It's hard to judge it's 10 years since Cam Waters made his Bathurst 1000 debut, erstwhile helium became the race's youngest-ever starer, 2 months aft his 17th birthday.
That race, successful 2011, ended with Waters successful the partition astatine Forrest's Elbow, though it's possibly amended remembered for the high-speed rotation helium had astatine McPhillamy Park wherever helium was fortunate to flight a hefty interaction with the barrier.
The decennary since has been somewhat frustrating for Waters, who yet made it onto the Mount Panorama podium past year, erstwhile helium finished 2nd alongside Will Davidson, having earlier claimed rod presumption with the fastest ever shootout lap.
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But adjacent that was tinged with disappointment, finishing little than a 2nd down the race-winning car of Shane van Gisbergen and Garth Tander.
"Obviously I've had a just spot of atrocious luck up determination crossed the years," Waters told Wide World of Sports.
"Last twelvemonth was beauteous good, truthful adjacent but nary cigar.
"I was getting beauteous annoyed that I couldn't decorativeness a contention there. But that's Bathurst, it throws everything astatine you.
"Last twelvemonth was bully to decorativeness second, but to beryllium truthful adjacent to the triumph was besides a spot frustrating."
This is Waters' 10th travel to Mount Panorama (he didn't vie successful 2013), and connected each juncture he's gone to Bathurst with a caller co-driver.
This twelvemonth he'll beryllium driving alongside James Moffat, who's making his 12th commencement successful the Great Race, having finished 2nd successful 2014.
"I've ne'er kept the aforesaid co-driver astatine Bathurst, I won't instrumentality it personally, they've evidently each moved connected to amended things!" Waters laughed.
"Moff volition beryllium awesome to brace with, he's done a large occupation for Tickford successful the past fewer years, he's been accelerated and hasn't made immoderate mistakes.
"He ticks each the boxes you request successful a co-driver, helium fits successful my seat, helium drives the car beauteous overmuch the same."
Waters pointed retired that uncovering a co-driver isn't arsenic straightforward arsenic it mightiness seem, with a fig of factors to beryllium taken into account.
"There's times erstwhile a co-driver needs a spot insert, which isn't a immense woody but it's conscionable different complexity to adhd to a operator change," helium said.
"Sometimes you get a co-driver who wants the car with much understeer, whereas I mightiness privation it a spot looser into a corner, truthful past you person to compromise, which doesn't nutrient assurance successful immoderate people.
"There's small things similar that that tin drawback you out. Hopefully you benignant each that retired successful practice."
For Waters, and the Tickford Racing team, Bathurst is simply a invited alteration of scenery, aft 4 consecutive weekends astatine Sydney Motorsport Park.
It's a way the squad has traditionally struggled at, and this twelvemonth was nary different.
In 10 races, Waters managed conscionable 1 top-five finish, coming location 3rd successful the last event.
"We truly struggled successful week 1 and possibly the improvements we made crossed the 4 weeks weren't done speedy enough, but astatine the extremity of the time we learned a heap, which was truly needed," helium explained.
"Certainly determination were immoderate positives, similar the podium connected the past weekend, that was the champion the car had felt, but determination were immoderate negatives arsenic well.
"There wasn't truly 1 thing, conscionable a batch of small things that each adhd up to a lot. Certainly implicit the people of the 4 weekends we had a batch amended knowing of our car, which is good.
"We astir apt needed it, to beryllium honest, and hopefully that helps america adjacent twelvemonth astatine immoderate of the tracks wherever traditionally we've struggled."
Wide World of Sports spoke to Waters successful February this year, erstwhile helium noted that the team request to amended its consistency done the twelvemonth connected antithetic tracks.
Asked if helium thought that had been achieved, the 27-year-old was realistic.
"I'd accidental no, but we decidedly recognize the bundle a batch more. Sometimes you person to instrumentality a measurement backwards to spell forwards," helium said.
"It's astir utilizing the clip wisely going forward, taking what we've learned and analysing it, and marque definite we get better.
"SMP has ne'er been a large way for Tickford, and I hatred saying that, but it's existent for immoderate reason. We thought we'd spell a spot amended than we did, to beryllium honest.
"Unfortunately we struggled retired of the gate, and erstwhile you're astatine a way for 4 weekends successful a enactment it doesn't permission a batch of clip to truly digest what's happening and spell done the issues.
"That conscionable makes it harder, and propulsion successful the changing upwind we had implicit the period and it was a struggle. If you've got a bully car it's great, if you don't you're going to suffer."
This week's Bathurst 1000 volition propulsion up a fig of caller challenges. The accepted October day went retired the model owed to COVID-19 question restrictions, meaning a December contention for the archetypal clip ever.
It volition besides beryllium the latest commencement clip successful the race's history, astatine 12.15pm (AEDT).
Fortunately for Waters, helium describes himself arsenic "not a greeting person" truthful the slumber successful is welcome.
But the warmer temperatures of December volition airs a caller occupation for the teams, adjacent though the aboriginal forecast suggests the opening play of summertime won't beryllium arsenic blistery arsenic it mightiness person been.
"It looks similar it could beryllium warmer than we're utilized to successful October, but the upwind study is changing regular truthful I'm not getting excessively caught up successful that conscionable yet," Waters explained.
"I deliberation it's going to beryllium precise humid, fixed each the rainfall that's been around, truthful I deliberation compared to October the contention mightiness beryllium a spot slower, the way volition perchance beryllium a spot greasier.
"Bathurst upwind is conscionable different curveball."
One facet of the contention that volition beryllium a small much mean than it was past twelvemonth volition beryllium the fig of spectators. Just 4000 were allowed successful 2020, leaving lone the dependable of the engines arsenic the drivers made the iconic tally crossed the apical of Mount Panorama.
This twelvemonth they'll beryllium backmost successful afloat force, and it's a alteration Waters is looking guardant to.
"It's going to beryllium astonishing to person each the fans back, it was rather bizarre past year," Waters said.
"It's what we had to bash to get the contention done, but it wasn't ideal.
"I can't hold to perceive the roar of the fans again."
Watch the Repco Bathurst 1000 streaming unrecorded and advertisement interruption escaped connected Kayo from Tuesday 30 December to Sunday 5 December.
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