BIGMATE RACING: QUOTEBOARD SUPERNIGHT PREVIEW

PRESS RELEASE/Bigmate Racing – Photo: Townsville SuperSprint Darin Mandy

“I’m really looking forward to the event, it’s a huge race and there will be a big emphasis on the race pace being a 300km race.

“It’ll be a big challenge for the teams and drivers as there is a heap of new variables that most of us are unaware of.

“As a team I feel very prepared and with the 300 points up for grabs, it could be a big game changes to this year’s Championship standings.

“We have a few extra additions to the outside of the race car, which we cannot wait to show to the fans … I think it looks cool, but certainly not over the top.

“It doesn’t look like something out of a Fast and Furious movie, but should be able to help stand out from the rest.

“Also, the beauty of running fluro orange on our Bigmate Racing livery will help make the car stand out in the crowd.

“I have fortunately raced under lights recently in the Karting Australia 4SS Torini class, where we had a dominant day.

“I also raced last year around Queensland Raceway under lights, which was my very first time racing under lights in circuit racing.

“It adds a whole new dimension to the racing, with the cars behind you creating a lot of glare in the rearview vision mirror and the track will generally have some dark spots around the course … this creates a big challenge for the drivers, as our parameters around the circuit have to be centimetre perfect.”

Wes McDougall – Head of Engineering at Bigmate Racing 

“The long 300km race will offer up a lot of variables for the teams … the weekend format as a whole is something unique and different, with essentially everything being crammed into a 24 hour period, starting with a practice session on Friday night.

“So, straight from the outset the first practice session on Friday will be crucial, as this is the only time other than the race that the cars are on track at night.

“This means gathering information on tyre temperatures and pressures, as well as the correct blanking to use for the engine and brake temperatures will be of vital importance.

“The race itself is a hard ask for both tyres and the cooler night temperatures … it’s a long time for the driver to be in the car and the tyres also have a hard time around the circuit, which is quite abrasive, although some of this will be curbed by the cooler night temperatures.

“Add into this the rule requiring each car to pit for a minimum of three stops and all of this adds up to being something unique and different to our championship.

“The information from our test day at the beginning of the year there will definitely help, seeing as though there is limited practice before the race.

“The Sydney Motorsport Park track changes grip levels a lot—with both temperature and UV levels—so the trick will be understanding that and having a good car for qualifying in the day, but more importantly having a good car in the 300km and 300 points Saturday night race.”

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