It could have been the perfect arrival to the Supercars Championship for newcomers, Blanchard Racing Team.
With driver Tim Slade poised to pass third-placed Will Davison, the team looked set to secure their maiden podium in the season opener at Mount Panorama.
However, a mid-shift error with five laps remaining meant the gears on Slade’s CoolDrive Ford Mustang didn’t engage properly, causing his rear tyres to lock and a heavy collision with the concrete wall.
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With the car damaged so badly in the accident that it was unable to be worked back into shape in time for competition, Slade found himself eliminated from Saturday’s race and unfit to take part in Sunday’s second event.
Appearing heartbroken after the crash, Slade admitted to Wide World of Sports he felt haunted by the “missed opportunity” for a short time afterwards.
“It could have been a fairytale first race for the team, and just because I’ve been there since day dot, I know how much work went into it all in the lead-up to that race from a team that started from scratch with nothing,” he said.
With only a few weeks’ turnaround to the next race in the series, there was plenty of work to be done back at Blanchard Racing’s base in Melbourne with a plan hatched for a strong comeback.
“It was super tough given the guys had just basically worked non-stop since this time last year putting the team together, and then the chassis had to be repaired,” Slade said.
“So, we had a spare car sitting there that needed building from the ground up. It wasn’t in any kind of state to go racing straight away so the guys worked non-stop in between Bathurst and the next race at Sandown in like a two or three-week break in between.
“It was a huge workload on them, but the spare car that we turned up with at the following round was perfect.
“I guess it just shows how much of a good job that the guys do at putting the cars together.”
Returning to Mount Panorama for this weekend’s season-ending Bathurst 1000, Slade isn’t placing too much pressure on himself to replicate his previous feat around the circuit.
“I don’t really have any expectations, you know the car was fast here at the start of the year and hopefully it’s the same this weekend,” he said.
“I know we raced here at the start of the year, but it’s a much different race – you know the 1000 compared to the two 250s that we did at the start – and it’s our first Bathurst 1000 as a team. So, there’s a lot more that goes into the 1000km race and a lot more that gets thrown at you throughout the day.
“You never know what your car’s going to be like until you hit the track again, but given that we’re in the same year, although a different time of the year… I’m hoping it’s going to drive the same.”
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