James Golding has made it clear he won't dwell on the disappointment of being disqualified from the Bathurst 1000 results with Blanchard Racing Team (BRT). The incident cost him valuable points and impacted his standing in the championship ahead of the Finals Series.
Golding, along with co-driver Richie Stanaway, and the pairing of Aaron Cameron/Zak Best, were stripped from the results for failing to meet minimum driving time rules. They fell short of the required 54 laps after a time-certain finish caught the team off guard.
BRT accepted responsibility for the error, apologising to its drivers, partners, and fans. "From my point of view, it's something I couldn't control, so all I can do is get around the team, support them as much as possible," Golding said at a media call promoting the opening Finals Series round, the Gold Coast 500, in October.
The disqualification proved particularly costly for Golding, who had taken the chequered flag in seventh place. Losing those points dropped him from 10th to 14th in the championship, now 87 points adrift of the 10th place ahead of the Finals cut-off following the Bathurst 1000.
Golding is now at the back of a five-way fight for 10th spot with Jack Le Brocq, Andre Heimgartner, Thomas Randle, and Jayden Ojeda. "[I'm] definitely still in the mix," he said. "Bathurst's 300 points for a race win. I think we're 87 points off 10th with Le Brocq, so realistically, it's more difficult, but it's not like it's basically impossible. That race is crazy. Anything can happen. We've just got to make sure we execute our part and be in front of those guys at the end of the day."
Golding heads to Bathurst hoping to achieve redemption from 12 months ago, where he crossed the line first but was classified third due to a time penalty. The then-PremiAir Racing driver had clashed with the Erebus Motorsport Camaro of Cooper Murray while battling for the lead in the closing stages. "Last year is something I'll never forget," he said. "Having first place taken away from you is gut wrenching, but this year I'm really looking forward to getting there and making amends of that and showing what we can really do. To get on the podium and get that top set with Blanchard Racing at Bathurst would be incredible."
Golding's disqualification shakes up the race for a Finals Series berth, dealing a significant blow to his aspirations. However, with remaining races offering big points, the door is still open if he and the team can bounce back.
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