Youlden wins Bathurst

Although it’s not a race in which Audi Sport takes part, there was a very distinctive link between the brand and The Great Race yesterday, when long-time Audi Driving Experience (ADE) instructor, Luke Youlden, brought home the coveted Peter Brock Trophy and claimed his first Bathurst 1000 title.

In a race that never failed to live up to its reputation as the country’s toughest, appalling weather from the start almost to the finish tested all comers, making the choice of tyres, co-ordinating driver changes and fuel usage more important than ever for teams. While for drivers, the constant rain on the track and almost zero visibility at times called on supreme levels of skill and concentration from start to finish.

Bathurst has a long reputation for making dreams come true, while dashing others on the rocks, and this year was no exception. For Luke Youlden, co-driving with David Reynolds it was certainly the former – taking the most coveted trophy in Australian motorsport on his 18th attempt.

Driving for the relatively small, Erebus Motorsport team, the duo managing to avoid the ever-present concert walls, that loomed larger than normal in the slippery conditions and claimed many of the more fancied teams throughout the seven hour epic.

Even before the race, the Erebus Commodore had already impressed, with Reynolds putting it on the front row of the grid for the race start after a flying 2minute 4.2746 second lap in the Top 10 Shootout. Only the lightening fast Scott McLaughlin could better the time, setting the stage for another epic day at the Mountain.

But as drivers, teams and race fans know only too well, the starting position means precious little at the end of 1000km – only the final result.

Accidents, heavy rain and then a drying track all played their part in the drama, but a strong start from Reynolds and faultless drives from Youlden throughout the day, kept the Erebus car in the hunt for when it mattered most at the end. 

“It’s taken a long time, but to do it with Dave and to do it with this team, is an unbelievable feeling,” Youlden said at race end.

Making the result even more impressive for Luke, is the fact that he does not regularly drive in the V8 Supercars Series throughout the season, but rather this year came on board to contest the all-important enduros. The rest of the time, he is travelling the country and indeed the world, as one of the elite team of ADE instructors, sharing his extraordinary knowledge with Audi owners and enthusiasts at ADE events.

Congratulations to all at Erebus Motorsport on their result and particularly to Luke Youlden on an outstanding and well deserved victory.