Mark 'Dutto' Dutton, Team Manager of the Red Bull Ampol Racing team, gives an in depth preview of the upcoming Darwin Triple Crown round, one of the hottest on the Supercars calendar.
Last race in Tasmania the #88 took pole and the race win. What mix of driver vs learning more about and setting up the new Mustang went into that result?
Sunday of Tasmania was a culmination of the drivers and engineers grinding it out all weekend, not accepting near enough is good enough. Friday we didn’t roll out with car performance indicative of the work that had gone before that point, simply put we weren’t quick enough. Saturday we were pretty good, however not where we wanted to be and not the level we push ourselves to achieve. Sunday’s pole and win had us back where we wanted to be, very proud of the team.
Darwin is one of the hotter rounds on the calendar, forecast to be sunny 31 degrees and humid. What does the team need to consider in set up, strategy, managing drivers coming from Tasmania which was 20 degrees cooler?
I have been going to Darwin for over 20 years as part of a Supercar team and do not remember it raining a single time. For over 20 years it has been dry and 32 degrees.
The chance of rain (forecast at the moment), whilst possibly dropping the temperature a degree or two, could make it feel like the temperature is a lot hotter. If it rains at the track on and off and the localised relative humidity gets up to 90% that can make it feel like temperature has increased by up to 10 degrees… so could actually feel like 40-42 degrees.
Supercars are implementing new driver condition rules for Darwin, breaking them down to the key points. Now these only come into effect if the forecast in the morning predicts temperatures above 32.9 degrees.
The first change has gone from teams in these conditions previously needing either a driver cool suit OR chilled (and filtered) helmet air, or being the key word. Now it’s AND so you need to have both.
The rule also changed from dropping the temperature to below the ambient conditions to now both systems having to be below 25 degrees as a maximum.
These are big changes, should the rule be activated, and changes that we’ve worked hard to prepare for ahead of Darwin – they’re a good thing for the drivers.
This is why the drivers train hard, preparation is more critical than ever with hot racing. Being disciplined and following their protocols for both preparation and recovery. Maintaining optimum performance across three races is easier said than done.
What about tyre strategy, getting them up to temperature and out laps?
It can come as a surprise that often the tyres aren’t as dramatically affected by temperature in Darwin as you may expect. We just went on and on about the temperature, and how it is such a key point to the drivers.
However a factor that counteracts the ambient temperature effects on the tyres are the Hidden Valley track has a generally less aggressive surface finish, it’s nice and smooth not a cheese grater compared to other tracks we go to, in part due to the quality of the surface, the consistency of ambient temperatures, and the reduced use compared to other circuits. These factors can be a bigger influence than the ambient temperature on tyres.
We’ve covered the importance of the drivers following hot temperature protocols. However it is the whole crew that need to do this, sure we won’t be jumping in the ice bath or wearing a cool suit, however the pit crew will be in their fireproof suits, balaclavas, etc. so it is imperative that they’re mindful of staying on top of their hydration which can easily get away from you in a high paced intense environment of a race weekend, particularly one where we are straight into it Friday with practice, qualifying and a race.
All of that said, make no mistake Darwin is a ripper event, amazing vibe, can’t wait!
*Quotes not for republishing
