Zane Morse Reflects On Ups And Downs At Mount Panorama
Racing in the headline support category as part of the Repco Bathurst 1000 weekend, support for the Canberra-based driver was evident, with many fans amongst the 204,000-strong crowd at the mountain wearing Morse’s pink team merchandise.
Thankful for the support, Morse spent much of the weekend signing autographs and meeting fans both during scheduled signing sessions and impromptu ones at the iconic circuit in Bathurst.
“It was great to see so many people wearing our pink team shirts and hoodies at the mountain,” said Morse.
“Just amazing how many people wanted autographs, I really appreciate all of the support from everyone.”
On the track, Morse showcased his pace early in the weekend and, after Thursday’s two productive practice sessions for the Dunlop Super2 Series, was second fastest overall.
Friday’s schedule saw qualifying and the first of two scheduled races for the Mount Panorama round. However, qualifying didn’t quite go to plan, and it saw Morse start from 10th in the opening race.
A hectic start to the race saw the leaders make contact and on the run into Griffins Bend, an unexpected car slowing with damage forced the field to check up, resulting in Morse being hit and spun into the concrete barriers, ending his run before the completion of the first lap.
Unwavered, an optimistic Morse was determined to put on a good show for all the fans wearing team merchandise on Saturday and backed that up with a solid qualifying session in the morning to put his Ford Mustang on the second row of the grid.
He’d take full advantage of that position at the start of the second and final race of the round to make his way up into second place by the first corner.
Morse displayed incredible performance during the race, running competitively at the front of the pack and was well positioned to take his first Super2 Series win until a fuel pressure issue robbed him of a good result.
Despite the disappointment, Morse and his AIM Motorsport team showcased their ability to compete with the bigger teams. Something they’ll aim to build upon in the final round of the year in Adelaide.
“I can’t thank the guys enough for their efforts at Bathurst,” said Morse after the weekend.
“The car was hooked up across the top and felt fast all weekend.”
“Unfortunately, we were caught out in the first race when we all had to check up, and I was hit from behind and spun. There was nothing anyone could do about it. No one expected it.”
“But the team did a fantastic job to repair and turn around the car for Race 2, where we were fast again.”
“I know they are gutted we didn’t get the results we wanted this weekend, but we showed again that we had a quick car and could run up the front.”
“Again, a huge thank you to everyone who came up asking for an autograph. The support was fantastic, I really appreciate it.”
Zane would like to thank his amazing sponsors, including Turps Tippers, Above All Roof Maintenance, Brema Group, TradeMutt, Enhance Healthcare, En Garde Fencing and Gates, Wagga Paint Distributors, Yarra Valley Sheds, Specialized Towing, Diecast Visions, InSyde Media, OBJ’s Sports Bar and Lone Star.
The Dunlop Super2 Series concludes with the final round of the 2023 season on the streets of Adelaide in November as the headline support category for the Adelaide 500.