Motorsport: Coulthard won't give up title or Bathurst dreams

Fabian Coulthard has his eyes on winning a big race in the back end of the season. Photo / Getty Images

Kiwi driver Fabian Coulthard is a long way out of the Supercars title fight at the moment but he hasn't given up hope of a remarkable comeback.

As the championship heads into the endurance part of the season the 36-year-old finds himself in a position of being able to take some extra chances in order to win one of the feature races on the calendar while his main rivals have to think about protecting their championship hopes.

Compatriots Shane van Gisbergen (Red Bull Holden Racing) and Scott McLaughlin (Shell V-Power Ford) are locked in a tight two-battle atop the standings. Van Gisbergen holds a 19-point advantage while third placed Jamie Whincup is 360 points adrift.

Those three drivers have won 17 of the 23 races so far this season while Coulthard has just one win so far. But the experienced Coulthard has demonstrated an ability to match it with the leading drivers in terms of race pace. His Achilles heel this season has been his inability to qualify the car at the front of the field where Van Gisbergen and McLaughlin have found themselves most races.

With 300 points on offer at both next weekend's Sandown 500 and next month's Bathurst 1000 there is the possibility of major swings in the championship standings. McLaughlin looked like he had the championship wrapped up heading into the final race of the 2017 season only for title rival Whincup to pip him in a bizarre finale, which provides Coulthard reason for optimism.

"I think for me especially there are a lot of points still on offer and if last year is anything to go by then it is not over until it is over," Coulthard told The Herald.

"Unfortunately I need a little bit of bad luck for them to get myself back in the hunt but at the end of the day we will just race and fight until the end."

Coulthard can push a bit harder and maybe take a few more risks in the endurance events compared to his fellow Kiwis, who obviously have a lot more to lose in the championship battle.

"I can – we came close last year in finishing third," he explained. "I would love to win Bathurst – no matter what type of year you've had if you win Bathurst it immediately becomes a great year.

"It would be the first one for Roger [legendary American team owner Roger Penske] as well and I know that is well up there on his list to tick off another famous race to win.

"We have always been fast enough there but just haven't had the luck so hopefully we take one or two steps further up."

And what would mean more to Coulthard – a championship or a Bathurst victory?

"Let's not be greedy – I haven't won either. I'd love to say I have won Bathurst – I grew up watching that race and even if you don't follow Supercars you generally watch Bathurst and I think for me that would be pretty awesome."