V8 Supercars champion Shane van Gisbergen and world-class drifter "Mad" Mike Whiddett are wildcard entries in the 501 race, which doubles as the final round of the Australian Endurance Championship. They will drive one of circuit owner Tony Quinn’s two McLarens among the glamour field of super cars.
This high-profile pairing was selected via a Highlands online poll, with Quinn and Highlands resident driving professional Andrew Waite racing in a matching McLaren 650S GT3. Highlands has been a happy hunting ground for van Gisbergen, who won the Highlands 101 in 2015 with Quinn’s son, Klark. His schedule prevented him from racing in the event last year, so he subbed Whiddett in.
"Mad Mike took my place and I did some coaching with him before the event to help him get up to speed. He picked up things so fast and his ability to adapt was very impressive.
"He drove exceptionally well for someone who’s never done it before and I’m looking forward to seeing how much he’s improved this year," van Gisbergen said.
Whiddett was taken to hospital in 2015 after crashing his drift car into the wall at Highlands but this weekend he is looking forward to having another crack in a GT car and believes his drifting skills are transferable to track racing.
"For me, being a rookie, it will be awesome to spend a weekend with SVG and I’m confident we’ve got the speed to compete with the top guys. Circuit racing and drifting are two totally different beasts but my drifting experience has certainly helped me adapt quickly to racing.
"I know how to maintain control of a car when it’s dancing on the edge. When the car does get away from me, it doesn’t scare me or freak me out. That allows me to push it really hard," he said.
Quinn is hoping to maintain his family’s impressive results tally in the race.
"Since the first Highlands 101 in 2013, a Quinn has finished on the podium every year. It would be great if I could maintain that record this year," he said.
Pressure is on Waite then — although in his favour is that not many drivers would know the intricacies of the track as well as he does. He estimated that he has done about 40,000 laps on it over the past three years.
"No-one has done more laps around Highlands than me," he said, laughing.
Although racing has taken a back seat to his job as a driver at Highlands, Waite had an unexpected call-up to race in the FRD LMP3 series in China earlier this year. He and factory Ligier test driver Yan Clairey, of France, went on to place third in the four-round series.
Waite drove in the first Highlands 101 endurance race in 2013 and has been on commentating duties for the 2014 to 2016 events, which left him with "itchy feet".
"I’m seriously looking forward to it. I haven’t properly raced here for quite a while. It’s cool that the boss has given me the opportunity," Waite said.
The new-look 501 format means that instead of racing 101 laps or just over 400km around Highlands, this year the GT drivers will battle it out over 501km. There will be a third pit stop and two driver changes which will mean a change in strategy for the teams. It will also have implications for tyre and fuel strategies.
Support classes include the Pro 7, Euromarque and Radical categories, plus the one-hour endurance race, featuring many Otago drivers, which starts at 9.20am on Sunday.
