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[6-HOUR] Economy crucial to success
by Stefan Bartholomaeus
Economy crucial to success
While much of the pre-race talk has surrounded tyre wear, fuel consumption still looms as a crucial factor ahead of the inaugural Dial Before You Dig Australian Six Hour.
All pit strategies are expected to be governed by fuel usage, with different engine configurations and tank capacities across the outright contenders making for a variety of pitstop targets.
Safety Car interventions aside, the pace-setting Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution models are expected to spend as little as 70 minutes on the track before needing to refuel – making six hours a four-stop proposition.
This is expected to help the Bathurst 12 Hour winning BMW of John Bowe and Peter O’Donnell remain in contention throughout the race, with the German machine able to make it through on just three stops.
A similar situation is likely for the Jim Hunter/Barton Mawer/Gavin Bullas Subaru WRX STi, with 90 minute stints also expected.
The HSV and FPV entries are the real unknowns however, with calculations suggesting that two hour stints are theoretically possible – meaning the Australian cars may only need to stop twice.
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