Next stop – Ipswich, QR, Willowbank, the paper clip… Whatever you’d like to call it, we’re hitting it up this weekend.
The closest circuit to Triple Eight HQ, QR is our adopted home track, it’s where we do a majority of our practical homework.
We asked each of the drivers if this is an advantage and the responses were synonymous: “Yes and no.”
“You’d think it’d be an advantage, but over the years we’ve seen that sometimes the test track really isn’t an advantage at all,” said J-Dub.
“We go in and treat it just like another round, we tune the car as the weekend progresses and push hard.”
“We get to drive there for our testing, however, when we go to race there, the track is completely different,” SVG added.
On paper, the track is as simple as they come – six corners across 3.12km in the shape of a paper clip… Easy, right?
“The simpler the circuit, the more technical it becomes,” said J-Dub.
“There are only six corners to try and get an advantage on the opposition. It’s one of the greatest things about this sport – we go to all different types of track and QR is a real challenge.
“In the past, we’ve found it the most difficult to get right so we’re certainly not leaving any stone unturned, making sure we prepare well and just trying to keep our focus all weekend and be competitive.”
Read: The arm wrestle for Lowndesy
Six corners, six chances to overtake… Winning!
“It’s actually a very tough track, you really need to nail the setup of the car,” SVG pointed out.
“It basically has both high- and low-speed corners, big braking and everything in between. You need a car that can work everywhere.
“The track might not look like much, but as a fan, it’s a pretty awesome track as you can see the whole circuit no matter where you are – it’s great for spectating.”
Looking at the season so far, we’re past the halfway mark and we’ve gained some momentum in the past two rounds… The question is, can we continue?
More: The double-double in Townsville
This is probably not a question for J-Dub, the guy who refuses to be drawn into speculation, but we asked him anyway…
“The car certainly felt much better in Darwin and in Townsville, and we were able to get some results there. That doesn’t guarantee anything this weekend,” he said.
“Fingers crossed the car is nice to drive and I can push hard and be competitive.”
J-Dub is clearly not one to call it early… Maybe that’s the trick, we will see.
