STANDING on the Bathurst 12 Hour podium – it is something that James Koundouris has experienced before and would love to do again at Mount Panorama.
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In order to replicate that feeling which came in 2015 when he claimed 12 Hour class honours with a Porsche 997, he made his return to the Mount on Thursday.
This time it was with an Audi R8LMS and as part of the Challenge Bathurst field.
Koundouris took to the track in the Supersprint as a way to collect valuable data for the prestigious February enduro.
Since switching from the Porsche to the Audi for the Bathurst 12 Hour two years ago, his best finish came this February when placing 11th outright.
Given the increasingly strong field – both in terms of drivers and cars – the 12 Hour attracts, any laps Koundouris can get at the Mount before then are welcomed.
“It’s really good to get some track time ... we are trying to simulate a few things for the 12 Hour,” he said.
“It’s an A class car, it just depends if we run Pro, Pro-Am [at the 12 Hour], we will make a call in a few weeks’ time when we know the driver line up.”
In the Supersprint Koundouris ran in Class D, a group which included the likes of a Nissan GTR, Ferrari 458 GT3, a pair of Ginetta G50s and an Aston Martin Vantage.
It was a large field – Challenge Bathurst having filled the maximum 160 spots for the two days of Supersprint action – but that did not trouble Koundouris.
“There’s a lot of traffic and everyone has just got to give each other a little bit of respect. It’s a good, fun event and if you can do a little bit of testing and get your eye in whilst you are here, it’s a good thing,” he said.
“Bathurst is always fun and it doesn’t matter how many times you come here, you always learn something new.
“It’s always a good experience and I enjoy coming here every year. It’s a great event, 425 cars [overall].”