MOTORSPORT: Teen wins Supercar drive

Mildura teenager Cam ‘Muddy’ Waters is set to front the starter at the Bathurst 1000 next weekend.

The 17-year-old is the winner of the Shannons Supercar Showdown, a 10-part television reality quest devised by V8 Supercar team Kelly Racing to find new young racing talent. Waters’ prize is a drive in this year’s Bathurst 1000 alongside Channel 7 weatherman and racer, Grant Denyer, who hosted the Showdown series.

Waters beat eight other contestants to the prize. His last hurdle was UK racer, Andrew Jordan, who Waters edged out in a nail-biting two-lap shootout in the Shannons/Mars-sponsored Commodore V8 Supercar at Winton Raceway last week.

“It’s like a dream come true,” Waters told motoring.com.au in an exclusive interview.

“To get invited to compete, then to win the Shannons Supercar Showdown is unbelievable. Early in the Showdown it was all about being consistent and not making mistakes but when we got in the racecar it was all about going quick.

"The show was just like doing a long race – not making mistakes and going quick when it matters.”

Providing Waters – who is 17 and still not old enough to drive on the road – makes the grid at Mount Panorama this Sunday (October 9), he will become the youngest driver ever to start The Great Race. It will be Denyer’s third start at Bathurst and his first after badly injuring his back in a television stunt two years ago.

“It’s going to be awesome working with Grant. He’s been up there before and I think we should work well together,” Waters said.

“Obviously, we’ve got the Kellys overseeing us and we’ve got Dean Orr, who’s very experienced, managing the team. There’s a lot of talent around us.”

Waters is not a racing novice and has followed the traditional route from karting (from age seven) and Formula Vee to Formula Ford. He currently leads the Australian Formula Ford championship.

Amazingly, Waters has never even been to Bathurst as a spectator so everything will be new to him.

“We get up to the Mountain on Tuesday and I reckon I’m going to be doing a lot of laps in a hire car with the Kellys showing me the way around the track,” he smiled.

The Commodore Waters and Denyer will drive also has a good pedigree. It was last raced to victory in Hamilton (NZ) by Rick Kelly who, with brother Todd, owns Kelly Racing. Both Todd and Rick started young in V8 Supercars and between them they have three Bathurst wins and one V8 Supercars championship.

“Inside a V8 Supercar it is full-on,” Waters said, seemingly unfazed.

“There’s so much happening but at the end of the day you just use the pedals, steering wheel and gearstick and do your thing. I can’t wait.”

Powered By Motoring.com.au Published : Sunday, 2 October 2011