Wow! What a weekend of racing in Darwin. Plenty to digest as the V8SC circus roars back to life after a long absence. Here are my talking points from the weekend:
David Reynolds: Fifty-seven races since his last victory, way back in 2013, and the drought is over. This was the victory Reynolds needed, especially given that his stablemates at Prodrive Racing Australia, Chaz Mostert and Mark Winterbottom, have been winning regularly with the new Falcon FG, and Reynolds, in a contract year, had yet to show similar pace in a car that’s obviously fast.
Finally, Reynolds has shown he can be fast in both qualifying and race trim, and it might be the opening of the floodgates for a driver in a contract year who probably needs to visit the top step of the podium a few more times if he’s to keep his current ride, which will be a very much sought-after gig this silly season.
It was a wonderful weekend for the Prodrive squad, who’ve combined with Triple Eight to win the last eleven Hidden Valley races.
Craig Lowndes: There’s little I can say that hasn’t already been said about the man once known as The Kid, and now is the people’s champion, having taken over that mantle from his mentor and close friend, Peter Brock. One hundred race wins seventy-five in a Holden Commodore, including his first Australian Touring Car Championship way back at Eastern Creek in 1996, and twenty-five in a Ford Falcon.
I’m a Ford fan, and although Lowndes is driving a Holden now, it’s hard not to like the guy, and admire his achievement. He appears to be as good a person as he is a race car driver, which is really saying something. Evidence of that was the giant crowd at Hidden Valley, particularly across the back side of the circuit, where everyone, whether they were wearing blue or red clothes, stood and applauded. Lowndes’ longevity is something to be celebrated, having been through the old ATCC days, through the early V8 Supercar days, across two manufacturers, and now into this ultra-competitive era, where race wins are becoming harder and harder to notch up. Hasn’t stopped Lowndes, though!
Although Lowndes is something an elder statesman in the V8 paddock these days – he turned forty-one on Sunday – there’s no evidence that he’s slowing down, so we’re likely to see him stack up a few more wins, and as good as Whincup is, I doubt we’ll see anyone break the century mark again. That’s fitting, because Lowndes is a legend of the sport and deserves such an immortal mark.
Sprint race success: By far and away, the pair of sixty kilometre sprint races on Saturday were the best we’ve seen out of the front end of these much-maligned SuperSprint weekends, and it isn’t a stretch to say that the pair of Saturday races at Hidden Valley were amongst the best races we’ve seen all season.
There’s nothing like soft tyres and a resurfaced racetrack to bring out the best in all the drivers. When Russell Ingall said that the field should stop driving like gentleman – or words to that affect – on the FOX Sports pre-race show, did any of us have the faintest idea how crazy the two Saturday races were? We saw skirmishes throughout the pack, teammates getting into it with each other, Fabian Coulthard not surviving the first corner unscathed in either of the two races, and a whole lot of other excitement.
Normally the Saturday sprint races are sleep-inducing, but not this time around. If I’m V8SC management, I’m mandating that soft-tyre package as the norm for as long as these short races exist.
Nick Percat: He called Jamie Whincup a “tool” after having his car opened up like a can of tomatoes during one of the early incidents in race one, and although Nick would probably like to have his time again, at least in terms of identifying who was actually at fault for the incident with Heimgartner and others, but Percat’s refusal to tow the line and be polite despite obvious frustration on his face – we’ve seen it before, too many times – and instead actually say what he’s thinking was incredibly refreshing. We don’t see it enough in this era of image-conscious drivers. So much of Saturday reminded me of the best parts of NASCAR racing.
On Sunday, the Lucas Dumbrell Motorsport squad enjoyed it’s best day of the season, with Percat driving to an impressive sixth place. He kept his nose clean, showed good speed, and was rewarded. Great to see the little teams punching above their weight.
Scott Pye: it was a red-letter day for the new DJR-Team Penske squad on Saturday with the highly-touted Pye surviving plenty of carnage around him for a pair of top ten finishes. It’s the best we’ve seen the #17 Ford look all season, and as much conjecture as there is regarding Marcos Ambrose and his full-time driving future with the team, Roger, Dick and Tim Cindric should sign Pye up long-term, and quickly.
Jamie Whincup: Not one podium for the six-time series championship, and short of a miracle, it’s going to be tough for JW to make it seven this year. He just hasn’t showed the same consistent speed as we’ve become accustomed to. I guess a new championship winner is good for the series, but that won’t make Whincup too happy.
Darwin: It’s great going to a race track and a state where there’s nothing but positive vibes for an event. It’s unfortunate that the Top End doesn’t get many big-time sporting circuses visit, but when the V8’s come to town, it’s always a packed crowd, matched with wonderful weather that makes a mockery of winter, and a great all-around atmosphere.
Those who turned out – a healthy number – were rewarded for their effort with as good a weekend of racing as we’ve seen in 2015. No wonder the Northern Territory government are pouring more money into the track and the event: it’s a winner for everyone concerned.
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