David Cauchi, Race Engineer for the #888 Red Bull Ampol Racing car driven by Will Brown and Scott Pye, gives an in depth preview of the upcoming Bathurst 1000, the biggest race on the Supercars calendar.
How quickly has the relationship with Will (Brown), Scott (Pye), and Andrew (Edwards) developed since you came on to the #888 car at The Bend?
“I have known all three of them (Will, Scott, Andrew) for a long time but never worked directly with them in the same team. So it has been enjoyable to finally get to do that at Triple 8 and on that car.”
“We all just want to win so everyone is contributing as best they can. Andrew operates in a similar way to myself and is very methodical. We have had fun collaborating on setups and race strategy and that will only continue. Will and Scott are easy going and very switched on in the car with feedback. “
“I have known all three of them (Will, Scott, Andrew) for a long time but never worked directly with them in the same team. So it has been enjoyable to finally get to do that at Triple 8 and on that car.”
“We all just want to win so everyone is contributing as best they can. Andrew operates in a similar way to myself and is very methodical. We have had fun collaborating on setups and race strategy and that will only continue. Will and Scott are easy going and very switched on in the car with feedback. “
The Bend race was unexpectedly wet and chaotic, inducing penalties – what were the positives Car #888 took from that race weekend?
“Tailem Bend ended up throwing a lot of challenges at the Car #888. We were a lap down with damage by the end of lap one. Our speed in the wet was not where we wanted it to be, however the team never gave up.”
“Andrew and the team of performance engineers were constantly evaluating our options and running constant calculations around how to best deal with the situation and outstanding penalties. It was one of the most impressive strategy teams I have ever worked with.”
“To come fourth and show strong car speed in the dry was a testament to the resilience and capability of the entire team. That gives me real confidence going into Bathurst which we know can throw plenty of curve balls throughout the race.”
“Tailem Bend ended up throwing a lot of challenges at the Car #888. We were a lap down with damage by the end of lap one. Our speed in the wet was not where we wanted it to be, however the team never gave up.”
“Andrew and the team of performance engineers were constantly evaluating our options and running constant calculations around how to best deal with the situation and outstanding penalties. It was one of the most impressive strategy teams I have ever worked with.”
“To come fourth and show strong car speed in the dry was a testament to the resilience and capability of the entire team. That gives me real confidence going into Bathurst which we know can throw plenty of curve balls throughout the race.”
What are the learnings on track and in the garage being taken from The Bend into Bathurst?
“The most disappointing part of our performance was our lack of speed in the heavy wet conditions. We misjudged the intensity of the rain and that lead to decisions that hurt our speed and progress early in the race.”
“After The Bend we have been very honest and come up with some updated strategies on how we will approach any such weather conditions at Bathurst.”
“The most disappointing part of our performance was our lack of speed in the heavy wet conditions. We misjudged the intensity of the rain and that lead to decisions that hurt our speed and progress early in the race.”
“After The Bend we have been very honest and come up with some updated strategies on how we will approach any such weather conditions at Bathurst.”
After a dry turned (very) wet race last year, how much of a difference to strategy, car speed and set up does the weather play at Bathurst?
“With Bathurst being a race that runs for 6-7 hours, it is not often you get constant rain over the entire race distance. Last year we started dry and then once the rain came, it stayed in various intensities until the end of the race. So for 2025, the ideal setup was a wet setup.”
“At Tailem Bend we saw the opposite where the race started wet and finished dry. At Tailem Bend, Car #888 ran a dry setup, and this worked for us as we were fast at the end when it mattered most. Predicting the weather over seven hours is difficult, so generally the car setup will remain what is best for dry conditions. We can make some adjustments to ride heights and roll bars in pit stops so tune for wet if needed.”
“Race strategy wise you must be prepared to make decisions on the run as wet condition usually bring more safety cars which you need to react to on the fly. Things like continuous driving time can come into play as the lap time is slower.”
“With Bathurst being a race that runs for 6-7 hours, it is not often you get constant rain over the entire race distance. Last year we started dry and then once the rain came, it stayed in various intensities until the end of the race. So for 2025, the ideal setup was a wet setup.”
“At Tailem Bend we saw the opposite where the race started wet and finished dry. At Tailem Bend, Car #888 ran a dry setup, and this worked for us as we were fast at the end when it mattered most. Predicting the weather over seven hours is difficult, so generally the car setup will remain what is best for dry conditions. We can make some adjustments to ride heights and roll bars in pit stops so tune for wet if needed.”
“Race strategy wise you must be prepared to make decisions on the run as wet condition usually bring more safety cars which you need to react to on the fly. Things like continuous driving time can come into play as the lap time is slower.”
This is your nineteenth Bathurst 1000, what is the number one thing that goes into a Bathurst 1000 race win?
“You have six hours of practice before the race so you complete close to 1000km of running before the race even starts. Although this seems like a lot of time, it disappears rather quickly, and you can easily get caught up focusing on the wrong things and forgetting what matters most.”
“In the end, nobody remembers who was fastest in Practice 1, and nobody remembers who was on pole. So the most important thing is to focus on Sunday afternoon.”
*Quotes not for republishing
“You have six hours of practice before the race so you complete close to 1000km of running before the race even starts. Although this seems like a lot of time, it disappears rather quickly, and you can easily get caught up focusing on the wrong things and forgetting what matters most.”
“In the end, nobody remembers who was fastest in Practice 1, and nobody remembers who was on pole. So the most important thing is to focus on Sunday afternoon.”
*Quotes not for republishing