FOUR years ago when Todd Hazelwood made his Bathurst 1000 debut he was simply excited to be on the grid, but next week when he lines up at Mount Panorama it will be with victory in mind.
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The 25-year-old will form part of the Brad Jones Racing stable for the second consecutive season and he's keen to build on a 2020 campaign that showed plenty of promise.
He posted his maiden Supercars podium at Sydney and enjoyed a pole position at Townsville, so while a lap-51 accident meant he was amongst the non-finishers in last year's Bathurst 1000, Hazelwood now carries plenty of confidence with him.
"In 2020 I felt the team and I showed some good speed and great potential. I'm super motivated to show that we can achieve this on a consistent basis, which will ultimately provide us with a strong championship result," he said.
"I feel refreshed and well prepared for a big year ahead and cannot wait to start my second season with the team at Brad Jones Racing."
His season will begin at the Bathurst 500, the event the first time a Supercars sprint round has been staged at the circuit since 1996. Hazelwood was one at the time.
Tackling a pair of 250 kilometre races at the Mount is something new, but Hazelwood feels the work the team has done in the off-season means he can run near the pointy end of the field.
"Starting the Supercars championship at our most iconic circuit, Bathurst, is going to be awesome and I'm excited to see what we can achieve," she said.
"I'm so grateful for the team's hard work during the off-season and there would be no better repayment than a top result at Bathurst to start the year.
"2021 also marks the first time in my Supercars career where I've raced the same chassis for a second year in a row. This gives me an opportunity to start the year with a good bank of knowledge and understanding of how to extract the most out of the chassis setup.
"No doubt this will help me and the team maximise our 2021 campaign and start the year strong."
The Bathurst 500 starts February 26, with opening practice starting at 12.25pm.
