We’re back for the second edition of the Sydney SuperSprint this weekend, as we return to Sydney Motorsport Park for Round 4 of the 2020 Virgin Australia Supercars Championship.
After the travelling team arrived in New South Wales last Monday, everyone is ready to get to work this weekend, and continue the momentum built to date.
The Format
Three races; one Saturday, two Sunday, all 32-laps like last round.
Saturday see’s the return of the top-15 shootout, before the lights are turned on for our first night race of 2020.
On Sunday there will be two back-to-back 10-minute qualifying sessions that set the grid for the two races to round out the weekend.
Tyres
This weekend, teams will be given sets of both hard and soft tyres to use across the weekend.
There’s a catch though, you only get two sets of soft tyres, and three of hard from qualifying onwards, so when and how you use the softer, faster tyres, will be key.
We saw here last weekend the soft tyre degradation was very high, which means you’ll get one use out of each set in a race, so when to use them will be a really interesting strategy play.
The rules also dictate that all four tyres on the car must be the same compound. Which means that if you change cannot mix and match your compounds on each side of the car.
The Stats
Chaz has been on pole four times, and has had two race wins at Sydney Motorsport Park.
This will be Bryce’s second Supercars round at Sydney Motorsport Park, looking to build on his maiden Top-10 finish last start.
The Team holds the record for the most race wins at the circuit, with 16.
Weather
Despite some storms around Sydney during the week, the weekend looks clear from rain, with temperatures just under 20 degrees.
Chaz Mostert
“I’m excited to come back to Sydney Motorsport Park for another round. The first one here was pretty successful in terms of points, but I think we’ve still got a lot to find in ourselves and the car, which is exciting.
“It’s not often you get to head straight back to a track, so it’s a great opportunity to work on some things and get a back-to-back reading. We’ve got some news things in the pipeline, and we will tidy the car setup, and now that the cobwebs have been blown off, have a crack and see what this weekend holds.
“A special thanks to all the crew who moved away from home to keep us racing, they are unbelievable.”
Bruce Fullwood
“It’s certainly been a different build up to this one, and I’ve spent a lot of time looking at my hotel walls, so it’s fair to say I’m pretty keen to get in the race car again.
“We finished the weekend on a really positive note last time we were here. We’ve had the opportunity to review what worked and what didn’t, and improve the package overall. It’s exciting to see if we can make some gains when we roll out.
“Tyres will be interesting to watch over the weekend, to see who does what and when people throw to soft tyres at it, which will mix the order up for sure.
“We wouldn’t be here without the guys and girls who have packed up their lives to keep the show going, so this weekend is as much for them as it is for me.”