IT'S going around the bend, coming up the straight now at 265 kilometres per hour; is it a Ferrari? A Lamborghini? A Porsche even? Nope, it's a Holden ute.
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Dave Williams and his 2012 Holden Commodore Redline SSV, also known as 'the fastest black ute' or 'Big Will', have had an incredible couple of years on the racing track.
Among his achievements are a victory at the Australia Hill Climb Championships in Victoria in 2018, third at the same event in South Australia the year before, and most recently a second place finish in the limited modification road registered class over 4001cc at Bathurst last month.
He picked up a personal best time of 49.94 seconds with that last effort, finishing just .82 behind winner Liam O'Brien.
Incredibly, despite a new motor, seats, wheels and tyres, the vehicle is still road registered and the Muswellbrook local said it hasn't changed all that much.
"It's 1850 kilograms heavy, it's not that different to what it was when it came out of the factory," he said.
"It's been supercharged, it's putting out almost 400 kilowatts into the rear wheels, all the suspension has been modified and swapped out and changed to set it up for racing.
"But I could put the number plates back on and you could drive it out onto the street."
He now has his eyes set on success at the big event - the Australian Supersprint Championship - which is being held in late November.
His success has been somewhat of a surprise to even Williams himself, considering it was his first venture into the world of racing with utes when he bought the vehicle back in 2012.
When asked how it feels to travel at the sort of speeds he does, and whether he's nervous on the track, the 52-year-old said he never really has time to think about it.
"It's not until after when you've gotten out of your car that you think 'whoa'," he said.
"You're not looking at the speedo (speedometer) because you literally don't have time."
While he admitted to having some nervous moments going around corners, he said he feels comfortable behind the wheel, and perhaps most importantly, his family does too.
He said those close to him support his racing career and know the amount of effort he puts into it, which makes it easier to continue doing what he does.
