2017 Bathurst 1000 Race Report

The ACS #23 Altima of Michael Caruso and Dean Fiore was the first Nissan home in 6th place after an eventful race including dealing with a failed windscreen wiper on the rain soaked circuit. They were followed over the line by the #20 Altima of Todd Kelly and Jack Le Brocq who were able to recover from being a lap down to finish in 7th place.

Rick Kelly and David Wall in the #15 Altima showed excellent pace all day, however a brave move on lap 134 put Kelly into a sand trap. They were able to continue after the car was recovered, but their race had been compromised and they finished in 13th position.

The final Nissan of Simona De Silvestro and David Russell made a great comeback from 23rd on the grid to be the lead Nissan by mid-race. However, with just 7 laps to the end, De Silvestro made contact with the wall at the final turn, ending their race.

Michael Caruso #23

“From the start of the race we were forced to just run out the tanks. Early on we lost our wiper and that made things really challenging. Deano did a fantastic job in such difficult conditions. We were coming 15th and tried an alternative strategy, which we were looking really good with. We risked it and things were looking great. But a few safety cars put everyone back on the same strategy. So to finish 6th is really rewarding, having been around the Top 10 for most of the weekend. Stellar effort from the entire garage this weekend too. There were so many hands helping each other out. It was great to see.”

Simona De Silvestro #78

“It was good to show what we’re capable of. But I messed up and that’s pretty hard to get over. The guys worked hard all weekend and put me in that position. So it’s frustrating to end the weekend with a silly mistake. The team made some pretty good calls as well as some pretty hairy calls when it was wet. There haven’t been many races in the wet this year, but around this place it becomes even more of a handful. Things change so quickly out there and driving on slicks was a whole new challenge. I learned a lot and really enjoyed driving with David.”