Craig Lowndes expressed his admiration for Bayley Hall’s Bathurst 1000 debut. Image: InSyde Media
Having started 22nd, the pair stayed out of trouble, avoiding opening lap drama at The Cutting, and bided their time until the one and only restart, where Hall held off Broc Feeney for the final spot in the top 10.
Hall also completed double duties for the weekend, splitting time between the wildcard and his Eggleston Motorsport Super2 entry.
Lowndes expressed his admiration at how Hall handled the mental strain of his first Bathurst 1000.
“I think the biggest thing is the mental side of it,” Lowndes said.
“There’s so many highs and lows that go on over the week, not only just the race, but the whole week.
“The car is fast, so you’re positive. The car gets slower and then you’re negative and it’s just so all that roller coaster that he has to learn to deal with in this environment. And look, honestly, he did a great job.
“Doing double duties was obviously another issue that we were all mindful of, not to wear him out or get him tired.
“They’re completely different cars, so he had to get his head around that side of it and the team were very mindful, but also very good at allowing him a couple of laps to get his head back around the Gen3 car.”
Lowndes commended the wildcard program, now run by Team 18, and the talent that has elevated to the top level because of it.
“It was great to see Cooper [Murray] and Zach [Bates] having a very strong weekend because it shows that this program works with the pathway to getting into main game,” Lowndes added.
“He [Bayley] deserves a seat somewhere if there is one available.”
For Hall himself, the result was enormous at this stage of his career.
“It wasn’t a win, but it was probably the biggest win I’ve had in my career, that’s the easiest way to put it,” Hall told Speedcafe.
“You’re against the best in the country, getting paid to do this and you’ve come from no experience. It’s my fifth ever race in Supercars and I’ve gotten a top 10 on the hardest stage in the country.
“Now it’s knuckle down, finish the Super2 season off really well, reset again.
“I’ve got not a bad championship going there for a rookie. So I’ll keep working at that and see what we can do in Adelaide and if I find myself in the main game paddock as a main or a co-driver, I’ll be pretty happy.”
Hall described the race itself as “the most fun I’ve ever had in a race car.”
“Every lap was all the way to the walls and then also a bit of fuel saving and time management, and then why not just whack a safety car with three laps to go and fight some of the best in the championship.
“So I’m really pleased to come away with a top 10 straight away.”
Hall now heads into the penultimate round of the Super2 season at Sandown from November 6-8 sitting seventh in the standings, the highest-placed rookie.