Cameron Hill prepares for Supercars debut at the Mountain

Not only is rising star Cameron Hill preparing to make his Mountain debut in a Supercar, but he will complete double duty as he contests Australia’s Great Race in addition to his usual Super2 commitments.

Returning to the #111 Supaglass Industries Triple Eight Race Engineering Holden VF Commodore for the first time since Sandown, Hill will gain valuable miles in preparation for his debut Repco Bathurst 1000 appearance alongside Chris Pither in the Coca-Cola Racing entry.

Hill is battling for the Rookie of the Year honours, holding fourth outright in the Super2 standings approaching the penultimate round of his maiden campaign in the second-tier category.

It’s a matter of scoring victories this season for Hill as he aims to chase down teammate and series leader Declan Fraser, with Bathurst providing an opportunity to close the margin before Super2 finishes its season on the streets of Adelaide in December.

His Super2 running also provides Hill crucial seat time in a Supercar around the Mountain as he prepares to make his Great Race debut alongside the experienced Chris Pither in the Coca-Cola Holden ZB Commodore of PremiAir Racing.

Not only will Hill make his debut in the race, but so too will the PremiAir Racing squad, though the Queensland-based operation contains a number of experienced hands led by Matt Cook ensuring an ideal atmosphere to learn.

The ZB Commodore will also feature a retro livery in the style of Wayne Gardner Racing’s Coca-Cola entries of the mid-1990s. In fact, the appearance celebrates 1995 in which Gardner paired with Neil Crompton finished third.

A successful test day at Queensland Raceway last week ensured Hill became well practiced in the extra requirements of endurance racing including driver and brake changes, fuel stops in a final systems check.

The jump between the two different model Commodores is also made easier by both being Triple Eight-built, with Hill well acclimatised to the ergonomics in each.

Hill will experience a Supercar for the first time around the Mountain on Thursday.

QUOTES
Cameron Hill

#111 Supaglass Industries Holden VF Commodore (Super2 Series)
#22 Coca-Cola Racing Holden ZB Commodore (Bathurst 1000)

“It will be cool to undertake my first laps of Mount Panorama in a Supercar,” said Hill.

“I’m sure it will be awesome. I’ve been watching a lot of footage from previous Bathursts and I feel very prepared, so I can’t wait to hit the track Thursday.

“I need to get some race wins now, I’ve been setting up the series by keeping my nose clean and trying to accumulate points, but at this point I’ve got to have a go if I want to win the series. I’ve have to win races, so the mentality shifts a little bit.

“I want to take those opportunities when they come.

“Running Super2 will be an advantage as it ensures I get extra time on track. There are a lot of practice sessions for 1000, but the program will be split between the two drivers, with any hiccups leading to losing valuable time.

“It will be a benefit as come Sunday I’ll have plenty of laps under my belt.

“It’s good to be pairing up with someone as experienced as Chris (Pither). He can answer all the questions I have about specific things and he’s been good, we’ve been getting along really well. We’re also nearly the exact same height and size, we share the same seat insert, so from that aspect it’s been really, really good.

“With all the work completed by the PremiAir guys anything can happen and I’m feeling quite confident of a good run.”