WORLD Touring Car champion Rob Huff arrived in Bathurst yesterday after a whirlwind fortnight that he hopes will culminate in a 12 Hour victory alongside co-drivers James Winslow and team owner Peter Conroy on Sunday evening.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
Huff, who will become the first current WTC champ to compete in the event during their reign at the top, has never been to Australia before, let alone to Mount Panorama, but he is cautiously confident that he and his team-mates will have what it takes to pilot their Audi R8 to victory.
“I would love to win, and I wouldn’t be here if I didn’t think we could do it,” Huff said just an hour after touching down in Sydney yesterday.
“We have a great team, and a great car. But there is some serious competition. This race has built and built and has attracted some great Australian, European and Asian drivers and all the GT cars are fairly closely matched.
“But we have a good car, good personnel and I’m hoping we have that jackpot of luck as well that you always need to win one of these races.”
Audi has dominated the event over the past two years, the R8 saluting both times.
Conroy’s team will be hoping that it is their turn to stand on the top step of the podium, and Huff himself is delighted simply to have the opportunity given how surprisingly it arrived.
“I had been on my honeymoon for the last two weeks and in the meantime a member of my management, Dave Madgwick, had spoken to James Winslow about possibly driving together. We actually had our very first race in any class against each other and have been good friends ever since,” Huff explained.
“My wife and I were holidaying in Mauritius. I got back home in England on Monday morning, literally walked in, changed bags, picked up my old man and then went straight to the airport.
“Given what we do all year in the WTC I’m fairly used to it now and the constant travelling, so it won’t worry me. I just like to get stuck in and getting things sorted for the race straight away.”
In the past, a debutant on the often treacherous Mount Panorama circuit would be eased into a driving stint and may even have to make safety a far bigger priority than car speed, but technology has made that less of an issue and Huff said he has no fears about the task in front of him.
“I haven’t actually been on a Bathurst simulator, but obviously with YouTube and those sorts of things available to everyone these days you can have a good look at the circuit. I’ve seen a lot of footage – including kangaroos hopping across the track – so I’m prepared for it all,” he explained.
“I don’t feel like I actually know the track well, but I do feel as if I’m familiar with it. It isn’t as though I’m going in blind.
“For years I have watched racing here. I’ve always wanted to come out here, because I’ve been watching the V8 Supercars for a long time. That series and the British Touring Car Championship are what I grew up watching.”
Huff’s interest in the Supercars isn’t limited to watching. He admitted that he wants to use his Australian experience over the next four days as a possible stepping stone to driving regularly in the series.
“About three years ago I started to make some little enquiries. A lot of drivers from the WTCC have driven here – Alain Menu is one who has driven at Bathurst in the past,” the Englishman explained.
“This week I’d love to meet a lot of people in the paddock, find out how I can get involved in the V8s, and realistically I would love to get a drive. Maybe I would have to start off as a guest driver, but if I meet the right people and do the right things, it would be fantastic.”
