Young Canberra-based racer Cameron Hill hopes that a key addition to his family-run team will provide a boost to his 2019 Porsche Carrera Cup Australia chances.
Hill had a horror start to his rookie Carrera Cup season in 2018 though vastly improved towards the end of the season, highlighted by a string of three fourth-place finishes at Bathurst.
In his second Carrera Cup season, Hill has employed the services of former Olympic triathlon coach Ben Gathercole as performance manager for the 2019 season, in a move Hill says will lift the team to greater heights.
“Last year, there were times when I was very much involved in the organisational side of the race team, even on weekends,” Hill said.
“It’s no secret we’re only a small operation, and I enjoy the hands-on aspects of running the team, but on race weekends we identified the need for someone to manage the logistics so I could dedicate my entire focus to driving the race car.”
Gathercole guided Canberra triathlete Simon Thompson to the 2004 Athens Olympic Games, and from 2014 to 2017 he was team director for the Brumbies SuperRugby squad.
“While Ben hasn’t worked within the motorsport industry, a lot of the principles of our sport are very much the same as other sports,” added Hill.
“Ben has vast experience maximising the performance of both individual athletes and larger teams – this is very relevant to motor racing, which is both an individual and a team sport.
“We’ve always prided ourselves on our individuality, and coming from a non-motorsport background, Ben has a lot of fresh ideas. He’s looked at how we operate and already identified areas where we can improve.
“We want to bring a disciplined approach to our structures this season. Carrera Cup is so dynamic and as a small family team we are learning every day. To have someone like Ben to help steer a steady and disciplined path through the noise will help us achieve our potential – there will be a few major changes in place for the start of the season, which I’m already excited about.”
Hill finished the 2018 Carrera Cup season ninth in the standings and third in the Michelin Junior points.
