BRAD Schumacher is a man who likes a challenge, especially if it’s Challenge Bathurst.
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So the Bathurst driver was delighted to hear that Challenge Bathurst would return to Mount Panorama next year.
Last month as organisers staged the event for a second time, it attracted near sell out fields. A total of 422 competitors entered, comprising of 158 in the two-day super sprint and 264 in the regularity held across the weekend.
Not surprisingly, on the back of those numbers organisers announced the event will return on November 15-18 next year.
Schumacher was one of those who took part in the super sprint, getting the chance to do timed laps in 20-minute sessions behind the wheel of his Lotus Exige S.
Though awards for the quickest in each class were presented, in the main Challenge Bathurst was a chance for people to do racing laps at Mount Panorama and work on their set ups ahead of bigger events.
“That's pretty much what it's all about, a chance to collect data,” Schumacher, whose fastest lap was a 2:28.892, said.
“We will be racing on the Bathurst 6 Hour program [next year], but the car is now a different spec car to what it was a year ago, so it was great to get it on track and test it to see where we are at, see what our times are and if we are going to be competitive.
“You don't get that chance otherwise, the only other chance you get around Bathurst is when you are racing and then you really don't get the chance to test the car, it's straight into racing.
“At Challenge Bathurst you get time to relax, take it a bit more casual and collect your data, you don’t have to go hell for leather from the start.”
This year’s Challenge Bathurst saw super sprint drivers having to deal with heavy rain on the opening day.
While that meant lap times were slower, again it gave Schumacher and the others who competed like fellow local Stuart Pennells the chance to gather more data which could prove useful in the future.
“We had one day which was quite wet and another day of dry weather, that's the good thing about an event that goes two days, you get the chance to experience different conditions,” Schumacher said.
"We got to log data in two different sets of conditions and to run two different car set ups.
“I think it’s a good event. You've just got to look around at the calibre of the cars on track for the super sprint ... especially our group, it was filled with 12 Hour cars.”
Schumacher has since compared his data with that of other Lotus teams, offering him ideas on how to make gains at the Mount.