HE'S done hundreds of virtual laps of Mount Panorama but on Wednesday afternoon rising Porsche star Christian Pancione finally got a chance to test his skills on the iconic Bathurst circuit for real.
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When the 20-year-old arrived in Bathurst on Tuesday it was the first time he had set his eyes on Mount Panorama and it marked the start of a big week in his career.
"Like most Aussies, I grew up watching the Great Race on the TV with my family, so I'm looking forward to this week," he said.
Pancione will tackle a Carrera Cup Australia Championship double-header at Mount Panorama, his assignment beginning with a 40-minute practice session on Wednesday.
Those practice laps came after Pancione undertook an intense simulator training program to ready himself for the four races he will contest at Mount Panorama.
He spent dozens of hours in his family's home basement garage piloting a computerised version of his McElrea Racing-prepared VCM Performance/HP Tuners 991 Gen II Porsche 911 GT3 Cup car.
Combining iRacing software with a Simworx SX02Msport V2 full-motion simulator, Pancione completed hundreds of realistic laps of the 6.213 kilometre circuit.
"Nothing beats real-life experience, particularly at a track like Bathurst, but I'm confident I'll know which way the circuit goes and be up to speed pretty quickly," Pancione said.
"While I'm excited and believe we will be up to speed quickly, Bathurst is a track that commands respect, so I'll be giving it all that and more while trying to enjoy my first visit to the mountain."
Pancione currently sits 10th in Mobil Pro points after three rounds, but this weekend will be his final round in the series for the year, which was always a part-time campaign.
He will return to the second-tier Michelin Sprint Challenge Series at The Bend circuit, at Tailem Bend, South Australia, for its final two rounds, with Pancione just 26 points behind series leader Ryan Suhle (258 to 284).
"This year was all about the Michelin Sprint Challenge Series while taking the opportunity to experience a few rounds of the top tier category before moving up full-time in 2022," Pancione said.
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