Tamasi’s desire for more of that Bathurst speed
Steve Tamasi enters the final round of the Precision National Sports Sedans at the Bathurst International still in the title hunt and, with a new found thirst for racing at Mount Panorama in his Holden Calibra.
After getting back in the Sports Sedans winners circle at Sandown last time out in one of the categories most beloved machines, Tamasi and his Holden Calibra are still in the hunt for the title as he looks to add to his 2018 triumph.
It’ll be no small mountain to climb to capture the 2024 title, with Peter Ingram’s consistently fast and new-build Mazda RX7 holding the lead over Tamasi, who needs to capture a fair whack of the 135 points on offer to get it done.
Tamasi found some lightning pace at Sandown to stay in championship contention
Speaking to AUTO ACTION, the Victorian speedster related his love for racing at Bathurst after competing there for the first time in 2023 at the Bathurst 1000, and how his last visit saw him quickly acclimatise to Mount Panorama.
“We’ve come off a round where he took a bit of damage in Race 3, but other than that we’re all green lights and ready to roll,” Tamasi said.
“But we were fast all weekend, and despite having no front splitter, no brake ducts, no rear diffuser, and no under tray, we still managed the fastest lap of the race. We got good points, but we might be a bit out of reach for the title, but we’ll see.”
“Last year at Bathurst we were really moving, so we’re pretty excited going into this round. It’s an awesome track and I’m in love with it. The elevation and the hype around it all…I get it now!There’s nothing like topping 310 kph down Conrad.”
His first ever visit last season saw him take out a shortened Race 1 for a maiden debut Mountain win, and he explained the experience of trying to unlock the pace of his Calibra there.
“It was my first time there last year, not just racing, but being there. Despite that hurdle, we were making huge gains,” he continued.
“Also, it was the first time I’ve raced with concrete walls, but the gains we made from Practice 1 to the end of the weekend was somewhere in the realm of 20 seconds, and I feel like that base can see us start where we left off.”
The Calibra is facing new on-track challengers from new Sports Sedans entrants, but is keeping pace nicely and ageing like a fine wine
For a car that’s been in the category for the better part of our recent memory, Tamasi also revealed to AA how he and the team have managed to make it a more comfortable beast to steer.
“This season, we’ve made the car far more driver friendly. I’ve always been in this car, and I haven’t had much experience in other cars, and I just thought that the uncomfortableness of a Sports Sedan – being these ragged big horsepower cars – is how they’re supposed to be.
“…that They’re supposed to be hot, hard on the brakes, and hard on the steering. So we made it more driver friendly with more ease in the power steering and braking, and just found that the finesse is transferring into the vehicle when I drive…I feel like I’m more one with the car now.”
On the health of the category, and how his Calibra will stack up to the more advanced, newer, and techier machines that are already there with the new regulations, and that are coming the category’s way in the future, Tamasi also shared his thoughts…
“I feel like the cars that people are building now to suit the new rule book has given them a slight advantage…we’ve had the Calibra for 20 years now, and they’ve had one season and they’re already up to our pace.
“It’s great for the sport though, I love good racing and I love my car, so bring it on!
“I’m happy that these newer and faster cars are getting into the series, it’s a great thing as we’re all enthusiasts and we enjoy looking at them and hearing them.
“But we’re content with our car, and if we stay out of trouble, we believe that it’s still a championship winning car.”
The Bathurst International kicks off on November 8-10, with the Sports Sedans sharing the bill with Trans Am, TCR, Australian Production Cars, and the GT and GT4 championships.
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