Supercars veteran Dave Reynolds is determined to avenge his heartbreaking loss at the Bathurst 1000 last year and claim a second win at Mount Panorama.
Reynolds started from pole and was streaking towards back-to-back Bathurst titles but with the finish line in sight, his body failed him as he succumbed to debilitating cramp.
The 34-year-old returns in 2019 as a man on a mission, determined to rise up and conquer the famous mountain in what he predicts will be the best race of his life.
Reynolds said his preparation would be second to none this year as the Holden driver chases a second Bathurst crown in three years.
“I didn’t look after myself leading into the race last year. I did a lot of appearances and interviews because we were defending champions and everyone wants to talk to the defending champion,” Reynolds told AAP.
“I was just absolutely knackered by the end so every time I drove the car it just took more and more out of me and I slept really badly (before the race) because I was on pole position so I was extra stressed.
“I put extra expectation on myself and I just crumbled in the end.
“I don’t like to dwell on the past, it only gets you upset, but it does give you extra internal motivation to come back and finish the job.
“If we were to come back and win it this year, it would probably be the best story we could ever tell, and I love stories.
“Any time you win there is the best moment of your life but to win it again would just be the most epic thing ever.”
Reynolds is sixth in the Supercars drivers’ standings this season with DRJ Team Penske stars Scott McLaughlin and Fabian Coulthard obliterating the field in their Ford Mustangs.
But Erebus Motorsport gun Reynolds said winning Bathurst would wipe away any championship disappointment.
“Yeah their cars definitely do have an edge at the minute but Bathurst is a different race, there’s a lot more strategy involved, fuel burn, good car speed, driver pairings,” Reynolds said.
“If you perform well at Bathurst and win that race, regardless of how you go for the rest of the year you can still say you’ve had one of the best years of your life.
“It’s the coolest race you could ever be a part of, it’s a fun race and you get to share it with your co-driver. It’s the longest race of the year, it’s our mecca, it’s our Christmas, it’s our everything.
“It’s cool to be a part of it but it’s even better to win it and the funny thing is I never knew how much it meant to myself and to other people until I won it.”
