AUS Utes: Series Bathurst fast facts

Ten Fast Facts about V8 Utes at Phillip Island

About Mount Panorama track:
Distance: circuit is a narrow 6.2 km track made up of public roads, leaving little room for error and maximum bump ‘n' grind!
Direction: The track runs anticlockwise
Fastest Average Speed in a V8 Ute: 146km/h

1) The V8 Utes celebrated their 200th race at Bathurst in 2008.

2) Current Series champion Jack "The Hustler" Elsegood will celebrate his 200th race at Bathurst in Race 2. Elsegood is one of only two drivers (Charlie Kovacs Oran Park 2008) to achieve this. Elsegood currently sits second in the Series 29 points behind Holden driver Grant "Grunta" Johnson.

3) Naming Rights partner, Yokohama Tyres Australia will celebrate 150 races with the V8 Ute Series in Race 3 at Bathurst. The A03 R-spec tyre has served both Ford and Holden V8 Utes over the past six years.

4) NASCAR development driver; George Miedecke holds the fastest lap time in a V8 Ute around Mount Panorama. Miedecke set the record in Race 1, 2009 in a time of 2:34.46.

5) V8 Utes raced at Bathurst in their inaugural year in 2001. Grant Denyer set the fastest pole time in qualifying ahead of Damien White while Gary MacDonald set the fastest race lap with a time of 2:42.98. White won the round while Gary MacDonald showing his circuit experience claimed the round win at Bathurst last year.

6) This will be the sixth year that the V8 Utes have competed at the Mount Panorama track, with the previous events held in 2001, 2002, 2003, 2006, 2008 and 2009.

7) 24 out of the 32 drivers have raced a V8 Ute before at Bathurst; the other seven drivers that are new additions to the Bathurst drivers list this year include: David Sieders, Jeremy Gray, Rhys McNally, Charlie O'Brien, Steve McFadden and Paul Morris.

8) Chris "Crispy" Pither will return to the Bathurst track for the first time since his incident in a V8 Supercar in 2008 where he was involved in a coming together with Paul Weel at Reid Park corner, causing heavy damage to both cars and hospitalizing Weel.

9) Allan Letcher will be returning to the V8 Ute field for Bathurst. Letcher rolled his WA Lifting Holden six times at the event last year and has adopted the nickname "Rollover". Letcher is an experienced driver having raced at Mt Panorama 13 times before in V8 Utes, Bathurst 12 Hour and 24 hour events.

10) Andrew Fisher and David Sieders were a two-driver team in the Jesus Racing's V8 Supercar in the Supercheap Auto Bathurst 1000 in 2009 and will now compete against each other in the V8 Utes.

-source: aus v8 utes