Moscatt’s co-driving career has taken him from gravel to tarmac, off road racing to Safari and all corners of the globe, but Thursday was one day he described as ‘Super Fun-tastic!”
“What have I been doing in the other seat all this time?” he joked at the end of leg two. “It was so much fun to drive the Mini, although the Sidling stage is fairly difficult. It’s not a good stage to make your driving debut on really. In fact it’s a bit like lining up to be kicked in the nuts – a really bad idea!
“At the start of the stages you usually have to wait a while before you start so you can’t warm the tyres or the brakes. Sidling is very cresty with gravel on some corners and a lot of notes. Simone (Bachmann) was just reading the notes Grant and I had written and hadn’t done reconnaissance, so we decided to take it easy for this first stage. We got through the stage cleanly with no major hiccups so all was good. It did take me a while to get used to the gearbox and brakes but my confidence was starting to build already.
“I took my time to get used to the car and also so Simone could get used to the notes as well, but on the next stage we went a little faster and on the stages in the afternoon we were quicker again,” he added. “I slowly got into the swing of it and I felt much more confident as the day went on. I didn’t look at stage times all day as our objective was to get through the day and save the tyres, without losing too much time.
“There were a few moments during the day when I began questioning why I hadn’t driven sooner. It’s so much fun! I just hope that Grant’s flight back to Hobart is delayed now so I can keep driving! Seriously, it’s not as easy as it looks but the Mini is so stable and constant. For someone as inexperienced as me, it was excellent to drive. The car is easy to learn and very stable and predictable.
“To lose a day in the event is an issue for the team as we can’t feature in the results, but hopefully for Team Mini we’ve been able to get through the day without losing too much time and also preserve the car for when Grant returns tomorrow. I have to say a big thank you to Mini for giving me the chance to drive, it’s been fantastic. I’d also like to thank Simone for getting in the car with me at such short notice and doing a great job,” Moscatt said.
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