We’re back in action for week 1 of the North Queensland double, with the NTI Townsville 500 kicking things off!
It is the first of a double-header on the streets of Reid Park, with three-days of action on the agenda.
Format
A 500km event means two x 250km races… and fuel stops!
It will be the first time since the opening round at Bathurst that the fuel rigs will be in use, with two compulsory stops during each race. It means strategy and fuel loads come back into play.
Practice starts on Friday, with qualifying, a Top 10 Shootout, and an 88-lap race on both Saturday and Sunday.
The Track
Street circuits are back! Reid Park is a half street, half purpose built, 2.86km track that sits just outside the Townsville CBD.
In typical street circuit fashion, it is a concrete jungle in parts… any mistake is punished by the concrete barriers that surround the track.
Tyres
All running will be on the soft tyre this weekend.
Townsville is notoriously hard on tyres, especially rears, so there will be a lot more degradation seen in comparison to Darwin, so expect to see some cars fall off the proverbial cliff!
The Stats
Last year saw Chaz Mostert collect three-podium finishes across the two weekends, so we come into this weekend with some good form and data.
Bryce Fullwood has also had success in Townsville, winning both his Super2 races in 2019.
How to Watch
Channel 7, Fox Sports and Kayo have you covered this weekend wherever you are!
For full broadcast times, CLICK HERE.
Weather
High 20’s and no rain on the forecast, couldn’t ask for much better.
Chaz Mostert
“It’s awesome to be back racing again, it was great to get the win in Darwin, but we also identified a few areas we need to improve on, which is a positive.
“It’s such an awesome place and track here, and it’s so cool to be back racing on a street-circuit, we’ve missed them that’s for sure.
“We had a pretty good time up here last year across the two weekends, but Friday will be really important in terms of our direction. We’ve been working hard since Darwin to improve our qualifying package, so we can put ourselves in a good position off the line.”
Bryce Fullwood
“I love this place, so it’s awesome to be back here for another two weekends of racing, starting with this weekend.
“We certainly haven’t taken it easy since Darwin, we’ve done a heap of work back at the workshop to improve in the last couple of weeks, so I can’t wait to get out there.
‘I’m looking forward to the longer races as well, fuel races bring in a different element of strategy which is a lot of fun as a driver as well, so I’m looking forward to it.”