If there were any doubts that Mount Panorama does not discriminate, they were quickly dismissed at Bathurst 1000 practice on Thursday.
There was more Bathurst heartbreak for 2017 champion David Reynolds after his co-driver Luke Youlden had a horror start to his 20th campaign on the mountain by hitting the wall at Reid Park.
And moments after claiming the veteran driver, the mountain soon made one of the field’s youngest come undone.
Remarkably, wildcard entry Jake Kostecki came to grief at almost the exact same spot in an eventful second practice session.
Jake and his cousin Brodie Kostecki – aged 19 and 21 respectively – are one of the youngest driver pairings after earning a wildcard entry for the Supercars’ three enduros, starting with Bathurst.
The incidents ensured both Holden teams could only look on helplessly from the garage when Thursday’s third and final one hour practice session was held.
Reynolds’ Penrite Racing team worked furiously on the damaged Commodore but it is not expected to be back in action until qualifying late on Friday afternoon.
It was another cruel twist at Mount Panorama for Reynolds who is out for redemption after his bid for back to back Bathurst titles was sabotaged last year by severe cramp.
« We will put it together and have a crack tomorrow, » Reynolds said.
Co-driver Youlden emerged unscathed from the crash but was monitored by medical staff for concussion.
« Luke’s fine, he’s just bashed himself up. He’s not sore or anything, he’s fine. He’s just probably emotionally scarred, » Reynolds said.
« It’s difficult when you have a big shunt around here. Hopefully he just relies on his experience and his skill and we’ll give him some laps and build himself up again.
« But I need laps too, I’m confident around here but I need to be super confident to qualify up the front.
« It’s not ideal right now, but we’ll just have to make it work. »
Youlden admitted he had « messed up ».
« Just lots of understeer…and it just wouldn’t turn for me, » he said.
« I obviously went in too deep, I just messed up.
« It was over a 20G (force) hit or something, so it was a compulsory concussion test and things.
« But I am fine … just very disappointed in myself. I regard myself as a fairly safe pair of hands. »
Holden young gun Macauley Jones was officially Mount Panorama’s first scalp on Thursday, hitting the concrete wall at The Cutting so hard it loosened the roof in opening practice.
Jones’ team couldn’t put the Commodore back together again in time for his co-driver Dean Canto to contest the second session, only to emerge with a patched up Holden in third practice.
His team are bringing in a replacement roof overnight.
http://www.espn.com/v8-supercars/story/_/id/27811096/more-bathurst-heartbreak-reynolds
