AS an experienced endurance driver Keith Kassulke knows the importance of preparation, so he feels his presence at Mount Panorama this week was critical.
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MARC Cars Australia driver Kassulke was at the circuit to take part in two days of Supersprint sessions staged as part of the Challenge Bathurst program.
The data he collected from his laps in the Mazda V8 will be used to help the team when it comes to next year’s Bathurst 12 Hour.
Kassulke was first in his class at the Bathurst 12 Hour earlier this year alongside Will Brown and Rod Salmon, the trio having ranked 17th outright.
“It’s really important that the way the cars run, we run them regularly. It’s important to come here and do some data here,” Kassulke, who also earned a Bathurst 12 Hour class podium in 2014, said.
“For the drivers as well of course, the engineer is running data after my stints. I know I have to improve on a couple of places.
“Every lap is a bonus here and this is a great event, a fantastic event and i hope it keeps going. It’s critically important for the 12 Hour teams.”
Kassulke lapped in the 2:14s on Friday, averaging a tick of 165km/hr for each lap. He did see improvement and felt he could have gone quicker.
“I was picking up two seconds a lap, but there were just too many red flags,” he said.
“There’s all sorts of cars and all sorts of drivers here, so of course you just have to take it as it comes. But it was much better this morning, there was just one car turned around. Unfortunately he was facing the wrong way just as you come out of The Cutting, so it was ‘woah’.”