Vest world

The scene was set for the first back-to-back Bathurst win in 10 years. In October 2018 on the Mount Panorama circuit the Supercheap Auto Bathurst 1000 was in its closing stages and the Erebus Penrite Racing car driven by David Reynolds and Luke Youlden, which had dominated the weekend and led the majority of the race, was engaged in a head-to-head battle with veteran Craig Lowndes.

Then, suddenly, Reynolds suffered crippling leg cramps. His ability to apply the pedals was severely restricted, and he lost the feeling of his foot being either on the brake or on throttle. His margin over Lowndes shrunk, and he relinquished the lead just a few laps from the final round of pit stops. The stop would be the final nail in Erebus’ hopes of back-to-back wins, as Reynolds’ leg cramped again, and he lost his ability to depress the clutch pedal whilst the racecar was up on jacks, causing the rear wheels to spin and earning a penalty.

A 3.3kg weight drop due to fluid loss over a one-hour stint was recorded for one driver – equivalent to five per cent of his overall body weight