A short turn around before Round 4 means there’s no time to overly celebrate SVG’s success, let alone write this race preview article for Phillip Island.
For the first time in five years, there is no rest between rounds as we hop over the Bass Strait and right onto another island.
The time frame seems literally impossible – just ask the crew!
However, they have no choice but to get the cars back into shape while trying to recover from the two-sided action in the garage in Tasmania.
GALLERY: Behind the Scenes: Tasmania
So, what exactly does the Red Bull Holden Racing Team do during this island-hopping adventure?
Honestly it depends on who you ask.
The drivers – heading separate ways to fulfill sponsorship obligations only to turn around in two days’ time and head back south.
The crew – still in Tasmania if not on a flight to Melbourne as this is being typed.
The engineers – planning and plotting as always.
The workshop – working over-time to get designs done for parts, then to be made and packaged onto a truck heading out to meet the gang in Melbourne on Wednesday.
Despite scattering in different directions, everyone’s heads are down charging forward to the next round.
For Shane ‘SVG’ Van Gisbergen it’s no different as he hopes for back to back victory at Phillip Island.
“We had a test day there at the start of the year, where we didn’t go very well but we learnt a lot,” he said.
“Everyone in the team is stoked from the win over the weekend and have gained confidence so now it’s just about getting back out onto the track and moving forward from here.”
And if you’re wondering what the drivers have been up to specifically after winning a race, well it didn’t really surprise us.
“Not a lot,” laughed SVG.
“Did nothing really yesterday, had a little bit of promotional work today and tomorrow I’ll do some training before flying down to Phillip Island on Thursday.”
READ MORE: SVG Stops the Rot to Strike in Tassie
On the other hand, Car 88 shot out of the gate with a new lap record, but it seemed to have switched gears literally and given Jamie ‘J-Dub’ Whincup a lesson or two instead.
“We have got plenty to learn from after the races on the weekend and we are working hard to improve the car,” he said.
“This weekend ended up as more of a big test day for us and testing new things as a result of what happened on track.”
When asked if there was anything missing from the car or driver perspective J-Dub got straight to the point.
“There’s no excuse, we simply failed to get it all together,” he said.
“We will walk away from the weekend hoping to do a better job at Phillip Island in 4 days from now.”
Are we really counting down J-Dub?
With tight schedules and limited time, blink and before you know it, we’ll be at Phillip Island.
Keep up with the bulls with live updates on our Twitter account.
Jamie’s Predictions for Phillip Island:
Fastest lap time on the track – 0:1.59.00 with rain
Who’s the one to watch in Phillip Island – Chaz Mostert
Biggest Challenge in Phillip Island – Beating Car #17.
Phillip Island in three words – Fast and flowing.
Favourite memory in Phillip Island – Receiving a stuffed penguin on the podium.
Shane’s Predictions for Phillip Island:
Fastest lap time on the track – 0:1.30.00
Who’s the one to watch in Phillip Island – The wind.
Biggest Challenge in Phillip Island – The wind.
Phillip Island in three words – Windy. Penguins. Smooth.
Favourite memory in Phillip Island – MotoGP in 2018.
