Canberra based family team CHE Racing have finished 15th outright and first in Class D in the 2021 Bathurst 6 Hour following a pair of remarkable performances from drivers Tom Sargent and Lachlan Mineeff, with Cameron Hill managing the team.
Sargent was tasked with qualifying the car, where he finished second in class and 43rd overall. The CHE Racing Toyota 86 spent the opening hour of the race running around this position.
With the intervention of a large number of Safety Cars, Hill made some bold strategic calls and the #14 Toyota 86 was able to move inside the top 25.
In the final half of the race, Sargent and Mineeff continued to log consistent and quick laps around the Mount Panorama circuit. Combined with some more sharp strategy, they were able to claim the class lead and push up inside the top 20 until they eventually settled into 15th.
“That was pretty crazy, after the disappointment of 2019 to just get through and finish this race on the one engine was an achievement…but then to win our class is just phenomenal,” Mineeff said.
“Cameron made some great calls to get us up the order and huge credit to Tom as well for putting in some mega stints and some really cool-headed final laps to bring the car home. The middle of the race for me was quite difficult and there were plenty of safety cars, some of which didn’t fall our way. Fortunately, we got a bit lucky with the timing in the second half of the race on when they came out.”
“That was an unbelievable day, to get the class win is one thing but to come home 15th outright as well is incredible," Sargent added.
"It’s a huge testament to the work put in by Cameron, Lachlan and the rest of the team to make the right calls throughout the day and put together great stints on track.
“It was mentally draining, especially all the traffic with almost 60 cars in the field. Trying to find the right spots to let the faster cars pass us without compromising our own race, especially when we’re involved in our own battles was tough. I spent a lot of time looking in my mirrors.”
While Hill relished his team manager role, he said he prefers being behind the wheel.
“It’s a lot worse being a team manager, as opposed to a driver, I was really stressed for all 6 hours of that one," he said.
"There were a lot of moments in that race where the strategy call would decide our fate and I had to make those decisions, so the heart rate was pumping pretty solidly."
The CHE Racing Team is back on track for Round 2 of the Porsche Carrera Cup Australia at The Bend Motorsport Park, 8-9 May.
Bathurst 6 Hour Results Summary:
Practice 1 – 36th (1st in class)
Practice 2 – 39th (1st in class)
Practice 3 – 39th (1st in class)
Qualifying – 43rd (2nd in class)
Race – 15th (1st in class)
