HE may have started the V8 Utes’ Bathurst round with an incident at Griffins Bend, but Terry Nightingale finished it on a high with a personal best lap time and a top 10 finish.
The talented Bathurst driver was contesting a round of the series for the first time since 2014 and though it did take time to adjust, he certainly got better as the weekend unfolded.
Following crashes in practice and qualifying on Thursday, Nightingale placed 14th in the opening race on Friday then snared a pair of ninths in Saturday’s two races.
It ranked him 10th overall for the round, out performing the likes of Craig Dontas who sits fourth in the series standings.
“Two top 10s, that’s great,” Nightingale said.
“The ute was fantastic, we put a new set of tyres on the right hand side of the thing. Over the top and down The Esses, it was so quick.
“It was just incredible, it was such a good effort and my confidence is through the roof now – I wish we had another race.
“Also to see the lead pack not too far ahead of me either, that was just awesome.”
In race two on Saturday morning, Nightingale started 15th on the grid in his #30 Sieders Racing Team Holden Commodore.
He managed to improve six spots over the eight laps which followed and survived a scare at The Chase when he left the track and flew across the grass.
“That was full on down at The Chase, there were a couple of guys that went off. I think that there was something on the road because Gerard [McLeod] has gone off, Danny [Buzadzic] has gone off – we’ve all gone off,” Nightingale said.
For the final race of the round on Saturday afternoon, Nightingale was promoted to 12th on the grid.
Again he managed to improve, climbing up to ninth with two of the six laps remaining as he and team-mate Arron Borg staged an absorbing battle. The pair frequently found themselves racing side by side, but not once did they rub panels.
The duo even managed to keep the experienced Dontas from getting past them in the final stages, Nightingale clocking a personal best lap time of 2:33.8776. Only seven drivers managed a quicker effort.
The way Nightingale finished the Bathurst round has him hungry to do more racing in the category and he said he is hoping to get seat time in 2017.
“I set a personal best lap time on my last lap. I got into the 33s, which is not too far off what the leaders have been doing this weekend. I couldn’t be happier,” he said.
“You can only improve, and I am stoked with how this weekend went with the Sieders boys, they are a very professional outfit.
“Hopefully I can come back next year, hopefully I can get into the series if I can get some backing.”
