Bryce Kept a Cool Head at the Bathurst 1000

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The weather gods and Mount Panorama tested the drivers at Bathurst.

Well, what a weekend it was at the Bathurst 1000 with both the weather gods and Mount Panorama testing the drivers across the four days of this iconic event.

With torrential rain on Saturday, and a broken water main on Sunday, causing mayhem in the early stages and with the Red Lion’s final time at the track taking the winning honours – it had it all.

For the Brad Jones Racing Team and the #14 Middy’s Supercar entry, the weekend provided both challenges and a great final result.

Over the four practice sessions, it was a mixed bag for the #14 Middy’s Supercar. Bryce Fulwood and co-driver Dean Fiore had to deal with tyre balance issues, some set-up challenges and the ever-changing weather conditions, seeing the boys finishing in mid-pack positions across these warm-up sessions.

The qualifier race on Friday afternoon had some difficulties, with a few things not going to plan for the BJR Team, ultimately leading to the Fulwood/Fiore entry to finish in P24 on the grid for Sunday’s Great Race.

On Saturday, as predicted, the heavens opened up in the afternoon, flooding the circuit and leaving it too unsafe for the Top 10 Shootout to go ahead. That meant the grid was locked from the previous day’s qualifier.

However, these sodden conditions did provide a further opportunity for the BJR Team to get tyre phasing and pressures right with this additional time.

Sunday arrived, and with the rain holding off, the longest race of the season, the Bathurst 1000, got off to one of the most chaotic starts in history.


A burst water main led to carnage on the first lap taking out five cars at the early stages of the race. Leading to the use of the safety car in the initial laps of the race, and the chaos continued throughout the entire race with a total of 8 safety cars being deployed across the 6.5 hours.

Bryce and Dean, in the #14 Middy’s Racing Supercar, chipped away at their balance and pace, improving every lap, which was a positive sign and avoiding the chaos throughout the race.

The boys shared the drive well throughout the day. For the entire 161 laps, Bryce and Fiore battled the mountain with determination and focus, which rewarded them with a position increase of over 15 places.

With Bryce at the wheel for more than 60 laps without his cooling suit working at all, he kept a cool head, crossing the line in the Top 10 and finishing in P9.

Next round: Gold Coast 500, 28 – 30 October 2022.

"What a day, what a race! Dean did a mega job, and I almost didn’t want to take him out of the car for that final stint. I had a problem with my cool suit in the latter stages of the race but other than that we managed to keep ourselves out of most of the drama that unfolded around us and put our heads down and get on with it. So stoked to be able to take the Middy’s Rocket up 15 places from where we started on the grid for P9. A top 10 finish at Bathurst on what was a tough weekend for our team was a great reward for the crew, and we’re all excited and determined now heading to the Gold Coast." - Bryce Fullwood

"Bryce and Dean proved to be a great pairing and had a great day. From where they started on the grid, to be running in and around the top 10 all day was a great effort to not only the guys but the whole crew. It was a tough weekend for the team overall and to have the Middy’s Racing #14 come home with such a good result was a huge boost. We’re looking forward now to the Gold Coast, which is a place we’ve had some great results at as a team in the past and finishing off the season on a high." - Brad Jones