Lap times will be seconds faster at The Bend OTR SuperSprint
A race track gets better with a bit of age, and SA Supercars driver Todd Hazelwood says a year on, The Bend already feels faster — so lap times are set to tumble.
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Lap times for Supercars at the OTR SuperSprint at The Bend this weekend are expected to be about two seconds faster, thanks to a year’s worth of racing rubber left on track and a “cured” bitumen surface.
Matt Stone Racing driver Todd Hazelwood completed five laps at the circuit last Friday during a test day for his team’s Super3 category entry and said a year on, there were a few differences to the surface.
The South Australian, 23, who this weekend will feature oil supplier Nulon as naming rights sponsor on his Holden ZB Commodore, said the faster surface had been proven in other races held this year and was noticeable, even in the older-spec V8 race car he drove last week.
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“It definitely gave me a good idea to what’s changed,” he said.
“The circuit, we all found last year, was very unique to anything we raced on before.
“The track was essentially brand new, the track hadn’t got a lot of (tyre) rubber on it.
“The surface has cured a lot more — we can expect fast laps.”
Fellow Holden driver Jamie Whincup set the fastest Supercars race lap time last year of 1:50.5833, set on the last day of racing.
Race tracks tend to develop more grip the more race cars drive on them, as hot tyres degrade and deposit tiny bits of rubber that stick to the surface, which the tyres then stick better to.
Hazelwood said other categories this year were setting times 1.5 to 2 seconds faster, but by the end of the weekend, three days’ worth of action could make the track the fastest it has ever been.
“All the extra grip there it does make a big difference,” he said.
“Hopefully, from a driver’s perspective, we can lean on the car more; it gives you more confidence to push.”
Hazelwood and his team hopes to gain a little advantage from the short time spent on track last week.
Last year, the team had just switched from racing a Ford to a Holden in an attempt to prepare to race the ZB Commodore this season, so it does not have data from the current vehicle to learn from.
This year had been a solid year, despite some setbacks, he said.
“Some of the race events have been frustrating, on the basis that we’ve lost really good points in situations that are out of our control,” he said.
“The three times we’ve been on track for our best result in Supercars, we end up being pushed off the track, we had a puncture and the left-front suspension failed on us.
“We’ve shown some great gains in speed.
“The last couple of rounds have been good for us. I can’t wait to get back to The Bend.”
Hazelwood is out of contract at the end of the season and currently negotiating his future to stay in the sport.
He said while the attention he receives from local fans can get a bit tiring, and he needs to manage the time he spends greeting them with his racing, he does get a lift from the support.
“I think it pumps me up a little bit,” he said.
“You’ve got to embrace the opportunity.
“The crowd was unbelievable at the Adelaide 500 starting off the year.
“The best thing, coming from South Australia, is the people and the fans always get behind your own.
“That makes racing at home even more special.”