HE produced the best finish of his TCR career to date and at one stage was the fastest on track, but such is the competitive nature of Brad Shiels he was still a little disappointed on Wednesday afternoon.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
The talented Bathurst driver placed fourth in the first of three TCR races at Mount Panorama this week, but he admitted he was eyeing off a podium.
Third placed Michael Caruso - a former Supercars full-timer - did enough to hold him off with three seconds between them at the chequered flag.
"That was awesome, we had good pace. Like from the first lap the car was quicker than everyone else around me," Shiels said.
"I just had to be really aggressive at the start to make the most of my speed and get a good position. Then I started catching the lead three and I thought I might be on for a podium, but once I got to them I couldn't do anything about it.
"It was really cool, but it was still a bit frustrating. I wanted one more spot. I wanted a trophy. That's always the aim."
Earlier in the year when the series had raced at the Mount for round three, Shiels finished with a pair of sevenths and an eighth in the #333 Tilton Racing Hyundai.
This week for the TCR season concluding Bathurst 400 the races are longer - up to 21 laps from 10 - and while Shiels had initially been concerned about tyre life, it was not an issue.
"I pretty much did my best lap on the last lap nearly, so it's a big improvement from when we were here last, I couldn't hang on to it after two or three laps last time," he said.
Shiels qualified for the opening race in sixth position, but he passed John Martin on lap one and James Moffat on lap two as he charged early.
He peeled off the fastest laps in the field on laps two through five as he continued his strong start, commentators exclaiming "Brad Shiels, he continues to set the track on fire."
Shiels' last sector was particularly swift as he closed in on Caruso and after 11 laps the margin between the pair sat at 1.578 seconds.
However, with the time certain race being cut to 17 laps and Caruso able to find more speed in his Alfa Romeo Giulietta, Shiels could not get any closer.
He had to settle for fourth with Aaron Cameron winning ahead of Ben Bargwanna and Carsuo
Meanwhile Lidsdale native Keegan Brain, who qualified 17th for his maiden TCR race, managed to place 14th.
Our journalists work hard to provide local, up-to-date news to the community. This is how you can access our trusted content:
- Bookmark www.westernadvocate.com.au
- Make sure you are signed up for our breaking and regular headlines newsletters
- Follow us on Twitter
- Follow us on Instagram
- Follow us on Google News
