Randle out to cause a surprise or two at the mountain

Thomas Randle has fought off cancer. Now he faces another challenge, competing in his first Bathurst 1000 as a full time driver.

Thomas Randle says he’s ‘as fit as I have ever been’ as he prepares for an historic Bathurst 1000.

Randle will make his fourth appearance at the Bathurst 1000 on Sunday, October 9, but his first as a full time driver.

He will be racing with co-driver Zak Best who is competing in his second Great Race.

Thomas Randle and Zak Best will compete at the Bathurst 1000 together. Picture: EDGE Photographics.

Randle heads into the race at the peak of his fitness after overcoming testicular cancer in 2020.

Despite his shock diagnosis, Randle never gave up on his dreams to become a full time driver.

He would race Super 2, the feeder series to Supercars, and win the title only to then be the co-driver to Nick Percat at the 2020 Bathurst 1000 for Brad Jones Racing.

The team finished 18th before last year he raced for Tickford Racing as a co-driver for James Courtney as the team finished seventh.

There were times when Randle thought his chance to be a national champion would never arrive.

“You can’t think about it everyday but sometimes you’ve got to sit back and smell the roses,” he said.

“At the time a few years ago I thought that was sort of potentially career ending.”

Now Randle is flying, getting his first full time drive with Tickford and currently sitting 20th in the title race.

He now feels in prime position to challenge for a Bathurst 1000 victory.

“This is the first year for me, in my career, where I’ve done this much racing in a car outside of go karts,” Randle said.

“All the training you get in the race car, to be match fit, that has certainly helped leading into Bathurst.

“I’ve certainly been training off track as well.

“I’m going there as fit as I have ever been and we’ll see what we can do when we hit the track on Thursday.”

Randle was born and bred in Melbourne and was inspired to race by his father Dean Randle, who won the 2006 National Sports Sedan Series in a SAAB.

He’s since raced the car, in 2015, finishing third in the series before moving to the Formula Ford series, the Toyota 86 series and the Super 2 Series before racing in Supercars.

Thomas Randle is all smiles in pit lane. Picture: EDGE Photographics.

“When I was seven he (my dad) brought me home a go kart, which is probably the biggest mistake he ever made,” Randle said.

“Since then I’ve fallen in love with racing and there’s something about putting a helmet on and try to get the maximum out of a race car.

“I’m addicted, I love the sport.”

The family still have the SAAB and Randle hopes one day the car can be brought back out to race again.

But his focus right now is on delivering for his team.

Tickford has not won a Bathurst 1000 since 2014 and has finished second the past two years with Cameron Waters and his co-drivers Will Davison (2020) and James Moffat (2021).

“We’re going there to win it,” Randle said.

“I’m in no championship position whatsoever, I’ve had six DNF’s this year, which hasn’t helped me to get further up the grid (championship wise).

“It is trying to maximise myself, the car and the combination of that.

“And get as much as we can out of Zak.

“Everyone goes there to win, but you don’t know what the mountain will throw at you.”

Racing starts on Thursday, October 9, with the Great Race to be held on Sunday.