CHE Racing Toyota 86 drivers Lachlan Mineeff and Tom Sargent have been left speechless after their first laps around Mount Panorama, in practice for the Hi-Tec Oils Bathurst 6 Hour today.
The duo completed a pair of 70-minute practice sessions, and ended up third-fastest in Class D, improving their lap times by three seconds from the first session to the second.
Mineeff struggled to find the words to describe the feeling of driving around the iconic circuit.
“It’s just crazy, absolutely insane,” he said.
“Everyone talks about what an amazing racetrack it is, and it certainly lives up to the hype.”
While both drivers were able to complete laps in the 86, some red-flag interruptions severely limited Sargent’s running.
“I got some good seat time, but Tom was really unlucky with the red flags,” Mineeff said.
“The laps I did were good, it’s just a shame I didn’t do more of them,” Sargent added.
“Especially on the straights, where you feel the car getting light over the humps, it’s a different feeling to anything I’ve ever experienced.
“Lachlan did a great job, his times were really consistent and he kept improving – the plan will be for me to do most of tomorrow’s third practice session so I can dial myself in properly.”
The third and final practice session takes place at 8:20 tomorrow morning, followed by qualifying at 2:35 in the afternoon.
