PUSHING hard to win the Bathurst 1000 when you feel sick - Cameron Waters may not have claimed the chequered flag in Sunday's Great Race, but it was not through lack of effort.
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The Monster Energy Racing star, who clocked a lap record in the top 10 shootout to claim pole, put in a valiant effort to try and pass eventual winner Shane van Gisbergen in the closing stages of the race.
Two late safety cars helped Waters get close, but van Gisbergen held him off and Waters had to settle for second place in the Ford Mustang he shared with Will Davison.
"I gave it absolutely everything I could, they just did a little bit better job than us," he said.
"Those safety cars were probably just another chance for me to try and get in front somehow, the first one [van Gisbergen] was probably a bit vulnerable at [turns] one and two, and over the top I was close enough to, I thought, maybe have a lunge, but just not quite there.
"And then the next one I thought I might as well try and push him the whole way until he goes, which it kind of half worked, but he just put his car in the right spots which made it bloody hard. Hats off to their team, they drove awesome all day, they deserve the win. They didn't put a foot wrong and they had a fast car."
Waters was not only battling a talented rival in a fast car in his final stints, but a cool suit which was not working.
That further added to the physical strains the of the 161-lap Bathurst 1000.
"I didn't run the cool suit for the last three stints and each lap was a qualifier, so I'm feeling pretty buggered after that race. That was one of the toughest races I've done," Waters said.
"I felt terrible in the car. Those last safety cars, I wasn't really wanting to warm the tyres because I was feeling sick and stuff like that.
"I just wanted the thing to be over. I threw everything at it to try and pass him, but it wasn't to be."
