It’s been a few weeks, but we are back and ready to head to the Top End for the Indigenous Round at Hidden Valley Raceway.
Ryan Wood’s Mobil 1 Truck Assist Racing No. 2 and Chaz Mostert’s Mobil 1 Optus Racing No. 25 will proudly sport special Indigenous Round liveries thanks to Ava Muir and Rhonda Sampson.
After an impressive weekend in Perth from the team, WAU have moved up to 2nd in the Teams Championship. So, if you’re visiting us at the track in Darwin, we are way down the far end, sorry about that!
The Track
2.9km, 14 turns, and one heck of a long main straight, around 900m, where cars will hit a top speed of 271km leading into the biggest passing opportunity into turn 1.
Cars need to thread the needle into turns 2,3,4 and 5 which is another passing area, so keep your eyes peeled.
Format
The format has changed this year, with Friday kicking off the action with an hour-long Practice 1 followed by Qualifying for Race 11 which will set the grid for 11th – 25th.
Saturday sees a 30-minute Practice 2 before the Top 10 from Friday evening’s qualifying get a lap to themselves around Hidden Valley Raceway to secure their spots on the grid for the 137km, 48 lap Race 11.
It’s straight into qualifying for Race 12 on Sunday with the fastest 10 booking a ticket to the Top 10 Shootout which kicks off at 11.35am (ACST). The lights will go out for the final race of the weekend at 3.10pm local time.
Tyres
We will be running the Dunlop SuperSoft tyre for both 137km races this weekend.
Pitstops
It’ll be all on in the lane with one minimum pitstop per race where cars must take at least two tyres.
Weather
In typical Darwin fashion, there is going to be sun and a lot of it! Temperatures will be in the 30s’s so it’s going to be a hot one!
How to Watch
This weekend will be covered live on free to air Channel 7 from Saturday’s Top 10 shootout onwards, you can also catch the racing on Fox Sports and Kayo across the entire weekend.
Full broadcast times can be FOUND HERE.
Ryan Wood
“I’ve never been to Darwin before, it’ll be my first time at the track and hopefully my first time seeing a crocodile too.
“It’s going to be a hot one this weekend, it’ll be my first time on a Super Soft tyre so it’s important to look after them.
“Both cars look great, a massive thank you to Rhonda Sampson and Truck Assist for their help, I can’t wait to get behind the wheel to show it off.”
Chaz Mostert
“How good does the car look, Ava Muir, Optus and Mobil 1 have done an incredible job, I can’t wait for the fans to see the car out on track.
“Having qualifying on Friday night makes for an interesting weekend, it puts more pressure on that first practice session, you really need to roll out strong to be in the mix.
“It’s been a great feeling since Perth amongst the team, but we’ve got to back it up against this weekend, let’s get after it!”