Tickford on the tools to find secret ingredient

There has been a distinct clanging and banging coming from deep within the Tickford garage this week.

There has been a distinct clanging and banging coming from deep within the Tickford garage this week.

Despite being a man down, after Cam Waters’ engineer Sam Potter was forced to return home for surgery earlier this week, the third garage on pit lane has been in overdrive this week.

The Tickford team are searching for answers after their slick one lap pace was scuppered by race issues over the opening weekend at Reid Park.

Driver Jack Le Brocq, who steers the No. 5 Truck Assist Mustang for the team, believes they aren’t far from a breakthrough.

Tickford know how to succeed in the north, they proved it last year when Cam Waters consistently found his way to the podium during a Supersprint double header weekend.

With the second leg of the Supercars tropical tour reverting to the three-race shorter format, Le Brocq believes it plays back into his team’s hands.

“It should help out case for sure. We have three different qualifying so three times to put it closer to the front,” he said.

“(They are) shorter races, not as long on the rear tyres which cop a caning around this place. We know we can battle to be in the 10, but it would be nice to move forward and push for those podiums and wins.

Cameron Waters drives the #6 Monster Energy Ford Mustang during practice for the Townsville 500 which is part of the 2021 Supercars Championship, at Reid Park. (Photo by Daniel Kalisz/Getty Images)

“We were strong here last year, it carried over in our one lap speed but our race pace wasn’t quite there (last weekend). The boys are working hard trying to suss out how to close the gap to the front guys, and hopefully we can race better this weekend.”

Le Brocq, who picked up his first and only Supercars race win in a sprint format at Sydney last season, currently sits 15th in the Supercars championship but he knows a strong weekend in Townsville could rocket him up the standings.

He took a cautious approach to racing to start last weekend and it ended with him being T-boned on turn two of the opening lap, a mistake he won’t make twice.

Jack Le Brocq looks at his data during qualifying for the Townsville 500 at Reid Park last weekend. (Photo by Daniel Kalisz/Getty Images)

He attacked the same corner the following day and made two places on the field, a strategy he plans to bring to Reid Park again.

“Turn two is one of those interesting ones, on the way in it funnels and gets narrow around turn one but then it opens up,” he said. “Turn two provides plenty of action. You can go in four or five wide and there is people going everywhere.

“From experience you always try and stay on the inside, it is a safer bet. Sometimes you get bottled up and you might not make up as many positions, but it is a safer bet.

“With the shorter races we will try and do the same thing again. Anything is possible, we will just try and stay out of trouble, try and survive that first lap and hopefully have some good runs.”

– Matthew Elkerton

Originally published as Tickford on the tools to find secret ingredient