Well, that was one epic weekend.
From securing the team’s 100th win with Holden, to a complete podium lockout, the Triple Eight crew was on fire throughout the Ipswich SuperSprint race meet.
With six race events to go, and only one left until the enduro season kicks off, it’s all or nothing as we head into the back end of 2016.
We’ve done a bit of leg work and narrowed down some of the most frequently asked questions from our results at Queensland Raceway, and now we have recovered from celebrating, we thought we would check in with Triple Eight boss man RD and grab his thoughts on your burning questions.
A fantastic weekend for the team at our local round, how did it feel to get another podium lock out?
Any time you win a championship race is great, and a 1-2 is fantastic, but the podium lock out at our local circuit with our local fans and employees out in force was very special.
SVG claimed another significant win for Holden, how important is it to reach this kind of milestone for the manufacturer?
It’s a measure of not only the success we have enjoyed together with Holden, but also a testament to the commitment that they have shown to Triple Eight since 2010, and that commitment is what has enabled us to reach this milestone. The Triple Eight relationship with GM goes back 20 years if I factor in the UK history and we’ve done a whole lot of winning together over those two decades!
Sunday nearly saw another podium lock out, however, you have condoned SVG’s last minute decision to pit pending a safety car. How important is it for drivers to make those kinds of decisions, whether they pay off or not?
It’s important that they have an awareness of the situation and an ability to react quickly to changing circumstances, but they also need to communicate with the team. Unfortunately, SVG was in a track position where he didn’t have time for that and he gambled – and lost. At the end of the day, Shane showed initiative and was trying to be pro-active to avoid a possible stacking situation for himself. I don’t blame him for that. I’d have done the same.
Now halfway through the championship, does every round become more and more important in regards to points?
The points have the same value across all the rounds, so the relevant thing now is keeping momentum and consistency.
How will Triple Eight be spending their four-week break leading up to SMP?
Working hard helping Team 18 with their new car build and getting on top of our enduro plans I hope!