The Penrite Preview: Winton SuperSprint
Who needs a federal election when you’ve got Supercars racing, right?
This weekend Penrite Racing’s test track, Winton Raceway, plays host to the Pizza Hut Winton SuperSprint.
The team squeezed in a test day last Tuesday in the lead up to our second consecutive two-day event, with a busy track schedule for David Reynolds and Lee Holdsworth.
Here’s how it will play out.
THE CIRCUIT
Winton Raceway is a tight and twisty 3km layout located outside Benalla in regional Victoria.
Once described by Dick Johnson as “like running a marathon around your clothes line,” this track creates close racing with Turn 1 and 2 a recipe for action when 27 Supercars pile into it on Lap 1.
They say “rubbing is racing” and expect plenty of it at this place.
THE DRIVERS SAY
David Reynolds: “I grew up just down the road, 1 hour away in Albury and I remember going to watch and cheer on Dick Johnson when I was a kid. It’s an old school place with a lot of history and an awesome little track.”
“At our Winton test day last week I rolled out of the pits and I’ve never felt so confident in the car. Testing doesn’t always translate to the race weekend, but I know our package is getting better and better, so I think we can score some good results this weekend and surprise a few people.”
Lee Holdsworth: “It’s our home track and it’s a cool little race weekend with the campgrounds and the all the diehard punters making plenty of noise day and night, then on track it always creates great racing.
“We’ve had some dramas in Qualifying this year so at the test day last week we worked hard at ironing out the bugs and we were really quick by the end. We’re not far away from a win as a team, we just need to keep chipping away at it every round.”
RACE FORMAT
The two-day race meeting consists of 3 x 36 lap races, one on Saturday and two on Sunday afternoon.
Race 13 – Saturday 3.35pm AEST
Race 14 – Sunday 12.25pm AEST
Race 15 – Sunday 3.35pm AEST
PIT STOPS
Each race will require one compulsory pit stop for a minimum of two tyres with no refuelling required.
LAP RECORD
Fabian Coulthard, 2016 – 1:19.7092
WEATHER
A chilly low of 2 degrees – Yikes! On both days, with a top of 19 degrees and no rain forecast
WHERE TO WATCH
Every session will be Live on Foxtel and Kayo, with Highlights shown on Channel 7.
SUPPORT CATEGORIES
Porsche Carrera Cup
Aussie Racing Cars
Formula Ford
SuperUtes
Sports Sedans