They might not help increase the odds of victory, but racing cousins Ben and Jude Bargwanna hope some new treads – both on their feet, and their car – will help them stand out at this year’s Hi-Tec Oils Bathurst 6 Hour.
The duo return to tackle Australia’s Easter Enduro behind the wheel of their Burson Auto Parts Audi TT RS this year, having finished 9th outright and a strong second in the A1 class last year.
To stand out in the paddock, the pair will sport some unique shoes designed to celebrate their entry in the Easter Sunday race.
It’s a concept the pair have thrown around for some time, though initially ran into some complications.
“The idea started last year, Jude and I had an idea to do something a bit funky, different and related to the race weekend and Burson,” Ben Bargwanna explained.
“We initially came up with dying our hair red and blue, but Jude was still at school and wasn’t allowed to do it!
“The second idea was to do some special shoes so we looked the part in the paddock.
“I’ve got a bit of a passion for nice sneakers so we found someone on Instagram and got them done.
“They’re a blank canvas to paint on so we’ve got the circuit, the car number and some colour on them.
“It’s a bit of fun and something different to celebrate being at Bathurst this year.”
This year will be the third that the Bargwanna family squad have come together to tackle Australia’s peak Production Car enduro, first entering the race in 2021 with a Volkswagen GTI in Class D.
They stepped up into the outright-contending Audi last year, though this year will prove something of an easier weekend for the elder cousin – the lack of Supercheap Auto TCR Australia action on-track meaning Ben’s weekend becomes much more straightforward.
“Just focussing on one car going to be awesome. massively beneficial for me and rest of team – I won’t have to jump on a scooter and race between two garages,” he said.
“I love racing TCR at Bathurst, but this is a better outcome. I’m going to be able to enjoy it more – what the 6 hour is and everything it has to offer
“Instead of jumping out of the Audi and thinking about what happened in the TCR race, I’ll be able to jump out of Audi and look at that.
“I’ll be able to devote the weekend to making the Audi a good race car.”
The Hi-Tec Oils Bathurst 6 Hour, round 2 of the Shannons SpeedSeries for 2023, will be broadcast live on Stan Sport and the Nine Network across the April 7-9 weekend.
Tickets, camping and corporate remain on sale via bathurst6hour.com.au.
