Alex Buncombe relearning the Nissan V8 after Nürburging GT trip

Nissan Motorsport co-driver Alex Buncombe is having to get used to a V8 Supercar again after a strong showing last month at the Sandown 500, after having gone back to Europe to compete in the Blancpain Endurance Series season finale at the Nürburgring last month.

The British driver is paired with Todd Kelly in the #7 Nissan Altima for the three V8 Supercars Championship endurance events, and was 18th fastest in the co-driver only second practice session today at Bathurst on Thursday.

Buncombe was one of a few drivers who’d already experienced the resurfaced Mount Panorama circuit earlier in the year at the Bathurst 12 Hours.

“I had a head start as I had already been here, but unfortunately I didn’t get a stint in the race as the car had a massive crash at the top of the mountain just before I was due to get in,” he said to TouringCarTimes. “So I’ve done about 10-15 laps before. I’m trying to settle into the car having just come back from the Blancpain Series in Europe and having to put the V8 Supercar chip in my brain, and to be honest the transition is really tough.

“The cars are incredibly different, like chalk and cheese, so it’s nice we get our own co-driver sessions, so that’s a real bonus for us, but there’s also a lot of pressure on us as we have to put on a good show for the teams and the fans.

“They are really twitchy up over the top. The last time I was here was in the NISMO GT3 car, and that’s got quite a lot more aerodynamic aid, so across the top it’s all over the show. I find the cars really easy to overdrive and I am learning every time I’m in the car.

The 33-year-old also says that despite being an ‘endurance event’, the style of the V8 Supercars races is still very different from the European GT scene.

“This racing is just so-so tough, you’ve got to be on it every single lap. You can’t go a bit steady like we do in the endurance racing in Europe, this racing is just flat out every lap.”