EIGHT months ago when Brad Schumacher purchased a former Bathurst 12 Hour class winning Lotus V6 Cup Car R, it was with the view to make his debut in the renowned enduro.
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However, it took until Thursday morning when the third edition of Challenge Bathurst got underway for the Bathurst driver to do his first laps of Mount Panorama in that Lotus.
It was only the second time he had cut laps in anger behind the wheel – a hit out at Wakefield Park two days earlier his first real test – and he liked the experience.
“It went really well, we went out and got a feel for the track the first two or three laps and got the brakes bedded in, tyres and drive shaft up to temperature,” the Bathurst driver said.
“We then got a bit of clean air and pulled a two minutes, 16 out which is excellent because I think it’s the quickest lap a GT4 car has done around this track. I’m pretty happy with that.
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“It’s only going to get better because we’re still working off a workshop base set up, so we’ll be tweaking that set up. Will look to push a little bit more time and I’ll start to build my confidence in it.”
And better Schumacher's times did get. He clocked a 2:15.1450 in practice which rated as his quickest effort of the day.
If he continues to like what he sees, then he will move ahead with plans to race the ex-Tony Alford Donut King Car – the GT4 class winner in the 2015 and 2016 Bathurst 12 Hour – in his debut in that enduro.
In any case, Schumacher is already locked in to drive it in the Bathurst 6 Hour. He placed 14th outright in that race this year alongside Michael Anderson in a Subaru WRX Sti.
“It’s been a long haul to get it here, so we’re all very excited to get some serious data out of it and the prospect of what 2019 is going to bring,” he said.
“It’s got a really good pedigree, so we just need to bring our A game now to the car to get it back to where it needs to be for that event.
“The Bathurst 6 Hour is already locked in, Michael Anderson and I will be in the 6 Hour again. The 12 Hour is up in the air and that’s what we are here for, to see what it can do and there is the possibility of doing the 12 Hour.
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“Obviously we’ve had good success in the 6 Hour, so there’s no reason why we can’t do the 12 Hour. We’ll also be looking to do events in the Australian GT series next year, starting down in Melbourne at the Formula 1 meet.”
While Schumacher has previously raced a Lotus Exige – he won the New South Wales Production Sports Series as a rookie in one – it has been some time since his current model has tackled the famed Bathurst track.
“Lotus has been a manufacturer which really hasn’t sort of seen the track since 2016, so it’s great to get this car back out and see something different,” he said.
“It really is holding its own against the contenders out there like the Porsches and the Audis and the MARC Cars.”
Schumacher will be back on track for day two of Challenge Bathurst from 7.50am on Friday.
