Two of New Zealand’s top motorsport drivers Brendon Hartley and Earl Bamber have made a rare visit home and reflected on their incredible years.
New Zealand Formula One driver Brendon Hartley wants to try his hand at the Bathurst 1000.
The 28-year-old, who won Le Mans and the World Endurance Championship with compatriot Earl Bamber, said he’d like to one day follow Bamber and take park in Australia’s Great Race.
“I love Bathurst, I did the 12 Hour (Bathurst race) in 2012 and I think it’s one of the best tracks in the world.
CHRIS SKELTON/STUFF
2018 will be about Formula One for Brendon Hartley, but he’d love to win the race that matters the most in Australasia.
“It’s something I would love to do one day, it’s definitely not on the cards for next year, I’m fully focused on Formula One, but especially on our side of the world that is an awesome race to tick off the list.”
Bamber will be Shane van Gisbergen’s co-driver next season for the three Supercars endurance rounds, including the Bathurst 1000.
Hartley says Bathurst is a race held in high esteem in Europe and one that’s seen in a similar light to Le Mans.
“It’s pretty well recognised and everyone’s heard of Bathurst and knows what a special track it is,” he said.
“In terms of endurance racing, Le Mans is the biggest one, having 300,000 people there, that’s something special. The atmosphere is electric and so much effort goes into it.
“Bathurst is the same on our side of the world. I haven’t been to Bathurst for the 1000, but it’s definitely on the list of things I’d like to do one day.”
This has been an incredible year for Hartley, with becoming New Zealand’s first Formula One driver in 33 years being just one of the highlights, but he says the adversities he suffered earlier in his career he believes made him stronger.
In 2017 the 28-year-old won Le Mans and the World Endurance Championship, with Bamber for Porsche and added to that by making it into Formula One.
He’s back in New Zealand to get married and enjoy Christmas, before beginning his first full season for Toro Rosso in Formula One. He’s been able to take stock on a year that he can mark down as one that was more than just special.
“There have been a few crucial years, picking up the Red Bull contract all of those years ago (2008),” Hartley said.
“2006 was my first year away from home and in Europe, getting the Porsche drive (2014), even losing my my contract with with Red Bull (2010) was quite crucial moment for me, because it was after a period of a few poor results, not being happy and cracking a bit under the pressure.
“But I learned a lot from that and I’m a lot stronger today because of it.
“But 2017, a Le Mans victory, a championship and finally making my Formula One debut, that’s going to be quite hard to top.”
Hartley drove in the final four races of the 2017 Formula One season, for Toro Rosso, finishing 13th at the US Grand Prix, followed by DNFs in Mexico and Brazil, before finishing 15th in the final race, in Abu Dhabi.
A week before the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix Toro Rosso had confirmed he’d be one of their full time drivers for the following season, but he admits the two races he was unable to complete because of engine issues to his car caused him concern that he might have blown this opportunity for reasons outside of his control.
“Mexico I’d have to say was the most frustrating, because I got through to Q2,” he said.
“I thought I had the pace in myself and the car to qualify around 11th or 12th and points were genuinely on the cards.
“Then when the engine went in Q2, I didn’t get to put a lap down and had to start off the back, that was frustrating because it could have been a crucial moment for me and I could have scored my first points in Formula One.
“But the people that needed to know what job I was doing and what it takes to put a Formula One weekend together, without any real preparation, they knew.
“So I wasn’t too concerned, there were enough engineers to analyse the job I was doing.”
– Sunday Star Times
Chris Skelton/STUFF
Source :Stuff.co.nz
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