Martin Short, Race Engineer for the #88 Ford Mustang and Supercars Championship leader Broc Feeney, gives an in depth preview of the upcoming Tasmania round, the post New Zealand debrief, and maximizing the potential of their new Mustang.

What do you and Broc focus on in the three weeks post New Zealand while the cars are coming back to Australia?
The focus is mainly on debriefing NZ properly and making sure we understand where we can improve. It’s also a good reset moment — physically and mentally — before getting back into preparation mode for the next run of events. There’s a lot of work in reviewing data and making sure we’re aligned on direction heading to Tasmania.

How long was the NZ debrief, and has there been a lot of work done on the car during the break?
The debrief was fairly in-depth, as we struggled for outright speed, particularly at Ruapuna. There’s always work going on in the background, even during the break — evolving the setup, refining processes, and making sure the car is in the best possible window for Tasmania.

You’ve joined Broc in his GT racing this year. Why do you both choose to race in that series during the Supercars season? Is it about time behind the wheel?
It was a big break in the calendar, so staying active helps keep us sharp. It’s about making quick decisions, building experience in different situations, and being able to adapt quickly when we get back into Supercars.

What do you both take from that series into your Supercars preparation?
You gain a different perspective — whether it’s race craft, traffic management, or adapting to different tyre characteristics. Even though the cars are quite different, there are always small things you can bring across that help.

Tasmania last year was the start of a very successful run for the #88 car with 2/3 wins at Symmons Plains. What learnings does 2025 give you going into this year in car set up, confidence in qualifying, and racing at Symmons Plains and following tracks?
Tassie suited us well last year, but with a new car this season we have to keep learning and adapting what we did previously to make it go faster. Every team evolves year-on-year, so you need to keep finding gains to stay competitive.

Is there a difference in track style and conditions between the first four rounds and Tasmania onwards?
Yeah, there is a shift. The next group of tracks tends to reward straight-line speed and braking performance, so getting those areas right will be critical. The earlier rounds were more technical and higher downforce, so it’s about adapting both the car and driving style.

The #88 car is leading the Drivers Championship after four rounds. Is the focus for you and Broc on consistent results, race wins, or learning and improving the new Mustang package?
It’s a bit of all three. Consistency is what puts you in a strong position heading towards the finals, but you still need to be chasing outright performance. We’re continuing to improve the car and maximise its potential, and at times that may mean taking a few more risks with setup direction if we’re not the fastest package.

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Townsville is the first and one of three street circuits on the calendar, the other two being Finals races at Gold Coast and Adelaide. What changes in set up and driving style for a street circuit compared to other races?
Townsville is a little different in what is needed from some on the circuits we have been to, but a lot of the learning we have had this year will guide us for this round. Townsville is not just about being able to ride the big kerbs, it requires a stable entry, something that has been a challenge this year, very strong turn mid-corner turn, and good drive. Townsville is one of the highest tyre degradation circuits on the calendar, so a setup that looks after the rear tyres pays off big during the race.

Heat again will be a factor in Townsville. What kind of heat training has Will done this season, did it help in Darwin, and how do you coach a driver through long races under those conditions?
To prepare for Townsville the drivers will be building their heat stress capacity as they get closer to the race. This means doing training in elevated conditions which triggers changes in the body to cope better in race conditions. Engineers can support drivers in hot races by creating a cooler cabin through heat shielding and ducting, along with cooling devices like chilled helmet air and cool suits. You will also hear engineers reminding drivers to “have a drink” during the race in a effort to stay as hydrated as possible.

Three rounds left in the Sprint Cup – currently 7th in the Drivers Championship. Where ideally do you want the #888 car to be in the Top Ten going into Enduro Cup? Is the focus on consistent results and developing the car, or set ups to fight for race wins?
With three rounds left in the Sprint Cup we’re still focused on developing the car to be able to challenge for wins on a regular basis. As always, the focus is on the process and constantly improving everything we do rather than focusing on results.  There’s 83 points to get to P6 in the Championship, which is quite a gap. In the last five races we have finished no worse than P5. If we can improve the car, I believe we can bridge this gap and continue to climb the ladder which puts us in a stronger position come playoffs.

With the gap in between rounds Will has been in Austria driving a Supercar at the Formula 1 Grand Prix. How important is it for drivers to have a break during the season? Does any driving, even racing around the Red Bull Ring help and can you and Will learn anything?
It’s been an exciting trip for Will to spend time in Austria at the F1 and the Red Bull driver centre. These trips can recharge the batteries, but as importantly they can expose you to new ways of thinking and doing things  that can improve what we do back home. In terms of laps in the Supercar at Red Bull Ring, it’s not like a test day where we are learning what different setup changes do, but almost any time in a racecar is useful in keeping the driver sharp. We only do fourteen race weekends and two test days a year, so the opportunity to practice your craft is very limited. A lot of top-level drivers also drive in other categories like GT or Transam to get race kilometres in to keep prepared for the demands of the Supercars season – it is important.

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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!

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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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Mark Dutton, Team Manager for the Red Bull Ampol Racing team, gives an in depth preview of the upcoming Christchurch Super 440 round, and an insight in to team preparation ahead of the second race of the New Zealand double header.

Today, it’s Wednesday of race week, we’re setting up and servicing the #888 and the #88 cars today at Ruapuna ahead of the second event of this NZ double header. It’s been a few years since Supercars teams have been to a track they haven’t raced on before. That means no one has previous data or proven setups here. As a competitor we love these challenges, when everyone is basically starting from scratch, it’s a real test.

The track itself is quite technical, especially out of turn 4 then all the way to exiting turn 8, a small early mistake in that sequence of corners could result in a large time deficit as one corner flows into the next.

We’ve seen the Red Bull Ampol Racing cars fast at three different styles of tracks now in Sydney, Melbourne and Taupo. How important is having pace at both fast and slower, tyre friendly and high degradation circuits?

It’s critical, we need to be on the pace and able to tune our cars for all scenarios, this is easier said than done, the car performance between the teams is so tight, that the margin for error is so small.

Is the car performance ahead of where you thought it would be after the change to Ford Mustangs in 2026?

Definitely not ahead of schedule as we aren’t leading the Driver’s Championship, however we are extremely proud of where our performance is and what we have been able to achieve so early on in the season with the switch. With these cars, throughout the year, there is constant evolution, and refinement, you can never afford to be complacent and think you are in a sweet spot for the rest of the season.

There was again some bumper bashing in Taupo. Do you expect this to be the style of racing for the season and does that impact race strategy and approach?

We expect more rubbing in racing this year, just hope that it is kept hard but fair, and consistent.

This is the first Gen 3 Supercars race at Ruapuna. What have the team, Broc and Will done to prepare for next weekend?

I believe all or most the drivers in Supercars took the opportunity to do some laps in Ruapuna a few weeks back, whilst not in their Supercars, they all got to learn the circuit.

There are four races now in Ruapuna, with Friday added after Sundays race cancellation in Taupo. What are the key things the team and drivers need to consider with such a busy schedule and short turnarounds between sessions?

We have to be precise and follow our processes, and have our team mates backs more than ever when we’re on track so much so frequently over those three days of a race weekend.

Red Bull Ampol Racing are once again leading the Teams Championship. Outside of points and trophy, how important is front position in pit lane to the race team?
It is mega critical for us in so many ways. We use it as a constant reminder of our persistency in consistency, being the leading team in pitlane is our priority. Selfishly as car controller it makes my job in pitlane a little easier too.

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