Bowler has been through a roller coaster ride to date in his debut season amongst Australia & New Zealand’s finest Drivers, hitting his stride and the best possible time heading into arguably the biggest race of the year.

Currently 20th in points, Bowler has found himself with an excellent opportunity to capitalise on the valuable points structure enduros provide, with 400 massive points still up for grabs at Bathurst.

We took the time to sit down with Matthew Bowler to discuss his thoughts as he sits on the bubble.

R: This week sees yourself sat on the bubble heading into the biggest race of the year. What’s your assessment on your performances so far in the 2023 Motorsport Australia Logitech G Pro Invitational Cup?

MB: It’s definitely been a season filled with highs and lows, I knew that the competition would be at a level which I’ve never raced at and just being on the grid against the best to do it in Australia is truely an eye opener. Whilst most results have been outside of where I would have wanted, I have had highlights in races likes Watkins Glen, where I managed to grab 10th across the line.

R: The Motorsport Australia Logitech G Pro Invitational Cup is arguably one of the toughest & most competitive series currently operating is Australia, what does it take for you to remain competitive week on week? Give us an idea of what preparation looks like for you heading into each round?

MB: Practice practice and more practice. Practice is a key in extracting the most speed in this car and allows you to find the limits, whilst timing hasn’t been great for most of the season I have been restricted on how much practice I’m putting in. Although enduros have told a difference story and am confident that bathurst will tell a different story. It’s extremely important that I work alongside the team at Evolution Racing Team to test, work out strategy and make a setup that suits my driving style. It’s great to have teammates like Ethan and Ian in the team, who have a strong knowledge on how to extract the most of the car.

R: The 2023 endurance cup sees yourself paired alongside the experienced Beau Albert. With ability across multiple disciplines on iRacing, how are you finding working with Beau so far this year?

MB: working with Beau Albert has been awesome, and whilst the result at sandown doesn’t show it, we are more confident that Bathurst will tell a different story. As you said Beau Albert is an extremely talented driver across multiple categories of racing, so to have someone at that calibre alongside me is great, as he knows the type of practice that goes into these races. With his success in scops this year and also in the past for Altus Esports especially at Bathurst, we will be looking to fight for another top 10 or even better.

R: Being the driver on the bubble heading into arguably the biggest race of the year, how do you manage the pressure, ensuring the best result possible on race day?

MB: I think it’s important to manage the car and know your opportunities, it’s a long race with 161 laps to make passes. It’s not something that needs to be thrown away by a risky move on lap 6, our goal will be to manage strategy, keep the car clean and look after the tires to ensure we are in the fight come race end. Keeping cool is definitely a different story, so it’s important as a driver you stay calm and focus on what’s in-front rather than behind.