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The Grand Prix Mazda 3 MPS crew of Queenslanders Jake Camilleri and Scott Nicholas are primed for their annual pilgrimage to the Bathurst 12 Hour next weekend, with the crew confident of a strong result following on from a stunning 2009 Australian Manufacturers Championship campaign.
Camilleri once again finished the season with several outright podium places to his credit, and for the third year running will be joined by Nicholas for the once around the clock production car classic on the Mountain, with both drivers keen to build on their previous experience.
With a preparation that can only be described as ‘perfect’, Camilleri can’t wait for opening practice to commence on Friday.
“Everything is awesome, Graeme Murray and the boys have done a brilliant job with the car, all of the preparation has gone to plan and the car is going very well,” said Camilleri after recently testing at Lakeside Park in Brisbane.
“This is the most prepared we have ever been, we really develop everything on the car with Bathurst in mind, and I think we have come a long way in the past 12 months.
“The handling of the car is very neutral, it’s very easy to drive, and it will really look after itself over the 12 hours.
“Scotty was on the pace straight away in testing with some very respectable and consistent times; the key to the Mazda 3 MPS is being smooth, and we know he is well and truly up to the job.”
Being one of only a couple of two-driver combinations in the race, fitness is a vital ingredient for the drivers to be able to cope with the rigours of endurance racing.
“Jake and I have really been training hard, having only two drivers is fairly hard work and it‘s important be to be as fit as possible,” said Nicholas.
“I’m really excited to get a call up again for Bathurst, the team have put an enormous amount of effort into the car, and I think it will really punch above its weight again.
“The Mazda 3 MPS won’t have the outright qualifying pace, but it will be very consistent and reliable over the 12 hours, so we are very capable of a strong top-10 showing.”
After finishing fourth outright for the year in the Australian Manufacturers Championship at Sandown Raceway last November, the Grand Prix Mazda crew led by team manager Graeme Murray have been flat out preparing the machine for it’s third crack at Bathurst glory.
“Preparing for the 12 Hour is a massive commitment, every moving part in the car has been checked and tested, replaced or renewed,” said Murray.
“Our work on the dyno and testing at Lakeside have been very encouraging, and the effort that Jake and Scott have put into their training shows that the team is very serious.
“We can’t wait to get to Bathurst, we have proven to be very successful throughout the championship in recent years, and I think that will put us in a good position next weekend.”
Grand Prix Mazda Racing would like to thank Castrol, Esanda, All Star Tuning Systems Allianz for their continued support.
Armor All Bathurst 12 Hour Weekend Timetable
Friday 12 February
9:05am - 10:05am Practice 1
1:50pm - 2:50pm Practice 2
Saturday 13 February
7:30am - 8:10am Practice 3
1:30pm - 2:00pm Qualifying Bottom 50%
2:05pm - 2:35pm Qualifying Top 50%
Sunday 14 February
6:30am - 6:30pm Bathurst 12 Hour
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