WHEN Brad Schumacher hit the wall at Mountain Straight following a mechanical failure during last November’s Challenge Bathurst, he thought his chances of a Bathurst 12 Hour debut in 2019 were gone.
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He hit the wall at more than 243 kilometres per hour and the damage caused to his Lotus V6 Cup Car – one he had purchased specifically with the 12 Hour in mind – meant it was written off.
But some two months later the Bathurst driver had his 12 Hour dream reignited. Ginetta Australia offered him a seat in the annual enduro and he happily took up that offer.
“The minute that the opportunity arose of course I was not reluctant to accept it,” Schumacher said with a broad grin.
“It’s going to be a huge experience for me, naturally working with a professional outfit I’m just going to be soaking up the experience and doing my best to try and cement the car a podium hopefully.
“The opportunity came about because I guess I have been doing a lot of racing with good results in the GT format, with Production Sports in the Lotus’ and now in our 2019 Porsche GT3. So my name is becoming known around the circuit.
“I have to thank Ginetta Australia for the opportunity and without the support from Mark Griffith, this opportunity wouldn’t exist.”
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Schumacher is now ready for the biggest experience of his racing career – tackling an international endurance event against some of the world’s best drivers and teams on Sunday.
With a two-car Ginetta G55 GT4 outfit, team officials were still finalising who will steer which entry a day out from the start of the Bathurst 12 Hour event.
But Shumacher revealed he would likely be behind the wheel of the #55 come Friday’s opening practice with Jimmy Vernon one of his two fellow drivers.
Just as this year will mark Schumacher’s 12 Hour debut, it will also be the first time he has raced a Ginetta. But having picked the brains of other drivers and racked up plenty of time in the simulator, he is ready for the challenge.
He can also draw on the experience of contesting the Bathurst 6 Hour last year.
“I’ve never driven a Ginetta before, this will be my first time in a Ginetta. They’ve got quite a big aero package, so you really need to keep the speed up on them through the turns to keep them planted,” he said.
“I have loaded one up on the simulator and I’ve been pumping out quite a number of laps in a 12 Hour simulated experience. So I’m feeling confident.
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“Naturally being a GT4 there is a substantial difference in speed to the top GT3 cars, so there will be a lot of traffic management, but naturally the simulator driving I’ve been doing has replicated that.”
Though the Ginetta will not be in the mix for outright honours in Sunday's race, Schumacher is confident they can push for a Class C podium. The Ginettas will be up against a BMW M4 and three KTM X-Bows.
“Of course we are aiming for class honours in the car, it’s just about circulating for the 12 hours, that’s the huge thing,” he said.
“Hoping that mechanically the car is spot on and if all those things come together, and we’re buzzing along in one piece after 12 hours, then I believe we are a strong possibility of a podium.”
