlan Mineeff partnered Tom Sargent.
“That was a lot of fun. It’s actually quite draining watching a timing screen for six hours!
““Dean and Cameron are a good pairing. I think for a top outright result we may need a little bit of rain to fall. The Evo certainly thrives in those conditions, while the BMWs can’t put the power down.
“You never know, it’s a long race and you’ve just got to be there at the end.
“”Cam and I met when he bought my Toyota 86 race series car, we’ve been good friends ever since. We come from quite similar backgrounds; we’ve had to work hard to crawl our way up the ladder. I met Dean when they pitted next to us at last year’s 6 hour, we had a lot of fun as neighbours.”
““The 6 hour is such a fun race to do, it’s basically the only major endurance race now where you and your mates can build a car in your garage, turn up to Bathurst and be competitive. Whatever the outcome, I know it will be a fun weekend.”
