Paul Radisch: Former Kiwi Supercars driver ahead of Bathurst 1000 this weekend

The Bathurst 1000 returns this weekend. 

The first practice has seen New Zealanders Ryan Wood, Matt Payne, and Andre Heimgartner sit first, fourth and eighth respectively. 

Brodie Kostecki is the current champion, looking to obtain back-to-back victories. 

Former Supercars driver Paul Radisch told Mike Hosking at the end of the day, everything just comes down to luck. 

He says that even if you’re leading the race and make all the right preparations, someone else could still claim the win. 

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Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:00):
The great race this weekend. Of course, Bathurst thousand k's
one eighty one laps starts Sunday just before lunchtime. Brady
Costeki's your current champion. Paul Radisich has been there many
many times and as with as Paul morning.

Speaker 2 (00:11):
Good morning mate.

Speaker 1 (00:12):
I hate about eighteen Do you do it eighteen times
or thereabouts?

Speaker 2 (00:16):
Mate? I think I'll think twenty one times, and and
I think competed at nineteen. A couple of accidents he
got in the way, So yeah, stretch over a long
period of time.

Speaker 1 (00:26):
How much do you watch each year?

Speaker 2 (00:29):
You know something, I start watching it and then I
move away and then I come back. So yeah, motorsport
I can never move away from. I always watch it.
I always keep an eye on Bathist and you know,
it's an interest it will never go away.

Speaker 1 (00:41):
Is it fair to suggest that, no matter how good
you are as a driver, a couple of things at play.
This is a unique race and just because you're hot
doesn't mean you'll win.

Speaker 2 (00:52):
One hundred. You know, I've been there, been the hot favorite,
led the race, done everything, never won it, so got close.
But yeah, it is it's a grueling event. You know,
it's a marathon, and there's so many things that happened.
I mean yesterday, the weather come and the same thing
will happen someday. You put money on it's going to

(01:12):
rain at some point, so you just don't know what's
going to throw at you. You know you've got to
You're going to rely on the other driver. You've got
to make sure that the team preparation is right, and
you know, at the end of the day you can
do all that. It just comes down to luck. It
really is.

Speaker 1 (01:27):
What about the co driver? They ask a tremendous I see,
I think of something like wind Cup hasn't driven a
lot lately, is it? You expect a lot? And then
you've got the younger guys who are getting the big break.
You expect a tremendous amount of a co driver, don't you.

Speaker 2 (01:39):
Well you have well, yeah, you have to. But you
know the co driver get and do the early part.
I mean, it's all about trying to train your brain
for that last hour of the race and to get
the car, keep the car going for an hour, which
I was never good at. But you know, you've got
to try and keep everything going. So when the fast driver,
the main driver, and nothing to do, just because they

(02:01):
drive the cars all the time. The main driver gets
in and just gives it everything it's got and that's
that's the race.

Speaker 1 (02:08):
And unlike any I mean, I know we're in the
endurance part of the season, but unlike any other race,
the expectations on the car are profound, aren't they. I mean,
the car's got a hold together and there's got to
be an element of luck in that.

Speaker 2 (02:21):
Look at there's a huge amount of that because you
replace that ten dollar apart that perhaps you shouldn't have
replaced and it fails. You know, you're putting so much.
You just got to go into the race. It's like
you're driving. You just got to throw everything at it
and if you crash, you crash. But you gave it
a hell of a good try. And it's the same

(02:41):
with the car. The preparation. Everybody replaces, you know, the
engine and the gearbox and your brakes, and it just
goes on. By the time the car starts a race
on Sundays, it's probably been changed twice with all new
components and that you know, yeah, there's a lot of
luck in it.

Speaker 1 (02:58):
It's absolutely fantastic. Are you enjoyed it? I enjoin it
us to talk to you Paul Reads at che form
Kie supercar Drivers of course. For more from the mic
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