Saturday Results 

Will Brown – Car #87

Qualifying, Race 13 – 13th (1:13.7028)
Race 13 – Third
Drivers’ Championship Standings – First (1482 points)

“I was pretty happy with that race. Obviously my tyre life definitely helped, but I didn’t think I’d get on the podium so I was pretty stoked with that. I was coming home pretty strong and then me and (Thomas) Randal got into a bit of a fight. I got passed him but then he lunged me again at turn one, but eventually I got him back which I was pretty happy with. We had a really strong middle stint which put us in with a fighting chance. The rain then closed up the pack a little bit, and I even had a little moment there and almost looped my car at turn six, but we got through it. I’m hoping we can figure out our qualifying speed tomorrow because if we can start the race up the front, we’ve showed that we have the race pace to have a good day.”

Broc Feeney – Car #88

Qualifying, Race 13 – 10th (1:13.5986)
Top Ten Shootout – Eighth (1:14.4153)
Race 13 – Seventh
Drivers’ Championship Standings – Second (1341 points)

“We were obviously struggling quite a bit in qualifying but we managed to scrape into the shootout earlier today. We then managed to come away from the shootout in P8 which was probably where we were at. The track was pretty dirty and we were a bit off from those front guys which wasn’t ideal. I had a few pretty cool battles in the first couple of laps of that race, but I struggled with pace a lot. I didn’t have very good tyre life which showed in our pace and we couldn’t match it to the drivers in front of us. Our biggest focus overnight will be understanding why our tyre life wasn’t great because we struggled through the corners compared to the other guys which really hurt us. Hopefully we can make some good changes and come out fighting tomorrow.”

The post Will charges through for Podium finish, BFeen P7 in The Ville appeared first on Red Bull Ampol Racing Team.

Today the Bulls headed 100km East of Adelaide to Tailem Bend for the official Supercars SuperTest, JDub’s bangerz in tow to get us through the trek down the highway.

Test day in the Supercars world is best described as the first day of school. There’s everything from new kids on the block to fresh new cars with liveries to match. Mix in 24 main game drivers (plus some) acting like pissed-off teenagers gunning for the fastest lap around The Bend and we have ourselves some action.

So what did the drivers think?

Jamie Whincup

“It was a really good day for us overall, really solid. The car felt reasonably different from the aero change and the shocks which slightly affected our balance, but that’s what today’s about, trying to get that balance back with the new changes.

“We got through our program with only one minor mishap, that being the power steering pump which put us back a little bit, but DC (David Cauchi, Race Engineer) was able to get us back up and running, so overall a productive day.

“We got as much as we wanted out of the day, we even got to test the new steering wheel which was nice. It’s the first time I’ve used the steering wheel since Sandown so was trying to get used to it again.”

Shane van Gisbergen

“The morning was the best time for me. The car felt good during this period and we were posting some really good lap times.

“It was good to get a feel for a V8 again after a pretty hectic off-season, but the crew have done a great job to get the car to where it was.

“Garth jumped in throughout the afternoon and felt comfortable which was good – he was punching out some pretty impressive lap times too. Tough conditions out there at times but we got what we came for and ready to roll onto Adelaide.”

Craig Lowndes

“It’s nice to be back in the car and familiarise myself again. The car has obviously changed from last year with the aero and the suspension changes and has created a bit more of a challenge. The car isn’t far away from where I remember it and where I think the drivers like it, so it’s put us in good stead for the season ahead.

“Both Jamie and Cauchi have a direction of where they want to take the car. The car has the flexibility to go in the direction they want to tune it to, it’s just a matter of getting some miles under our belt and getting our heads around the different aero package and shocks.”

Garth Tander

“It was a good day for me – good day to be in the car. It seems like my specific program we got through quite well, understanding a lot of the new technical regulations around the way the cars are designed now.

“There’s obviously been a lot of technical changes this year which the team seem to have done a fantastic job to understand before we even set out for our first lap. Running through the program, it’s where we expected and wanted to be.”

“I was pretty happy with my speed being pretty close to the times Shane & Jamie are doing so overall it was a good day. The information gathering and the way the car felt throughout the day was very encouraging for the future.”

The post Testing to the Limits appeared first on Red Bull Ampol Racing Team.

Priorities:

Wondering if you can squeeze in a quick swim at the beach before the next practice session.

For hire:

Available to start work immediately: Hard working mechanics, capable of fast tyre changes, refueling skills, uniform additional cost.

Dad joke:

Cheese being outdone by the master.

Wheelie lost:

Finding Jamie’s missing wheel from Phillip Island in the Newcastle harbour.

Look busy:

Team Life Tip #48: always have something in hand (pen, clipboard, wing endplate) when the boss is around.

Cocktail:

The weird combination of a Red Bull frozen slushie in a coffee cup.

Left him hangin’:

Underneath that helmet is Scotty Mac still waiting for his high five from The Captain.

Catwalk:

Someone forget to tell SVG that Victoria’s Secret canceled their show.

Done:

That end of school feeling.

Readying for battle:

2019 has been us against the wets. They gave it their best shot, but we won the Newcastle round.

The post Behind the Scenes: Newcastle 2019 appeared first on Red Bull Ampol Racing Team.

After consuming way too much chocolate, (but who’s counting?) we return to the workshop with our heads down and eyes forward preparing to roll out into Round 5 more determined than ever.

It’s been two weeks since our epic back to back race weekends, (but again who’s counting?) and the attention has turned to making sure the next round is done right.

“We take pride in what we do and how we do it, so the lack of car pace at Phillip Island and the pit stop issues we had hit everyone in the team hard,” said Team Manager, Mark ‘Dutto’ Dutton.

“Everyone individually at Triple Eight has a massive amount of self-motivation, take that collectively as a team and you can only imagine how intensified the motivation for success has become moving into the next round.”

GALLERY: Behind the Scenes: Phillip Island

However, the only night race of the season already brings challenges before we even hit the track.

Straight off the bat and the obvious challenge; racing at high speeds, in the dark and under the lights.

And although darkness isn’t really our friend, there’s nothing quite like throwing in a resurfaced track into the mix of challenges the bulls will face in Perth.

“Even an extremely well-lit track and pit lane can’t match clear daylight,” said Dutto.

“It’s already difficult to judge what difference no sun or UV will have on the track for racing but having the track resurfaced further complicates this equation,” he said.

READ MORE: SVG looks to flick the switch in the west

Despite the reduced visibility after the sun goes down for both drivers and pit crew alike, the amplified atmosphere is sure makes up for the lost sight.

“It felt like a State of Origin game last year, the crowd was amazing, and the event was much bigger than we anticipated,” said Dutto.

“Hopefully Perth is able to take it up a notch or two and make the event bigger and better than last year.”

It seems that the drivers are also fast becoming fans themselves of the night-time races.

“Last year’s event was a mega concept that was pulled off successfully,” said Shane ‘SVG’ van Gisbergen.

“There were some things that needed to be improved so I’m excited to see what this year’s SuperNight will bring.”

Jamie ‘JDub’ Whincup’s reaction was no different.

“Part of the highlights will be watching the cars come up over the hill and down into the last corner of the track at night because they’re going to look very fast and impressive,” he said.

Busting out of the gates with excitement, seems to be the all-round team vibe for the bulls as they’re ready to face the red sun sets in WA.

And J-Dub’s wise words to the team for trying to leave the memories of past rounds behind;

“Anything is possible, eyes wide open, assume nothing and enjoy the challenge.”

Perth turn your lights on and see the bulls charge with live updates on our Twitter account throughout the race weekend starting Thursday, May 2nd.

Jamie’s Predictions for Perth:

Fastest lap time on the track – 0:52.88

Who’s the one to watch in Perth – Nick Percat

Biggest Challenge in Perth – Seeing where to go.

Three words to describe Perth – Super. Slippery. Sandy.

Favourite moment in Perth – I had a cracker battle with Will Davison and Mark ‘Frosty’ Winterbottom one year in Perth and despite losing out to finish 3^rd, Dutto got on the radio and told me to take them both out in the last lap which he has never done before.

Highlight of night racing – Watching the brakes glow and the fire stream out of the exhaust.

 Fear of night racing – The only fear is losing as per usual.

Shane’s Predictions for Phillip Island:

Fastest lap time on the track – 0:50.00

Who’s the one to watch in Perth – The new track surface.

Biggest Challenge in Perth – The lights.

Three words to describe Perth – Other side of the world (not three words but we’ll take it!).

Favourite moment in Perth – Pole position in 2018.

 Highlight of night racing – It’s something different.

Fear of night racing: Power failure of the lights.

The post Perth: Turn the lights on appeared first on Red Bull Ampol Racing Team.

With six past Adelaide 500 winners in the 2019 field, Shane “SVG” Van Gisbergen heads into the opening race holding a perfect streak of winning four pole positions and four race victories since 2017.

“Adelaide is always the best way to start the season; great event, awesome crowd and a cool city.”

“It’s always exciting to see the new cars, teams, drivers and how everyone will go after a big off season,” he said.

But a bumpy test day in Phillip Island for both our drivers meant there’s been a lot of behind-the-scenes preparations.

“The preparations are going good,” SVG continued.

“Although we struggled for outright pace on the test day, we learnt a lot during it, particularly a huge amount of parts and setup combinations.”

“Hopefully working with the engineers, I’m sure we will be closer to the front at Adelaide,”

“There’s no surprise we had a tough test day,” said J-Dub, who himself is a four-time Adelaide 500 winner.

“We didn’t achieve what we wanted to so there has a been a lot going on from test day to understand where our lack of performance was.

“Mechanically the car was quite good, but it comes down to set up and performance which is where our focus has been since the test day.”

A new season brings a fresh start and opportunity to leave behind what was 2018 and focus on goals for 2019.

“A big goal for 2019 is to make less mistakes,” said J-Dub.

“In 2018 we had a fast car, we had all the tools to do the job, I had one of the best crews working on my car in pit lane, but we just failed to get the results that we should have deserved mainly through not making ourselves luck and therefore making too many mistakes.”

With a few new cars on the grid for 2019 (can anyone hear some neighing in the background?) the competition is going to be more intense than an Adelaide heatwave.

“Every year the competition keeps getting stronger and stronger, and this year is no different,” J-Dub said.

“We are coming in with confidence but at the same time are very aware, the changes in the rules especially dumbing down of the cars with linear springs will certainly change it up a bit and we will see car performing much better than they did.”

With tough competition, soaring temperatures and 500km on the track, the drivers admit their minds don’t always focus on driving and the road ahead.

“Why don’t they make tires that don’t wear out!” said J-Dub.

Meanwhile, Car #97 may just need a new feature designed specifically for SVG’s Commodore:

“Normally at Adelaide some point during the 250km race I’m wondering how we can get an ice bath into the car for next time!”

Tune in from 28 February and we’ll have all the action covered with live race updates on our Twitter account.

Jamie’s Predictions for Adelaide:
Fastest lap time – 1.20.0’s

One to watch – SVG

Biggest challenge – Sunday night and avoiding the Fringe festival crowd.

Adelaide in three words – Likely very hot.

Shane’s Predictions for Adelaide:

Fastest lap time – 1.20.0

One to watch – Mustangs

Biggest challenge – The heat

Adelaide in three words – Hot. Tough. Hot.

The post Adelaide: Ready or not here we come! appeared first on Red Bull Ampol Racing Team.

And the best bit – so far, so good!

Limited to 19 laps, J-Dub’s new baby purred out of the garage for shakedown just after 10am.

With two entries in this year’s Super2 Series, everyone was on hand to see the three cars roll out.

J-Dub found his groove in the ZB Commodore, while development drivers Kurt Kostecki and Brenton Grove gained some valuable lap time in their cars.

Triple Eight Team Manager Mark ‘Dutto’ Dutton said that, despite a delayed start with some early showers, the first run was positive.

“We delayed the start a little bit for some last minute fine-tuning, and also because just before we rolled her out it started raining.

“You don’t want to get a brand new car wet and dirty.”

Sporting a new transaxle in the series-wide move to the Xtrac gearbox, Dutto tells us that it was smooth going.

“The first run-in was good. There are some tight components and things like that, but that’s pretty standard” he said.

“It was a really positive first run with the new transaxle. It feels like a smoother shift – that’s been the biggest feedback.”

Youngsters Grove and Kostecki are in tip-top shape too, and it showed.

“They’re fit and ready to go. They’re keen, they’re eager. Their cars looks immaculate and have performed without fault. Touch wood that continues.”

After some debriefing back at the workshop, the team will work to resolve some minor issues before a full test day with cars #88 and #97 at Phillip Island next Thursday.

“We’re just trying to make sure there’s no bugs in there so that when we get to Phillip Island, we’re not wasting any time.”

The post Smooth going for #88 appeared first on Red Bull Ampol Racing Team.

Despite the heartache, our cars continue to hold a special place in our hearts – we name them, take care of them, and we hope that they will take care of us. They get us where we need to go, and we push them to their limits.

SVG, who grew up in NZ, remembers his first car well, and it’s fair to say that it ignited his passion for racing.

“My first car was a 1987 Toyota Starlet – it did 125km/hr in second gear,” SVG tells us.

“It lasted me six months…”

J-Dub inherited his Commodore from his granddad and used it to race around the streets of Melbourne.

“It was a baby blue VH Commodore that was handed down to me by my grandfather who decided to stop driving at the same time,” said J-Dub.

“She was a rocket, and a great car for me for about 18-months.”

Team Owner, RD, got his first car when he was just 12 – a Morris Minor 1000.

“I used to take it apart and put it together again,” RD remembers.

“While my parents were on holiday or out of the house, I would muck around and drive it up and down the driveway. It was definitely the source of a few headaches though – most of them self-induced.”

Soon, J-Dub will get behind the wheel of his new squeeze – a brand new ZB Commodore built from scratch.

And while most love affairs don’t last forever, we’re hoping that this one will be a match made in heaven.

The post That first love appeared first on Red Bull Ampol Racing Team.

Car #97’s Number One mechanic, Jarrad Farrell, or J-Rod for short, hates the spotlight as much as we hate losing a race that we had in the bag.

J-Rod and his side kick Jordy (Jordan Repetto) are like peas in a Triple Eight pod, and they have the job of working on SVG’s ZB Commodore for the second year running.

It’s a high pressure job with long hours (that part sucks), but when everything goes right it is really, REALLY satisfying. From the car build all the way through to the final pit stop on race day, these guys don’t stop.

“If we’re at the workshop, we’re preparing the cars – stripping them down, putting them back together and checking them over – making sure they’re good to race. When we’re at the track it’s a whole different thing – it’s getting ready to go racing,” J-Rod tells us.

You’ve just got to look around the workshop and see all the surfboards on the wall to know they must be doing something right.

“It’s awesome to be part of such a successful team. It’s hard work and it’s long hours but you get rewarded for it at the end.”

Like J-Rod, Ty Freele knows the ropes at Triple Eight well. He has been here from the start, spending time between the development series and working with J-Dub’s team.

As J-Dub’s number one mechanic, ‘Tybo’, has seen the triumphs – and some bumps – while being in charge of car #88, but he wouldn’t have it any other way.

“It’s a big family. If you’re loyal to this family, they’re loyal back to you,” said Tybo.

“There’s always something different on the go. There’s always a different target to hit and that keeps it pretty interesting.”

Tybo reckons that J-Dub’s dedication is second-to-none, and we think he’s right! He’s won seven championships and four Bathurst 1000 titles after all.

“He’s very professional, I’ve never seen anyone with more willpower in my life. He’s a great bloke to work with.”

And his one gripe with the workshop?

“The boys always have the air-conditioning too cold. It’s always too cold in there!”

The post Those that keep the wheels turning appeared first on Red Bull Ampol Racing Team.

By Matthew Clayton on redbull.com

Jamie Whincup sounded like he was trying to convince himself, and feeling like he probably wasn’t doing a very good job of it. “It’s been pouring rain up here for days,” the long-time Gold Coast resident lamented on the Tuesday before last weekend’s Gold Coast 600 on the streets of Surfers Paradise. “So hopefully we can get a dry weekend …”.

As it turns out, J-Dub was half-right, at least; the rain stayed away for Saturday’s 102-lap blast around the seaside streets, more of which shortly. But when Sunday’s race gridded up under a leaden sky, Whincup – and the other drivers in the Supercars series that call the ‘Coast home – knew what was coming. In the end, so much of it came that Race 27 of the 2018 championship season became the race that never happened, according to the record books.

Teeming rain, thunderstorms, hail and a flooded circuit saw Sunday’s race suspended, re-started under the safety car and eventually abandoned on lap 43, the race failing to make the 51-lap half-race distance that would have allowed for championship points to be awarded. Everyone went home wet, frustrated and no better or worse off in the championship standings.

Whincup was quick to find a silver lining in the filthy black clouds overhead, and well he might after how his weekend at home shook out.

The reigning series champion’s title defence was looking shakier after Saturday when a second-place start on the grid with teammate Paul Dumbrell became a 14th-place finish, after car No.1 was penalised for an unsafe release at the first pit stops on lap 23. Dumbrell stalled at his stop, and when he got going again, was released into the path of the Tickford Racing entry of James Moffat, the cars making contact and the stewards issuing a drive-through penalty, dropping the Dumbrell/Whincup duo to the back of the field.

Sunday didn’t start a lot better when Whincup had his Top 10 Shootout lap cancelled for a kerb hop infringement, meaning Dumbrell would start the race from ninth place. Worse was to come when ‘PD’ hit the Turn 13 wall on lap 29 as the rain intensified. Contact from two other cars left Car 1 wedged in the tyre belt, unable to continue.

Searching for the right words after a testing weekend, Whincup was in a philosophical mood afterwards.

“All in all, it was a Gold Coast 600 we’d like to forget,” he said.

“We tried hard, we had a quick car, but we couldn’t piece it all together.

“It’s always a 50-50 decision whether to pit in rain like that, and we elected to stay out. Unfortunately, PD didn’t make it around on the very slippery resurfacing on one of the corners.

“I think the race organisers did a great job in making the tough call in suspending Sunday’s race – the silver lining of that was that we didn’t lose any points to our opposition so, if something good has come out of the weekend, it was that.”

Whincup made the short (and wet) drive home still in third place in the championship, and with a 433-point deficit to the leader … but the leader is no longer Red Bull Holden Racing Team teammate Shane van Gisbergen, after SVG and co-driver Earl Bamber had their own dramas on a weekend where few were immune.

Car 97 had its own pit-lane problems on Saturday, when Dumbrell stalled as Bamber was double-stacked behind him waiting to take service. Bamber was then given a drive-through penalty for impeding the Castrol Racing Nissan of Garry Jacobsen as he resumed, and all of a sudden, both RBHRT cars were at the back of the field with a mountain to climb at a circuit where passing chances are, at best, limited.

SVG was 19th by the time he got back into the car for Saturday’s final stint, and made a typically hard charge to get up to 10th by the chequered flag, commenting drily that “you learn who your friends are” as he “drove my arse off” for the final 38 laps.

Fifth place in race 26 for the Scott McLaughlin/Alex Premat Team Penske entry saw McLaughlin reclaim the series lead by 14 points heading into Sunday’s Surfers finale.

Bamber started in SVG’s car on Sunday and ran strongly in the top three for much of his opening stint before the heavens opened, and by the time SVG got behind the wheel, his chances of hacking into McLaughlin’s advantage were washed away. With four races and 600 points remaining to be won, the title chase now looks to be one between the two Kiwis.

“I was looking forward to the race, Earl did well in his stint and then the rain came,” SVG said.

“It was a shame. It was a good idea to call the race, but it’d be good to be able to start the races earlier or not have the time-certain finishes, so we can still have a race. Smarter people than me make those decisions …”

In the wash-up, and there was plenty of that, there was some good news in the Triple Eight family, Craig Lowndes and Steven Richards winning the Pirtek Enduro Cup in their final campaign together before Lowndes’ retirement from full-time driving at the end of the season.

Third at Sandown and – of course – first at Bathurst preceded Saturday’s strong run to second from 21st on the grid on the Gold Coast, and Sunday’s cancellation ensured the veteran duo would hoist the only trophy given out on a bizarre afternoon.

“To cap off the five years we’ve been together with this win, it’s a real treat and a credit to everyone here in the team,” Lowndes said.

“They definitely made the right call with the weather, I couldn’t believe we were still circulating out there with the conditions as they were. I believe there was no way they could restart the race. It was really dangerous, they would have hurt someone and destroyed cars. The right choice was finally made.”

What’s next, besides checking the weather forecast for the next sunny day to put the ‘gold’ back into the ‘Gold Coast’? (that’d be Wednesday, in case you were wondering). A trip across to SVG’s backyard – McLaughlin’s too – to Pukekohe in New Zealand for races 28 and 29 of the 31-race season from November 2-4. The business end of the year is approaching fast …

The post Rain presses pause in Surfers appeared first on Red Bull Ampol Racing Team.

Jamie Whincup – Car #1
Qualifying – Seventh (Fastest Time: 1:05.8842)
Top Ten Shootout – Third (Lap Time: 1:05.9201)
Race 2 – Third 
Championship – Fifth (1,342 points)

“Today the car wasn’t much better in qualifying but it certainly was a little bit better – the big gain was the shootout lap to get us up to the second row of the grid. Qualifying here is really important because of the heat so that set up our day but unfortunately I got swamped at turn one. We had a great pit stop strategy, (Race Engineer, David) Cauchi did an amazing job to get us back up and basically his strategy got us the podium. We had the pace for second but I unfortunately stalled in the pits and dropped back a spot. All in all I’m pretty happy with how we ran across the weekend and also happy that we just kept improving from the start of the weekend to the end.”

Shane van Gisbergen – Car #97
Qualifying – 11th (Fastest Time: 1:05.8999)
Top Ten Shootout – N/A
Race 2 – Fourth 
Championship – Second (1,614 points)

“In qualifying today, the gap to the leader was the same, we didn’t move forward but everyone else did so that meant we missed the shootout – I haven’t missed a shootout for a few years straight so that’s a real shame. Then in the race, we had good speed again but we were just too far back and got stuck behind people. Fourth position was the best we could do; we lost too much and got stuck in traffic. The guys and girls did a good job, we stayed in clean air and had a good strategy. We just need to fix qualifying, we can’t make the tyre work as good as the other guys can, we need to put all of our resources and knowledge into making qualifying better because our race cars are as good as any. It’s been a trend the last three or four rounds and, on our side, we need to get better at that.”

1530 That’s a wrap on our 200km sprint… J-Dub takes his first podium since Tasmania. SVG charges up the field to finish fourth. A race full of action including oil drama, a safety car and some epic strategy.

1330 J-Dub is lining up in P3. SVG starts from P11. Let’s do this boys.

1300 It’s nearly go time…

1110 Top Ten Shootout complete:

That’s a wrap on the Top 10 Shootout. J-Dub will start P3 and SVG from P11. Time to put our strategy together #vasc #redbullholden

— Red Bull Holden (@redbullholden) June 17, 2018

0950 Woah, for the first time since 2012, SVG has missed out on the Top 10 Shootout as he comes through P11 by a tenth of a second. That’s an incredible streak come to an end. J-Dub does a great stint and goes P7 to make the Top 10 Shootout. Stand by.

0925 Time for a qualifying session… J-Dub heads straight out while SVG hangs in pit lane for a few laps, heads out last.

0730 The early bird gets the worm

0710 Nothing like warming up with a pit stop practice…!

The post Live Diary: Sunday in Darwin 2018 appeared first on Red Bull Ampol Racing Team.

The Red Bull Holden Racing Team has given fans a sneak peek at its 2018 Commodore Supercar livery ahead of its spectacular unveiling at a secret location today.

The brand new, next-generation Holden racecar features a fresh, bold livery to show off the sleek hatchback body shape and advanced aerodynamic competition package.

Reigning Supercars Champion Jamie Whincup is excited to reveal the all new look and design to fans across the world of what he marks as the best looking Commodore yet.

“We’ve decided to really change it up with the colour scheme this year, which looks awesome on the new body shape,” Whincup said.

Graphics front and rear have been kept to a minimum, to showcase the elegant lines of the new Commodore shape while keeping it a bold and aggressive looking racecar.

While not giving too much away, the unveiling is set to wow media and fans alike when the covers come off in one of the most iconic Australian settings.

The Red Bull Holden Commodore supercars will make their competitive debut when the 2018 Virgin Australia Supercars Championship kicks off with the Adelaide 500, 1-4 March.

The post RED BULL HOLDEN RACING TEAM REVEALS SNEAK PEEK OF 2018 LIVERY appeared first on Red Bull Ampol Racing Team.

*Signing card required, which can be picked up from the on-track store on the day of the session for a gold coin donation. All proceeds go to the Australian Road Safety Foundation.

6:30pm We caught up with our drivers to see how they felt following our practice sessions and going into a potentially damp Saturday. Here’s what they had to say:

Jamie Whincup – Car #88

“We had a really good day, the key to today was that the car drove out of the truck fast and 90 percent of the job was done when we got here so we were able to get out and move forward from there. The car felt great and I really like this place – it’s such a gnarly little track and the harder you push the more rewarding it gets. It was nice to see a time under the 10-second bracket come up on the dash. Tomorrow is just a different kettle of fish – we had a great Friday Grand Prix but Saturday, when the rain falls all day, will change things so we will need to see how our wet pace is and not get too carried away. We’ll just try to do a good job tomorrow and stay out of trouble.”

Paul Dumbrell – Car #88 Co-Driver

“It was really good to have the car straight out of the gate for J-Dub (Jamie Whincup) after P1. We worked on a couple of small changes and were able to step forward each time with J-Dub doing a great job there at the end. If it rains tomorrow, today probably doesn’t mean a lot but it’s great to have a good car and to go in feeling strong. The rain will just make it an interesting day, that’s for sure.”

Shane van Gisbergen – Car #97

“Our practice sessions were good, we worked through a good program today. In the first session we led most of it and it felt really good. Matty (Campbell) got in and got up to speed really quickly, he hit some traffic on his fast lap but still went well which was promising. In the final session, we didn’t have the cleanest run but we learnt a lot and I think we have a pretty good car for Sunday. We will just have to see what happens tomorrow in the weather. In the 10 years I’ve been here, I’ve never driven on a wet tyre so it will be interesting to say the least.”

Matty Campbell – Car #97 Co-Driver

“It wasn’t too bad today, I was pretty happy with the car and I felt nice and comfortable. I showed some pace and it could’ve been even better but I got slightly held up on my fast lap. We are really happy with the car and we just have to wait and see what this weather does. The rain will change the race a lot, especially around here with all the painted white lines, it could be very tricky. Tomorrow we’ll just have to play it by ear but we could see some very interesting racing and a lot of strategy will probably come into it.”

5:55pm We’re off to the press conference with J-Dub and PD to see how they felt.

5:38pm Our final practice is complete with no major concerns. J-Dub in P1 (1:09.9179) an SVG in P5 (1:10.3588).

5:34pm And we thought PD did well! J-Dub sets a new lap record!

J-Dub! Sets a lap record with 1:09.9179 #VASC #RedBullHolden

— Red Bull Holden (@redbullholden) October 20, 2017

5:29pm Moffat goes into the wall and there’s some fuel leakage on the track, driver’s need to take some caution for a moment.

5:03pm Sitting in P1 (J-Dub) and P2 (SVG) we get a red flag… There will be a few of them this weekend…

4:53pm Cars roll out for final practice as the sun sets on the Goldie. Let’s see what we’ve got!

Final practice session is underway. Let’s see what we’ve got! #VASC #RedBullHolden pic.twitter.com/aGKC3U2Fek

— Red Bull Holden (@redbullholden) October 20, 2017

2:29pm Our co-drivers’ first practice session is complete and PD killed it! The CEO recorded a session-best lap time of 1:11.1445. Matty wasn’t far behind in P7 (1:11.6192) despite scraping a wall and losing his left mirror – our first mirror of the weekend! What’s your bet on total mirrors lost?

1:45pm Practice 2 with our co-drivers is underway in 15mins. Let’s see what Matty and PD can do…

1:30pm The drivers are back from today’s signing session at the merch tent! A lot of people there so if you didn’t get a chance to catch the boys, make sure to get your signing card from the merch tent first thing tomorrow morning, for a gold coin donation, to secure your spot.

11:35am Well our first practice session is complete and was somewhat successful! Shane was on fire and finished P3 with a best lap time of 1:11.1754. J-Dub wasn’t far behind finishing P7 (1:11.6542).

9:36am The sun’s come out to play! Fingers crossed she sticks around for the whole weekend.

The Gold Coast turning it on today! #RedBullHolden #VASC #WeareGoldCoast #ThisisQueensland pic.twitter.com/UL9OCG0fQZ

— Red Bull Holden (@redbullholden) October 19, 2017

7:00am We’re underway on the Gold Coast!

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