Tyler Everingham is only just now coming to terms with the feeling of what he's achieved now that his biggest race yet is in the rear-view mirror.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
Everingham, a late call-up to the Bathurst 1000, took a wild card slot for Garry Rogers Motorsport, and while it was a rocky road to make it to the event, there's no feeling like the one from behind the steering wheel of a Bathurst ready car.
"It was definitely awesome," Everingham said, summing up the experience.
READ ALSO:
"It's all finally sunk in; the sort of enormity of the event and the opportunity I got there."
"Looking back on it, we had a pretty good result just getting to finish the Bathurst 1000 and bring the car home safely."
The lead-up to the race was fraught with drama, with it at one point looking like Everingham's wildcard spot would go to waste when co-driver Nathan Herne was sidelined, but was given the go-ahead when Jayden Ojeda stepped up into the role.
"There was definitely a lot of mixed emotion with what was going to happen in the lead-up to the event, but to get it all underway, it was massive, I can't thank my family and my sponsors enough," Everingham said.
"It's pretty cool, to be 19 and be in the 1000, it's pretty awesome, I think our combined age was 38 or thereabouts, I don't think we're the youngest team ever, but we're pretty close."
"To be racing on a track with guys I grew up watching, it didn't feel real to start off with, you do have to pinch yourself a bit and look at it and see just how special it is."
Everingham and Ojeda finished second to last in the 19th spot, but were content with the result for a debut that involved a few crashes.
"We were looking quite promising, but just to finish was special we were at the bottom end of the 15 at one point, but then the accident happened, to see the result slip away is a little disappointing, but that's just how motorsports is sometimes," Everingham said.
"The team had the car fixed and back out there in half an hour, which was really impressive."
Regardless of placings or times, Everingham was thrilled to take away a wealth of experience and on-track driving time that won't be leaving him anytime soon.
"I was trying to use the weekend to learn as much as I can and soak in the experience for the team, with the limited driving this year, it was quite a big ask," Everingham said.
"But it's a good way to learn as much as I can and get our names out there at the same time."
As for what's next, the uncertain nature of the racing season at the moment isn't making predictions easy, but Everingham is content to rest up for now and take stock.
"I'm not sure what's next with everything going on at the moment, it's our off-season really, we don't have any solid plans, but we'll push on and see what we can do."
