THE physical and mental demands on a driver when it comes to endurance racing is often spoken of as a challenge, but if you ask Garry Mennell, he will tell you they have got it easy.
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Mennell’s job in preparing the cars that those drivers will race as well as organising paper work, catering spare parts, accommodation and transport is, he feels, an even bigger burden.
“All the driver has got to do is get in and do the easy stuff and hold the steering wheel, well that’s what I tell them anyway," Mennell said.
“Racing the cars is one thing, but the preparation involves a lot of, lot of work.
“The first thing you’ve got to do in any endurance race is to finish and to get a car which you drive to it’s limit, practically non-stop for any length of endurance race, be it six hours, 12 hours, 24 hours, that car has got to be reliable.”
Mennell’s company On Track Motorsport has already put in countless hours preparing two cars for this year’s Bathurst 6 Hour.
One is a BMW 130i Class C entry which will be steered by Robert Rubis, Todd Hazelwood and Scott Turner. The other is Peter O’Donnell’s Class B1 BMW 335i – a car with a long history of racing at Mount Panorama.
“We have got the BMW that Gary Holt won the Bathurst 12 Hour with. That car has actually competed in every 12 Hour and at the 6 Hour last year as well,” Mennell said.
“That car has done more laps around Bathurst than any other car. The Supercars, they do one or two years, maybe three, then they might do the Development Series for a year or two.
“This car has done every 12 Hour, unfortunately it didn’t finish this year, and it has done Drive Bathurst as well.
“As soon as it finished the 12 Hour in February, we had to look at changing it back to a Production Car for the 12 Hour.”
New brakes and a drive shaft were installed and the gear box checked amongst other things in the lead up to the Bathurst 6 Hour.
But it is not just Sunday’s race that Mennell has kept in mind during the process – there is also practice and qualifying sessions on Friday and Saturday.
“The amount of work required to prepare for the 6 Hour is basically the same as the 12 Hour, it’s a very taxing race,” he said.
“And you’ve got to realise it’s not just the 6 Hour, but all the build up as well. There are three or four hours before the race.”