MOTORSPORT: Youlden returns to racing

It was only last year we were getting excited about the fact our gun road tester Luke Youlden was stepping back from motorsport.

More time for the 2017 Bathurst 1000 winner to spend extracting the maximum from a bunch of fabulous high-performance vehicles for us as we watched – or rode along – in awe.

Well, the small matter of a global pandemic put paid to some of our 2020 tyre-smoking plans. But in his downtime Luke’s been working hard on getting back on track.

The big fella is going to have a HUGE 2021, racing both the Carrera Cup and the newly revitalised Australian GT championship.

He’ll also double down on his driver training duties, helping out a couple of young talents in the Toyotas 86 series.

Youlden returns to the Carrera Cup with the Tekworkx Motorsport team for the first time since 2006, when he piloted a Fitzgerald Racing entry in selected rounds to 16th. He finished fourth in 2005. Backing for his 2021 program will be revealed down the track.

Youlden is also likely to share a Mercedes-AMG GT3 with its owner Vince Muriti in the revitalised Australian GT championship. Youlden recently set the fastest lap at Challenge Bathurst in the car. Of course he did…

The Gold Coast-based Tekworkx squad will also campaign a pair of Toyota 86s for two young racers in 2021.

Youlden will provide driver coaching to the as yet unnamed youngsters alongside the 2018 Toyota 86 champion Tim Brook, who has also joined Tekworkx and brought his title-winning car with him.

Youlden stepped away from his regular Supercars co-driving gig because he felt he wasn’t getting enough race miles during the year to be able to deliver properly when dropped into the co-driver hot seat during the enduro season.

That situation has been clearly corrected for 2021 and Youlden is excited by the potential opportunity to add to his 20 starts in the Bathurst 1000.

“I stepped back from co-driving because I was not enjoying it, but that could change in 2021,” Youlden said.

“It’s only one long-distance race now, so it would work with my new program.

“But, honestly, I’m happy with the way things are going and I’m focused on finding the next Luke Youlden, not just reinventing the old one.”

Driver coaching and training has become an increasingly significant part of Youlden’s CV. He has worked for the Porsche Track Experience for more than 15 years and is now deputy-chief instructor on the program to 1988 Bathurst 1000 winner Tomas Mezera.

“This Tekworkx program is a great way for me to combine my experience on two fronts. I’ll be in charge of the coaching and preparation leading up to rounds of the 86 series, then sharing with Tim Brook on race weekends,” said Youlden, who is the only pro driver to have won an 86 round and only one of two to have won a race in the series.

“I think we both have a lot to offer and we’re already fielding a lot of enquiries for next year’s 86 championship.

“The 86 series is a great starting point and ideal for learning about professional racing. It’s highly competitive, the series goes to the best racetracks, and youngsters will learn a lot.

“This is the best of both worlds for me. I will be giving something back, passing on my experience, and also getting back to racing.”