BRETT Youlden’s 1971 Holden HQ Monaro may have come into his possession as a rusted out shell, but next week it will be a car he hopes can threaten for a podium placing.

Youlden is one of the competitors in this year’s Touring Car Masters series, one which features on the support program for the V8 Supercars’ Bathurst 1000 yet again in 2014.

While the main game features new Fords, Holdens, Nissans, Mercedes and Volvos, the Touring Car Masters features an even more eclectic mix.

The series features a selection of immaculately prepared touring cars of the pre-1976 era, many of which earned their reputations at Mount Panorama in the past. The grid includes muscle cars from Falcon GT’s, BOSS Mustangs, Chevrolet Camaros, Chrysler Chargers and Holden Monaros to Holden Toranas and nimble Porsche 911 RS’.

Youlden’s #56 green Monaro, which runs with the help of Allan Moffat’s former mechanic Bill Williams, has been one of the leading ProAm entries this year.

It sits third in class behind Mark King’s 1970 Chevrolet Camaro RS and Tony Karanfilovski’s 1971 Ford Falcon XT GTHO.

Not bad given how the Monaro looked when Youlden first laid his hands on it.

“It was a rusted out body shell that had been sitting in a paddock for five years,” he said.

“We’ve spent hundreds of hours just getting it back to a pristine shell before we started turning it into a race car.

“We’ve had a 100 percent finishing record in this car, so we are pretty proud.”

As the only competitor who works on his car from home after hours, racing his been a labour of love for Youlden.

But his memories of days past, seeing the types of cars that now race in the historic category during their heyday, provided him with the motivation.

“I got originally involved in Touring Car Masters because I love the category,” he said. 

“It’s the big horse power cars, they’re under tyred, they’re really under braked and at the risk of sounding like I am romancing going back to my youth, I can remember quite clearly as a 15-year-old going and watching Bob Jane and his HQ 350 and prior to that, his Camaro.

“I’ve always had that sort of thing in the back of my mind that I’d love to do a car like that, but this is a really nasty car that goes nearly 300 kays at Bathurst.”

Racing at Bathurst is nothing new to Youlden, the Victorian having done a number of laps at Mount Panorama before he joined the Touring Car Masters series in 2008.

He was second outright in the 1991 Bathurst 12 Hour and second in class in the GT Production Three Hour Bathurst Showdown in 2000 when sharing the wheel of a Ford Falcon AU RX8 with John McIllroy.

Then in 2008, Youlden won his class in the Bathurst 12 Hour in a Hyundai Sonata.

But next week it will be the Touring Car Masters’ Bathurst podium Youlden is aiming for. While the likes of Jim Richards, John Bowe and Andrew Miedecke are expected to lead the way, the Monaro did run well at Mount Panorama last year.

In race one that trio, as well as former Australian Touring Car champion Glenn Seton, were the only drivers to beat him.

Youlden ran fourth in the second race, surviving a moment on lap two when he was hit by Miedecke’s out of control Camaro, and finished his weekend with a third.

“The racing itself is very, very close, the organisers do a very good job in organising the parity of the class. Because the rules make it a very even playing field, it means people like myself, if you’ve got the drive, there is the possibility of being able to be competitive with the likes of Jim Richards and John Bowe,” he said.