Cameron Hill secures remarkable top 10 finish in Bathurst 1000

Cameron Hill has enjoyed an impressive return to Mount Panorama this weekend, finishing the iconic Repco Bathurst 1000 inside the top 10.

Sharing the #4 SP Tools Chev Camaro with good friend Cameron Crick, the pair finished the famous 161-lap outing in 10th place having gained two positions throughout the popular endurance race.

While the race itself proved fairly drama-free, having been the fastest Bathurst 1000 in history, the lead up proved anything but straight forward.

A solid run in Thursday’s two practice sessions was marred on Friday morning when Crick was unfortunately involved in an incident that saw the Camaro in the wall, and required the Matt Stone Racing to work tirelessly to get the car fixed.

While the car was ready for the day’s second practice session, neither Hill and Crick were able to get any pace - further illustrating the requirement for more work on the car.

The team eventually sorted out the issues for Qualifying on Friday afternoon, and Hill certainly repaid the Matt Stone Racing team for their efforts as he guided the car to P12 overall and just six hundredths off making the top 10 Shootout.

When it came to Sunday’s Great Race though, the car proved on point, as a strong strategy from the Matt Stone Racing outfit, some incidents to rival drivers and solid efforts behind the wheel from both drivers, including a remarkable three-stint run home from Hill, all contributed to the well-deserved 10th place.

Hill’s finish saw him move up to 13th overall on the Repco Supercars Championship standings, with the Canberran just 36 points off the 11th place Jack Le Brocq and a further 122 points behind the 10th place Will Davison with four races to go.  

All attention now turns to the Boost Mobile Gold Coast 500, which takes place in Surfers Paradise on October 25-27.

QUOTES

Cameron Hill
#4 SP Tools Chevrolet Camaro

“We said coming into the weekend if we could get a top ten result, we could walk away with our heads held high, so it was awesome to finish there,” said Hill.

"The team did such a good job getting the car back to 100% after Friday. The car felt really good in the warm up and was quick all race."

“We just had to play the long game and be patient, and that safety car definitely helped us get back in contention, which allowed me to make up a couple of spots at the end and secure 10th.

“To have just one safety car though was physically tough. I had never done a triple stint before but I felt good until the last 10 laps! It's hard to maintain focus when the fatigue creeps in, so I was glad to see the checkered flag.

“We decided the fastest strategy for us was to double (stint) Cam in the middle and then have me do a triple (stint) at the end, which added a bit of pressure, but I was glad I could finish it off strong.

“A massive thanks to MSR, SP Tools and Supaglass for their support - so much goes into this and it feels very special to get a true top 10 in the great race.

“There are two rounds to go, which are both challenging events, and we're really close to the top ten in the championship now, so that's going to be our focus when we roll into Gold Coast.  I feel like the momentum is with us at the moment, so fingers crossed we can finish the year well.”