Motorsport: Pedersen's Bathurst goal is to finish

Super Black Racing drivers Ant Pedersen, right, and Andre Heimgartner.

Rotorua racing driver Ant Pedersen has set himself a goal ahead of Bathurst 1000 - get to the finish line.

Pedersen, who is based in Hamilton and works full-time as an accountant, will race Bathurst for the second time in October.

He was selected earlier this year to represent the new Super Black Racing team, alongside fellow Kiwi driver Andre Heimgartner.

Pedersen said most of the drivers competing on October 12 would have plenty of race knowledge and experience at the famous motorsport event.

Comparatively, he said, Heimgartner was debuting at the event and he was making only his second appearance.

"It is like an ITM Cup side going up to Super Rugby," he said. "Success for us is to finish and gain as much experience on the day. And a good finishing position at the end of the day will be a bonus.

"We are walking into an environment where everyone is incredibly experienced."

Super Black Racing received a wild card entry into this year's event and selected the young Kiwi pairing of Pedersen, 26, and Heimgartner, 19.

Pedersen and Heimgartner currently race in the Dunlop Series, the development series for the V8 Supercars Championship in Australia.

Pedersen is the leading rookie in the series and is ranked seventh overall, with two races to go. Pedersen said it was his dream to race full-time in the V8 Supercars Championship.

"That is the dream I have had since I was a kid, and I will chase it as hard and for as long as I can."

However, he said it was tough financially and you needed a lot of sponsorship to make it at that level.

New Zealand's Super Black Racing team are aiming to compete in the V8 Supercars Championship series on a full-time basis from 2015.

Pedersen said he had not had any talks with them about long-term plans and was simply focused on doing well at Bathurst.

When Pedersen travels to the Mount Panorama Circuit, he will race twice on the same weekend. He will race in the development series on the Saturday (October 11) in a 250km-race, before competing in the feature 1000km-event on the Sunday (October 12).

Pedersen raced Bathurst in 2010, finishing at the back of the field and said from memory it was a big day.

"I raced it in 2010 - it is a big day. You have an early morning start, at 5.30am or 6am, with all the promotional stuff.

"Then the race kicks off about 10am and it is a six-and-a-half hour race.

"So you sleep pretty well on Sunday night."

Pedersen will be racing a Ford Falcon FG from Ford Performance Racing at Bathurst this year.

Pedersen is the cousin of Rotorua's Hayden Pedersen, who is currently based in the United States chasing his Nascar dream.