With Phillip Island now over we head into the most exciting time of the
year - Bathurst.

I can't wait. This year's Bathurst 1000 is from October 9-12 and is
round 10 of the V8 Supercar Championship.

As always the stakes will be high because there is more interest in this
race than any other in the series.

In 2006 I finished third at Bathurst, and then second in '07. Hopefully
my team-mate David Besnard and I can go one better this year and finish
on the top of the podium!

The 6.2km Mount Panorama circuit is incredibly challenging for the
drivers, especially across the top of the mountain.

There are plenty of places where you can make up time, and when you put
a good lap together it's very rewarding. At the same time there's not a
lot of room for error if you make a mistake.

There is also a lot of pressure on the teams because there are so many
variables over the 161 laps with pit-stops, driver changes, plus dealing
with Safety Car periods and possibly changing weather conditions.

Phillip Island was an important race by itself, but also a good
opportunity for Stone Brothers Racing and the JELD-WEN Motorsport team
to fine-tune everything in preparation for Bathurst.

The rain toward the end of the 500km Phillip Island event showed the
types of challenges the teams face in endurance races with strategy and
making quick decisions and responses to various situations.

Phillip Island proved the JELD-WEN Falcon has good car speed. I was in
the top three in three practice sessions, second in my qualifying
session, and third in the second of the two 14-lap sprint races which
determined the grid for the main event.

However, in the 500km race both David and I had some tyre problems in
the second half of the longer stints, so that's something to improve
before Bathurst.

That said, the Mount Panorama circuit probably won't be as hard on tyres
as Phillip Island, which has some long, sweeping, high-speed corners.

Regardless of the tyre issues at Phillip Island, David and I finished
sixth. It wasn't the best possible result, but considering what happened
with the weather and everything else it wasn't too bad.

Importantly I ended up with 201 championship points from the weekend.
Overall, both David and I left the track feeling we are in the mix of
contenders for Bathurst if things go our way.

The Courtney family enjoyed the six-week break between the Winton and
Phillip Island rounds. It was a good chance to relax and unwind.

Carys, Zara and I headed up to Port Douglas for a few days. It was our
first proper holiday trip away as a family since Zara was born in
January and we had a great time.

We went on a helicopter ride over the Great Barrier Reef and took Zara
to see the kangaroos and other animals at the Rainforest Habitat
Wildlife Sanctuary.

A highlight of the trip for me was when Zara called me 'Daddy' for the
first time. I wasn't expecting it, but I loved it!

At this stage I expect to arrive at Bathurst on the Tuesday of the week
leading up to the race, along with most of the SBR team. Carys and I
will be staying in a house this year.

There is always plenty of promotional work to do at Bathurst, attending
functions for sponsors, media commitments, and autograph sessions with
the fans.

I'm always keen to participate in these activities. It's part of being a
professional driver, and since Bathurst is a such a big event it's a
good way to help promote my sport.

One of the reasons why Bathurst is so important is it attracts the
interest of many people outside traditional motorsport fans. In fact,
it's the only race some members of the public follow all year.

This is reflected by the television ratings. It is expected at least
1.5-million viewers will watch this year's telecast on Channel 7 on race
day alone, which is the most of any championship round.

Families and groups of friends around the nation get together for an
all-day party for Bathurst. So it's a sporting and entertainment
occasion, steeped in history, rather than just a motor race.

These television ratings enable the manufacturers and sponsors involved
with teams and the event to showcase their products and brand to a wider
audience than usual.

For those of you who want to stock up on JC merchandise either before
Bathurst, or at the event itself, we have recently reduced the price of
some items.

Discounted items include men's and women's cool-dry mesh sports
t-shirts. These were previously $60 each and are now on sale for $40
each.

JC cotton caps have been reduced from $25 each to $20 each, and can
coolers are now available for $5 instead of the previous price of $10.

All items in the JC range, including those at the discounted prices,
will be available from the SBR merchandise area at Bathurst.

Items can also be purchased elsewhere on my website
(www.jamescourtney.com.au) and SBR website
(www.stonebrothersracing.com.au)

Apart from the items discounted, other JC merchandise available at the
track and online at unchanged pricing comprises men's cotton t-shirts
($30), women's cotton/spandex singlets ($30), children's cotton t-shirts
($25), key rings ($10), and stickers ($10).

If you are attending Bathurst I hope you enjoy the event. If not, then
have a great day watching the race on television with your family or
friends. And please cheer on the No 4 JELD-WEN Falcon!

Keep smiling.

JC