Peter Ringwood, Technical Director for the Red Bull Ampol Racing team, gives an in depth preview of the upcoming Taupo Super 440 round, including the change in track conditions from Sydney and Melbourne to the first race of the New Zealand double header.
Does it change the team’s preparation having not seen the cars for three weeks while they travel by boat to NZ?
We are geared up for tight turnarounds, so not having access to the cars for a prolonged period isn’t a big issue. It’s all about planning and preparation, we know the New Zealand rounds are coming up and can be ready for the unique logistics situation they present. Everything gets front-loaded, we get it done early or as soon as we can following the Melbourne round, and actually allows the mechanics, and other crew on the race team some time to recharge over Easter. We had a frantic start to the year and the crew worked incredibly hard through the end-of-year break on the engine program and the new-car builds, so this has been a valuable reset period for them.
Compared to SMP and AGP, does Taupo focus on high-speed or low-speed cornering?
Taupo is a different change of pace compared to Sydney Motorsport Park and Albert Park. The track is much tighter, more technical, and more traction limited which all impact the way the car is set up and driven. There are much fewer long, aero-loaded corners in Taupo compared to the Sydney and Melbourne circuits which we’re coming from, so mid corner rotation and drive are going to be a very large focus for us.
Taupo is known for a number of track surface changes through the lap, what does that mean for tyres and degradation?
The varying grip and varying surfaces have a large effect on the driving lines, especially in the wet, and it sounds like there will be some rain at some stage of the weekend. The surface sometimes means that if you miss a corner apex, stay wide, but are on a good surface, the lap time can be quicker.
Is the new Super 440 format, 2 x Saturday and 1 x Sunday races, going to be better or worse for tyre management and flat-out racing?
The mixed tyre format, between soft and super softs, has a large effect here in Taupo. It’s a track well known for high tyre degradation, but all races will be a flat out sprint.
The team saw a huge change in performance and fortune after Taupo last year. What was that weekend like and what were the learnings from it?
Taupo 2024 gave us several key setup learnings, especially around mechanical grip and balance, which translated into a much more competitive package as the season went on. The items we worked through there carried forward into the off-season and this year’s development direction so we’re hoping to come out strong on Friday for practice and carry some positive momentum in to the race weekend.
Are you expecting the Mustang to perform differently to the Camaro (last year) at Taupo?
As Taupo tends towards the lower speed side, the aero kit has less of an effect than say Sydney or Melbourne, but the aero kit is still doing a lot of work. The large tyre degradation at Taupo will also highlight any imbalance, so adapting to a different aero balance or stability margin with the Mustang will be a key focus. This track will highlight quickly whether we’ve got the platform in the right operating window or not.
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