FIVE years ago Bryce Fullwood was living in Darwin, racing karts and looking forward with eager anticipation for the Supercars’ round at Hidden Valley.
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But now he is on cusp of making his Bathurst 1000 debut as co-driver for Matt Stone Racing’s Todd Hazelwood.
It has been a remarkable rise in the motor sport career of a man who is still only 20.
“Had you told me that four years ago I’d be racing in it [Bathurst 1000], I would’ve told you that you’d been on something special. I certainly would have never dreamed to be doing what I’m doing,” Fullwood said.
“I’m extremely excited, like most young kids since I was little I’ve loved anything with a steering wheel and a motor and anything that makes noise.
“I really, really love Bathurst and I’ve grown up watching it with my family. It’s really, really cool to be starting in it this year for the first time.
“It’s a real boyhood dream for me and it’s even better that I’ve got double duties. It means it’s going to be a very busy weekend, but I’m going to get a lot of laps in, which I look forward to.”
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The double duties Fullwood indicated was that he will also be contesting a round of the series he regularly competes in – the Dunlop Super2s – at Mount Panorama.
It is a series that he joined in 2015 as a teenager. Even that was a big step for Fullwood and one he could not have made without the support of his family.
“It’s really hard for someone like myself to get into Supercars because you can’t really do it from Darwin. For me, I moved out of home when I was 16,” he said.
“I moved to the Gold Coast and I’ve been between Melbourne and the Gold Coast ever since. My family and my parents are still based up in Darwin.
“It’s a huge milestone for myself and my family because my family have put so much time and effort into me. That goes for my extended family as well, my grandma goes and sells raffle tickets every week at the pub, she does meat trays, lucky numbers, all sorts of things.
“I am really, really lucky.”
While Fullwood is about to make his Bathurst 1000 debut, the man who’s seat he will share only has one prior start.
Hazelwood just is three years older than Fullwood and earned a full-time seat this year after taking out the 2017 Dunlop Super2 Series. It is with Matt Stone Racing, which is also making its first foray in the main game.
Fullwood has faith in both Hazelwood and the team, but knows they concede Great Race experience to every other team on the Bathurst grid save the Erebus entry of Will Brown and Anton De Pasquale.
“I never raced against Todd in go karts, he was always a bit older than me and in different classes, but I’ve known Todd through go karts and I’ve known him for a long time,” he said.
“He’s a great person, has got a really good family, his heart’s in the right spot and he works really hard.
“He and I get along really well together. We work together and we also live together, so I think that makes life a lot easier. He has confidence in me and I have confidence in him.
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“You are racing against people who have been in the series for a long time, so even though I believe we have got the ability, it does take a little bit of time to figure things out. Hopefully we can get a bit more speed out of the car and be on for a good result.
“Obviously Bathurst is a big race, it’s more of a marathon and making sure your pit stops are really good.
“This year they’ve thrown a curve ball at us in that we have to change brake rotors – that’s a mandatory stop – so that’s going to be crucial part of the race.
“We’ve struggled for a bit of pace so far, so we need to try and spark it up a little bit.”