Entrants for the 2022 Hi-Tec Oils Bathurst are starting to trickle through with some members of the Bargwanna family confirming their position in next year’s endurance race.
With the event to again be a round of Shannons Motorsport Australia Championships’ Bathurst next year, cousins Ben and Jude Bargwanna will be competing in the race after an impressive showing this year.
Behind the wheel of their Volkswagen Golf GTi, the duo started strong in Class D, qualifying in pole position before leading the class for the majority of the race.
Unfortunately, a late safety car period cost them a victory, however they still managed to come away with second in class and 19th outright, having completed 117 laps.
This year, the young team will upgrade their vehicle after purchasing a five-cylinder Audi TTRS from three-time Liqui Moly Bathurst 12 Hour Class C champion, Tony Alford.
The new purchase will elevate the third generation of Bargwanna racers to the A1 class where they will compete for outright honours against other extreme performance all-wheel-drive cars.
Former Repco Bathurst 1000 winner Jason Bargwanna was fully backing the two youngsters to have a big impact in next year’s event.
“The boys did a great job last year and would have been on for the class win if they hadn’t had copped the Safety Car at the wrong time – but that’s Bathurst for you,” Jason said.
“It was still pretty cool to see them up on the podium at that place and have the whole family there to celebrate. It was a bit of a no-brainer to have a look around and see what we could do to step up.
“The Audi is a really good car, it’s always been competitive in A1 and when the opportunity came up to grab it, we did.
“We are realistic in that it’s unlikely you will see an A1 or A2 car challenge the BMWs on raw speed, but of the 11 cars that finished on the lead lap this year, 7 of them were class A cars so if you’re smart and stay out of trouble they can definitely challenge for an outright result.
“We’ll head there looking to win the class as the primary goal, but Bathurst is Bathurst – anything can happen.”
The 2022 Hi-Tec Oils Bathurst 6-Hour will be part of a bumper schedule during the Shannons Motorsport Australia Championships round at Mount Panorama on 15-17 April 2022.
