What a weekend! Over the Easter weekend, Matt had the opportunity to compete at Bathurst with the Circuit Excel Racing Association as a support category for the Bathurst 6 Hour. Racing at Bathurst has long been one of Matt’s personal goals, and to tick this off is a major milestone. Friday’s practice sessions showed strong progression, with consistent improvements across both practice sessions. Unfortunately, multiple red flags limited running, allowing only four flying laps across the day.

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Race 1:

Saturday began early with qualifying at 7:15am. Matt secured P22 but red flags heavily impacted the session, restricting him to just one timed lap. This was particularly frustrating, as he was on track to go significantly faster. Matt made a solid start, moving up to P14 by Turn 2. Unfortunately a large crash at turn 2 resulted in a red flag, and the race was declared. While disappointing from a racing perspective, it was good to see everyone was ok.

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Race 2:

Starting from P17, Matt made another strong launch, gaining a position to sit P16 by the end of Lap 1. Race 2 ran uninterrupted under green flag conditions, allowing for competitive racing throughout the field. After several close battles, Matt brought the car home in P19. Finishing inside the top 20 was a solid result, providing a strong foundation heading into the final race.

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Race 3:

Lining up P19 for the final race, Matt again made a clean start, moving up to P18 early on. As the race progressed, Matt was able to get faster, becoming increasingly comfortable with the car.

Unfortunately, an incident at The Dipper brought out a red flag, ending the race prematurely. Despite the shortened race, Matt was classified in P17, marking a positive conclusion to a challenging but rewarding weekend.

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Overall it was a very good weekend! Matts main goal was to finish the weekend with a straight car and no damage, which was achieved! Considering the amount of laps Matt got across practice and qualifying, there were lots of positives to take away making more gains with the car. Unfortunately Matts motor isn't quite powerful enough for bathurst6 lacking a bit of top end but that's just how it is sometimes! A huge thank you goes to Matt’s sponsors for their continued support: 313 Automotive, MediSleep, AYE Tech, Pro Detailing Sydney and VMedical.  Special thanks as well to CERA for the opportunity to race at Bathurst, an absolute dream come true and Matt can't wait to go back!

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Next Up:

Focus now moves to round 3 of Series X3 NSW back at Sydney Motorsport Park on May 16th. Matt is fully focused on getting his championship back on track and is ready to get out there. See you there!