ASH Walsh might not have got the sort of debut in the V8 Supercars series he was hoping for at Sandown last month, but that will only make him more hungry for a good result when he heads to Mount Panorama next week.
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Currently in his third season contesting the Development Series, Walsh was offered his break by Dick Johnson Racing.
He was announced as Tim Blanchard’s co-driver for the endurance season and was delighted to be offered the seat.
“It is one of the things that you push for. I have been working towards this for the last five years, so it is nice to see it finally pay off,” he said.
“I have worked very hard this year to get on the radar of one of the main game teams.”
Walsh placed seventh in last year’s Development Series and currently sits second in the 2013 championship.
Strong results in that series will no doubt help him when it comes to attracting a full-time drive in the V8 Supercars series.
So too will a good result at Bathurst.
Still, Walsh knows conquering Mount Panorama is no easy task and he is aware he has to capitalise on every lap he gets both as part of the Development Series’ Bathurst round and in practice sessions for the endurance classic.
“I haven’t really had any laps there and Bathurst is one of those tracks where you have got to get laps underneath you to do well,” the 25-year-old said.
“But I think this year I have more of a handle on the car and with the laps I will get in practice and qualifying with the Development Series and in practice for the main game, I hope to do well.”
Things did not go quite so well for Walsh and Blanchard at Sandown in the number 17 Wilson Security Falcon.
During Saturday’s co-driver qualifying race, Walsh was hit from behind on lap nine. He recovered, but the incident cost him nine places.
The drama did not stop there either. Later in the race, following a safety car
period, Walsh was accelerating and nearing 160km/hr when the bonnet of his Falcon flew off. It ended his day.
“I had pretty good speed but I was coll-ected by [Taz] Douglas and turned around and from there we were in a bad position for the restart,” Walsh said.
“There was some crazy stuff going on in front of me. I just had nowhere to go.”
The car was repaired and Blanchard got out on track later that afternoon, qualifying for Sunday’s 500 kilometre race in 22nd position.
But the new day did not bring better luck for Walsh.
He looked to be doing well in his first stint as he worked his way up into 17th position and the Falcon had good speed.
However, when he was following the Mercedes of Craig Baird on lap 35 he was caught out.
“I was following the Erebus car past one of the Nissans,” Walsh explained.
“It broke earlier than I expected and that caught me out. I locked my front over the bumps there and it went in. The car was reasonable and I was picking off cars as I could.
“I wasn’t trying to do anything stupid and I wasn’t trying to make any big moves or anything, but it caught me out.”
Walsh ran off the circuit and the incident left the car unrepairable.
Still, Blanchard liked what he saw of Walsh and believes they are capable of producing a good performance at Bathurst.
“I think we would have been up for a pretty good result,” he said.
“I think we will be quite competitive at Bathurst. Every time Ash gets in he is one of the quicker co-drivers out there. He made up a lot of spots and was doing a really good job.”
Walsh will just be hoping that this time he can avoid dramas and turn the potential he showed at Sandown into a good result at Bathurst.
“It is every driver’s dream each year to race at Bathurst; it is a race you always look forward to,” he said.