WHEN you ask Supercars drivers how they’ll prepare for the sport’s first ever night event in 2018 the answer is simple: “We’ll slap a few more lights on the car and hope we can see”.
Those are the words of reigning champ Jamie Whincup who is looking forward to the Red Rooster Sydney SuperNight 300 in August, albeit a little apprehensively.
Many of the drivers — like Whincup — have never raced under lights and those that have only did so in a go-kart as opposed to the 300km/h missiles they’ll be steering through Sydney Motorsport Park.
Penske driver Fabian Coulthard undertakes a night racing test at Sydney Motorsport Park. Pictures: Mark HorsbroughSource: Supplied
The addition of the night event will add an exciting aspect to the 2018 Supercars calendar, with drivers taking to the 3.93km stretch of track for three hours of high intensity racing.
There are plenty of unknowns but Whincup believes it will be a winner with fans.
“I’ve done a twilight event in Abu Dhabi and that’s it,” Whincup said.
“I’m sure the car will perform a little differently under lights but that’s part of the challenge.
“I know a lot of people are just too busy to take a whole day to watch a race so plenty of fans will love getting down there at night — it will go well.”
Rivals Jamie Whincup and Scott McLaughlin will face off again this year but are both in the dark about the Sydney event. Picture: Toby ZernaSource: News Corp Australia
Supercars 2017 championship runner-up Scott McLaughlin said the only experience he had racing at night was during commercial shoots under lights.
Before that was seven years ago when the 24-year-old was racing go-karts.
Like Whincup, McLaughlin will simply hope for the best in August.
“We’ve never done night racing before and I certainly haven’t for seven-odd years,” McLaughlin said.
“It’s going to be hard because you probably won’t be able to see all your controls and buttons properly so it should be interesting.”
Fabian Coulthard and Simone de Silvestro during night testing. Pictures: Mark HorsbroughSource: Supplied
And the Sydney SuperNight 300 isn’t the only change to the 2018 Supercars schedule, with two new championship events being introduced.
The Australian Grand Prix will be given championship status in 2018 while a new event South Australian was confirmed late last year.
In a 37-week season that will begin in Adelaide and end in Newcastle, Supercars will race for the first time at a purpose-built $100 million circuit at South Australia’s Tailem Bend.
The 2018 Virgin Australia Supercars Championship begins with the Clipsal 500 in Adelaide from March 1-4.
In the early years of his career, Nick Percat went from winning Bathurst on his first attempt in 2011 – the first rookie in 30 years to do so – to winning the Australian Formula Ford championship and breaking Steven Richards’ record for most race wins.
It hasn’t all been smooth sailing since then, with the veteran facing a turbulent journey with mixed results.
Talking to FoxSports.com.au, the 32-year-old opens up on the decision to re-sign with Brad Jones Racing, what the future of Supercars could look like, and that disqualification from the 2020 Bathurst 1000.
Coulthard to lead Team Sydney
0:45
Do you think that signing on for another two years took a lot of pressure off you throughout the season, and let you just focus on the racing? How important was that for you?
“Yes, there were a few reasons for that. I wanted to create a sense in the team that I was there for the long haul and not going anywhere. So, to sign a deal when you still had a full run on your contract, there was a little bit in that with myself and Brad (Jones) to make sure that everyone in Brad Jones racing knew what we had going forward, and we could really start to ramp up the development. Really remind the guys and the girls there that I am part of the furniture, and I am not going anywhere.”
Do you feel like that happened?
“I think so. I think it was a good thing. It obviously creates a positive vibe through the workshop and the race team. For me it was good because then you don’t have people knocking on the door every December saying are you free for next year?
“I wanted it to be clear that I was loyal and only interested in driving for Brad, so that was why we extended the deal early.”
Bathurst to open 2021 season
0:51
Incredibly sad news about the Adelaide 500 …
“It’s not ideal; there is a lot of positive chat around it. So, if the government was to change from Liberal to Labor in SA the race will be back on.
“I feel sorry for everyone in hospitality, obviously there is so much revenue that comes in. I feel sorry for the kids dreaming of being race car drivers, that they can’t go watch arguably one of the best races of the year, on the fence watching their heroes go around. It is disappointing, it is way more than a race, and I think that’s why there is so much push to get it reinstated.”
CHAOS on the final laps
1:59
You’ve had very mixed experiences at Bathurst, has your opinion of the race changed over the years or is still the greatest race?
“It is still the greatest race, the greatest track to go to. No other track that I’ve been to ever actually makes you second guess or gives you a little fright during practice because you have to scare yourself to be fast, and then you get comfortable with that level of commitment, and it continues from there.
“I had a very good run early in my career at Bathurst with wins and multiple podiums and inside the top five quite a lot, and then I’ve gone on this run of shocking results, but that’s what Bathurst is about.
“This year though we got to show how fast the car was. We got a bit of spotlight with (the) top ten shootout …. I still think it’s a very proud moment for Brad and the team that we are operating at this budget and we have taken it to the factory teams and outqualified them.
“That lap is a full pissing competition. It’s the top ten shootout at Bathurst, you lay your cards down on the line, and that’s where the teams get to beat their chests and go ‘look how fast we are.’”
Bathurst this year – a phenomenal shootout performance, and then disaster struck.
“Yes, the shootout lap was probably one of the best shootout laps in my career … I don’t know if I’ve ever been the first one out before, especially at that place, it was pretty interesting. On my warm-up lap … I just trusted that the car was going to hold on and that the car I was given was going to do the job.
“It was such an enjoyable lap … but obviously it all unravelled and didn’t go to plan shortly after the shootout. Still, for me personally, it was the most satisfying lap I had done in a shootout, and it was handy it was in Bathurst.”
Thomas Randle said it was a dream to co-drive with you, is the feeling mutual?
“For him, he sacrificed so much during the year … I think myself and the whole of BJR were very grateful for what he did, especially with the situation he had going on earlier in the year.
“It was a shame, and I really wanted to give him that fairy-tale result because I felt like it would have been fitting … but it wasn’t to be.
“But we had a pretty cool experience … hopefully I’ll have him driving again with me next year – but that’s the selfish Nick, he needs to be in the main game soon, and I think he deserves to be.”
Percat wins Sydney Supercars
1:42
If you could change one rule, what would it be?
“This year has been quite good, there has been less complaints from the drivers, and less niggling from the driving group back to the stewards.
“It would be good if you get rubbed up and pushed wide and if you retaliate in a similar manner where you end up swapping positions back again that is generally play on. That’s ended up in a time penalty in the past, which is quite silly, so to be honest, I am happy with that. Surprisingly, I’ve got nothing to complain about!
What do you think the future of Supercars looks like? Can we expect to see any changes?
“I hope the one thing that never changes is that we never lose the sequential gearbox on the gear stick. I don’t want paddles on the car. I don’t think we need to be like some hybrid GT car.
“There is a reason why the Australian and international fans love our cars. When you go on-board, there is a bit going on … I find GT racing very very boring, so I think the minute they go to paddles, it is probably going to kill my love for Supercars, which will be disappointing.”
David Reynolds will drive for the newly-named Kelly Grove Racing this season after leaving Erebus at the end of last year.
The Bathurst winner will switch to a Ford Mustang for the first time and drive the number 26 car, with Erebus’ former sponsor Penrite following him to the team formerly known as Kelly Racing.
He will team up with young gun Andre Heimgartner as Kelly Grove Racing released the first images of its new livery for the upcoming season.
Reynolds’ former engineer Alistair McVean is also reuniting with him at his new team as the team prepares for round one of the Supercars championship at Bathurst.
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Coulthard to lead Team Sydney
0:45
“I’m unbelievably happy to be joining Kelly Grove Racing for the 2021 season and beyond,” Reynolds said. “It’s obviously a very exciting time for the team with the recent investment from the Grove Group and I believe the team has the resources and firepower to achieve great things this year and continue building on some of the success we saw last year.”
“I think we’re on the cusp of something really awesome at Kelly Grove Racing, the infrastructure and culture that’s in place has already really impressed me and I’m excited for the 2021 season. I’m also looking forward to working with André as his teammate, we’ll definitely push each other and hopefully get the two Mustangs up the pointy end.
“It’s awesome for me to have a few familiar faces also join the team with Alistair to engineer my side of the garage and obviously Penrite continuing to back my car which is awesome. Penrite have been a big supporter of mine over the years, they’re family to me so I’m looking forward to continuing that great relationship.”
Daniel Ricciardo is set to be put under an intense pre-season with McLaren giving their star recruit “homework” to make sure he has a fast start to life at his new team.
While typically drivers are given time to get familiar with their surroundings, testing has been reduced to three days in 2021.
As such, McLaren have a key objective to make the most of the pre-season time with Ricciardo, setting a clear goal for the Aussie superstar.
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Daniel Ricciardo has joined McLaren. (Photo by Mark Sutton – Pool/Getty Images)Source: Getty Images
“The objective is to be at the first race, in qualifying, and it be like Daniel has driven the McLaren and has worked with these engineers, and the team, for a long time,” McLaren racing director Andrea Stella said, per autosport.com.
It is consistent with what Stella told McLaren.comback in December, revealing that building a strong rapport between Ricciardo and Lando Norris would be key to the team’s success.
“The most important thing from my point of view is that we preserve the conditions that we created to allow that high level of collaboration between Carlos and Lando,” he said at the time.
“But it’s not just about preserving those conditions, we may have to adapt them. Daniel is not Carlos and his relationship with Lando will be different.”
So, what exactly will it look like?
Ricciardo will need to start fast. (Photo by Mark Thompson/Getty Images)Source: Getty Images
Well, according to Stella the first step will occur well before the team’s attention turns towards testing or the season-opener at Bahrain.
“There will be in January, first of all, plenty of conversations,” Stella added, per autosport.com.
“They will have to be personal, individual, and relationship building.
“These will touch the technical elements, and these will touch the racing element. It will be like, ‘do you remember that race when you were very competitive, what made you so competitive in that race?’ Then you develop a conversation.”
That is not it for Ricciardo either, who will receive some homework to do – all in the name of building that relationship.
Daniel Ricciardo joins Lando Norris. (Photo by Florent Gooden – Pool/Getty Images)Source: Getty Images
“We will, for example, give him quite a lot of homework,” Stella continued.
“We will give him a recording of the radio communications of, for example, [last] season.
“We will say, ‘Daniel, now listen to that, and come back to us and tell us what you hear. What you would improve, what you liked, what you didn’t like, how you want to be spoken to and so on?’
“And then there is the simulator. The simulator is a good way to see how a driver is driving.”
