Round 4 of the 2018 Virgin Australian Supercars Championship is upon us, as we head across the bridge to Phillip Island, arguably the most picturesque circuit in world motorsport.
After three podium finishes in as many rounds in 2018, we will arrive at the Victorian circuit full of confidence, but under no illusions of the challenges that will present across the weekend.
Phillip Island, at 4.5kms long, is full of long-loaded high-speed corners, somewhat similar to Albert Park, where both cars outright speed was strong and Scott Pye claimed his maiden Supercars win in race 5.
The length of the corners means a huge amount of load is placed on the car. If the mid-corner stability of the car isn’t right, it makes it extremely difficult to piece a lap together.
The biggest talking-point of this round 12-months ago was the tyre-failures suffered by the majority of field, especially on the Saturday.
This year, fingers crossed, that shouldn’t be an issue, as we are on the harder compound, with the same construction as the 2016 Dunlop controlled tyre.
Friday consists of two 40-minute practice sessions, before a 20-minute qualifying session and 250km race on Saturday and Sunday.
Continuing that improved qualifying pace will once again be a key focus for the team, which showcases the race pace both cars have had all year.
Let’s see what this weekend brings!
James Courtney
“I’ve been looking forward to this since Tasmania finished.
“At Phillip Island there’s no where to hide. You are in the corner for so long that you need to be on top of it all, which the car has been very good at this year.
“As a team we took another step forward at Tasmania, so we’ve got to keep that momentum rolling. Phillip Island has been challenging to us in the past, but I’m really positive heading into the weekend.”
Scott Pye
“After the Grand Prix, I’m excited about what the weekend will hold that’s for sure.
“Ensuring the car balance is good through the long corners like it was at the Grand Prix is critical here, it’s a definite focus of ours heading in.
“The race-pace of the car in Tasmania was really good, if we can maintain that, and pick up a couple of extra spots in qualifying we are in with a good shot.”