Motorsport TechnologyFor most casual observers, the 24 Hours of Le Mans, Monaco Grand Prix and Indianapolis 500 would represent the pinnacle of motorsport.
For real racing aficionados, a certain race in Mount Panorama, Australia, ranks amongst the most gruelling and toughest in motorsport.
And that race is the Bathurst 1000, 6.2 kilometres of narrow, winding, dusty asphalt with corners such as Conrod, McPhillamy, The Grate and Forrest Elbow the thing of Aussie folklore.
It represents a wild ride for the 27 cars and 54 machines with average speeds topping out at 181km/h. They don’t call it ‘The Great Race’ in those parts for nothing.
THE RACE FORMAT – courtesy of Walkinshaw Andretti United
There are four days of on track action which kicks off on Thursday with two Practice sessions, the first with all drivers and the second just a co-driver session.
Friday sees two more practice sessions with all drivers into the most important qualifying session of the year which starts at 4.10pm AEDT. This session will set the grid for P11 to P26 with the top 10 cars securing themselves a spot into the Top 10 Shootout for a lap to themselves around Mount Panorama.
Saturday rounds out the final two practice sessions before the pressure intensifies for the Top 10 Shootout which kicks off at 5.05pm AEDT. Make sure you tune in for this session, it is arguably the best session of the year.
Sunday is the day, the big dance. The team get a 20-minute warm up in the morning before the lights go out and engines roar at 11.45am AEDT for 1000kms around the best track in the world.
Similar to The Bend, there are no compulsory pitstop requirements, so how much fuel you take and when, will be the big question, it all depends on strategy.
At some stage during the race, cars will have to complete a front brake rotor change. This involves, for us, taking the entire brake calliper and rotor off, and replacing them with brand new ones, fresh out of the oven to warm up.
Leading the charge for Walkinshaw Andretti United, partnering Acronis, are drivers Ryan Wood and Chaz Mostert and their co-drivers Jayden Ojeda and Febian Coulthard.
“I grew up watching the Bathurst 1000 and it still feels surreal to actually be racing in it again,” commented Wood on the official Walkinshaw Andretti United website.
“Qualifying hurt us at The Bend, that will be a focus for us this weekend, it definitely makes your day easier on Sunday when you start up the front.”
“This is the race we look forward to all year, it’s the best race on the calendar, for us co-drivers it’s like Christmas has come early,” added co-driver Ojeda.
“We had a solid weekend at The Bend but it really wasn’t where we wanted to end up, it just makes Woody and I hungrier for a better result this weekend.”
For Mostert, the biggest race on the calendar represents a case of unfinished business and they are going to give it their best shot to achieve ‘redemption’ after finishing second last year.
“Fabs and I have unfinished business at Bathurst, it’s going to be a redemption weekend for us. The Bathurst God’s always have something to throw your way, that’s what makes this place so special, as a team and driver you need to be prepared for that.”
Co-driver Coulthard is equally pumped up to finish the weekend one step further up on the podium.
“This is the best weekend of the year, we have put in the hard work in the lead up to the event and now we need to execute,” added Coulthard. “Last time Chaz and I were teamed up at Bathurst we came second, this year the goal is to finish one step higher.”
Think Technology Australia and Acronis #TeamUp deliver Cyber Protection support to Walkinshaw Andretti United
Acronis, a global leader in cyber protection, and Think Technology Australia announced a turbo-charged partnership with the eight-time Bathurst 1000 winner Walkinshaw Andretti United (WAU) Supercars team. The partnership will rev up the racing team’s cyber protection posture by using Acronis’ advanced technology solutions delivered by Think Technology Australia to protect the motorsport team’s critical data and systems.
Protecting over 40 major sports teams worldwide, Acronis brings its #TeamUp partner program to Australia, offering managed service providers (MSPs) an opportunity to join forces with leading sports teams, helping them identify cybersecurity risks, block cyberattacks and keep their data safe.
“Here at Walkinshaw Andretti United, we are extremely excited about partnering with Acronis and Think Technology Australia. Protecting sensitive information such as data generated on track is of significant priority to us,” said Bruce Stewart, CEO of WAU.
“We are confident that Acronis’ solution, delivered by Think Technology Australia, will help us achieve this. We are thrilled to partner with Acronis and Think Technology Australia to better manage our cyber protection across not only our race team but broader businesses as well.”
Through the #TeamUp partnership, Think Technology Australia will support WAU with Acronis’ cyber protection solutions trusted by thousands of Australian businesses, including Acronis Cyber Protect Cloud, Acronis Advanced Backup, and Acronis Advanced Management, along with co-managed support. In return, the partnership will offer powerful sports marketing and business development opportunities, including attendance at business events, case studies and powerful branding.
“It’s an incredible honor and a privilege to support Walkinshaw Andretti United with Acronis,” added Caleb Bright, CEO of Think Technology Australia. “Motorsport requires incredible precision and performance, which aligns perfectly with our specialty of optimising IT performance and security for Australian businesses. This partnership is a great opportunity for us to leverage our industry-leading expertise, local focus and technical support to help Walkinshaw Andretti United defend its operations and enhance its performance.”
Guennadi Moukine