Appendicitis has given Simona De Silvestro the unusual opportunity to undertake two test days just before her Supercars comeback in this year’s Repco Bathurst 1000.
The Swiss driver is competing in this year’s Great Race in the Shell V-Power Racing Team’s wildcard entry, alongside Kai Allen, and was supposed to begin testing on September 4.
However, a bout of appendicitis led to emergency surgery and her arrival to Australia was delayed by weeks.
While obviously not a pleasant experience, it does mean that she and Allen will enjoy test days at Queensland Raceway today and tomorrow, just a week before practice begins at Mount Panorama.
“One day [just prior to the Bathurst 1000] was planned anyway,” De Silvestro told the Speedcafe Newscast, after finally touching down during the Sandown 500 weekend.
“Now we get two to do there, so it’s going to be good.
“I’m excited to get back in the car and actually I think, from a driver point of view, it’s not too bad to be in the car the week before and then going straight into the race weekend, so we’re looking forward to it.”
Allen, who otherwise steers a Gen2 ZB Commodore with Eggleston Motorsport in the Dunlop Super2 Series, has tested Dick Johnson Racing’s #98 Ford Mustang once already in preparation for the Bathurst 1000.
For De Silvestro, a Gen3 Supercar will be a completely new experience today, but the Porsche Formula E test/reserve driver has reason to be somewhat confident based on the exploits of one of her stablemates at the Stuttgart marque.
Fellow factory Porsche driver Kevin Estre made his Supercars debut at the Penrite Oil Sandown 500 as one of Grove Racing’s co-drivers, joining forces with Matt Payne to finish sixth, best of the Ford contingent.
It bodes well for De Silvestro, who, like the Frenchman, has raced a Porsche 911 GT3 R in recent times, in ADAC GT Masters.
“It looks like he picked it up quite quickly and, from what I’ve heard, it sounds a lot like driving a GT car on a Pirelli tyre,” she explained.
“So, I think those things that I learned from there as well are going to come into effect.
“Bathurst, I think, is going to be a little bit different because it’s definitely more flowy and all that, so I think it’s going to be interesting to go there.
“But, from our point of view, everyone is going to go to Bathurst for the first time there with this new car, and I think that’s great for us to jump in as well right now.”
Erebus Motorsport also tested between Sandown and Bathurst, using up its final day of the year on Tuesday at Winton.
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