Garry Jacobson has completed his second Supercheap Auto Bathurst 1000 with a confidence building finish alongside Rick Kelly in the Castrol Nissan, which saw the pair as the highest placed of the four Altima’s in today’s race.
After starting 14th, the duo hovered around the top 10 throughout the course of the 161-lap race won by Craig Lowndes and Steven Richards in record pace. They were at the top of the Nissan battle throughout the race.
With Kelly taking the start at 11:10am this morning, Jacobson was given his first assignment when the Nissan Motorsport team pitted the Larry Perkins’ tribute car. Garry completed his co-driver laps and put forth another outstanding performance, despite being behind the wheel in the toughest possible conditions.
Both of Jacobson’s stints included isolated showers that impacted various parts of Mount Panorama, however the rain that came down wasn’t enough to require a change to wet weather Dunlops, ensuring all of his experience came to the fore.
Continuing on from last year’s Rookie performance in a different team and car, Jacobson’s lap times were among the top group of co-drivers. His time behind the wheel kept the Castrol car in the hunt for a strong finishing position in the final stanza of the race.
With Garry handing the car over to Rick Kelly for the run to the chequered flag, all eyes were on a charging Jamie Whincup – who had recovered from being a lap down early in the race – as he hunted down the final spot in the top 10.
The reigning Supercars Champion used his aerodynamic advantage to edge past the Nissan with a handful of laps remaining.
At the completion of the race, Jacobson declared his second attempt at the Supercheap Auto Bathurst 1000 a huge confidence booster and a big learning experience, referencing the intensity this year being at a higher level than he experienced last year.
He walked away with further experience at the Mountain and has maintained a 100 percent finishing record in his Great Race starts.
The weekend overall was a positive for the 26-year-old Shepparton racer. He’s moved into contention for the 2018 Dunlop Super2 Supercars Championship after establishing the Pole Position on Friday and finishing yesterday’s epic race in fourth aboard the MEGA Fuels Nissan.
Kelly and Jacobson run 10th in the PIRTEK Enduro Cup heading to the final round of the Supercars’ Championship-within-a-Championship at the Vodafone Gold Coast 600 in two weeks’ time.
His Dunlop Super2 Supercars Series campaign in the MEGA Fuels MW Motorsport Nissan will come to a conclusion on the streets of Newcastle at the end of November.
Throughout the 2018 PIRTEK Enduro Cup, Garry has brought support from a group of local supporters in the Goulburn Valley Region, including the Shepparton Motor Museum and Greater Shepparton City Council, Foott Waste, Challenger Valves, MGA Insurance, FIX Muscle Performance, Thompson Motors and Varapodio Orchards.
His 2018 Racing Program is officially supported by MEGA Fuels, RABBLE.club, Exedy, Challenger Valves and Actuators, PalmTrans, McQuinn Electrical and MGA Insurance Brokers.
QUOTEBOARD – GARRY JACOBSON:
“Our result today was a great finish for us and I was able to learn a lot throughout the course of this weekend, which is just my second Supercheap Auto Bathurst 1000 – and this year had the added challenge of being here as part of a different team.
“From last year to this, the standard of driving has gone up considerably, there aren’t too many mistakes out there which makes it really tough to move forward.
“I am very thankful for being able to work with this team at Nissan Motorsport and have the honour of driving this Castrol car throughout the weekend, particularly with the added significance it carried honouring Larry and Gregg.
“The team is embracing me and my input and helping me learn at a faster rate and Rick has been an incredible resource, he’s really helped me understand things and be more competitive every time I hit the track.
“11th was a really good finish – the team put in a huge effort throughout the weekend and every single one of the eight drivers put forward a great effort throughout the weekend too.
“At our end with the Castrol Nissan, no mistakes were made on-track or during the pitstops and we emerged as the best placed of the Nissan runners.
“In terms of co-driver pace, I was around the top seven, I was quite happy to be a challenge to the #99 throughout my stints, which we seemed to be glued to throughout then race. Given that car qualified third, I am happy with my personal performance to be keeping pace with it.
“As a combination with Rick, we keep getting better and better every time. It is a new relationship that we only kicked off this year and Nissan Motorsport have given me so much confidence and support.
“I still believe that a podium is up for grabs in this campaign. Gold Coast was always our best chance.
“The following that we’ve had from back home in the Goulburn Valley has been outstanding as always and the messages of support through this week and throughout the course of the weekend have been inspiring.
“The team from MEGA Fuels, RABBLE.club, Castrol and everyone else behind our campaign just continues to inspire me to push on.
“I can’t wait to be hitting the streets of Surfers in two weeks’ time!”
