Two fierce rivals become teammates on Sunday morning when Bathurst rookies Matt Chahda and Jaylyn Robotham pair up in a wildcard duo to take on Mount Panorama.
The duo, racing under the Caltex Young Stars banner, are used to doing battle in the Dunlop Super2 series.
This weekend, they’ve borrowed a Walkinshaw Andretti United Commodore to make a dream run at Bathurst 1000 glory. And they’ve impressed so far, showing flashes of brilliance despite the tricky conditions on the Mountain.
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Robotham, the co-driver, told Foxsports.com.au: “It’s pretty surreal. It’s always a dream to race the 1000. It still hasn’t quite sunk in. We’ve had a couple of practice sessions, but until the race, it probably won’t sink in.”
Still just 19, Robotham has surged through the ranks of Australian motorsport in recent years, claiming victory at the Super2 season-opener at Sydney Motorsport Park this year.
“It’s been pretty cool to make it through the ranks. It’s been a tough journey,” he said, “but hopefully it’s the first of many (Bathurst appearances).”
There are four wildcard entries, featuring veterans like Craig Lowndes or Greg Murphy, but there’s nothing quite like the pairing of hot rookie Robotham and one of the Dunlop Series’ most experienced drivers in Chahda.
“It was an uncertainty that we were gonna race this year,” a grateful Robotham said. “There’s not many seats available. It was good that this wildcard opportunity came up … Thinking back to a couple of years ago, I didn’t think I’d ever drive a Supercar, like any – Super 2 or 3. So to be racing the main game is pretty surreal, it’s still kicking in.”
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So what’s it like to pair up with a driver you normally battle on the track?
“It’s cool to race against Matt,” he said. “(But) it’s good to race together too. We were gonna race Super2 this weekend, we had a bit of banter saying: ‘What if we took each other out then had to race together?’
Luckily, the pair aren’t the only ones to be making their debut this weekend. Five other drivers are hitting the Mountain for the first time – with seven this year a big change from last year’s sole debutant.
“If we were the only rookies it would be a bit harder,” Robotham says. “It’s good – there’s a few rookies, we just have to try and beat them.
“They’re all pretty good rookies so it’s gonna be tough. They’ll fit in well with the main game drivers, it’s pretty tight throughout the fields here.”
