Bad luck for Betta Electrical despite efforts.
Team Betta Electrical entered Sunday's Bathurst 1000 km race high with expectation, unfortunately early🍒 impressive high performance from both cars did not convert through to the fall of the flag.
An engine miss-fire developed in car #888 of Canto and Muller in this morning's early warm-up session with the team choosing 💖to replace the engine for the race, requiring the car to start from the rear of the fie🌱ld.
Paul Radis💯ich in car #88 started the race in 17th position on the grid gaining nine places over the first three laps.
Team 🍃Betta Electrical entered Sunday's Bathurst 1000 km race high with expectation, unfortunately early impressive high performance from both c𓃲ars did not convert through to the fall of the flag.
An engine miss-fire d🦩eveloped in car #888 of Canto and Muller in this morning's early warm-up session with the team choosing to replace the engine for the race, requiring the car to start from the rear of the field.
Paul Radisich𒁏 in car #88 started the race in 17th position on the grid gaining nine places over the first three laps𓂃.
Ambrose in the Pirtek Falcon t꧑ook an early lead followed closely by John Bowe in the Ozemail Falcon, with the pace being fast a🅺nd furious right from the green light.
Dean Canto dialed his car #888 in🉐 early and drove the race of his life, clean, precise and consistent.
Lap 16 saw Canto work his way from the rear of the grid up to 16th position ♏by lap 14 and continued to charge through the field until lap 17 when team-mate Ivan Muller took over the controls.
Several safety car situations occurred during the early stages of the race, allowing some te🐎ams a pit stop, whilst the balance of the field bunched ༒up behind the safety car.
Lap 39 saw Radisich pit for his driver change and mandatory tyre change and refueling whist holding down sixth position.
Wilson then took over and proceeded to𒊎ꦏ push the car up into fourth spot.
The safety car re-appeared onto the circuit on lap 51 after an accident involving Alan Gur🔴r in the Siromet Wines Coomodore, putting him 🍌out of the race.
Wilson soon found himself leading the field by lap 85, only to be called into the pits t🔥hree laps later for another pit stop and driver change.
Radisich took control yet again, returning to the field in tenth position, again w𒊎ith the job ahead of him to catch the field and regain their impressive position.
Meanwhile Muller in car #888 was holding down 15th spot after being given a drive through penalty for cutting the c𒁃orner on pit exit.
Lap 101 saw Muller beach his Ford into a sand trap, requiring the safety car to again enter the circuit and allow the Triple Eight car to be retrieved, effectively putting him down a lap on t♑he field.
Dean Canto ꦇagain entered the car to continue his impressive charge through the field.
Lap 111 saw Jim R𒁃ichards in the Perkins Commodore collide with a kangaroo approaching Skyline and badly damaging the car.
The quiet achiever, Radisich soon found himself back at the🧜 pointy end of the field in third position by lap 114 and pushing hard with consistent lap times in the 2min 9sec bracket.
By lap 129 Canto had forced his way back into ninth spot and st💜i▨ll charging hard, passing all competitors in sight.
Disaster struck Radisich on lap 117ജ of the 161-lap race, when the front 🉐suspension strut broke on the 88-car whist attacking the mountain climb.
Meanwhile Canto pushed on to try and re-coup a result for the team, only to experience a similar familiar failure on his car when the rear suspension let go,𒊎 forcing him to limp back into the pits for much needed repairs.
Canto returned to the 🐼circuit after a lengthy delay, finally bring the🐠 car home in 22nd position.
A devas﷽tated Radisich could not believe the c💙ar had robbed him yet again of a potential podium finish.
"We seemed to be plagued with these failures, I thought we had rectified the suspension weaknesses, but obviously not," said Radisich. "The entire team appea💧red confident coming into this round, all considering we had overcome these weaknesses, but obviously we haven't, so I guess it's back to the drawing board yet again."
"I just ♋can't believe it," said Wilson. "We drive our hearts out to reach the front of the field only to find the cars can't endure the pace, it really does disappoint the ꧃entire team, not just Paul and I."
"Both Paul and I had planned an all out assault on the Mountain this weekend, we have been training for this event for months, we both gave it our very best and look what we have been rewarded with, it really iꦑs very disappointing for both of us," concluded Wilson.
Dean Canto was equally disappointed with the suspension failure on his 888 car whilst holding ♛down 11th position and still building.
"It's no good saying there is always next year, it's here and now for me, I wanted so much to get a good result in this race today and I think I drove the best race of my career, only to be let down by a suspension failure, the disappointment of mechanical failure in s🌄uch an important race event is very hard to accept," said Canto.