Dylan O’Keeffe is set for a big weekend of double duty at Mount Panorama this weekend, competing in both Round 3 of the Supercheap Auto TCR Australia Series and the Hi-Tec Oils Bathurst 6 Hour.
While the race meeting will be a busy one, O’Keeffe is no stranger to driving different cars at Bathurst on the same weekend – last year, he competed in the TCR support races at the Bathurst 1000 before driving in the main event alongside Garry Jacobson. He believes this weekend’s switch between his Garry Rogers Motorsport Peugeot 308 TCR car and RAM Motorsport Mercedes A45 AMG production car will be somewhat easier.
“There’s a big difference between the TCR car and the Supercar, but I think the TCR car and the production car will have a lot more similarities,” O’Keeffe said.
“They’re both turbocharged hatchbacks that are about the same size; the TCR car is more powerful and runs on slick tyres, whereas the Mercedes is all-wheel-drive and runs on grooved tyres.”
After finishing on the podium in the previous TCR round at Phillip Island, O’Keeffe said he and the GRM team are heading to Bathurst with renewed confidence.
“Phillip Island felt like a turning point for me – up until then, I was having a tough run of luck in TCR but it all finally came together and I ended up second for the weekend.
“Last year, the Peugeots were fast at Bathurst and it’s a track where I have plenty of experience, so the goal will definitely be to take the next step forward and challenge for some race wins.”
O’Keeffe is equally confident about his chances in the Bathurst 6 Hour, where he will drive alongside Mike Sheargold and Ollie Shannon.
“There’s no doubt we have the package to fight for a class win and maybe even an outright podium in the 6 Hour, but it’s going to be an old-style Bathurst endurance race where it will be all about staying out of trouble for the first five hours and setting up for a sprint to the finish in the last hour,” he said.
“It’s an enormous field and I think there will definitely be some drama, so it will be critical to stay out of trouble, especially in the early stages.
“I’m especially looking forward to driving with Mike (Sheargold) – he’s passionate about his racing but he’s also very intelligent and methodical in the way he approaches it.
“Ollie is a solid performer as well, he’s very underrated and always gets the job done.
“The GWR Australia crew who are running the car have a wealth of experience in endurance races, so there’s no reason we can’t be at the sharp end of the field on Sunday afternoon.”
Event Schedule
Friday, 15 April
8:50am – TCR Practice 1 (30 min)
10:05am – 6 Hour Practice 1 (60 min)
2:00pm – TCR Practice 2 (30 min)
4:35pm – 6 Hour Practice 2 (60 min)
Saturday, 16 April
9:30am – 6 Hour Practice 3 (40 min)
12:20pm – TCR Qualifying 1 (15min)
12:40pm – TCR Qualifying 2 (10 min)
2:45pm – TCR Race 1 (30 min)
4:05pm – 6 Hour Slower 50% qualifying (20 min)
4:35pm – 6 Hour Faster 50% qualifying (20 min)
5:10pm – TCR Race 2 (30 min)
Sunday, 17 April
8:50am – 6 Hour Warm up (20 min)
10:10am – TCR Race 3 (30 min)
11:15am – 6 Hour Race (360 min)
