We’re only two weeks out from the ‘grand finale’ of the 2017 Virgin Australia Supercars Championship and things are starting to heat up.
The track’s not quite in place but it’s certainly coming together and our very own Red Bull Holden Racing Team Manager, Mark Dutton, dropped in to check it out this week.
And by all reports, it’s got the tick of approval.
“I think it’s a bit of everything, it’s a bit of a hybrid,” Dutto told Supercars.com.
“I had a look at some of the kerbs on pit entry; they look like the drivers will want to monster them. If the rest of the kerbs are like that, there’ll be some pretty spectacular shots.”
The track itself is unlike any other track in the calendar and features 2.6km of “a bit of everything” as it winds through the city streets before driving along the coastline.
“What I haven’t seen yet, which will be interesting, is how tight some of the 90 degrees are,” Dutto said.
“It’s a street circuit, it’s going around buildings. It’ll be challenging, I think, the elevation change looks spectacular.
“I think it’s going to be such a fitting grand finale.”
Major resurfacing has been taking place around the city to ensure the circuit is fit and ready for what has become the most important race on the calendar.
Our very own Jamie Whincup is in a two-man tussle for the championship with only 30 points separating him from DJR Team Penske’s Scott McLaughlin.
So there’s definitely no room for error.
“Pit lane looks fantastic,” Dutto said. “They’ve put new tarmac through for the pits, so it’ll be nice and level when we’re setting up our patches.
“All the things people don’t really care about when they’re watching, but we really care about in the teams looks to be really good.
“Pit lane width seems to be wide enough and it seems to be consistent so everyone’s got the same consistency.
“They’ve done a fantastic job.”
A new track is always fun but one thing is for sure, everyone’s in the same boat.
It’s going to be real.
